Mickey Prohaska (Greg Kinnear) is a small-time insurance agent looking for a way to jump-start his business, reunite with his estranged wife (Lea Thompson) and escape the frigid Wisconsin weather. This self-proclaimed master of spin believes that salesmanship is about selling a story — all he needs is a sucker willing to buy it. He hits pay dirt with a lonely retired farmer (Alan Arkin) who is sitting on something much bigger than an insurance commission. But Mickey’s attempt to con the old man spins out of control when a nosy, unstable locksmith (Billy Crudup) with a volatile temper dramatically ups the stakes, trapping him in a spiral of danger, deceit and double-crossing. Blending dark comedy and delirious Midwestern noir, THIN ICE reaches a breaking point that no one — least of all Mickey Prohaska — could ever see coming.
CAST & CREW
Greg continues to draw audiences and critical acclaim with diverse and interesting roles in both television and film. An Academy Award® nominee and Emmy award-winning actor, Kinnear recently wrapped production on Craig Zisk’s THE ENGLISH TEACHER, co-starring Julianne Moore, Lily Collins and Michael Angarano. The film will be released in 2012. He was most recently seen in Douglas McGrath’s I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT, opposite Pierce Brosnan and Sarah Jessica Parker. He also recently starred in in IFC’s SALVATION BOULEVARD, opposite Jennifer Connelly, Marisa Tomei, and Pierce Brosnan. The film originally premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. His performance as John F. Kennedy in the cable-television miniseries “The Kennedys” earned him an Emmy Award nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie.
In 2006, Kinnear starred in LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, the critically acclaimed hit of the Sundance Film Festival. Lauded by critics nationwide, the film went on to receive several Academy Award® nominations and Independent Spirit Awards wins. Kinnear, along with Steve Carell, Alan Arkin, Abigail Breslin, Paul Dano, and Toni Collette, won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. In 1997, Kinnear starred alongside Jack Nicholson in James L. Brooks’ Academy Award® nominated film AS GOOD AS IT GETS. Kinnear’s performance garnered him an Academy Award® nomination, and he was named Best Supporting Actor by the National Board of Review; he was also nominated in the same category at The Golden Globes and The Screen Actors Guild Awards that year. Kinnear co-starred in Nora Ephron’s hit romantic comedy YOU’VE GOT MAIL with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. He made his feature-film debut in the Sydney Pollack-directed remake of SABRINA, in which he co-starred with Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond, and was named NATO ShoWest’s Star of Tomorrow.
Other notable film roles for Kinnear include Paul Schrader’s AUTO FOCUS; INVINCIBLE, co-starring Mark Wahlberg; Richard Linklater’s FAST FOOD NATION, based on the best-selling book by Eric Schlosser; Paul Greengrass’ GREEN ZONE; GHOST TOWN, opposite Ricky Gervais; THE FEAST OF LOVE, directed by Robert Benton and co-starring Morgan Freeman; Mike Nichols’ WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM?, with Garry Shandling and Annette Bening. Kinnear can also be seen in MYSTERY MEN, THE MATADOR, THE BAD NEWS BEARS, WE WERE SOLDIERS, SOMEONE LIKE YOU, STUCK ON YOU, THE GIFT, UNKNOWN, NURSE BETTY and BABY MAMA.
Kinnear grew up virtually all over the world as his family followed his State Department father to disparate locales such as Logansport, Indiana; Washington, D.C.; Beirut, Lebanon; and Athens, Greece. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and three daughters.
Billy has earned critical accolades throughout his career for his consistently lauded performances on both stage and screen. Most recently, Crudup starred in David Leveaux’s production of Tom Stoppard’s “Arcadia” for which he received his fourth Tony Award nomination. He also appeared as Timothy Geithner in the critically acclaimed HBO ensemble film TOO BIG TO FAIL.
Next year, Crudup will star in the anticipated NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH,along with Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and Jonah Hill, set for Summer 2012 release, and THE LONGEST WEEK, along with Olivia Wilde and Jason Bateman, also set for 2012.
Crudup made his motion picture debut in Barry Levinson’s SLEEPERS, opposite Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt and Jason Patric, followed by Woody Allen’s EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU and Pat O’Connor’s INVENTING THE ABBOTTS. Crudup played the leading role in critically acclaimed WITHOUT LIMITS, the story of legendary long distance runner Steven Prefontaine, for which he won the National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance of the Year.
He then starred in the critically acclaimed JESUS’ SON, opposite Samantha Morton, Holly Hunter and Denis Leary, which earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination, and he reunited with Jennifer Connelly in the acclaimed WAKING THE DEAD. Crudup also starred in Cameron Crowe’s Academy Award®-winning ALMOST FAMOUS, along with Frances McDormand and Kate Hudson.
Crudup’s other film credits include CHARLOTTE GRAY,opposite Cate Blanchett; Tim Burton’s fantasy tale BIG FISH, also starring Ewan McGregor, Helena Bonham Carter, and Albert Finney; STAGE BEAUTY,opposite Claire Danes; TRUST THE MAN, with Julianne Moore; J.J. Abrams’ MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3, opposite Tom Cruise; and Robert De Niro’s THE GOOD SHEPHERD, alongside Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie.
In 2009, Crudup played J. Edgar Hoover in Michael Mann’s PUBLIC ENEMIESand starred as Dr. Manhattan in Zack Snyder’s hit comic-book adaptation, WATCHMEN. He also appeared in the box office hit EAT PRAY LOVE, starring alongside Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, and James Franco.
On the stage, Crudup won a “Best Performance by a Featured Actor” Tony for his role in the Broadway production of The Coast of Utopia. He also received Tony nominations for his roles in The Elephant Man and Martin McDonough’s The Pillowman. Crudup made his Broadway debut as Septimus Hodge in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, directed by Trevor Nunn, which won him several awards, including the Outer Critics Circle Award for “Outstanding Debut of an Actor” and a Theater World Award. He was also honored with the Clarence Derwent Award from Actor’s Equity for “Outstanding Broadway Debut”. Crudup has also appeared on Broadway in William Inge’s BUS STOP and in the Roundabout Theater’s production of Three Sisters, which earned him a Drama Desk nomination. He has appeared in Oedipus with Frances McDormand, starred in the New York Shakespeare Festival production of Measure For Measure at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, and starred in the off-Broadway run of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, opposite Al Pacino and Steve Buscemi.
Crudup received his Masters of Fine Arts from New York University and also attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He resides in New York City.
Alan has long been recognized as an actor of great talent and versatility on stage, screen and television. He won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the 2007 BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor, the 2007 Best Motion Picture Cast Performance by the SAG Awards and the 2007 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. Alan recently completed filmingARGO directed by Ben Affleck for Warner Brothers, and will soon start shooting New Line Cinema’s BURT WONDERSTONE, opposite Steve Carrell and Jim Carey.
Born in N.Y., Alan launched his career with Chicago’s improvisational revue, “Second City.” This led to his first part on Broadway, the lead in Carl Reiner’s play Enter Laughing, for which he won a Tony Award. The following year he appeared again on Broadway in Murray Schisgal’s hit, LUV. In 1998, he directed, starred and co-wrote with Elaine May, the hit production of Power Plays at the Promenade Theatre. Alan began directing for the stage with the much acclaimed Eh?, starring Dustin Hoffman, at the Circle in the Square. He then won an Obie for directing Jules Feiffer’s Little Murders, followed by Feiffer’s The White House Murder Case, all three of which kept the Circle in the Square tied up for several years. These productions were followed by The Sunshine Boys, on Broadway, Rubbers and Yanks Three, at The American Place Theater, Joan of Lorraine, at the Hartman in Stamford, The Sorrows of Stephen, at the Burt Reynolds Theatre, starring his son, Adam, and Room Service, at the Roundabout in New York.
Alan’s first feature, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, as well as an Oscar nomination. He received a second Oscar nomination, and the New York Critic’s Award, for his performance inTHE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER. A second New York Critic’s Award followed for his role in HEARTS OF THE WEST. His other films have included CITY ISLAND; SUNSHINE CLEANING; THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE; THIRTEEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING; SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS; GROSSE POINT BLANK; GLENGARY GLENN ROSS; JAKOB THE LIAR; GATTACA; AMERICA’S SWEETHEARTS; EDWARD SCISSORHANDS; LITTLE MURDERS (which he also directed); CATCH 22; THE IN-LAWS; HAVANNA; FOUR DAYS IN SEPTEMBER; MOTHER NIGHT; JOSHUA THEN AND NOW; THE NOVICE; NOEL and STEAL BIG STEAL LITTLE.He has written and directed two short films, T.G.I.F. and PEOPLE SOUP. The first opened the New York Film Festival, and the latter received an Oscar nomination for Best Short Subject.
Alan starred in the highly acclaimed A&E series “100 Centre Street,” written and directed by Sidney Lumet. Other television appearances include his Emmy-nominated performances in “Pentagon Papers” for the FX network and “Escape From Sobibor.” He guest starred as the father of his real-life son, Adam Arkin, on “Chicago Hope,” which earned him yet another Emmy nomination and he also appeared in Showtime’s “Varian’s War.”
Alan directed the television adaptation of the Broadway play Twigs, with Carol Burnett, and The Visitor, with Jeff Daniels, Swoozie Kurtz and Julie Haggerty, which won multiple international awards.
When not occupied as an actor or director, Arkin is likely to devote his time to music or writing. He has written several books including eight children’s books, the latest children’s book entitled Tony’s Hard Work Day. An earlier work, The Lemming Condition, has sold steadily for thirty years, and was honored by The Book Sellers of America by being placed in the White House Library. In March 2011 to unanimous rave reviews Alan released his memoir entitled “An Improvised Life,” published by DaCapo Press.
David has gained a reputation as a performer as gifted in film and television as he is on stage, a medium in which he was nominated for a 2005 Tony Award. He is perhaps best known to audiences for his role as Shep Campbell in the romantic period drama REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Harbour also appears opposite Seth Rogan and Cameron Diaz in the superhero actioner THE GREEN HORNET as well as in the thriller ISOLATION and the romantic drama W.E., directed by Madonna.
The 36-year-old actor began his Hollywood career with guest roles in such television series as “Law & Order: SVU,” “Hack,” “The Book of Daniel,” “The Unit,” “Lie To Me,” “Royal Pains,” and two episodes of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” for which he recently earned praise for his role as Paul Devildis.
On the big screen Harbour has appeared in such feature films as KINSEY, WAR OF THE WORLDS, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, THE WEDDING WEEKEND, AWAKE, QUANTUM OF SOLACE and STATE OF PLAY (as Russell Crowe’s insider source).
A New York native, Harbour graduated from Byram Hills High School in Armonk, New York, just north of New York City. In 1997 he graduated from Dartmouth College with a double major in drama and Italian. He soon impressed theatrical critics and audiences alike, appearing in Lanford Wilson’s Fifth of July and in such Broadway productions as Joe Hortua’s Between Us and Tom Stoppard’s The Invention Of Love and The Coast of Utopia at Lincoln Center Theater.
Harbour was nominated for a 2005 Tony Award as Best Actor for his work in the Broadway revival of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, starring alongside Kathleen Turner, Bill Irwin and Mireille Enos. He reprised the role in a London production in 2005.
Currently, Harbour is putting both of his own college degrees in drama and Italian to good use, earning kudos on Broadway opposite Al Pacino in the recently opened production of The Merchant of Venice.
Lea is best known for her roles in BACKTOTHE FUTUREI, II, and III and as the star of “Caroline in the City”(People’s Choice and TV Guide Award Winner). Other film credits include ALL THE RIGHT MOVES,SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL,THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, SPACE CAMP, DENNIS THE MENACE,ARTICLE 99, CASUALSEX?, JAWS 3-D, RED DAWN, THE WIZARD OF LONELINESS,THE LITTLE RASCALS,THEWILD LIFE,THE UNKNOWN CYCLIST,COME AWAY HOME, EXIT SPEED, SPLINTERHEADS, and the now infamous HOWARD THE DUCK.Other films soon to be or recently released include Clint Eastwood’s J. EDGAR;MAYOR CUPCAKE, which Lea produced and starred in; THIN ICE;and THE TROUBLE WITH THE TRUTH.Television movie credits include “The Substitute Wife”; “Stolen Babies”; “The Right to Remain Silent”; “The Unspoken Truth”;“Montana”; “Nightbreaker”(Cable Ace Nominee); the NBC miniseries, “A Will of Their Own”; “Stealing Christmas”;“A Life Interrupted”;“CaliforniaDreaming”;the Hallmark miniseries, “Final Approach”;“The Christmas Clause”;“TheCabin”;and “Game of Your Life.”Her television series include NBC’s “Caroline inthe City”; Lifetime’s “For The People.”Lea also starred in nine films and directed several for the Hallmark’s Mystery Movie series, “Jane Doe.”She can currently be seen in a new hit series, “Switched At Birth,”airing on ABC Family. Lea’s theatre experience has been extensive with highlights including Tony Kushner’s TheIllusion; The Vagina Monologues; the LA Reprise Series revival of I Love MyWife; the Williamstown Theatre Festival’s Caroline In Jersey; and her personal favorite, on Broadway as Sally Bowles in Cabaret at Studio 54. Lea can often be seen performing for various charities such as The Alzheimer’s Association, Breast Cancer Research’s What A Pair, and the WeSpark Foundation. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband, film director Howard Deutch, and their two artistic daughters, Madelyn and Zoey, along with lots of dogs, a cat, a parrot, countless fish, and several horses.
Bob has appeared in nearly a hundred movies, including MIDNIGHT COWBOY, CATCH 22, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, ALTERED STATES, 2010, ABSENCE OF MALICE, PRINCE OF THE CITY, DECONSTRUCTING HARRY, JAKOB THE LIAR, WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, BEST IN SHOW, A MIGHTY WIND, THE MEXICAN, GHOST WORLD, CAPOTE, LADY IN THE WATER, and NO RESERVATIONS. He was recently seen alongside James Franco in the Allen Ginsburg biopic, HOWL. He will soon be seen in IMOGENE, starring Annette Bening, and in Wes Anderson’s new film, MOONRISE KINGDOM.
He received a 2010 Emmy Award nomination for directing GEORGIA O’KEEFFE, which stars Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons and premiered on Lifetime Television in September 2009. It was nominated for nine Emmy, three Golden Globe, two Screen Actors Guild, Producers Guild, Directors Guild, and NAACP awards.
He received three 2008 Emmy Award nominations: for his performance in RECOUNT (HBO) and for directing and producing the HBO film BERNARD AND DORIS, starring Susan Sarandon and Ralph Fiennes. BERNARD AND DORIS earned ten Emmy nominations, three Golden Globe nominations, two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, as well as Producers Guild and Directors Guild nominations.
Bob produced and co-starred in GOSFORD PARK, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (Julian Fellowes), as well as the British Academy Award for Best British Film, the Golden Globe award for Best Director (Robert Altman), the Writers Guild Award for screenwriting, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for performance. In addition, the film was honored by the National Society of Film Critics, New York Film Critics Circle, London Critics Circle, Broadcast Film Critics, and Online Film Critics.
Bob produced and directed the hit Off-Broadway play, The Exonerated starring Richard Dreyfuss and Jill Clayburgh (Drama Desk Award, New York Times #1 Play, Outer Critics Circle Award, Court TV’s Scales of Justice Award, Defender of Justice Award from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers) as well as the National Tour starring Robin Williams, Stockard Channing, and others. He also directed the film version of The Exonerated for Court TV, starring Susan Sarandon, Danny Glover, Aidan Quinn, and Brian Dennehy. At Guild Hall, he directed a production that starred Mia Farrow and Billy Dee Williams.
He produced, directed and wrote the award winning film, THE LAST GOOD TIME, starring Armin Mueller-Stahl, Maureen Stapleton and Lionel Stander, and directed PARENTS, starring Randy Quaid, Sandy Dennis and Mary Beth Hurt. He is the creator-writer-producer of the IFC animated series “Hopeless Pictures” and executive produced two seasons of “Celebrity Charades” for AMC. Bob also produced and directed the pilot for IFC’s “The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman” and directed the pilot for the long running television series “Tales from the Dark Side.” Recently, Bob has directed four episodes of “Nurse Jackie” (Showtime).
His Broadway appearances include Plaza Suite, The Inspector General, (Tony Award nomination) and Speed the Plow. Off-Broadway includes You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, The White House Murder Case, Marie and Bruce, The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel, Romance, and Some Americans Abroad.
He wrote a series of best-selling children’s books for Scholastic called McGrowl, which he will be making into a film. The diary he kept during the filming of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND has been published under the title “Spielberg, Truffaut, and Me.” He is currently at work on another series of children’s books for Viking, The Creature from the 7th Grade.
A Chicago native, Balaban’s roots are in the entertainment world: his uncle was a long-time president of Paramount and his grandfather headed production at MGM for many years. He now lives in Bridgehampton, NY.
Michelle was born and raised in London and worked in theater, film and television before moving to the U.S. in 1995. She began her American career in New York, working mostly in commercials, voiceovers and sketch comedy before moving to Los Angeles in 1997 to work with Jill and Karen Sprecher on their first movie, CLOCKWATCHERS. Her film work includes GOLDENEYE, SEABISCUIT, THE TERMINAL, FUN WITH DICK & JANE, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III, HAPPY FEET, THE NUMBER 23, and CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR. Television work includes a recurring role on JJ Abrams’ “Alias,” “Lost,” and roles on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” Michelle was a writer and regular cast member on the Starz improvised comedy “Headcase” for three seasons.
Jill made her directing debut in 1997 with the independent feature CLOCKWATCHERS. Co-written with her sister Karen, the film debuted at Sundance and went on to screen at over a dozen international film festivals, winning top honors at the Turin Film Festival.
THIRTEEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING, her second feature, was released in 2002 and appeared on a number of Top Ten lists, including Roger Ebert’s and The National Board of Review.
A philosophy and literature major at the University of Wisconsin, Sprecher received her Masters in Cinema Studies from NYU.
She got her start as a production coordinator, production manager and line producer on both studio and independent features, including ENEMIES: A LOVE STORY, LAST RITES, STONEWALL, and THE LAST GOOD TIME.
Karen is a licensed clinical social worker and received her Masters degree in the field from New York University. Before entering the film business, she counseled teenagers in an independent living program in Chicago, as well as adults and children at a community mental health facility in New York City.
Karen has worked as a production coordinator on a number of independent features. In addition to co-writing CLOCKWATCHERS, she served as the film’s co-producer.
She received a Best Screenplay award from the San Diego Critics Society for THIRTEEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING. THIN ICE is the third feature she has written with her sister Jill.
Mary Frances is an independent producer living in Chicago working on productions under her own company banner, Spare Room Productions.
In addition to producing THIN ICE, Mary Frances produced FINAL directed by Campbell Scott and starring Denis Leary and Hope Davis. FINAL was the first film produced for Gary Winick’s InDigEnt film series. Mary Frances also produced HAMLET for Hallmark Entertainment directed by, and starring, Campbell Scott.
Mary Frances is currently developing projects with Academy Award winner Jim Taylor (SIDEWAYS), writer/director Shainee Gabel (A LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG) and Stephen Schiff (TRUE CRIME).
Prior to entering the independent film world, Mary Frances worked at MTV, serving as Deputy General Counsel and Vice President of Law and Business Affairs. Prior to that she practiced intellectual property law at the New York law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy.
Mary Frances received her J.D. from New York University and her B.A. from the University of Illinois. She also sits on the board of The Renaissance Society, a contemporary arts museum in Chicago.
Elizabeth Redleaf’s love of film and process has led her to co-found and become CEO of Werc Werk Works, a film production company built on a vision of supporting artists and rewarding its profit partners.
She is the producer of DARLING COMPANION directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring Diane Keaton and Kevin Kline; and HOWL starring James Franco.
In addition she is the executive producer of LIFE DURING WARTIME a Todd Solondz film, and the new Béla Tarr film THE TURIN HORSE which will be featured in competition at the Berlinale 2011.
Elizabeth is on the board of directors of the Telluride Film Festival and co-founded the Walker Art Center Film Society in Minneapolis.
Christine one of the original founders of Werc Werk Works, is an award-winning producer of artist-driven independent film. She is Executive Producer of DARLING COMPANION, LIFE DURING WARTIME, a Todd Solondz film, and HOWL, starring James Franco as poet Allen Ginsberg.
Walker also co-wrote and produced OLDER THAN AMERICA starring Adam Beach and Bradley Cooper, produced FACTOTUM starring Matt Dillon, Lily Taylor and Marisa Tomei, and line produced AMERICAN SPLENDOR.
Christine’s awards and recognitions include the Producer’s Guild of America Diversity Award, an Independent Spirit Award nomination, and the Sundance Institute’s Producer’s Fellowship.
“NO SUCH THING AS BEING OVER-INSURED.” BOB (David Harbour) TELLS MICKEY (Greg Kinnear) ABOUT AN INSURANCE CALL HE WILL BE MAKING
MICKEY (Greg Kinnear) VISITS JOANN (Lea Thompson) AT WORK TO COLLECT HIS MAIL
MICKEY (Greg Kinnear) DISCOVERS THAT GORVY (Alan Arkin) HAS A VERY VALUABLE VIOLIN
“THERE’S A LOT OF CORRUPTION OUT THERE.” MICKEY (Greg Kinnear) VISITS LEONARD (Bob Balaban) TO FIND OUT THE VALUE OF THE VIOLIN
MICKEY (Greg Kinnear) SEES RANDY ATTEMPT TO STEAL THE CLOCK IN GORVY’S (Alan Arkin) HOUSE
RANDY (Billy Crudup) TELLS MICKEY (Greg Kinnear) A BIT ABOUT HIS PAST
“CALL THE COPS.” FRANK DISCOVERS MICKEY (Greg Kinnear) AND RANDY (Billy Crudup) IN GORVY’S HOUSE
MICKEY (Greg Kinnear) OFFERS TO GIVE RANDY (Billy Crudup) THE VIOLIN
MICKEY (Greg Kinnear) LEARNS THE VIOLIN IS WORTH MORE THAN HE THOUGHT FROM LEONARD (Bob Balaban)
“OUR SUSPECT.” MICKEY (Greg Kinnear) MEETS RANDY (Billy Crudup) BY THE LAKE
“The con is on and nothing is what it seems in this excellent comic noir written by sisters Jill and Karen Sprecher, starring Greg Kinnear as a sleazy insurance man and Billy Crudup as his unhinged, reluctant partner in crime.”
—Juliann Garey, MARIE CLAIRE
“Wickedly entertaining. A surprisingly satisfying dark comedy that delivers in the spirit of a Coen Bros movie. Greg Kinnear is just great.”
—Pete Hammond, BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE
“Not since ‘Fargo’ has there been such a clever crime story which will have you squirming in your seat. It’s witty, intelligent and sly.”
—Jeffrey Lyons, LYONS DEN RADIO
“Billy Crudup and Alan Arkin deliver their best performances in a long, long time! Great acting all around! As nasty and intriguing as ‘Fargo’.”
—Stuart Lee, WNYX TV


When Lindsay revealed that she’d never been to the Heath in all her years of living in London, I knew that this was something that had to be remedied on her current trip. We had a very leisurely start to our stroll (coffees and pastries from Gail’s) before heading off across the Heath.
When we got to Kenwood House, Sam surprised us both with a plethora of Notting Hill movie facts. (Kenwood House is the location for the scene where Julia Roberts is filming a period drama and Hugh Grant comes on set to visit her and he overhears her being rude about him while on headset.) Sam is a huge film buff so he is always full of film facts.
During our walk, we also ducked into the Spaniard’s Inn, famous for being a favourite of Keats and mentioned by Dickens, for a cheeky drink before making out final push through the Heath and up Parliament Hill. From the top of Parliament Hill you can see the Gherkin, the Shard, Canary Wharf, St Paul’s and the London Eye. We were super lucky and the weather held out all day; although it was pretty windy, it never rained!
Last but certainly not least, we finished off this wonderful Sunday with a huge feast at The Flask; Sunday roasts for Lindsay and I, fish and chips for Sam. I wolfed down my roast, their red wine gravy is a gift straight from the gods, as are the giant Yorkshire puddings.
Here’s to hoping that Lindsay can one day move back to the UK so that we have many more adventures like this!
The moral of the story: Go to the Heath!


Check out this below the line interview for Paul Thomas Anderson‘s The Master with Production Designers, Jack Fisk & David Crank; Costume Designer, Mark Bridges and Editor, Leslie Jones.
Source: The Hot Button DP30 Series
Source: The Weinstein Company & Film Trailer Zone
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Tagged as Art Director, below the line, Costume designer, David Crank, editor, Jack Fisk, Leslie Jones, Mark Bridges, Master, Paul Thomas Anderson, Production designer, The Master, Weinstein Company
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The master of Kung Fu media took his final bow and left the stage. He was 106 years young. I encountered Run Run Shaw and his martial arts movies when studying in Taiwan in the 1980’s. His movies had a zany acrobatic and zen quality with over the top characters who wore long flowing robes and beat down foreign and domestic villains while preening uncropped, drooping beards. The Run Run Shaw movies were as iconic and unconventional as the life of Run Run Shaw himself.
Born in Ningbo, China, he and his brothers entered into the movie business, producing and exporting low-budget martial arts films. Their business grew and took unexpected turns as they encountered the censorship of war, confiscation of studio equipment and had to relocate headquarters a number of times. Run Run Shaw eventually settled in Hong Kong where he built his multi-billion dollar media empire.
Although his movies were highly scripted and predictable, the genre was amusing to watch and became a Chinese cult phenomenon with watchers laughing and cheering at and imitating characters from the action scenes. The dramatic characters and plots influenced many film directors including Ang Lee, Jackie Chan and Quentin Tarantino and helped launch the careers of Chow Yun-fat and Maggie Cheung.
During my student days, I was invited to one of his movie studios, but after seeing the thrashing and thumping that the walk-ons were taking, I decided to put my movie aspirations on hold. Yet I never forgot the creative energy and imaginative craft of Run Run Shaw movies. Later, when I worked in China, I would sometimes come across one of the Shaw movie institutes and smile as I envisioned scenes from Blade Runner and Clan of the White Lotus.
By the 1990s, Run Run Shaw had built a media empire amounting to millions but was seeking to diversify into different media platforms. As a financial heavyweight, he had financial dealings with Rupert Murdoch, invested in real estate, and became a large shareholder in R.H Macy & Company. He boosted the careers of many fledging artists, even employing Bruce Lee during the early days.
Over the years, he donated more than $750 million to the fields of education, medicine and other charitable causes. For his philanthropy and contributions, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and became Sir Run Run Shaw, a name that is a brand in itself.
During his later years, he made regular appearances on TV and took part in events preceding the Chinese lion dance. According to close friends, Run Run continued his business activities up until 100. When asked what his advice was on staying healthy, he said “keep on working.”
With the death of Run Run Shaw, we’ve lost a creative soul but somewhere in the heavens, there is a celebration as Run Run Shaw jostles in besides the likes of Walt Disney and Akira Kurosawa to entertain the heavenly folk.
World famous star Jackie Chan will guest on KBS’ Happy Together.
A rep from KBS told enews on January 13, “Jackie Chan will appear onHappy Together along with Super Junior’s Choi Siwon, Girl’s Generation’s Jessica and Brown Eyed Girls’ Narsha.”
The theme of the episode will be ‘Jackie Chan and his friends,’ in which the star will appear alongside Choi Siwon, who is known to be good friends with Jackie Chan, as well as Jessica and Narsha.
The episode will be filmed on January 18 and is set to air on January 23.
Via: MWave Photo credit: Hea Jung Min Cr: CJ E&M enewsWorld Choi, EunHwa Translation Credit : Yeawon Jung Header Photo Cr: @siwon407
The international star, Jackie Chan, is going meet his fans in South Korea, and appear on the popular KBS variety show, ‘Happy Together’ !
According to StarNews, the episode will also features Jackie Chan’s closest celebrity friends from South Korea; such as Super Junior’s Siwon, Girls’ Generation’s Jessica, and Brown Eyed Girls’s Narsha. The filming will starts this Saturday.
Siwon and Jackie Chan’s friendship is pretty well-known, since both of them have met on ‘Running Man’. Narsha is known to be close with Jackie Chan’s family, and Jessica is known to have a connection to with the superstar.
What are your expectations for this upcoming episode of ‘Happy Together’ ?
This seems like the logical second franchise for me to feature in this category, after the ROCKY franchise, since it follows the same “underdog defeats the champion” plotline. There’s also the fact that John G. Avildsen, director of Karate Kid 1-3, also directed Rocky 1 and Rocky 5. But, far from just being a teen Rocky series, this franchise definitely stands on its own.
THE KARATE KID
Written by Robert Mark Kamen, directed by John G. Avildsen. June 1984.
Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio) and his single mother,Lucille (Randee Heller), move from New Jersey to Reseda, California, where he has to adjust to a new High School and making new friends. He immediately hits it off with a girl named Ali (Elizabeth Shue), but is uncomfortable with the fact that she comes from a wealthy family. Even worse, Daniel also runs afoul of Ali’s psycho ex-boyfriend, Johnny (William Zabka), a martial arts expert who is trained by a brutal teacher (Martin Kove) who runs a dojo called Cobra Kai. After enduring several vicious assaults from Johnny and his friends, Daniel is saved by Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), the handyman at the apartment building Daniel and his mother live at, who proceeds to train Daniel in Karate so that Daniel can face Johnny at an upcoming local Karate tournament which Johnny reigns as champion.
The things that stand out about this film, that have entered the public consciousness, are Mr. Miyagi’s habit of calling Daniel “Daniel-San”, the special Crane maneuver that Daniel uses to win the final fight against Johnny and, of course, Mr. Miyagi’s unorthodox training methods, where he initially has Daniel performing various chores of manual labor, including painting a fence, painting a house, and waxing Mr. Miyagi’s collection of classic cars. “Wax on, wax off.” Plus there’s the song “You’re the Best” by Joe Esposito, which plays during the tournament fight scenes (& was allegedly originally written for Rocky 3, but got rejected in favor of “Eye of The Tiger”
In hindsight, there are a few things that stand out as unresolved questions to me about this film. How did Miyagi afford that house and all those cars? Johnny’s attacks on Daniel, especially when he and his friends ran Daniel off the road in their motorcycles, should qualify as attempted murder. Why didn’t he or his mother just call the police and file charges? And if Ali and Johnny were from these rich families, wouldn’t they be attending elite private schools? But most of those things are staples of 80′s teen movies. Rich kids and poor kids always went to the same public schools, and bullies tended to be rather homicidal, without suffering legal consequences. But none of this detracts from how wonderful this film is. Particularly the father/son relationship that develops between Daniel and Miyagi throughout the film. And Daniel’s triumph at the end, where even Johnny congratulates him, is very uplifting. Macchio shines as the protagonist in this film, engendering the right amount of sympathy from the audience, and Morita’s wry delivery and sense of humor help makes Mr. Miyagi an iconic character.
THE KARATE KID, PART 2
Picking up 6 months after the last film, this one gives a lot more screentime to Pat Morita, as Mr. Miyagi’s background is explored. After getting a letter that his father is sick, Miyagi and Daniel travel to Okinawa to see him. There they run afoul of Sato (Danny Kamekona), Miyagi’s childhood best friend who was also taught Karate by Miyagi’s father (who dies a few days after the return to Okinawa). Miyagi originally left for America after challenging Sato’s intention to marry a girl named Yukie (Nobu McCarthy), who still lives in their town (but never married Sato). All these years later, Sato still hates Miyagi, calls him a coward, and demands that they have a fight to the death, which Miyagi initially refuses. Meanwhile Daniel pursues a romance with Yukie’s niece Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita), and has several violent encounters with Sato’s brutal nephew, Chozen (Yuji Okumoto). Eventually Sato forces Miyagi to agree to fight him, but on the night of the fight a typhoon hits the village, and Miyagi saves Sato’s life, ending the feud and renewing their friendship. But Chozen still hates Daniel, and during a dance performance later, Chozen attacks Kumiko and forces Daniel to fight him, also a death match. After a vicious fight, where Daniel is almost beaten to death, he uses a new offensive technique (since the “crane” didn’t work), and defeats Chozen, but refuses to kill him.
Apparently, although it was a bigger financial hit, this film wasn’t as critically-acclaimed as the first film, but I like it equally. The opening sequence, which shows what happened right after the tournament, with Mr. Miyagi facing the head of the Cobra Kai, was pretty cool. It sucks that Elizabeth Shue’s Ali was unceremoniously written out of the film so quickly, but I liked the change in local to Okinawa. It’s true that Daniel’s story in this film was pretty similar to the first one, with Kumiko taking the place of Ali and Chozen taking the place of Johnny, but I thought the added focus on Mr. Miyagi and his history and background helped make this film different enough. I liked it.
THE KARATE KID, PART 3
Written by Robert Mark Kamen, directed by John G. Avildsen. June 1989.
Martin Kove returns as John Kreese, the evil leader of the Cobra Kai dojo. It’s a year after the last tournament, and he’s lost all of his students and is going out of business. Thomas Ian Griffith plays Terry Silver, a millionaire who fought alongside Kreese in Vietnam. We learn that he bought the dojo for Kreese to run. When he learns the trouble that Kreese is having and who is to blame, Silver concocts a plane to get revenge for him. He hires another teenage Karate expert, Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan) to challenge Daniel for the championship in the next tournament. But Daniel, who has returned to CA with Mr. Miyagi, only to discover that their apartment building has been torn down, and Daniel’s mother has moved back to New Jersey to care for her sick brother, has moved in with Miyagi and spent his college money on opening a shop that sells Bonsai trees with Mr. Miyagi, and has decided not to join the tournament this year, upon Miyagi’s advice.
So Silver sets up Mike to continually threaten Daniel, and Silver comes to Daniel’s defense, and offers to help Daniel train to face Mike in the tournament, since Miyagi is opposed to it. Eventually, Daniel takes him up on that, and Silver basically trains Daniel to lose, while convincing Daniel that he’s ready to win. While this goes on, it drives a wedge between Daniel and Miyagi, which is only repaired when Silver’s treachery and alliance with Kreese is revealed. So Miyagi resumes training Daniel, and it leads to the showdown at the tournament.
I know this entry in the series was savaged by critics and made the least amount of money. However I checked the box office stats, it cost aroud $13 million and made around $39 million. So that’s a financial success! At least it didn’t LOSE any money. Personally, I mostly liked it. No, it wasn’t perfect. Mike was pretty much just another version of Johnny from the first film. And I never did understand why Miyagi was originally so adamantly opposed to the idea of Daniel fighting in the next tournament. I know that from the first film he wasn’t big on the idea of “belts” and that sort of thing, but after what Daniel went through last time this seemed like it could just be some harmless competition. It’s understandable that Daniel would be proud of what he accomplished before and would want to try again. So why not? And the film threw in another burgeoning romance with Daniel and new girl (played by Robyn Lively), but then wisely puts the breaks on that and has them decide early on to just be friends, she doesn’t even stick around for the final fight, instead of re-hashing the Ali and Kumiko storylines. I like the addition of the Terry Silver character, and his scenes “training” Daniel. And it was good to see a real fight between Miyagi and Kreese.
Really, the biggest problem is I have with the film is the idea that it takes place only a year since the first film (which was released 5 years earlier), and that Daniel, despite graduating High School, is still eligible to compete in the “under 18″ Karate tournament. While Macchio definitely maintained his youthful looks, this was pushing it a bit. Kanan didn’t look like much of a teenager at the time, either. But, frak it, I still liked this film. It did feel like it had brought the story from the first film full circle, and gave it a definitive happy ending.
THE NEXT KARATE KID
Written by Mark Lee, Directed by Christopher Cain. August 1994.
Okay so even though it was a critical and commercial disappoint, as I pointed out, the 3rd Karate Kid film did make a profit. I can only assume that this lead some heads of the movie studio to recognize that the Karate Kid brand had now become engrained in the public conscious and therefor still had some value to it. So they tried to continue the series, in what must have seemed like a bold new direction, but replacing Ralph Macchio’s Daniel Larusso (probably just as well, he was definitely too old to play a teenager now), with a new female teenager for Mr. Miyagi to mentor.
I’m going to cheat here. I watched this film once a long time ago, perhaps seeing bits and parts of it other times when it aired on cable TV over the years. I don’t feel like looking it up and re-reading about it. So I’m just going to say a few things, based on my shoddy memory. The most notable thing about the film is that it stars two-time Academy Award winner Hillary Swank, in her first starring role. And that I doubt that anyone who saw this film when it premiered would have ever guessed that Hillary Swank would go on to win two Academy Awards (so far). She plays the rebellious granddaughter of Miyagi’s commanding officer in World War 2, and Miyagi becomes her temporary guardian for a few months, watching her in Boston. She is harassed at school by a group of teenage school guards, who are lead by Michael Ironside, who takes their training way too seriously. Miyagi ends up training Julie in Karate, including taking her to a Buddhist monk to learn “zen,” or something. And she ends up fighting, and beating, one of the guards, then Miyagi fights and beats Michael Ironside. I believe that was one “wax on, wax off” scene, and I don’t recall any specific mention of what has happened to Daniel since the last film.
Maybe I’m being unfair, perhaps I should look it up and re-watch it again, maybe I’d find out it’s a forgotten gem? Unlikely, but possible, I guess. But since I don’t remember that much of it, and have no interest, I’m going to give it an F.
So it’s a bad ending to the original franchise, but part 4 is easily overlooked. The first 3 still make this a fantastic film franchise. And all four can be purchased as one collection on AMAZON
It’s probably logical to assume that the studio was hoping for The Next Karate Kid to be the first of a whole new trilogy. But instead it just sank the Karate Kid brand, seemingly for good. But 16 years later, Will Smith resurrected The Karate Kid enlisting Christopher Murphey & Harald Zwart to write and direct a remake of the original film as a starring vehicle for his son Jaden. I won’t really review this one her, since it’s not technically part of the “franchise,” but I will say that I mostly liked. Setting it in China was a nice switch to make it different enough to justify a remake, while following most of the original basic plot. Jaden and Jackie Chan, who played Mr. Han, have good chemistry, which helps keep the film running. The biggest weakness of the film was the age of Jackie and the other child characters. I mean, they were all like 12 years old, that seemed a bit too young for some of the storyline, especially the “romance” between Jaden’s character and Wenwen Han’s character, Meiying. They’re just kids, what do they know? Same goes for the bullies, it’s not exactly impressive when Jackie Chan is beating them all at once. I’d like to think I could beat four 12 year olds, too, no matter how much karate they know. Of I guess I should say Kung Fu, because that’s what was repeatedly mentioned in this film, which should have been retitled The Kung Fu Kid, but it wasn’t. Still, this film gets at least a B. And I’m actually surprised that they haven’t made a sequel yet.
Meant to be the third installment in Jackie Chan’s ‘Asian Hawk’ series (following 1986′ Armour of God and 1991′s Operation Condor), touted for an international day-and-date release (which didn’t happen), and heralded as Jackie Chan’s final big action movie (which he later clarified meant “his last movie to feature him performing dangerous stunts”), CZ12 manages to disappoint on all three of these fronts. It is neither a franchise finale, nor an international blockbuster, nor even a worthy bookend to Chan’s “death-defying” career phase. Jackie Chan plays JC, a treasure hunter who leads his team of tech experts (plus a Chinese student and a French heiress) on a search for 12 Zodiac bronze heads, artifacts that were stolen from China in the 19th century looting of the Old Summer Palace by foreigners.
As a producer, writer, director and star (not to mention a host of other credits that earned him a Guinness Book record for most credits on a single film), Jackie Chan pulled all the stops to make CZ12 a resounding finale to his daredevil years. Filmed in China, Australia, France, Vanuatu, Taiwan and Latvia, featuring a cast that is international (Oliver Platt from the United States, Laura Weissbecker from France, Kwon Sang Woo from South Korea, Vincent Sze from Hong Kong, to name a few), cameo-rich (Shu Qi, Daniel Wu, Chan’s wife Joan Lin), and full of martial arts guest stars (martial arts world champions Caitlin Dechelle, Alaa Safi and Zhang Lanxin), and costing a hefty 30m$ (a big deal in China), it’s a major enterprise. And taken in light of these key assets we’ve just enumerated, a major failure.
The international dimension of the film is mangled. Sure the on-location shooting is uniformally impressive (Paris actually looks like Paris, for instance), but most non-Asian characters are either fat and corrupt (Oliver Platt’s conterfeiting baron Lawrence Morgan), shrieky and vapid (Laura Weissbecker’s heiress De Sichel), or prancing puppets (Alla Safi and Caitlin Dechelle’s rival team of ‘unethical’ treasure hunters). The film’s preachy slant, by which not giving back stolen artifacts to a country’s patrimony is gravely unjust, is based on legitimate claims, but Jackie Chan does it a disservice by making the insufferably whiny and self-righteous Chinese student Coco (played by Yao Xingtong with whiny self-righteousness) its mouthpiece. That may go some way towards explaining the film’s triumph in China (it is the all-time third biggest success there), and relative indifference outside of Asia, where it has only scarcely gotten a big screen release. Taking such an biasedly (though legitimately) Asian angle is not a savvy decision if your aim is international success.
But where CZ12 really disappoints is in the action. This is not what an stunt swansong from arguably the biggest action star of the 20th century should look like. Chan’s opening stunt is fun but not exactly thrilling past the relative novelty of wearing a full-body rollerblade suit. Likewise, the film’s finale where JC skydives over a volcano, is entertaining and superbly shot, but is so obviously (and understandably) a green-screen concoction that it’s difficult to be impressed. In between, there’s a frankly hideous jungle escape that is both derivative (a gang of colourful pirates with a Jack Sparrow lookalike) and visually muddled. Only a protracted fight in an undergound counterfeiting warehouse recaptures the old Jackie Chan magic, with a terrific couch-bound mano-a-mano, an great match-up between Caitlin Dechelle and Zhang Lanxin, and a wonderfully inventive fight in a photo studio, a short highlight for an overlong film. Jackie Chan remains as impossibly likeable as ever, and the film has minor surprises, among which the striking Zhang Lanxin, a model and Taekwondo champion who has the grace and presence to get better roles. But while it’s a passably entertaining ride, the film’s positioning as a milestone and the mostly excellent Chinese career Chan has been enjoying lately (barring the heavy-handed 1911), make it a jarring disappointment.
This is such a cool story to hear told by Jackie Chan about how Bruce Lee hit him with a stick while making ‘Enter the Dragon’. You can tell by his face that it’s a story he’ll never forget.
Move over Jackie Chan, I have a new favourite.
Speaking of Jackie, keep an eye out for him.. I missed it (he must have been young) but he has 2 cameo scenes!
I was surprised, In a good way! I love when that happens. I was expecting some stupid storyline like ‘reclaim the stolen holy sword’ or something but instead it was ‘catch the bad guy that is drugging and killing women’. Very impressed with Bruce Lee’s acting skills and English accent. I also don’t think that man has any body fat whatsoever.
The sound effects are definitely worth a mention… They were awesome and quite hilarious, I think we will forever be doing Bruce Lee impersonations now.
The whole movie was filmed without sound, they done it all after apparently. Once you know that you can tell but it’s not that bad while you’re watching it.
I’m going to give it an 8.-31.950325 141.475593
Many of us have grown up watching Kung Fu films churned out from China. Our love for Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan was a result of a cinema movement from Hong Kong, and movie producer Run Run Shaw was one of its leaders.
Shaw, one of the pioneers of the wuxia–the Chinese martial hero–genre of films has died at the age of 107.
The producer of famed movies such as 36th Chamber Of Shaolin and Five Fingers Of Death had influenced a bunch of Hollywood film makers including Quentin Tarantino, whose movies such as Kill Bill have many of the visual elements, sword fights and martial arts action inspired by Shaw’s movies.
Shaw also co-produced Ridley Scott’s cult movie Blade Runner (1982) featuring Harrison Ford.
English Title: As The Light Goes Out
Original Title: Jiuhuo Yingxiong
Country: Hong Kong
Language: Cantonese, Mandarin
Genre: Action, Drama
Director: Derek Kwok
Teddy Robin Kwan
Cinematography: Jason Kwan
Kai Chi Liu
Shaw Yin Yin
My first cinema-going in 2014, Hong Kong director/writer Derek Kowk’s fifth film is another eulogy to gallant firemen after Pang Brothers’ OUT OF INFERNO (2013), which just released in the end of September. The thematic coincidence in such a short span definitely hurts AS THE LIGHT GOES OUT’s box office performance, but the film per se, is a solid action flick hinges on an innovative concept of smoke, both literally and figuratively.
After a prologue manifests three friends’ (Tse, Yue and On, all firefighters) divergence on an accident during their mission, On is the silent but ambitious one, Yue is the insouciant scapegoat, and Tse denies his oath to keep his hands clean, which sets the keynote of their distinctive path in due course, the film concisely concentrates its story on Christmas Eve 2013, one of the hottest winter in Hong Kong history (introduced by a shoddy apocalyptic advertisement for fireman recruitment stars Jackie Chan) and a typhoon is brewing, a fire hazard in a desolate factory nearby a power plant’s gas pipeline and obstinate judgement made by idiotic plant decision-maker precipitates a monstrous conflagration in the plant and complete power blackout in a large portion of Kowloon Peninsula.
The rescue procedure follows a standard yet trite routine, some heroic sacrifice (a hammy Simon Yam is not alone here), some family embroilment (a father must save his son who is entrapped in the plant with his friends on account of the lamest plot arrangement, who invites a gaggle of schoolchildren to visit a power plant on Christmas Eve and unwittingly leaves three of them behind? Come on writers, you can make something less embarrassing!), some casual cannon fodder, some running and jumping stunts, all in all, culminates with a final bravado invoking a (should be) sensational awesomeness to counteract the common happy ending.
Nicholas Tse anchors a more average Joe impersonation into the role (unlike the usual action hero staple, such as in the most recent THE VIRAL FACTOR 2012), battles against the “smoke” – his deep-rooted guilt, whose ultimate detonating slo-motion shots are sublimated with dashing aesthetic impact to swank the glamour of self-sacrifice. As I mentioned earlier, the smoke element penetrates the film relentlessly, its horror-flick intrusion and murky aura should be credited to the CGI teamwork from Post Production Office Limited (which was founded by Tse in 2003).
Meanwhile, the rest of the cast is plain serviceable, an amalgam of actors from both Hong Kong and mainland China doesn’t mirror the awkward incompatibility as in the usual cringeworthy outputs. Derek Kwok did a decent job superintending a sizable production work under his own belt (his previous wondrous dark horse triumph with GALLANTS 2010 is co-directed with Clement Sze-Kit Cheng, which won BEST PICTURE in Hong Kong Film Award in 2011) and he is positively on the horizon in the HK cinema showbiz.
The death of 107-year-old Hong Kong entertainment mogul Run Run Shaw, often credited as the creator of the modern kung fu film genre, is the latest sign of the decline of the city-state’s once vibrant film industry.
Shaw, who died in his home on Jan. 7, was best known for his Shaw Brothers film studio—home to kung fu classics like “Five Fingers of Death,” “The One-Armed Swordsman” and nearly 1,000 others. Shaw’s gritty, low-budget martial arts dramas explored themes of loyalty and sacrifice, inspiring the work of director Quentin Tarantino as well as hip hop group the Wu-Tang Clan.
The kung-fu dramas represented the heyday not just of Shaw’s studio but the entire Hong Kong film industry. A former employee of Shaw Brothers founded Golden Harvest Films and signed Bruce Lee, whose rise to fame further put Hong Kong cinema on the map in the 1970s and 1980s.
By the late 1990s, Hong Kong’s film industry had slowed dramatically and has largely failed to recover. Local film production has fallen from around 200 movies a year in the mid-1990s to 55 in 2005. To survive, most Hong Kong studios collaborate with mainland counterparts and target mainland audiences, who make up the world’s second largest movie market by box office sales. Hong Kong-made movies—once characterized for their populist bent, graphic imagery, and use of Cantonese instead of Mandarin—are now increasingly subject to Chinese censorship.
Thus, while Kung fu films are seeing something of a resurgence, it’s often through kitschy, over-the-top films like “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons,” China’s top grossing film in 2013. The film by Hong Kong directors Stephen Chow and Derek Kwok, is a reinterpretation of a Chinese literary classic that combines martial arts, comedy, and period drama fantasy. That’s a far cry from Shaw’s gritty halcyon days.
I mentioned in an earlier post that one of my favourite ever interviews was with Sammo Hung. It was originally published in Empire and is a few years old now, so I thought I’d get it online. Possibly the jolliest man I ever talked to for any reason, he spoke in exclamation marks and guffawed heartily after every statement. The piece was for a short-lived series on Hong Kong martial arts legends (I interviewed Donnie Yen too) and we asked everyone the same questions, so they’re fairly generic. But I enjoyed the answers…
What are you working on right now?
I’m writing a script… [Silence]. I tell you about it later!
What’s your preferred genre?
I like action comedy. I have a lot of favourites. I like The Prodigal Son (1983) and Wheels On Meals (1984). I like them because I like to make people happy. Whenever I make the action comedies, people are happy! People in the cinema are like Yeah! They really enjoy them!
How would you describe your combat style?
I need very many different kind of styles to be able to use them in the films. Even now I’m still very interested in all different kinds of martial arts. I can do them all! Everything is good for me!
What’s your signature move?
I don’t really have a signature move. My signature is my size. I love to do a lot of things so people will be shocked. Because my body is so big, people don’t believe it! Maybe ten or twenty years ago I didn’t feel so big, but now some actions feel very different to how they felt then. If I try to do those things now I move slower and most probably I get hurt. I’m getting old now – I’m 28! But I’m very lucky. I can still move very fast.
What’s your training regime?
I train with my mouth every day, smoking cigars! Whenever I start a new project, three months before we start shooting I will get in training. The rest of the time I am just smoking and eating and playing golf.
What was your big break?
I think it’s my first movie as director. I don’t know the English name [The Iron Fisted Monk (1977)]. If the first one was no good, I get fired!
What was your proudest moment?
Actually, I don’t really have that kind of feel. Just the audience laughing makes me happy. I love to be actor. I love to be director. I love to be action choreographer. I like every position on the movie. I enjoy the work all the time. Any time I go someplace and work, I am happy. All my career is my proudest moment.
What was your lowest point?
That was in 1992. I went to America because I lost faith in the Chinese industry [Sammo parted company with Hong Kong’s legendary Golden Harvest, after a 21-year relationship, citing lack of studio support]. I decided to try other things, but it was very hard. I wanted to make some movies to show my country, because people don’t know China; they don’t know the difference between Chinese and Japanese! But after 2001 I came back to Hong Kong.
What’s your attitude towards Hollywood?
I liked Hollywood. Western martial artists are very good too, but they don’t last as long as in China. Their fighting life is shorter. Their training is not as good, and their normal life is wrong.
Who would you most like to work with?
I like everybody! Most comfortable is Jackie Chan. When we work together we don’t need to say too much. It’s just eye contact.
What’s your career philosophy?
I want to be a big producer. I want to be a big director. Everything big! I don’t retire. If you stop moving you will die. I will work and keep on fighting for 150 years more!


The Rāmāyaṇa – Truth | Love | Dharma – have you got your tickets?
This November, attend a stage production like no other! Chinmaya Mission UK brings you...The Rāmāyaṇa.
The show at Harrow has sold out and there are only a few tickets left at the central London show. Book your tickets now to discover the mysticism and significance of one of India’s greatest epics!
- Leicester – Peepul Centre: Saturday 4 November 2017, 3.30pm
- Central London – Logan Hall: Friday 10 November 2017, 7pm
- Harrow – Elliot Hall: Sunday 19 November 2017, 3.30pm (sold out)


Jeon Do-yeon is a South Korean actress. She has won many awards in her career, including best actress at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival for her portrayal of a broken woman who has lost everything in Lee Chang-dong’s Secret Sunshine.
Born: February 11, 1973 (age 40), Seoul, South Korea
Spouse: Kang Shi-kyu (m. 2007)
Awards: Cannes Best Actress Award, More
Nominations: Asian Films People’s Choice Award for Favorite Actress, Asian Film Award for Best Actress
Jeon Do-yeon (b. February 11, 1973) spent five years starring in television dramas before achieving instant star status with her film debut opposite Han Suk-kyu in The Contact. She went on to establish a reputation as a “chameleon” who can take on a wide variety of roles, from her performance as a doctor in the hit melodrama A Promise, to that of a schoolgirl in Harmonium in My Memory to that of a wife having an adulterous affair in Happy End. In 1999 and 2000 she received a Best Actress award from both the Blue Dragon and the Grand Bell awards for her role in Harmonium in My Memory.
In 2001 she very skillfully played a very ordinary bank teller in Park Heung-shik’s debut I Wish I Had a Wife. After starring as the tough-talking “Sunglasses” in Ryoo Seung-wan’s No Blood No Tears, Jeon spent time acting in a TV drama titled Shoot for the Stars. In 2003 she found box-office success in E J-yong’s Untold Scandal, based on the famous French novel Dangerous Liasions. The following year she re-united with director Park Heung-shik in a dual role for the time-bending melodrama My Mother, the Mermaid.
In 2005 Jeon burst back into the limelight playing a prostitute who contracts AIDS in Park Jin-pyo’s hard-hitting melodrama You’re My Sunshine. The performance helped turn the film into a box-office hit (3 million+ admissions), and also won her yet more additions to her collection of local acting awards.
But it was her role in Lee Chang-dong’s Secret Sunshine in 2007 that would see her emerge in full glory. Although the film itself, which debuted at Cannes, evoked widely differing assessments from international critics, Jeon’s performance was universally praised, and indeed she was presented with a Best Actress award by the Cannes jury — the first Korean ever to receive an acting award at Cannes.
Although not as broadly popular with audiences as some other stars, Jeon is widely respected for her acting abilities, and many young actresses cite her as a role model.
“I enjoy acting a great deal, so I feel no need or desire to be called a great actor. This is partly my personality, but also the fact that I get so absorbed in acting, to where I can’t see or think of anything else. I can’t tell you what great acting is, but for me, it is to give everything you have with honesty, sincerity and persistence.” [Kino, #56, October 1999]
Do-yeon Jeon – The Housemaid


Press for Jack & Yaya
Five Questions: “Jack and Yaya” Directors Jen Bagley and Mary Hewey
Jack & Yaya co-directors Jen Bagley and Mary Hewey were interviewed about the film by the Boston Hassle.
“Barracuda Betch! (with Mary Hewey and Jen Bagley)” Kenneth Frankly. June 14, 2019.
Jack & Yaya co-directors Jen Bagley and Mary Hewey chatted with the folks from the Kenneth Frankly podcast.
“LGBTQ+ Filmmakers Shine at Inside Out Film Festival.” Out. May 31, 2019.
Jack & Yaya co-directors Jen Bagley and Mary Hewey were part of the portrait series by Janet Kimber of filmmakers from Inside Out Toronto.
“Trans Friends Grow Up, Trade Toys, Come Out Together in New Doc Jack & Yaya.” The Advocate. May 28, 2019.
Exclusive clip from Jack & Yaya.
Outside the Box. May 5, 2019.
Yaya was featured on an episode of the podcast Outside the Box where she spoke about the documentary.
“We out here.” Philadelphia Weekly. April 4 - 11, 2019.
Review of the Jack & Yaya world premiere at qFlix Philadelphia.


K-Pax (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Download links and information about K-Pax (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Edward Shearmur. This album was released in 2001 and it belongs to Theatre/Soundtrack genres. It contains 12 tracks with total duration of 43:10 minutes.
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|2.||Good Morning Bess||2:47|
|6.||4th of July||4:14|
Edward Shearmur's score for K-Pax appropriately combines orchestral pieces with electronic music, so to match the fanciful tone of a film about a mental patient (played by Kevin Spacey) who claims to be from another planet and his psychiatrist (Jeff Bridges). But a solo piano-like sound, playing slow, introspective single-note melodies, is the primary musical element, the piano backed by haunting synthesized sounds on a cue such as "Good Morning Bess." The result is a soundtrack that works as an ambient new age album much of the time, as well as providing a souvenir to the film.


Avatar: An Unlikely Connection
I went to see the movie Avatar over the weekend, I must admit I didn’t know much about the movie other than it had used cutting edge technology, grossed over a billion dollars and was directed by James Cameron. My primary motive was my 17 yr old son really wanted to see it, and let’s face if your teen wants to spend time with you it’s a go.
Imagine my surprise when I not only enjoyed the movie but became a raving fan. Unbeknownst to me the plot line is very parallel to the shift in consciousness that we are currently experiencing. As the plot unfolded I found myself nodding and grinning from ear to ear, oh yes I can relate. As the main character Jake Scully becomes immersed in the Na’vi tribes culture I witnessed him awaken and expand his consciousness as he moved from fear based reality to a love based reality, a beautiful thing to witness.
The experienced caused me to take a look at my own perceptions, after all why was I so surprised that this blockbuster movie had a deeper meaning and where else was I blind to the deeper meaning. It does give you food for thought. Have you experienced this blindness in your life?


Taboo - An Appetiser
In an ideal world, I’d write a play and it would be put on and people would show up and you could just afford to let the work speak for itself. But the machinery of theatre hustle needs oil so here are some words on my new play Taboo and maybe you’ll read them and consider coming to see it.
Taboo is about the first date between a boy and a girl. Their names are Lily and Tom. Lily doesn’t get out much. Tom finds it hard to meet people. They don’t know each other very well but that’s what a date is for, right? You get to know someone a little bit better. The play unfolds in real time over a three-course meal. They chat. They eat. And then the rest of the story plays out and I'll say nowt.
What’s it about? It’s a dark comedy about dating in a roundabout way. It’s also about loneliness in all its forms: social exclusion, fear of dying alone, incompatibility, as well as having trouble connecting to people. In a world where more of our interactions take place online (including dating) I thought it would be interesting to look at two people trying to connect in a very traditional way.
The title, and indeed, the germ of the idea came from Lisa Fox and we developed it for Collaborations in 2014. It was a 20 minute one woman piece about a girl nervously preparing for a date. I pretty much just creeped on the audience watching it and the reaction was interesting. Some audience members were silent, maybe a bit shocked, but there was a sense of discomfort that was punctured by the ones who were laughing loudl. It was split down the middle. And that’s kind of what we were hoping for. Some people not getting why other people find something funny or conversely people not understanding why other people wouldn’t find it funny. This schism is the play itself in a nutshell and the relationship between the characters. Connection isn't an easy thing to find.
The real time chat, for me, was one of the challenges of this play. I’ve never written anything that unfolds in real time so I got to scratch that itch. It’s a lot more challenging than I had expected. Particularly when you include a full three course meal. I didn’t make it too easy on Sarah Baxter, our wonderful director, who has risen to the challenge impeccably and made a story about two people sitting down and eating even more dynamic and layered than I ever imagined when I was writing it.
I’m acting in it alongside the aforementioned Lisa Fox, who has brilliantly cooked her role over the last two years and I’m very excited to be bringing it to the stage. There’s a fantastic team working on it and it’s been ably supported throughout its development by White Label, Rough Magic and DCC who have been a great help.
It feels like I’ve said more enough about the play now and I hope my ramblings here have given you a taster and persuade you to indulge in the full three courses. Speaking of tasters, here's an interview we did with RTÉ Arena about the show. Buy a ticket and ideally, go for a meal beforehand. It’s good to get in the spirit of things.
Taboo plays The New Theatre from February 15th to 27th at 7.30pm nightly. You can book tickets right here.


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No apologies for blogging about the passing of the great Alan Rickman. So many wonderful roles in film, television and on stage.
Obadiah Slope in the Trollope adaptations was, I think, the first thing I knew him in, loved Truly Madly Deeply, of course my favourite Christmas film Die Hard and so many other things. I only saw him on stage once, as Hamlet at the Riverside Theatre Hammersmith, many many years ago but a lasting, wonderful memory.
A huge loss to stage and screen but, of course, more importantly to his family and friends.


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So we’ll have a few jokes and a chat, and after a while you’ll feel like you’ve known me for years (I actually get that quite a lot!) I want you to enjoy spending time with me on your wedding day, not wishing I wasn’t taking up so much of it.
In fact, there’ll be some parts of the day you won’t know I’m there at all. The ceremony, the speeches, intimate moments you might share with each other, or emotional moments with your family. Those are the moments that’ll make your wedding day so special, and I wouldn’t want to ruin them by shoving my camera in your face. The cinematic look and feel of my wedding videos comes from the equipment, the camerawork and the care and production I put into the final edit. I have state-of-the-art camera and audio equipment, so I can capture your beautiful faces and all the audio from the speeches and the ceremony in crystal clear HD. I use cinematic camera movement, custom colour-grading and a storytelling editing style to give your wedding video the look and feel of a movie.
My aim is to give you a cinematic wedding film, without making your wedding day feel like a film set.
We don’t live in silent snapshots, or remember in isolated moments. We live in movement and sound, and remember in stories. I guess that’s why I’ve always preferred the film to the poster.
Nothing can capture the atmosphere and emotion of your day like a wedding video. You see the way people move and react, notice small details in the corners of the frame. You hear people’s voices, the bubbling background of your guests laughing and clinking glasses, the lump in your throat as you say your vows. Wedding videography brings back the emotions of the day in a way nothing else ever could. And for a lot of couples, their wedding videography will be the only professional footage of their family. You’ll be able to sit and watch it in thirty years’ time and see lost loved ones laugh, dance and hear their voices again. You’ll see people you know as adults skidding on their knees around the dancefloor as the children they once were. You’ll see your younger selves kiss, cuddle, and be wrapped up in the hopeless infatuation of young love. Your wedding photos will be your screensaver. Your wedding video will be your window into the past.


Jay Chou is an Americanized Chinese singer. He starred in the Americanized film "Curse of the Golden Flower," which just so happens to feature one of my favorite actresses, Gong Li (I think she's absolutely gorgeous). Gong Li also starred in "Memoirs of a Geisha," but she doesn't speak English, so she memorized her lines by rote (impressive, considering the emotion in her lines). But, I digress. This is one of my favorite Jay Chou music videos.
And this one is just plain awkward.


Monday, May 9, 2016
The Burning Would: A film by
Marshall McLuhan and Jane Jacobs
There was a shape to it. It had music. It did have a thread and raised a lot of important issues. Colin Vaughan provided an excellent narration. It was a good movie; furthermore, it was shown a lot, especially in the United States. For a long time I would get an occasional letter from this or that group in California saying that they had shown the movie. However, the final product bore no relationship at all to our original script.
— Jane Jacobs on "Making a Movie with Marshall McLuhan"


I was told by the guys at Gorehor.com that Anthology movies are making a comeback. They are currently running a poll on their twitter about. Before you go to the poll and vote or see who won take one guess who is winning. Think about it for a second. Hint it’s not the The Twilight Zone film that ruined John Landis’s career. He never recovered after the helicopter crash killed a few crew members on set. Maybe he couldn’t live with the guilt. After that he didn’t really ever do anything too great again.
I remember the little alien on the plane. It scared me as a kid. I became an instant fan of John Lithgow. I remember seeing him at a New York Yankees game not long after seeing the movie. That was the first famous person I ever saw in person. So years later I shouldn’t have been surprised that he turned up at the Trinity Killer on the great psychopath horror television show Dexter. And let’s not forget the one of the episodes was directed by Steven Spielberg.
So know Twilight Zone isn’t the winner of the best Anthology check out the results and see if you agree.
There are already horror movies about the Candyman and the bogey man. However, another movie, The Bye Bye Man, takes on another superstition but unfortunately fails the fan miserably. The film starts with a journalist named Madison Wisconsin mentioned a specific name to some people in 1969. Then, the journalist ended up killing most of his neighbors. After 10 years, a group of friends consisting of a college student (Elliot) and his girlfriend (Sasha) and his best friend (John) moves into a creepy old house where he stumbled upon a name etched on one of their furniture.
These men are your typical guy vying for attention of one women, whereas the girlfriend was not even given a proper backstory. Meanwhile, the supposedly The Bye Bye man in the movie is lackluster in bringing horror, though he is most notable for dropping gold coins to catch attention, travels by train, and is accompanied of an animal that resembles a hellhound.
Then, the movie proceeds like a normal slasher film but at much a more disappointing manner. Viewers also noted the low production of the movie and lackluster acting of the actors. There were also some major issues regarding the basic narrative of the film.
However, what disappointed horror fans the most was the seemingly lack of respect of the movie for them. It seemed that the movie just assumed that horror fans would accept whatever supposedly terror horror movies throw at them. Though some may be worse than The Bye Bye Man, none can possibly ever cause disappointment the same way that it did.
After 20 years, the latest installment of The Ring movie franchise, was released in American theaters. Some may think that it is a bit awkward to release the movie at this age, when videotape is already a foreign term to most millennials.
Entitled “Rings”, the movie is an outgrowth of the very popular horror flick, Ringu, which was released in 1998. The first movie was so popular that it was adopted in Hollywood and was followed by several sequels. During the first movie’s release, VHS tapes are not yet so obsolete, but DVDs were already on their way to become one of the most popular media technology trend. Ringu gained popularity as it merged Japanese horror theme of ancient spirits and digital technology. Fans would always remember the black-and-white tape and realistic images that it portrayed.
However, Ringu was made two decades ago and technological horror is not something that would scare people nowadays. Even the succeeding movies of The Ring failed to scare the hell out of audiences the same ways as the original movie did. In one of the sequels, the video is now embedded in a file that kills when shared.
In Rings, Gabriel, played by Johnny Galecki from The Big Bang Theory and Roseanne, is a college professor who ends having the original Ring videotape in his hands. The professor uses the videotape in an experiment on soul existence and shows it to some college students. In the movie, the curse of the tape is passed by making a copy of the tape and showing it to another person.
Meanwhile, Julia, who is played by Matilda Lutz, discovers that her boyfriend is one of the students who participated in Gabriel’s experiments. The movie becomes inconsistent at some points as the format of the video changes from the videotape and the becomes a computer file. Still, most of the images are those seen from the original Ring videotape though there some new ones are added.
The new images serve as clues to a mysterious disappearance. Julia investigates, and she and another character, Holt, end up in Sacrament Valley. In the town, they meet some mysterious and creepy locals. What happens afterward includes the normal horror flick formula, and the movie fails to achieve the same greatness the its predecessor attained 20 years ago.
Get Out goes out of great lengths in exploring the horror genre. The movie takes a unique perspective as it tackles confusion and disappointment in race relations at this modern age while simultaneously instilling fear to its audiences.
The film’s prologue provides a sneak peek on the horrific violence that happens in the movie before it starts delivering the story of the budding romance of a young couple: Chris and Rose. The couple is set for a visit to Rose’s hometown, while Chris is having reservations despite his girlfriend’s reassurance regarding the supposedly open-mindedness of her parents, especially when Chris is black.
From this moment onward, the movie tackles one of the most sensitive and pressing social issues of today, and it succeeded in engaging the audience, with $170 million of earnings at the US box office.
Upon their arrival to Rose’s hometown and upon meeting her parents, Chris realizes that he is at the mercy of some of the most racist individuals he has ever known.
Get Out is a product of the brilliant mind of Jordan Peele, half of the popular comedy duo of Key and Peele.
Rose’s parents have seemingly perfect jobs. Her father is a surgeon, whereas her mother is a psychiatrist. These people seem welcoming enough, but Chris feels that there’s something more especially when he sees the tension in their black staff consisting of a gardener and a maid. He knows that something bad lurks within Rose’s home based on their expressions and stiff behavior.
Only one other horror film delved on the idea of race: George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. As zombie fans possibly know, the 1968 movie centers on black man trying to fight the undead in a town dominated by white people.
The same premise is reflected in Get Out, where a young black man must survive his girlfriend’s racist parents. The film builds up tension as the politeness of white people reaches its limit before giving rise to an outburst of physical violence.
If you are like a lot of horror fans you love horror movies but they always seem to be awful. How many times have you seen a movie that sounded great and then let you down. How many times have they incorporated cheap jump scares but had no real plot of story worth watching? One school of thought is because horror movies can be made on low budgets and still generate great box office numbers they don’t put a lot of effort into only green lighting the best stories. The flip side of the coin is how many horror movies have you discovered and really enjoyed but never heard anything about it. It was a sleeper and not popular with the masses. This is why we love to watch reviews especially on youtube to find out what the fans have to say.


Owner & Creative Director
With a Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art & Digital Media, Jeremy has worked in the Film & TV Industry for the past 20 years on Nationally telecast shows to Award Winning Feature Films. He founded Liquid Productions, in 2004 and brought friends and associates to assists him in building this exciting company. Jeremy’s broad skillset covers all aspects of the filmmaking process and his knowledge of broadcast delivery requirements, provide our clients with an individual who can deliver projects to Television Networks, Film Festivals and Theatrical Distributors.
Visual Effects & Motion Graphics Director
Michael brings to Liquid Productions over 12 years of Visual Effects experience. Working in many project formats that include a broad variety of technical skills; animation, compositing, CGI, graphic design/layout, and console and mobile game design. His creative skills in editing and story development makes Mike an important asset on the set or on film locations.
Graphic & Web Design/Management
Leslie’s varied skills in Studio Art Design bring to our team a keen eye in all things dealing with graphic design, layout, website design/management, movie poster design, product merchandizing, corporate imaging, and branding of client products or services.


This coming weekend we are heading to London. My husband and kids have never been so I’m very excited to take on the city with all of them. In preparation we are trying to consume some films that take place in London. I’m compiled my list of my 17 favorites (in no particular order). There will, in fact, be Hugh Grant flicks and memorable musicals on the list. What are your faves?
1. Love, Actually, 2003, Richard Curtis. I watch every Christmas and I cry every time.
2. Oliver! 1968, Carol Reed . I always had a crush on that Artful Dodger. “Please Sir, I want some more…”
3. Mary Poppins, 1964, Robert Stevenson
4. Harry Potter (All eight of them!) 2001-2011
5. Bridget Jones’s Diary, 2001, Sharon Maguire
6. Sliding Doors, 1998, Peter Howitt
7. Shakespeare In Love, 1998, John Madden
8. The Elephant Man, 1980, David Lynch
9. The King’s Speech, 2010, Tom Hooper
10. Bend It Like Beckham, 2002, Gurinder Chadha
11. Four Weddings and a Funeral, 1994, Mike Newell
12. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, 1999, Jay Roach
13. Peter Pan, 1953, Geronimi, Jackson, Luske, Kinney
14. 101 Dalmatians, 1996, Stephen Herek
15. Bedknobs and Broomsticks, 1971, Robert Stevenson
16. Notting Hill 1999, Roger Michell
17. Secrets & Lies, 1996, Mike Leigh
My kids and I just watched the animated film Flushed Away because we heard it took place in London but we were a bit disappointed because the only time you saw the city itself was the very first scene.
I recently finished reading The Girl on the Train so I’m very excited to see that film.
Here are a few great lists of movies that take place in London. I’d love to hear your thoughts on your favorites!
10 of the Best Films Set in London – The Guardian
The Top 11 London Based Movies – from Londontopia
12 Favorite London-set movies – from Indiewire
The 50 Best London Films – from games radar.com
Romantic Movies From the Heart of London – The Culture Trip


Leelee Oluwastoyosi Eko Davis is a Canadian-born, genderqueer choreographer, dancer, vocalist, and film/performance artist of Nigerian/Trinidadian/Algonquin/French descent. Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Davis collaborates with artists active in visual art, music, theatre, and dance. Davis’ artistic goals are to blend the traditional barriers between performance and life, stage and experience. As a unique multimedia performer, Davis commonly merges elements of film, projection, movement, dance, voice, music, audience participation and original sound scores. Davis aims to juxtapose the visceral and ethereal, building a bridge to revealing the human experience.


A bit About me
Augusto Schillaci is a Director, writer and Senior VFX supervisor. He has been working on animated movies and live action Visual effects for the last 25 years. During his extensive career he has worked side by side with the top directors in the industry like DreamWorks, Sony, Warner Brothers , Disney, Fox and Paramount pictures. He oversees the look of projects from start to finish, bringing them to life in CG. Augusto has directed multiple projects including the inaugural animated short films from the Best Fiends mobile app franchise, animated commercial spots for LEGO Batman and Chevrolet as well as game cinematic for Transformers and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Schillaci will make his feature directorial debut at Reel FX Animation Studios with “The Mischievians”, an animated feature film in development.
In his award-winning career at Reel FX, he has been actively involved in the studio’s development efforts for their animated projects, and held the role of Senior Visual Effects Supervisor on both of Reel FX’s 3D feature films including the Golden Globe-nominated film, The Book of Life (20th Century Fox), and Free Birds (Relativity Media) (where he was also the Art Director)
Please go to his IMDB page for a full list of credits.


It’s show time!!!
Whitehall School District presents: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!
In this tale as old as time, we see a prince who has led a life of selfishness, become cursed by a mysterious enchantress to live as a hideous beast. The only way for him to break this spell is to learn to love someone else, and win their love in return. The story takes place when Belle, a young woman known for being a social outcast, rushes into his castle to save her father from being held captive by the beast and takes his place instead. The beast must learn to fall in love with the young woman and try to win her love, but can a beauty ever love a beast?
So please be our guest for this year’s magical event: Beauty and the Beast the musical! It is guaranteed to delight you and your whole cupboard. It features nearly 100 students on stage, with many working behind the scenes on our production staff.
Tickets are available for purchase in the Whitehall High School Office and Pigeon Falls State Bank in Pigeon and Whitehall, get your tickets early!
Show dates & times
Wednesday, March 29, 2017 – 12:30 p.m. $5
Thursday, March 30, 2017 – 7:30 p.m. $7
Friday, March 31, 2017 – 7:30 p.m. $7
Saturday, April 1, 2017 – 7:30 p.m. $7


Video Editing Crash Course – Plan for Your Future
Once you complete your video editing course in Mumbai and enter the professional world, you will be responsible for many tasks. You’ll have to organize video content using advanced video-editing software tools, collaborate with directors to determine the overall vision of your videos, assemble all raw footage, and synchronize sound designs and storyboards.
Thankfully, aspiring video editors can pick up these skills at top video editing classes in Mumbai. They can work on social media content, television programs, commercials, corporate training videos, and commercial-scale films using these skills.
Here’s how these classes prepare aspiring video editors for future career opportunities –
Mastering the Storyboard
Every top video editing institute in Mumbai teaches students everything from basic video editing to advanced level editing and how to use editing to tell stories. That means viewing video clips from the target audience’s point of view. By mastering the storyboard, video editors can precisely learn how their edits impact the stories they’re informing.
At top video editing classes in Mumbai, students learn how to –
- Make shot lists – Arrange scenes from the script in a way that creates the most impact among audiences.
- Sketch out the vision – Be it working on feature films or corporate training videos, every video must have a clear vision. At any high-quality video editing course in Mumbai, aspiring editors learn how to give their videos clear visions and meanings.
Of course, scoping out a vision for a film isn’t just the editor’s responsibility. But, editors need to collaborate with directors every step of the way to ensure each shot, scene, or transition contributes to the final product.
Know-how about the Most Important Video Editing Tools
The main focus of most video editing classes in Mumbai is teaching students how to be tech-savvy. Video editing has always been a profession where technological proficiency is a must-have skill. Merely editing video clips or merging two or more clips isn’t enough. Aspiring editors need to enhance the work of their peers.
Aside from an imaginative mind, they also need top-tier video editing skills. That means having a clear understanding of how to use the most-used editing tools in the industry. Most editors master one prominent video editing software and have some basic skills in other devices.
At a typical video editing institute in Mumbai, students will learn how to use –
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- After Effects
- Final Cut Pro
- Adobe Premiere Rush
- Corel Video-Studio Ultimate
- Cyber-Link Power Director 365
Video editors can become flexible professionals by gaining basic knowledge about these editing tools. They can easily create social media content, work on television programs, create commercials, and even work on feature-length films with these skills.
Multitasking isn’t a skill that can be learned in video editing classes in Mumbai. Professional video editors have to adopt a state of mind before entering the workforce
Major production houses constantly hire video editors with multiple capabilities.
- If you’re a master at using Adobe Premiere Rush, you can work on your production house’s social media department.
- If you’re a team player capable of working with large people, you can collaborate with directors and producers for various projects.
- When working under strict schedules, your multitasking capabilities will help you solve problems and troubleshoot complex situations.
A high-quality video editing course in Mumbai will teach students how to listen while working. That’s because directors, assistant directors, scriptwriters, and other members of production teams almost always have suggestions. The best way to integrate so many ideas into your work is listening, incorporating the changes they ask for, and also standing up for your thoughts from time to time.
Aspiring video editors must visit a top video editing institute like Filmagic in Mumbai to amass these vital skills. We strive to help our students with impeccable filmmaking experience and use essential filmmaking tools. Our customer-friendly experts will help you with top-notch courses and clear all your doubts related to video editing and other cinematographic experience. Call us on 9082442394 / 9821797070 to get tailored courses.


By Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn, JAWS member
JAWS is bringing women — and their stories — to the big screen at our Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) this year.
With Hollywood just over the mountains and in the midst of the playground of the stars at La Quinta Resort and Club near Palm Springs, what better time to spotlight the remarkable women who make the documentaries and films that have such an impact on our view of the world?
On Saturday, Nov. 1, we will be showing Mary Dore’s “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry” and Carol Bash’s “Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings The Band.” Check out the profiles of these filmmakers on our CAMP schedule.
On Sunday, Nov. 2, we will feature Mary Trunk’s “Lost In Living” and Katrina Dunn’s “Kumpania Flamenco: Los Angeles” (Kumpania, YouTube video trailer, and a Flamenco flash mob). You can read more about them on the CAMP schedule here.
In addition, we have two terrific panels to talk about the role of women in film.
The first will explore the breadth of telling women’s stories in documentaries, providing an overview of the rewards and challenges for journalists in the documentary arena: Are there differences in methodology as the filmmaker and the journalist? Does the medium matter (broadcast, cable, public television, film or the Internet)? What do journalists need to know before delving into the documentary world?
Mary Trunk, producer-director, “Lost In Living”; Carol Bash, producer-director, “Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings The Band”; Katina Alexander Dunn, producer-director of “Kumpania”; and Mary Dore, director of “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry,” will be led in a discussion by journalist Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn, who is working on her own film, “But Can She Play.”
JAWS appreciates the support of City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism for this panel.
The second panel deals with the number of women in film making roles. Women’s perspectives in the big Hollywood productions might not be easy to spot but the stories told by the movies we watch are affected by every job behind the camera: screenwriters, cinematographers, producers and directors. How many women are working behind the camera, and in what capacity? What does it mean when there’s a woman producer or director behind a film? What happens when film sets are mostly male and how does that affect what stories we watch on the big screen?
Led by Rachel Larris of the Women’s Media Center, this panel features Stacy Smith, an associate professor at University of California, Santa Barbara, and the director of a research-driven initiative at USC Annenberg on Media, Diversity, and Social Change, and Mary Milliken, entertainment editor for Reuters. They will discuss the current status of the filmmaking industry, what that means for women — both those behind and in front of the camera and those watching it on the big screen — and whether there’s any indication the situation is changing.
There’s lots more on the schedule for this year’s CAMP including panels on social justice, changing journalism ethics and online harassment. We hope to see you then!


Wed., Nov. 13th, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
The Addams Family, Broadway’s smash hit musical comedy, brings the deliriously delightful world of Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Grandma, Wednesday, Pugsley and Lurch to spooky and spectacular life. Based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams, The Addams Family features an original story and it’s every father’s nightmare. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. A man her parents have never met. And if that weren’t upsetting enough, she confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother.