We mustn’t dwell… no, not today, not on Rex Manning Day. Today marks the 30th anniversary of Rex Manning Day, the fictional day celebrated in the Allan Moyle disaffected teen comedy Empire Records. Rex Manning Day is celebrated to honor the memory and legacy of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who on April 8th was found dead in his Seattle mansion on Lake Washington Boulevard from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after dying on April 5, 1994.
Directed by Allan Moyle, Empire Records takes place over twenty-four hours in the lives of the young employees at Empire Records when they all grow up and become young adults, thanks to each other and the manager. Dripping with attitude, pining, and real-life drama, Empire Records taps into the struggles of a generation by exploring social pressure, the importance of found family, and the power of music as a healing tool. Written by Carol Heikkinen, Empire Records stars Anthony Lapaglia,...
Directed by Allan Moyle, Empire Records takes place over twenty-four hours in the lives of the young employees at Empire Records when they all grow up and become young adults, thanks to each other and the manager. Dripping with attitude, pining, and real-life drama, Empire Records taps into the struggles of a generation by exploring social pressure, the importance of found family, and the power of music as a healing tool. Written by Carol Heikkinen, Empire Records stars Anthony Lapaglia,...
- 4/8/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
One of the most important lessons Fuzzy Door Productions president Erica Huggins has applied in her career is how to say no.
At the production company Seth MacFarlane founded in 1998, Huggins oversees the creative direction and development process of the company’s feature films and television series. She’s been the executive producer on projects including Peacock’s “Ted” and “The End Is Nye” and Netflix’s new animated take on Norman Lear’s “Good Times.”
A key lesson has been how to champion “material that you really believe you can win with,” she told TheWrap for this week’s Office With a View. “Most people want to hear the truth and sometimes it’s hard to say no to somebody [or] that you like something but you don’t love it, or you don’t know how to push it through the system of development and get it made,” she added.
At the production company Seth MacFarlane founded in 1998, Huggins oversees the creative direction and development process of the company’s feature films and television series. She’s been the executive producer on projects including Peacock’s “Ted” and “The End Is Nye” and Netflix’s new animated take on Norman Lear’s “Good Times.”
A key lesson has been how to champion “material that you really believe you can win with,” she told TheWrap for this week’s Office With a View. “Most people want to hear the truth and sometimes it’s hard to say no to somebody [or] that you like something but you don’t love it, or you don’t know how to push it through the system of development and get it made,” she added.
- 3/17/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
"Empire Records" is a movie that not a ton of people saw, but many of us who came up in the late '90s/early aughts remember the 1995 film quite fondly. The movie was directed by Allan Moyle (who will always be my hero for giving us "Pump Up the Volume") from a screenplay by Carol Heikkinen. It centers on a day -- Rex Manning Day! -- in the life of a ragtag group of record store employees as they try to stop their shop, Empire Records, from becoming just another Music Town.
I worked at an independent music store in the early 2000s, one that was doomed to eventually be sold to a large chain. I have clear memories of all of us saying, "Damn the man. Save the Empire!" on more than one occasion. Sadly, there was no saving CD World and we were all soon out of...
I worked at an independent music store in the early 2000s, one that was doomed to eventually be sold to a large chain. I have clear memories of all of us saying, "Damn the man. Save the Empire!" on more than one occasion. Sadly, there was no saving CD World and we were all soon out of...
- 1/29/2023
- by Jamie Gerber
- Slash Film
In the nineties, director Allan Moyle accomplished the rare feat of making two movies that wound up being considered cult classics. At the start of the decade, "Pump Up the Volume" starring Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis used pirate radio and a killer soundtrack to take down a corrupt high school. In 1995, "Empire Records" took down big business by saving the local record store with a last-minute fundraiser put on by a motley crew of Gen X outcasts. 20 years after "Empire Records" was released to little fanfare, it has become something of a social phenomenon with legions of fans who celebrate Rex Manning day every year on April 8 (the film is set on the same day).
Richard Linklater's "Slacker" and Moyle's "Pump Up the Volume" captured the malaise of the slacker generation on film, an era that culminated with Stephen Frears' "High Fidelity" starring John Cusack in 2000. Nestled perfectly...
Richard Linklater's "Slacker" and Moyle's "Pump Up the Volume" captured the malaise of the slacker generation on film, an era that culminated with Stephen Frears' "High Fidelity" starring John Cusack in 2000. Nestled perfectly...
- 1/29/2023
- by Drew Tinnin
- Slash Film
On the relatively short list of truly great films about teenage alienation, writer-director Allan Moyle’s 1990 drama Pump Up the Volume ranks somewhere near the top, alongside earlier classics like Rebel Without a Cause and Over the Edge; yet unlike those brutally pessimistic movies, Pump Up the Volume manages to be as exhilarating as it is cynical, blending its authentic despair with an uplifting sense of liberating rebellion in a manner that compromises neither. Moyle had already directed one coming of age gem, Times Square, when he came to tell Pump Up the Volume’s story of a suburban loner (Christian […]
The post Pump Up the Volume, Lovecraft Country and New Streaming Titles at Ovid.tv: Jim Hemphill's Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Pump Up the Volume, Lovecraft Country and New Streaming Titles at Ovid.tv: Jim Hemphill's Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/19/2021
- by Jim Hemphill
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
On the relatively short list of truly great films about teenage alienation, writer-director Allan Moyle’s 1990 drama Pump Up the Volume ranks somewhere near the top, alongside earlier classics like Rebel Without a Cause and Over the Edge; yet unlike those brutally pessimistic movies, Pump Up the Volume manages to be as exhilarating as it is cynical, blending its authentic despair with an uplifting sense of liberating rebellion in a manner that compromises neither. Moyle had already directed one coming of age gem, Times Square, when he came to tell Pump Up the Volume’s story of a suburban loner (Christian […]
The post Pump Up the Volume, Lovecraft Country and New Streaming Titles at Ovid.tv: Jim Hemphill's Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Pump Up the Volume, Lovecraft Country and New Streaming Titles at Ovid.tv: Jim Hemphill's Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/19/2021
- by Jim Hemphill
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
You’ve asked questions. Prepare for the answers.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Sweet Smell Of Success (1957)
The Beguiled (1971)
Tenet (2021? Maybe?)
Smokey Is The Bandit (1983)
Robin Hood (2010)
Hollywood Boulevard (1976)
The Devils (1971)
Song of the South (1946)
Gremlins (1984)
Dillinger (1973)
Marcello I’m So Bored (1966)
Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
Big Wednesday (1978)
Swamp Thing (1982)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Payback (1999)
Bell, Book And Candle (1958)
Blowup (1966)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Medium Cool (1969)
25th Hour (2002)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Palm Springs (2020)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Mandy (2018)
The Sadist (1963)
Spider Baby (1968)
Night Tide (1960)
Stark Fear
Carnival of Souls (1962)
The Devil’s Messenger (1961)
Ms. 45 (1981)
Léolo (1992)
The Howling (1981)
Showgirls (1995)
Green Book (2018)
The Last Hurrah (1958)
The Best Man (1964)
Advise and Consent (1962)
The Candidate (1972)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Seven Days In May (1964)
The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979)
The Man (1972)
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)
Four Lions (2010)
Pump Up The Volume (1990)
Nightmare In The Sun (1965)
The Wild Angels (1966)
The Omega Man (1971)
The Nanny (1965)
Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Sweet Smell Of Success (1957)
The Beguiled (1971)
Tenet (2021? Maybe?)
Smokey Is The Bandit (1983)
Robin Hood (2010)
Hollywood Boulevard (1976)
The Devils (1971)
Song of the South (1946)
Gremlins (1984)
Dillinger (1973)
Marcello I’m So Bored (1966)
Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
Big Wednesday (1978)
Swamp Thing (1982)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Payback (1999)
Bell, Book And Candle (1958)
Blowup (1966)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Medium Cool (1969)
25th Hour (2002)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Palm Springs (2020)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Mandy (2018)
The Sadist (1963)
Spider Baby (1968)
Night Tide (1960)
Stark Fear
Carnival of Souls (1962)
The Devil’s Messenger (1961)
Ms. 45 (1981)
Léolo (1992)
The Howling (1981)
Showgirls (1995)
Green Book (2018)
The Last Hurrah (1958)
The Best Man (1964)
Advise and Consent (1962)
The Candidate (1972)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Seven Days In May (1964)
The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979)
The Man (1972)
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)
Four Lions (2010)
Pump Up The Volume (1990)
Nightmare In The Sun (1965)
The Wild Angels (1966)
The Omega Man (1971)
The Nanny (1965)
Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man...
- 7/24/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
2018 has been a game-changing year for Netflix’s original film output, and its October release slate hammers that home in a big way. After months of festival hype, the streaming giant’s subscribers will finally get to see a handful of the very best movies the company has released thus far. From Tamara Jenkins’ tender and hilarious “Private Life,” to Sandi Tan’s unclassifiable meta-doc “Shirkers,” Sara Colangelo’s unnerving remake of “The Kindergarten Teacher” (featuring a career-best performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal), and Timo Tjahjanto’s brutal Indonesian beat-em-up “The Night Comes for Us,” Netflix is earning your $10.99 this month.
And that’s not all: In addition to that eclectic mix of exciting new films, the service is also bolstering their roster with a few certified classics, from the iconic ’90s comedy “Empire Records” to Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in America” (a film that some say was...
And that’s not all: In addition to that eclectic mix of exciting new films, the service is also bolstering their roster with a few certified classics, from the iconic ’90s comedy “Empire Records” to Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in America” (a film that some say was...
- 10/1/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The 1995 coming-of-age teen film Empire Records, might just be one of my favorite films of the 90s. I love that movie and it embodies so many things that I loved about that era. For those of you who are fans of the film as well, you might be interested in knowing that you might be able to celebrate Rex Manning Day on Broadway in the near future as the movie is being adapted into a Broadway musical.
You know what, it's not really that hard to imagine this story being adapted into a musical. It might actually work. It's being written by original Empire Records writer Carol Heikkinen and it's being produced by Bill Weiner. The music and lyrics will be written by Zoe Sarnak.
The original film, which was directed by Allan Moyle starred Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Anthony Lapaglia, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry and Johnny Whitworth.
You know what, it's not really that hard to imagine this story being adapted into a musical. It might actually work. It's being written by original Empire Records writer Carol Heikkinen and it's being produced by Bill Weiner. The music and lyrics will be written by Zoe Sarnak.
The original film, which was directed by Allan Moyle starred Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Anthony Lapaglia, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry and Johnny Whitworth.
- 4/9/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Empire Records, the 1995 music-stuffed cult film set in a record store has been acquired for stage adaptation and is being developed for Broadway by producer Bill Weiner, who’ll work with the film’s original writer Carol Heikkinen, with new music and lyrics by Zoe Sarnak, the 2018 Jonathan Larson Grant winner for her upcoming musical Afterwords.
A 2020 premiere is being targeted, to coincide with the film’s 25th anniversary.
Released in 1995 by New Regency, Empire Records starred Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Anthony Lapaglia, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry and Johnny Whitworth, directed by Allan Moyle. Though not particularly a critical or commercial hit at the time, the movie was later described by BuzzFeed as “the film of a generation” and “the teen-movie equivalent of the mid-‘90s alt-rock zeitgeist… a film that managed, however oddly, to capture the ineffable feeling of being a quasi-alienated teenager in a very specific time.
A 2020 premiere is being targeted, to coincide with the film’s 25th anniversary.
Released in 1995 by New Regency, Empire Records starred Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Anthony Lapaglia, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry and Johnny Whitworth, directed by Allan Moyle. Though not particularly a critical or commercial hit at the time, the movie was later described by BuzzFeed as “the film of a generation” and “the teen-movie equivalent of the mid-‘90s alt-rock zeitgeist… a film that managed, however oddly, to capture the ineffable feeling of being a quasi-alienated teenager in a very specific time.
- 4/6/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Just in time for Rex Manning Day on Sunday, producer Bill Weiner announced plans to develop a stage musical based on the 1995 film “Empire Records.” Did you think we would all just fade away?
Original screenwriter Carol Heikkinen (“Center Stage”) will write the stage adaptation, with new music and lyrics by Zoe Sarnak, the 2018 Jonathan Larson Grant winner for her upcoming musical “Afterwords.” Other members of the creative team will be announced at a later date.
Director Allan Moyle’s teen comedy, which starred Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Anthony Lapaglia, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry and Johnny Whitworth, has developed a cult following over the years for its depiction of mid-’90s alt-rock fandom.
Also Read: '90s Flashback: 'Empire Records' Ethan Embry on Rex Manning Day and Playing Lily Tomlin's Son in New Netflix Series
The film was set at Empire Records, last of the independent small-town record stores, as its tight-knit teenage employees gear up for a promotional event for washed-up music star Rex Manning (Maxwell Caulfield).
Hearing that the shop may be sold to a big chain, slacker employee Lucas (Cochrane) places a big bet with a chunk of the store’s money, hoping to get a big return and save the store. When the plan fails, Empire Records falls into serious trouble, and the teens must find a way to fend off the encroaching Music Town overlords.
“The movie was really about a family that formed among these minimum-wage record clerks,” Heikkinen said in a statement. “There’s a lot of nostalgia now for those old record stores where you could go and talk to people who loved the same music you loved, and discover new bands. We hope the musical will capture the memory of what it was like to be young in a time before iTunes and Spotify — music is such an important part of the youth experience, and it’s what brings these characters together.”
Also Read: Broadway's Revival Fever: Do Old Shows Still Play in #MeToo Era? (Guest Blog)
Sarnak added, “I first saw ‘Empire Records’ when my older sister brought it home on VHS…. Over the years, I watched it again and again because that cast — those characters — were my idea of the coolest misfits. Teenagers who loved music as much as I did, and still do.”
Weiner, who jump-started New Regency’s theatrical stage business and served as the studio’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel for 23 years, said: “I am beyond thrilled to bring this iconic film to the Broadway stage.”
Read original story ‘Empire Records’ to Become Broadway-Bound Musical – Just in Time for Rex Manning Day At TheWrap...
Original screenwriter Carol Heikkinen (“Center Stage”) will write the stage adaptation, with new music and lyrics by Zoe Sarnak, the 2018 Jonathan Larson Grant winner for her upcoming musical “Afterwords.” Other members of the creative team will be announced at a later date.
Director Allan Moyle’s teen comedy, which starred Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Anthony Lapaglia, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry and Johnny Whitworth, has developed a cult following over the years for its depiction of mid-’90s alt-rock fandom.
Also Read: '90s Flashback: 'Empire Records' Ethan Embry on Rex Manning Day and Playing Lily Tomlin's Son in New Netflix Series
The film was set at Empire Records, last of the independent small-town record stores, as its tight-knit teenage employees gear up for a promotional event for washed-up music star Rex Manning (Maxwell Caulfield).
Hearing that the shop may be sold to a big chain, slacker employee Lucas (Cochrane) places a big bet with a chunk of the store’s money, hoping to get a big return and save the store. When the plan fails, Empire Records falls into serious trouble, and the teens must find a way to fend off the encroaching Music Town overlords.
“The movie was really about a family that formed among these minimum-wage record clerks,” Heikkinen said in a statement. “There’s a lot of nostalgia now for those old record stores where you could go and talk to people who loved the same music you loved, and discover new bands. We hope the musical will capture the memory of what it was like to be young in a time before iTunes and Spotify — music is such an important part of the youth experience, and it’s what brings these characters together.”
Also Read: Broadway's Revival Fever: Do Old Shows Still Play in #MeToo Era? (Guest Blog)
Sarnak added, “I first saw ‘Empire Records’ when my older sister brought it home on VHS…. Over the years, I watched it again and again because that cast — those characters — were my idea of the coolest misfits. Teenagers who loved music as much as I did, and still do.”
Weiner, who jump-started New Regency’s theatrical stage business and served as the studio’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel for 23 years, said: “I am beyond thrilled to bring this iconic film to the Broadway stage.”
Read original story ‘Empire Records’ to Become Broadway-Bound Musical – Just in Time for Rex Manning Day At TheWrap...
- 4/6/2018
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
David Cronenberg puts Canada on the horror map with yet another early career ick-fest, about a vampiric woman armed with a new mutant organ. Marilyn Chambers is the dangerous female who spreads a plague of bloody murder. Fun for the whole family.
Rabid
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1977 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 91 min. / Street Date November 22, 2016 / 34.93
Starring Marilyn Chambers, Frank Moore, Joe Silver, Howard Ryshpan, Patricia Gage, Susan Roman, Roger Periard, Lynne Deragon, Allan Moyle, Robert A. Silverman.
Cinematography René Verzier
Makeup Effects Joe Blasco
Music Supervisor Ivan Reitman
Editor Jean Lafleur
Produced by John Dunning, Ivan Reitman
Written and Directed by David Cronenberg
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Now available in Region A, David Cronenberg’s Rabid is slightly different than the Blu-ray released in the UK last year by Arrow. It’s touted as a new transfer. Some of the previous extras have been retained and others dropped, and two new items have been added.
Rabid
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1977 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 91 min. / Street Date November 22, 2016 / 34.93
Starring Marilyn Chambers, Frank Moore, Joe Silver, Howard Ryshpan, Patricia Gage, Susan Roman, Roger Periard, Lynne Deragon, Allan Moyle, Robert A. Silverman.
Cinematography René Verzier
Makeup Effects Joe Blasco
Music Supervisor Ivan Reitman
Editor Jean Lafleur
Produced by John Dunning, Ivan Reitman
Written and Directed by David Cronenberg
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Now available in Region A, David Cronenberg’s Rabid is slightly different than the Blu-ray released in the UK last year by Arrow. It’s touted as a new transfer. Some of the previous extras have been retained and others dropped, and two new items have been added.
- 11/19/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
There are so many elements of Allan Moyle’s Pump up the Volume that would seem totally foreign to today’s teenage audiences.
Yet, as the film celebrates its 25th anniversary on Aug. 24, its “of the moment”-ness is what makes it one of the seminal films of its generation. The idea that a suburban Phoenix kid (Christian Slater) can steal the imagination of his high school with a pirate radio broadcast is a nearly-impossible sell to today’s audiences. Too much has changed.
However, in 1990 the filmmakers came up with a winning formula: One of the hottest movie stars going, teen angst, an anti-censorship stance and a killer soundtrack.
The film does well to set the scene for Slater’s “Happy Harry Hard-On,” beginning with a pan over the sleepy suburbs as he delivers his nightly sermon on the horrors of high school and the concerns – the government, the environment,...
Yet, as the film celebrates its 25th anniversary on Aug. 24, its “of the moment”-ness is what makes it one of the seminal films of its generation. The idea that a suburban Phoenix kid (Christian Slater) can steal the imagination of his high school with a pirate radio broadcast is a nearly-impossible sell to today’s audiences. Too much has changed.
However, in 1990 the filmmakers came up with a winning formula: One of the hottest movie stars going, teen angst, an anti-censorship stance and a killer soundtrack.
The film does well to set the scene for Slater’s “Happy Harry Hard-On,” beginning with a pan over the sleepy suburbs as he delivers his nightly sermon on the horrors of high school and the concerns – the government, the environment,...
- 8/24/2015
- by Shane McNeil
- Cineplex
Cue the '90s Flashbacks! The Casts of "Empire Records" and "Can't Hardly Wait" Reunited This Weekend
Ethan Embry had a very busy weekend. The actor took part in not one, but two different reunions in Los Angeles, celebrating a pair of '90s films that we still can't get enough of! First up: "Empire Records." Buzzfeed hosted a 20th anniversary screening of the flick on Friday evening, with a Q&A with the cast following the film. While Liv Tyler, Renee Zellweger and Rex Manning himself, Maxwell Caulfield, were Mia, Embry was joined by Robin Tunney, Johnny Whitworth, Coyote Shivers, director Allan Moyle and screenwriter Carol Heikkinen. We gotta hand it to them, this cast still looks amazing two decades later. Aj is dreamy as ever! During the panel, Tunney revealed that it was her idea to have her character shave her head. "Allan came to me and he’s like, ‘I think the studio wants to fire you ‘cause they think you’re kind of too cute to be depressed,...
- 8/17/2015
- by tooFab Staff
- TooFab
All week our writers will debate: Which was the greatest film year of the past half century. Click here for a complete list of our essays. When I picked this year, it was under the mistaken assumption that we were writing on the best film of a year, and not the best film year in general. But having realized the mistake, I stand by my choice. 1995 is still the best! Straight up: 1995 wins, because Todd Haynes’s “[Safe]" is still my favorite film to have come out since, Idk, I’ve been alive. It’s deeply self-conscious about genre, while still managing to not really resemble anything I’ve ever seen. It’s the perfect film about L.A.; about how space is mobilized in cinema; about the environment; about Gothic horror; about white femininity; about film bodies; about falling in love in the movies. It’s Todd Motherf*#@$^ Haynes’s best film.
- 4/30/2015
- by Jane Hu
- Hitfix
****
The Battle for ‘Lawrence of Arabia’: How T.E. Lawrence’s family and friends opposed bringing his story to the screen
T.E. Lawrence (1888-1935) ranks among the 20th Century’s oddest heroes. This short, smart, and mischievous British soldier helped organize the Arab Revolt against Turkey, a secondary front of the First World War. He became Emir Feisal’s trusted ally, painfully conscious that the Allies wouldn’t honor promises of independence. After the Paris Peace Conference, Lawrence retreated into the Royal Air Force and Tank Corps as a private soldier, T.E. Shaw… read the full article.
Holding Out For a Heroine: On Being a Woman and Loving Star Wars
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a little girl in possession of a good imagination must be in want of a heroine. At least, this was the truth of my childhood. Like many people of my generation, my...
The Battle for ‘Lawrence of Arabia’: How T.E. Lawrence’s family and friends opposed bringing his story to the screen
T.E. Lawrence (1888-1935) ranks among the 20th Century’s oddest heroes. This short, smart, and mischievous British soldier helped organize the Arab Revolt against Turkey, a secondary front of the First World War. He became Emir Feisal’s trusted ally, painfully conscious that the Allies wouldn’t honor promises of independence. After the Paris Peace Conference, Lawrence retreated into the Royal Air Force and Tank Corps as a private soldier, T.E. Shaw… read the full article.
Holding Out For a Heroine: On Being a Woman and Loving Star Wars
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a little girl in possession of a good imagination must be in want of a heroine. At least, this was the truth of my childhood. Like many people of my generation, my...
- 2/21/2015
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
The Bitter Ash
A rather precious thing happened in Montreal in the mid 1970s. Canadian cinema had been dominated by the National Film Board since its formation in 1940, and the generally-perceived character of Canadian film was all educational documentary, and not a lot of fun. Directors such as Claude Jutra, Don Owen, and Gilles Groulx struck off on their own to make the first Canadian new wave fiction films (A tout prendre [1963], Nobody Waved Goodbye, and Le chat dans le sac [both 1964] respectively), on the back of independents like Sydney J. Furie’s groundbreaking A Dangerous Age (1959) and Larry Kent’s student feature The Bitter Ash (1963), but for all their youthful, semi-bohemian trappings, these were still quite po-faced affairs. Then came the “genial loser” films of the 70s, led by Owen’s Goin’ Down The Road (1970), and others such as The Rowdyman (Peter Carter, 1972) and Paperback Hero (Peter Pearson, 1973), for the...
A rather precious thing happened in Montreal in the mid 1970s. Canadian cinema had been dominated by the National Film Board since its formation in 1940, and the generally-perceived character of Canadian film was all educational documentary, and not a lot of fun. Directors such as Claude Jutra, Don Owen, and Gilles Groulx struck off on their own to make the first Canadian new wave fiction films (A tout prendre [1963], Nobody Waved Goodbye, and Le chat dans le sac [both 1964] respectively), on the back of independents like Sydney J. Furie’s groundbreaking A Dangerous Age (1959) and Larry Kent’s student feature The Bitter Ash (1963), but for all their youthful, semi-bohemian trappings, these were still quite po-faced affairs. Then came the “genial loser” films of the 70s, led by Owen’s Goin’ Down The Road (1970), and others such as The Rowdyman (Peter Carter, 1972) and Paperback Hero (Peter Pearson, 1973), for the...
- 2/20/2015
- by Tom Newth
- SoundOnSight
40. Empire Records
Directed by: Allan Moyle
Ah, the coming-of-age story. There was no sub-genre more hijacked for a quick buck in the 1990′s. In between the good ones (“Dazed and Confused,” “Boyz in the Hood”), the cheesy ones (“She’s All That,” “She Drives Me Crazy”), and the under-appreciated ones (“The Man in the Moon,” “Angus”), there were the middling ones that, if anything, boasted a cast that would go on to bigger, better things. Enter “Empire Records,” which is not only a coming-of-age story, but one that takes place at a record store, no less. Talk about the double dip. The entire film takes place over the course of one day, focusing on the employees, played by Anthony Lapaglia, Ethan Embry, Renee Zellweger, Rory Cochrane, and Liv Tyler. The independent record store is in Delaware – the hot spot of American music – and sees Joe (Lapaglia) allowing night manager Lucas...
Directed by: Allan Moyle
Ah, the coming-of-age story. There was no sub-genre more hijacked for a quick buck in the 1990′s. In between the good ones (“Dazed and Confused,” “Boyz in the Hood”), the cheesy ones (“She’s All That,” “She Drives Me Crazy”), and the under-appreciated ones (“The Man in the Moon,” “Angus”), there were the middling ones that, if anything, boasted a cast that would go on to bigger, better things. Enter “Empire Records,” which is not only a coming-of-age story, but one that takes place at a record store, no less. Talk about the double dip. The entire film takes place over the course of one day, focusing on the employees, played by Anthony Lapaglia, Ethan Embry, Renee Zellweger, Rory Cochrane, and Liv Tyler. The independent record store is in Delaware – the hot spot of American music – and sees Joe (Lapaglia) allowing night manager Lucas...
- 1/31/2015
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 24 Oct 2013 - 06:46
Another 25 unsung greats come under the spotlight, as we provide our pick of the underappreciated films of 1995...
The year covered in this week's underrated movie rundown was significant for a number of reasons. It was the year that saw the release of Toy Story - the groundbreaking movie that would cement Pixar's reputation as an animation studio, and set the tempo for CG family movies for the next 18 years and counting. It was the year that saw James Bond (played by Pierce Brosnan for the first time) emerge for GoldenEye after a six-year break. It was also the year of Michael Mann's Heat, Dogme 95, and the moment where Terry Gilliam scored a much-deserved hit with 12 Monkeys.
As ever, we're focusing on a few of the lesser-known films from this particular year, and we've had to think carefully about what's made the cut and what hasn't.
Another 25 unsung greats come under the spotlight, as we provide our pick of the underappreciated films of 1995...
The year covered in this week's underrated movie rundown was significant for a number of reasons. It was the year that saw the release of Toy Story - the groundbreaking movie that would cement Pixar's reputation as an animation studio, and set the tempo for CG family movies for the next 18 years and counting. It was the year that saw James Bond (played by Pierce Brosnan for the first time) emerge for GoldenEye after a six-year break. It was also the year of Michael Mann's Heat, Dogme 95, and the moment where Terry Gilliam scored a much-deserved hit with 12 Monkeys.
As ever, we're focusing on a few of the lesser-known films from this particular year, and we've had to think carefully about what's made the cut and what hasn't.
- 10/22/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Odd List Simon Brew Ryan Lambie 19 Sep 2013 - 07:20
From dramas to action and everything in between, here's our pick of 20 underrated films from 1990...
Think back to the big films of 1990, and you'll probably immediately come up with things like Ghost, the year's top-grossing film, or maybe Home Alone, which made a star out of the young Macaulay Culkin.
If you're into sci-fi or action, you might pluck Total Recall, Back To The Future Part III or even Die Hard 2 out of your memory banks. But what about all those movies that didn't make it into the year's top 10 ranking films? As ever, there's a huge number of duds and forgettable flops, but there were plenty of films that were wrongly overlooked, too.
That's where this list comes in, which aims to shed a bit of light on 20 films that were either unfairly overlooked by audiences at the time, or...
From dramas to action and everything in between, here's our pick of 20 underrated films from 1990...
Think back to the big films of 1990, and you'll probably immediately come up with things like Ghost, the year's top-grossing film, or maybe Home Alone, which made a star out of the young Macaulay Culkin.
If you're into sci-fi or action, you might pluck Total Recall, Back To The Future Part III or even Die Hard 2 out of your memory banks. But what about all those movies that didn't make it into the year's top 10 ranking films? As ever, there's a huge number of duds and forgettable flops, but there were plenty of films that were wrongly overlooked, too.
That's where this list comes in, which aims to shed a bit of light on 20 films that were either unfairly overlooked by audiences at the time, or...
- 9/19/2013
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Odd List Simon Brew Ryan Lambie
From dramas to action and everything in between, here's our pick of 20 underrated films from 1990...
Think back to the big films of 1990, and you'll probably immediately come up with things like Ghost, the year's top-grossing film, or maybe Home Alone, which made a star out of the young Macaulay Culkin.
If you're into sci-fi or action, you might pluck Total Recall, Back To The Future Part III or even Die Hard 2 out of your memory banks. But what about all those movies that didn't make it into the year's top 10 ranking films? As ever, there's a huge number of duds and forgettable flops, but there were plenty of films that were wrongly overlooked, too.
That's where this list comes in, which aims to shed a bit of light on 20 films that were either unfairly overlooked by audiences at the time, or have faded rapidly from general discussions about cinema.
From dramas to action and everything in between, here's our pick of 20 underrated films from 1990...
Think back to the big films of 1990, and you'll probably immediately come up with things like Ghost, the year's top-grossing film, or maybe Home Alone, which made a star out of the young Macaulay Culkin.
If you're into sci-fi or action, you might pluck Total Recall, Back To The Future Part III or even Die Hard 2 out of your memory banks. But what about all those movies that didn't make it into the year's top 10 ranking films? As ever, there's a huge number of duds and forgettable flops, but there were plenty of films that were wrongly overlooked, too.
That's where this list comes in, which aims to shed a bit of light on 20 films that were either unfairly overlooked by audiences at the time, or have faded rapidly from general discussions about cinema.
- 9/18/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
If there are any filmmakers who’ve worked their way through record stores as much as folks like Quentin Tarantino or even Wes Anderson, it would have to be John Hughes and Allan Moyle. So perhaps it’s no real surprise that on annual Record Store Day, where you can come out and support your local independent record stores on April 21st this year, there will be soundtrack reissues from both filmmakers.
First is Hughes’ “The Breakfast Club,” which will surely find many record enthusiasts doing some Judd Hirsch-style fist pumping as they pick up their all-white 12-inch vinyl pressing of the album. It’s hard to capture an entire mood of a film with a single soundtrack, especially when that film lingers on a dreary Saturday spent in detention with a few high school students looking to find themselves like in “The Breakfast Club,” but between the seminal...
First is Hughes’ “The Breakfast Club,” which will surely find many record enthusiasts doing some Judd Hirsch-style fist pumping as they pick up their all-white 12-inch vinyl pressing of the album. It’s hard to capture an entire mood of a film with a single soundtrack, especially when that film lingers on a dreary Saturday spent in detention with a few high school students looking to find themselves like in “The Breakfast Club,” but between the seminal...
- 4/6/2012
- by Benjamin Wright
- The Playlist
Is Pump Up The Volume Christian Slater’s best movie? Simon champions an apparently long-forgotten teen movie, that very much deserves a fresh chance….
“Do you ever the feeling that everything in America is completely fucked up?”
When writer/director Allan Moyle’s work is celebrated, it’s generally Empire Records that gets the acclaim (and with some justification). Furthermore, if the conversation then moves on to cult movies starring Christian Slater, then it’s almost sacrilege to not start with Heathers.
Me? In both cases, I go for Pump Up The Volume every time, a thoughtful film masquerading behind a name that doesn’t necessarily do it a lot of justice. It’s certainly not the first story about a shy-by-day high school kid who assumes an anonymous identity out of hours – although this is a film in pre-Internet days, remember – but it’s comfortably one of the best.
“Do you ever the feeling that everything in America is completely fucked up?”
When writer/director Allan Moyle’s work is celebrated, it’s generally Empire Records that gets the acclaim (and with some justification). Furthermore, if the conversation then moves on to cult movies starring Christian Slater, then it’s almost sacrilege to not start with Heathers.
Me? In both cases, I go for Pump Up The Volume every time, a thoughtful film masquerading behind a name that doesn’t necessarily do it a lot of justice. It’s certainly not the first story about a shy-by-day high school kid who assumes an anonymous identity out of hours – although this is a film in pre-Internet days, remember – but it’s comfortably one of the best.
- 4/5/2012
- Den of Geek
I listened to a lot of embarrassing music back in 1995: Toad the Wet Sprocket, Gin Blossoms, The Cranberries, Sponge, The Lemonheads, and basically half of what's on the Empire Records soundtrack. Empire Records is a fairly good representation of the popular, watered-down, R.E.M.-wannabe alt music of the era. Like the music, Empire Records was crap then, and it's crap now, but nostalgia has had a funny way of shining down on it. It's all very affectionately shameful. It's pure cheese, but it's aged well, like a nice gruyere -- sweet, but not overpowering. And great for fondue!
It's also a very unexpected cult classic among a certain age group. It only made $303,000 in its theatrical release, and reviews for the film were largely negative (it still possesses only a 24 percent over on RottenTomatoes). It's unexpected because there was nothing particularly original, ahead of its time, or inventive about Empire Records.
It's also a very unexpected cult classic among a certain age group. It only made $303,000 in its theatrical release, and reviews for the film were largely negative (it still possesses only a 24 percent over on RottenTomatoes). It's unexpected because there was nothing particularly original, ahead of its time, or inventive about Empire Records.
- 8/10/2010
- by Dustin Rowles
Being Erica: Season One
Stars: Erin Karpluk, Michael Riley, Tyron Leitso, Vinessa Antoine | Created by Jana Sinyor
Back in high school, Erica thought she’d grow up, meet ‘the’ guy, get ‘the’ career, have a couple of beautiful, talented children and ride off into the sunset. But somehow, it never happened. After a series of mishaps, Erica meets the mysterious Dr Tom – a therapist who seems to know a lot about her. Dr Tom gives her the chance of a lifetime…In each episode, Erica goes back to relive a regret from her past, in order to come back and make a positive change in her present…
This Canadian drama looks, on the surface, to be another Sex and the City type drama, with a good looking cast and a hip soundtrack that follows the fortunes of a neurotic thirty-something woman as she struggles with problems in her life.
Stars: Erin Karpluk, Michael Riley, Tyron Leitso, Vinessa Antoine | Created by Jana Sinyor
Back in high school, Erica thought she’d grow up, meet ‘the’ guy, get ‘the’ career, have a couple of beautiful, talented children and ride off into the sunset. But somehow, it never happened. After a series of mishaps, Erica meets the mysterious Dr Tom – a therapist who seems to know a lot about her. Dr Tom gives her the chance of a lifetime…In each episode, Erica goes back to relive a regret from her past, in order to come back and make a positive change in her present…
This Canadian drama looks, on the surface, to be another Sex and the City type drama, with a good looking cast and a hip soundtrack that follows the fortunes of a neurotic thirty-something woman as she struggles with problems in her life.
- 6/13/2010
- by Phil
- Nerdly
A couple of our more popular Seriously Random Lists in the past were lists that explored once popular actors and actresses who have seemingly fallen off the face of the Earth (or at least, no longer appear in movies with which we are familiar). People like Rene Russo or Paul Reiser, who were once ever-present, and then just vanished. Today, we're going to do the same with directors. It's more difficult with directors because they work behind the camera and, in many cases, weren't very familiar to begin with. But you knew their movies. Many of the directors below had considerable success before all but vanishing -- some of them still work, on TV or making Direct-to-dvd movies or movies no one has ever heard of. But the fall from their peak has been precipitous and, in some cases, mysterious.
10. Joe Dante
Signature Movies: Gremlins, Gremlins 2, The Howling, Twilight Zone: The Movie,...
10. Joe Dante
Signature Movies: Gremlins, Gremlins 2, The Howling, Twilight Zone: The Movie,...
- 4/18/2010
- by Dustin Rowles
The 16th annual Bradford International Film Festival, which will run March 18-28, is a total celebration of all forms of cinema, from classic films to modern world cinema to a tribute to Cinerama and more. But, most excitingly, is a bombastic collection of some of the best, most exciting underground films being made today.
From Bad Lit’s perspective, the most thrilling screening of the entire 10-day affair is the new film by British filmmaker Peter Whitehead, Terrorism Considered as One of the Fine Arts. In the U.S., Whitehead is a “lost” filmmaker from the underground’s heyday in the ’60s, being left out of most histories of the underground movement. Whitehead directed several influential films, including Wholly Communion and The Fall, before dropping out of filmmaking in the mid-’70s.
Film historian Jack Sargeant wrote extensively about and interviewed Whitehead for his wonderful book on Beat cinema, Naked Lens.
From Bad Lit’s perspective, the most thrilling screening of the entire 10-day affair is the new film by British filmmaker Peter Whitehead, Terrorism Considered as One of the Fine Arts. In the U.S., Whitehead is a “lost” filmmaker from the underground’s heyday in the ’60s, being left out of most histories of the underground movement. Whitehead directed several influential films, including Wholly Communion and The Fall, before dropping out of filmmaking in the mid-’70s.
Film historian Jack Sargeant wrote extensively about and interviewed Whitehead for his wonderful book on Beat cinema, Naked Lens.
- 3/5/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Toronto International Film Festival
Director Allan Moyle has described Weirdsville as a Canadian Trainspotting, which is a bit of wishful thinking. It's true that this picture takes a slightly fractured, surreal look at a group of stoners, but it lacks the inventiveness and biting edge of Danny Boyle's landmark movie. While Moyle's offering has some quirky pleasures, it seems unlikely to achieve either major cult status or boxoffice success.
The plot interweaves a number of discordant plot strands. Dexter (Scott Speedman) and Royce (Wes Bentley) are druggies and low-level dealers who owe money to their drug boss, Omar (Raoul Bhaneja). They think they might be able to get out of the hole when they learn about a stash of money secreted in a safe belonging to a local businessman, but before they can bag the loot they have to contend with the apparent overdose of their pal Mattie (Taryn Manning). While trying to bury the body, they run into a bumbling gang of satanists crying for blood. Mattie revives unexpectedly, but the satanists target her as their next human sacrifice. Soon the chase is on, abetted by a band of midgets.
While some of the incidents in Willem Wennekers' script are bizarrely funny, director Moyle (Pump Up the Volume) fails to provide the energy necessary to keep us involved. The film jumps around following the misadventures of the characters, and the whole enterprise comes to be frenetic and convoluted rather than pleasingly impudent. One problem is that drug humor has lost much of its novelty by now. On the other hand, the satanists are an amusing troupe, with their clean-cut appearance belying their taste for torture. Jordan Prentice also has some tartly funny moments as a height-challenged security officer.
In fact, the cast is generally better than the material. Speedman and Bentley, who haven't quite been able to parlay their good looks and youthful promise into successful careers, demonstrate more charm incarnating these grungy characters than they have sometimes shown in blander heroic parts. Speedman plays the brainier and more responsible of the pals, while Bentley is his clueless sidekick. Both of them relish their walk on the seamy side. Manning, who made a strong impression in "Hustle & Flow," is wasted here, but Greg Bryk and Maggie Castle as the two earnest devil-worshippers bring a lot of flair to their loopy roles.
Technically, the film is fairly ragged, and it tries too hard to make a virtue of its kinkiness. Plotting is far too haphazard to hold the audience's attention. Although this macabre comedy has diverting touches, it fails to add up to a satisfying whole.
WEIRDSVILLE
Magnolia Pictures
ThinkFilm, Shoreline Entertainment, Darius Films
Credits:
Director: Allan Moyle
Screenwriter: Willem Wennekers
Producer: Nicholas Tabarrok
Executive producers: Michael Baker, Morris Ruskin, Perry Zimel
Director of photography: Adam Swica
Production designer: Oleg Savytski
Music: John Rowley
Costume designer: Alex Kavanagh
Editor: Michael Doherty
Cast:
Dexter: Scott Speedman
Royce: Wes Bentley
Mattie: Taryn Manning
Jason Taylor: Matt Frewer
Abel: Greg Bryk
Seamus: Dax Ravina
Treena: Maggie Castle
Omar: Raoul Bhaneja
Garry: James McQuade
Martin: Jordan Prentice
Running time -- 87 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Director Allan Moyle has described Weirdsville as a Canadian Trainspotting, which is a bit of wishful thinking. It's true that this picture takes a slightly fractured, surreal look at a group of stoners, but it lacks the inventiveness and biting edge of Danny Boyle's landmark movie. While Moyle's offering has some quirky pleasures, it seems unlikely to achieve either major cult status or boxoffice success.
The plot interweaves a number of discordant plot strands. Dexter (Scott Speedman) and Royce (Wes Bentley) are druggies and low-level dealers who owe money to their drug boss, Omar (Raoul Bhaneja). They think they might be able to get out of the hole when they learn about a stash of money secreted in a safe belonging to a local businessman, but before they can bag the loot they have to contend with the apparent overdose of their pal Mattie (Taryn Manning). While trying to bury the body, they run into a bumbling gang of satanists crying for blood. Mattie revives unexpectedly, but the satanists target her as their next human sacrifice. Soon the chase is on, abetted by a band of midgets.
While some of the incidents in Willem Wennekers' script are bizarrely funny, director Moyle (Pump Up the Volume) fails to provide the energy necessary to keep us involved. The film jumps around following the misadventures of the characters, and the whole enterprise comes to be frenetic and convoluted rather than pleasingly impudent. One problem is that drug humor has lost much of its novelty by now. On the other hand, the satanists are an amusing troupe, with their clean-cut appearance belying their taste for torture. Jordan Prentice also has some tartly funny moments as a height-challenged security officer.
In fact, the cast is generally better than the material. Speedman and Bentley, who haven't quite been able to parlay their good looks and youthful promise into successful careers, demonstrate more charm incarnating these grungy characters than they have sometimes shown in blander heroic parts. Speedman plays the brainier and more responsible of the pals, while Bentley is his clueless sidekick. Both of them relish their walk on the seamy side. Manning, who made a strong impression in "Hustle & Flow," is wasted here, but Greg Bryk and Maggie Castle as the two earnest devil-worshippers bring a lot of flair to their loopy roles.
Technically, the film is fairly ragged, and it tries too hard to make a virtue of its kinkiness. Plotting is far too haphazard to hold the audience's attention. Although this macabre comedy has diverting touches, it fails to add up to a satisfying whole.
WEIRDSVILLE
Magnolia Pictures
ThinkFilm, Shoreline Entertainment, Darius Films
Credits:
Director: Allan Moyle
Screenwriter: Willem Wennekers
Producer: Nicholas Tabarrok
Executive producers: Michael Baker, Morris Ruskin, Perry Zimel
Director of photography: Adam Swica
Production designer: Oleg Savytski
Music: John Rowley
Costume designer: Alex Kavanagh
Editor: Michael Doherty
Cast:
Dexter: Scott Speedman
Royce: Wes Bentley
Mattie: Taryn Manning
Jason Taylor: Matt Frewer
Abel: Greg Bryk
Seamus: Dax Ravina
Treena: Maggie Castle
Omar: Raoul Bhaneja
Garry: James McQuade
Martin: Jordan Prentice
Running time -- 87 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 9/10/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- In the latest sale to come out of an active Slamdance Film Festival, Magnolia Pictures has nabbed all U.S. rights to the black comedy Weirdsville, starring Scott Speedman, Wes Bentley and Taryn Manning, from producer Darius Films.
Director Allan Moyle's surreal feature, selected to open this year's fest, centers on the misadventures of two small-town heroin addicts (Speedman, Bentley). After almost burying their not-quite-dead junkie friend (Manning), they run into even more trouble with Satanists, an angry group of little people and the druglord of their remote Canadian town.
The acquisition was arranged by sales agent Shoreline Entertainment with Weirdsville producer Nicholas Tabarrok. Shoreline and William Morris Independent recently sold Magnolia all North American, U.K. and Australian rights to the horror film The Signal for $2.3 million following that film's midnight Sundance screening last month.
"Magnolia has become such a major player on the theatrical distribution landscape for independent films. We're excited to be expanding our relationship with them," executive producer and Shoreline CEO Morris Ruskin said.
Said Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles: "What 'Weirdsville' and the amazing achievement of 'The Signal' represent is the injection of real intellect into the genre film."...
Director Allan Moyle's surreal feature, selected to open this year's fest, centers on the misadventures of two small-town heroin addicts (Speedman, Bentley). After almost burying their not-quite-dead junkie friend (Manning), they run into even more trouble with Satanists, an angry group of little people and the druglord of their remote Canadian town.
The acquisition was arranged by sales agent Shoreline Entertainment with Weirdsville producer Nicholas Tabarrok. Shoreline and William Morris Independent recently sold Magnolia all North American, U.K. and Australian rights to the horror film The Signal for $2.3 million following that film's midnight Sundance screening last month.
"Magnolia has become such a major player on the theatrical distribution landscape for independent films. We're excited to be expanding our relationship with them," executive producer and Shoreline CEO Morris Ruskin said.
Said Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles: "What 'Weirdsville' and the amazing achievement of 'The Signal' represent is the injection of real intellect into the genre film."...
NEW YORK -- Boasting such quintessentially irreverent features as American Zombie and American Fork, the 13th annual Slamdance Film Festival announced its lineup of competitive features and special screenings Tuesday.
The screwball comedy Weirdsville from veteran cult director Allan Moyle (Pump Up the Volume) launches the fest Jan. 18 as the Opening Night Gala film. Scott Speedman, Wes Bentley and Taryn Manning star in what fest programers describe as "the story of two junkies on the run from a satanic cult, a cabal of midget knights, a vengeful drug dealer and a mouse."
Programers say a record 3,600-plus films were submitted this year to fill less than 100 slots, up from more than 3,000 submitted last year.
"What sets Slamdance's program apart this year is a passionate combination that offers a high level of entertainment, social and commercial value," said fest president and co-founder Peter Baxter. "In most ways the program represents the spirit of the Slamdance id. This 13-year-old teenager breaks rules, has stayed true to its roots and embodies the spirit of independent creativity."
Each of the ten narrative and ten documentary films is made by a first-time feature director with budgets of $1 million or less.
The screwball comedy Weirdsville from veteran cult director Allan Moyle (Pump Up the Volume) launches the fest Jan. 18 as the Opening Night Gala film. Scott Speedman, Wes Bentley and Taryn Manning star in what fest programers describe as "the story of two junkies on the run from a satanic cult, a cabal of midget knights, a vengeful drug dealer and a mouse."
Programers say a record 3,600-plus films were submitted this year to fill less than 100 slots, up from more than 3,000 submitted last year.
"What sets Slamdance's program apart this year is a passionate combination that offers a high level of entertainment, social and commercial value," said fest president and co-founder Peter Baxter. "In most ways the program represents the spirit of the Slamdance id. This 13-year-old teenager breaks rules, has stayed true to its roots and embodies the spirit of independent creativity."
Each of the ten narrative and ten documentary films is made by a first-time feature director with budgets of $1 million or less.
- 12/5/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- Boasting such quintessentially irreverent features as American Zombie and American Fork, the 13th annual Slamdance Film Festival on Tuesday announced its lineup of competitive features and special screenings.
The screwball comedy Weirdsville from veteran cult director Allan Moyle (Pump Up the Volume) launches the fest Jan. 18 as the opening-night gala film. Scott Speedman, Wes Bentley and Taryn Manning star in what fest programmers describe as "the story of two junkies on the run from a satanic cult, a cabal of midget knights, a vengeful drug dealer and a mouse."
Programmers say a record 3,600-plus films, up from more than 3,000 last year, were submitted this year to fill fewer than 100 slots.
"What sets Slamdance's program apart this year is a passionate combination that offers a high level of entertainment, social and commercial value," festival president and co-founder Peter Baxter said. "In most ways, the program represents the spirit of the Slamdance id. This 13-year-old teenager breaks rules, has stayed true to its roots and embodies the spirit of independent creativity."
Each of the 10 narrative and 10 documentary films is made by a first-time feature director with budgets of $1 million or less.
The screwball comedy Weirdsville from veteran cult director Allan Moyle (Pump Up the Volume) launches the fest Jan. 18 as the opening-night gala film. Scott Speedman, Wes Bentley and Taryn Manning star in what fest programmers describe as "the story of two junkies on the run from a satanic cult, a cabal of midget knights, a vengeful drug dealer and a mouse."
Programmers say a record 3,600-plus films, up from more than 3,000 last year, were submitted this year to fill fewer than 100 slots.
"What sets Slamdance's program apart this year is a passionate combination that offers a high level of entertainment, social and commercial value," festival president and co-founder Peter Baxter said. "In most ways, the program represents the spirit of the Slamdance id. This 13-year-old teenager breaks rules, has stayed true to its roots and embodies the spirit of independent creativity."
Each of the 10 narrative and 10 documentary films is made by a first-time feature director with budgets of $1 million or less.
- 12/5/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Flex Alexander will play Michael Jackson in an upcoming VH1 biopic about the embattled pop star. Alexander, star of the UPN sitcom One on One, will be joined by Eugene Clark (Reversible Errors), who will play Jackson's bodyguard and confidant. An accomplished dancer, Alexander's fleet feet helped land the actor the role. Tentatively titled Family Values, the film is expected to trace Jackson's troubled life from his Motown heyday to his current legal woes. In addition to VH1, the film also will air on Canadian channels the Movie Network and Movie Central. Values is in production in Calgary, Alberta, with Los Angeles-based company Blueprint Entertainment (HR 3/25). Executive produced by Jon Katzman (FX's Redemption), the film will be directed by Allan Moyle (Say Nothing) and written by Claudia Salter (Running Mates).
- 4/23/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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