On June 23, 1933, director Harry Beaumont's adaptation of When Ladies Meet hit the big screen. The film would go on to nab an Oscar nomination for art direction at the 6th Academy Awards ceremony. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below:
It may be humanly impossible to produce a 100 percent perfect picture, but we'll shout from the housetops that When Ladies Meet is 99 percent above criticism, without fear of successful contradiction. Put down the one percent of theoretical flaw to the delicate tightening that an expert editor may have to do — we'd hate ...
It may be humanly impossible to produce a 100 percent perfect picture, but we'll shout from the housetops that When Ladies Meet is 99 percent above criticism, without fear of successful contradiction. Put down the one percent of theoretical flaw to the delicate tightening that an expert editor may have to do — we'd hate ...
- 6/23/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On June 23, 1933, director Harry Beaumont's adaptation of When Ladies Meet hit the big screen. The film would go on to nab an Oscar nomination for art direction at the 6th Academy Awards ceremony. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below.
It may be humanly impossible to produce a 100 percent perfect picture, but we'll shout from the housetops that When Ladies Meet is 99 percent above criticism, without fear of successful contradiction. Put down the one percent of theoretical flaw to the delicate tightening that an expert editor may have to do — we'd hate ...
It may be humanly impossible to produce a 100 percent perfect picture, but we'll shout from the housetops that When Ladies Meet is 99 percent above criticism, without fear of successful contradiction. Put down the one percent of theoretical flaw to the delicate tightening that an expert editor may have to do — we'd hate ...
- 6/23/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
What does a working girl have to do to get ahead, when all she has in her favor is an incredible face, a lavish wardrobe, and a pair of legs to make any executive wolf howl? Loretta Young juggles two egotistical swains, while Joan Blondell shines as an enticing all-pro homewrecker.
Big Business Girl
DVD-r
The Warner Archive Collection
1931 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 74 min. / Street Date September 14, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Loretta Young, Frank Albertson, Ricardo Cortez, Joan Blondell, Frank Darien, Dorothy Christy, Oscar Apfel, Judith Barrett, Mickey Bennett, George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, Virginia Sale.
Cinematography: Sol Polito
Film Editor: Pete Fritch
Written by Robert Lord, story by Patricia Reilly & H.N. Swanson
Produced and Directed by William A. Seiter
Let’s hear it for the Warner Archive Collection’s voluminous vault of early ’30s Warners, MGM and Rko entertainments, which has given us a real education about this era of filmmaking.
Big Business Girl
DVD-r
The Warner Archive Collection
1931 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 74 min. / Street Date September 14, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Loretta Young, Frank Albertson, Ricardo Cortez, Joan Blondell, Frank Darien, Dorothy Christy, Oscar Apfel, Judith Barrett, Mickey Bennett, George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, Virginia Sale.
Cinematography: Sol Polito
Film Editor: Pete Fritch
Written by Robert Lord, story by Patricia Reilly & H.N. Swanson
Produced and Directed by William A. Seiter
Let’s hear it for the Warner Archive Collection’s voluminous vault of early ’30s Warners, MGM and Rko entertainments, which has given us a real education about this era of filmmaking.
- 10/7/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Truth is stranger than fiction in HBO’s upcoming drama, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.”
Oprah Winfrey teamed up with “True Blood’s” Alan Ball to executive produce the adaptation of journalist Rebecca Skloot’s bestselling nonfiction book of the same name. The novel tracks the titular Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman who is the progenitor of the HeLa immortal cell line. Even though she died in 1951, the cells from her cervical cancer were harvested without her knowledge or consent and have been used and replicated since then in biomedical research.
Read More: Oprah Winfrey in Talks to Star in ‘Terms of Endearment’ Remake
Lacks (“Hamilton” alum Renee Elise Goldsberry) had just given birth to her fifth child when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Winfrey plays Deborah Lacks, the second-to-last child born to Henrietta, who was only 2-years-old when her mother died and, as an adult, learned...
Oprah Winfrey teamed up with “True Blood’s” Alan Ball to executive produce the adaptation of journalist Rebecca Skloot’s bestselling nonfiction book of the same name. The novel tracks the titular Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman who is the progenitor of the HeLa immortal cell line. Even though she died in 1951, the cells from her cervical cancer were harvested without her knowledge or consent and have been used and replicated since then in biomedical research.
Read More: Oprah Winfrey in Talks to Star in ‘Terms of Endearment’ Remake
Lacks (“Hamilton” alum Renee Elise Goldsberry) had just given birth to her fifth child when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Winfrey plays Deborah Lacks, the second-to-last child born to Henrietta, who was only 2-years-old when her mother died and, as an adult, learned...
- 3/16/2017
- by Hanh Nguyen
- Indiewire
“Truth is stranger than fiction,” as the maxim goes, and that was certainly the case in 2016. Following the election of Donald Trump, the fictional dystopian worlds of The Hunger Games, Westworld, and Black Mirror suddenly seemed pointedly realistic, and our new reality felt mighty strange. Some of the year’s most powerful nonfiction films, including Ava DuVernay’s 13th, Dawn Porter’s Trapped, and Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro, took on new urgency as civil rights and reproductive rights increasingly came under fire. By intercutting scenes of Trump supporters physically assaulting African-Americans at his rallies with scenes of whites threatening black people during the civil rights movement […]...
- 12/29/2016
- by Paula Bernstein
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Truth is stranger than fiction. In 1978, famous South Korean director Shin Sang-ok and his ex-wife, actress Choi Eun-hee were kidnapped in Hong Kong by North Korean agents under order of Kim Jung-il, the future leader of North Korea. While they were held as captives, they made 7 movies in the hermit kingdom, until they made a daring escape in 1986 to Vienna. This bizarre and fantastic experiences that Shin and Choi went through reads like a crazy combination of a high-flying political thriller and a lurid tale from the dark underbelly of the movie business. And it's totally ripe for a movie adaptation that could easily be much more fascinating and entertaining than Ben Affleck's Argo. Two British filmmakers, Robert Canaan and Ross Adam,...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 9/22/2016
- Screen Anarchy
“Truth is stranger than fiction… because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn’t.” This Mark Twain quote resonates strongly when thinking of the setup to documentary The Lovers and the Despot. What was once shrouded in urban myth-lore has since the advent of the internet garnered greater traction, and has been recognised as […]
The post The Lovers and the Despot Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.
The post The Lovers and the Despot Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 9/20/2016
- by Matthew Lee
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Lloyd Kaufman has been a major innovator in the indie film industry since the ’70s, and now his company, Troma Entertainment, is entering the world of online streaming with their new service Troma Now.
The notoriously irreverent filmmaker took to Reddit yesterday to discuss his biggest Hollywood fans, his most famous films and even the state of current reality television (and how he would improve upon it.) Check out some of Kaufman’s most entertaining answers below.
What do you think of the current state of “midnight movies”? Would you like to see them make a comeback?
I think they are making a comeback. Not so much at theaters but at places like Tromadance/other festivals, college film societies, and lots of bars. I specialize in showing movies at bars because I am an alcoholic.
Could you create a Troma today, with Netflix/YouTube etc? Would it be easier?
That is a great question, no. Today is harder, Netflix does nothing today to support independent cinema. The marketplace is controlled by a very small number of media conglomerates. The good news is that you do not need a lot of money to create something amazing, check out Troma’s “Father’s Day,” which was made with under a 25k budget. This is due to young filmmakers having a solid grasp of this new digital age, which I myself need to work on still. The “Return To Nuke’Em High” budget is 400k per volume, for example.
Will Troma Now get an Android TV/Apple TV apps in the future? What do you think about the dwindling relevance of physical media?
Go ahead and watch “VHS Massacre” on Troma Now (working on the apps!). I am a believer in new technology in the same way I would not use a buggy whip to get around town, I would use a car. I believe digital looks better than 35mm which is why I shot the volumes of “Return To Nuke’Em High” digitally, not in film.
Read More: Frightpix Launches ‘Lloyd Kaufman Presents’ Streaming Collection
I want to say how sorry I was to hear about Joe Fleishaker’s death. Did he have a role in “Return to Nuke ‘Em High Volume 2”? Looking forward to checking out Troma Now!
Spoiler Alert: You will see Joe Fleishaker and the late Lemmy Killmister in “Return To Nuke’Em High, Volume 2.” We will be dedicating Vol. 2 to the memory of these two wonderful Troma friends.
What are a few of your favorite scenes or elements in Troma films?
Penises! Farts! Explosive Diarrhea! Lesbians! Fighting against the conspiracy of elites! And of course, certain Hideously Deformed Creatures of Super Human Size & Strength!
Hey Lloyd, big fan! I’ve seen quite a few of your movies but “Poultrygeist” may be my absolute favourite – do you have any memorable experiences from working on that one?
The entire experience was a nightmare of the most horrible kind. If you’d like to see it, go to Troma Movies on YouTube and watch the feature length behind the scenes documentary “Poultry in Motion: The Truth is Stranger than Chicken”. You will see fist fights, people getting on bended knee asking for hands in marriage, as well as Uncle Lloyd being an asshole!
Read More: ‘Dolphinman Battles The Sex Lobsters’ Trailer: Kabukiman Terrorizes Tromaville
Hi Lloyd! What have been some directors or specific movies that inspired how you make your own?
Chaplin, Keaton, Stan Brakhage, Jean Renoir, Fritz Lang, Samuel Fuller, Roger Corman, comic books by Stan Lee (who is a good friend and with whom I wrote a screenplay in the early 70s). Today I am inspired by directors who were inspired by me: Trey Parker, Quentin Tarantino (who inspired me to make “Return to Nuke ‘Em High” a two-part event film), and Takashe Miike. Most recently, John Brennan’s “Kabukiman’s Cocktail Corner” changed my whole worldview.
What do you think of reality TV? Its more or less today’s cheap, popular exploitation media?
I believe that reality TV could be terrific, but unfortunately it aims at the lowest common denominator. They all seem to be scripted and want to appeal to Kim Kardashian. We are developing a reality show starring Kim Kardashian and Kim Jong Un. It’s called “I Love Myself, I Love My Ass.”
Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Festivals newsletter here.
Related stories'Veep's' Tony Hale Says Show's Producers Give Actors Freedom to 'Play With the Material' During Reddit Ama'Dolphinman Battles The Sex Lobsters' Trailer: Kabukiman Terrorizes TromavilleJeremy Saulnier Ama: 'Green Room' Director Dissects Power of Realistic Violence & Seven More Reveals...
The notoriously irreverent filmmaker took to Reddit yesterday to discuss his biggest Hollywood fans, his most famous films and even the state of current reality television (and how he would improve upon it.) Check out some of Kaufman’s most entertaining answers below.
What do you think of the current state of “midnight movies”? Would you like to see them make a comeback?
I think they are making a comeback. Not so much at theaters but at places like Tromadance/other festivals, college film societies, and lots of bars. I specialize in showing movies at bars because I am an alcoholic.
Could you create a Troma today, with Netflix/YouTube etc? Would it be easier?
That is a great question, no. Today is harder, Netflix does nothing today to support independent cinema. The marketplace is controlled by a very small number of media conglomerates. The good news is that you do not need a lot of money to create something amazing, check out Troma’s “Father’s Day,” which was made with under a 25k budget. This is due to young filmmakers having a solid grasp of this new digital age, which I myself need to work on still. The “Return To Nuke’Em High” budget is 400k per volume, for example.
Will Troma Now get an Android TV/Apple TV apps in the future? What do you think about the dwindling relevance of physical media?
Go ahead and watch “VHS Massacre” on Troma Now (working on the apps!). I am a believer in new technology in the same way I would not use a buggy whip to get around town, I would use a car. I believe digital looks better than 35mm which is why I shot the volumes of “Return To Nuke’Em High” digitally, not in film.
Read More: Frightpix Launches ‘Lloyd Kaufman Presents’ Streaming Collection
I want to say how sorry I was to hear about Joe Fleishaker’s death. Did he have a role in “Return to Nuke ‘Em High Volume 2”? Looking forward to checking out Troma Now!
Spoiler Alert: You will see Joe Fleishaker and the late Lemmy Killmister in “Return To Nuke’Em High, Volume 2.” We will be dedicating Vol. 2 to the memory of these two wonderful Troma friends.
What are a few of your favorite scenes or elements in Troma films?
Penises! Farts! Explosive Diarrhea! Lesbians! Fighting against the conspiracy of elites! And of course, certain Hideously Deformed Creatures of Super Human Size & Strength!
Hey Lloyd, big fan! I’ve seen quite a few of your movies but “Poultrygeist” may be my absolute favourite – do you have any memorable experiences from working on that one?
The entire experience was a nightmare of the most horrible kind. If you’d like to see it, go to Troma Movies on YouTube and watch the feature length behind the scenes documentary “Poultry in Motion: The Truth is Stranger than Chicken”. You will see fist fights, people getting on bended knee asking for hands in marriage, as well as Uncle Lloyd being an asshole!
Read More: ‘Dolphinman Battles The Sex Lobsters’ Trailer: Kabukiman Terrorizes Tromaville
Hi Lloyd! What have been some directors or specific movies that inspired how you make your own?
Chaplin, Keaton, Stan Brakhage, Jean Renoir, Fritz Lang, Samuel Fuller, Roger Corman, comic books by Stan Lee (who is a good friend and with whom I wrote a screenplay in the early 70s). Today I am inspired by directors who were inspired by me: Trey Parker, Quentin Tarantino (who inspired me to make “Return to Nuke ‘Em High” a two-part event film), and Takashe Miike. Most recently, John Brennan’s “Kabukiman’s Cocktail Corner” changed my whole worldview.
What do you think of reality TV? Its more or less today’s cheap, popular exploitation media?
I believe that reality TV could be terrific, but unfortunately it aims at the lowest common denominator. They all seem to be scripted and want to appeal to Kim Kardashian. We are developing a reality show starring Kim Kardashian and Kim Jong Un. It’s called “I Love Myself, I Love My Ass.”
Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Festivals newsletter here.
Related stories'Veep's' Tony Hale Says Show's Producers Give Actors Freedom to 'Play With the Material' During Reddit Ama'Dolphinman Battles The Sex Lobsters' Trailer: Kabukiman Terrorizes TromavilleJeremy Saulnier Ama: 'Green Room' Director Dissects Power of Realistic Violence & Seven More Reveals...
- 6/16/2016
- by Kate Halliwell
- Indiewire
In January 2014, I spoke with Will Scheffer about his HBO series "Getting On" for this publication:
You can read that interview Here
And now we fast forward almost two years later and the show is in its third and final season. In our interview, Scheffer looks back at his experiences with the show and talks about collaborating with his husband, Mark V Olsen – creator, executive producer and writer of "Getting On" and their other shows, including "Big Love."
In addition to the HBO American cable channel, "Getting On" can be seen on HBO Latin America and HBO Europe and Asia, and through Sky (France, UK, Spain, and so on.)
Kouguell: With the increase of the global cable markets and increasing platforms, reaching a broader audience, how has this affected your shows?
Scheffer: It was gratifying to have read about "Getting On’s" reception in Paris (where they love the show) before the recent attacks and to know that this show speaks particularly to issues of loss and wounding and grief but in a way that enables laughter to mix with heartbreak. This season has so much more resonance to me as it is a comedy. It’s not escapist. It’s healing comedy. You can laugh and cry in the darkest of hours and to me, that’s the greatest service to provide as an artist. To allow people to experience their common humanity. Without self-importance. Experiencing and accepting the fragility of life, of being human, is a wonderful place to begin from.
Kouguell: Looking back at the three seasons of "Getting On," what were some of the most poignant and/or memorable moments for you working with the actors and writers?
Scheffer: We felt that by choosing "Getting On" to adapt we were entering into “stewarding” function with our British team. We wrote all of the episodes and the first two seasons had a lot of material from the original series to adapt, but the final season was all original story. Still, we went to London and ran our ideas by the original creators and worked with them. That relationship, receiving their input bonded us in a way that was unique to most adaptations. The fact that Vicki Pepperdine and Joanna Scanlan appear in Episode 4 as their original characters and meet their American counterparts, and vice versa— felt so amazing. It’s something we’d never seen before and it speaks to the way the British show and the American show are so different but like siblings, so connected. We share the same blood. So that’s a long-winded way of saying, going to London for a week to work with “the girls’ was a high point.
It’s hard to single out moments because working with our actors was the greatest experience of my career. Watching Niecy Nash bloom, seeing Mel Rodriguez and Alex Borstein prove how brilliant they are. Experiencing Laurie Metcalf’s genius (I mean she is a national treasure — beyond, beyond) and then all of our guest and co-stars. Just this season alone: Harry Dean Stanton, Mary Kay Place, Francis Conroy, Rhea Perlman, June Sqibb, Kristen Johnson, Jonathan Silverman, Jayma Mays, Daniel Stern, Rita Moreno, Grant Bowler, Janis Ian!!! Meeting Didi’s family -- Marsha, Corey, Gloria and Scott -- they felt like a real family. Anne Guilbert as Birdie. Not to mention the other great women we were able to work with like Betty Buckley, Tsai Chin, Jean Smart, Irma P. Hall, Alia Shawkat, Carrie Preston, Molly Shannon— I can’t even list them all, I know I’m forgetting people and not even mentioning the supporting cast who were brilliant. These diverse, brilliant actors in just 18 episodes.
Kouguell: This is the second show you have created for HBO, "Big Love" ran for 5 seasons and like "Getting On," pushed the envelope in its examination of timely, hot button issues. For Big Love, the show was not just about polygamy and the power of the church, at its core it was about family. In "Getting On," some of the major topics/themes you tackle are ageism and the health care system. While "Getting On" is very funny, it also strikes a major chord of realism. Truth is stranger than fiction.
Scheffer: I think I mentioned already the theme of human frailty. And I just can’t stress enough how I believe it is an “undervalued” value in our society. I mean we all get old and die. It’s not sexy but it’s part of life. And it doesn’t have to be shoved out of our consciousness or romanticized or treated sentimentally or “importantly.” It’s life. And I wish people knew what they were missing by avoiding dealing with their fears about it. It’s like, do you wanna deal with those fears now or do it later when it’s gonna be a real drag?
It was such a privilege for Mark and me to both be with our moms when they were dying. Sure it was hard, but it was incredibly layered and sometimes funny and of course heartbreaking -- but it was like I wanted to tell everyone: “Hey, you really should experience this, because it’s so amazing, even though it hurts, too.”
Kouguell: The main characters (with the exception of the brilliant Patsy) focus mainly on women and their relationships with their patients and with their colleagues. There is so much talk in the industry now about the lack of women’s roles particularly in the ‘over 40’ category. What are your thoughts on this?
Scheffer: Yeah. Well. That’s always been the case. And I think it’s finally changing. The volatility in the business is palpable and I think that finally that really big ugly fact about Hollywood is going to change. It has to. I know we’re going to keep writing great roles for women because, lucky for us, we’re good at it, I think.
Kouguell: What can we expect from this final season?
Scheffer: Well. It’s the final season. So expect big stories, some big reveals and I’d say that I think the finale is one I will always be very proud of.
Learn more about "Getting On": http://www.hbo.com/getting-on
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell teaches screenwriting at Purchase College Suny, and presents international seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog...
You can read that interview Here
And now we fast forward almost two years later and the show is in its third and final season. In our interview, Scheffer looks back at his experiences with the show and talks about collaborating with his husband, Mark V Olsen – creator, executive producer and writer of "Getting On" and their other shows, including "Big Love."
In addition to the HBO American cable channel, "Getting On" can be seen on HBO Latin America and HBO Europe and Asia, and through Sky (France, UK, Spain, and so on.)
Kouguell: With the increase of the global cable markets and increasing platforms, reaching a broader audience, how has this affected your shows?
Scheffer: It was gratifying to have read about "Getting On’s" reception in Paris (where they love the show) before the recent attacks and to know that this show speaks particularly to issues of loss and wounding and grief but in a way that enables laughter to mix with heartbreak. This season has so much more resonance to me as it is a comedy. It’s not escapist. It’s healing comedy. You can laugh and cry in the darkest of hours and to me, that’s the greatest service to provide as an artist. To allow people to experience their common humanity. Without self-importance. Experiencing and accepting the fragility of life, of being human, is a wonderful place to begin from.
Kouguell: Looking back at the three seasons of "Getting On," what were some of the most poignant and/or memorable moments for you working with the actors and writers?
Scheffer: We felt that by choosing "Getting On" to adapt we were entering into “stewarding” function with our British team. We wrote all of the episodes and the first two seasons had a lot of material from the original series to adapt, but the final season was all original story. Still, we went to London and ran our ideas by the original creators and worked with them. That relationship, receiving their input bonded us in a way that was unique to most adaptations. The fact that Vicki Pepperdine and Joanna Scanlan appear in Episode 4 as their original characters and meet their American counterparts, and vice versa— felt so amazing. It’s something we’d never seen before and it speaks to the way the British show and the American show are so different but like siblings, so connected. We share the same blood. So that’s a long-winded way of saying, going to London for a week to work with “the girls’ was a high point.
It’s hard to single out moments because working with our actors was the greatest experience of my career. Watching Niecy Nash bloom, seeing Mel Rodriguez and Alex Borstein prove how brilliant they are. Experiencing Laurie Metcalf’s genius (I mean she is a national treasure — beyond, beyond) and then all of our guest and co-stars. Just this season alone: Harry Dean Stanton, Mary Kay Place, Francis Conroy, Rhea Perlman, June Sqibb, Kristen Johnson, Jonathan Silverman, Jayma Mays, Daniel Stern, Rita Moreno, Grant Bowler, Janis Ian!!! Meeting Didi’s family -- Marsha, Corey, Gloria and Scott -- they felt like a real family. Anne Guilbert as Birdie. Not to mention the other great women we were able to work with like Betty Buckley, Tsai Chin, Jean Smart, Irma P. Hall, Alia Shawkat, Carrie Preston, Molly Shannon— I can’t even list them all, I know I’m forgetting people and not even mentioning the supporting cast who were brilliant. These diverse, brilliant actors in just 18 episodes.
Kouguell: This is the second show you have created for HBO, "Big Love" ran for 5 seasons and like "Getting On," pushed the envelope in its examination of timely, hot button issues. For Big Love, the show was not just about polygamy and the power of the church, at its core it was about family. In "Getting On," some of the major topics/themes you tackle are ageism and the health care system. While "Getting On" is very funny, it also strikes a major chord of realism. Truth is stranger than fiction.
Scheffer: I think I mentioned already the theme of human frailty. And I just can’t stress enough how I believe it is an “undervalued” value in our society. I mean we all get old and die. It’s not sexy but it’s part of life. And it doesn’t have to be shoved out of our consciousness or romanticized or treated sentimentally or “importantly.” It’s life. And I wish people knew what they were missing by avoiding dealing with their fears about it. It’s like, do you wanna deal with those fears now or do it later when it’s gonna be a real drag?
It was such a privilege for Mark and me to both be with our moms when they were dying. Sure it was hard, but it was incredibly layered and sometimes funny and of course heartbreaking -- but it was like I wanted to tell everyone: “Hey, you really should experience this, because it’s so amazing, even though it hurts, too.”
Kouguell: The main characters (with the exception of the brilliant Patsy) focus mainly on women and their relationships with their patients and with their colleagues. There is so much talk in the industry now about the lack of women’s roles particularly in the ‘over 40’ category. What are your thoughts on this?
Scheffer: Yeah. Well. That’s always been the case. And I think it’s finally changing. The volatility in the business is palpable and I think that finally that really big ugly fact about Hollywood is going to change. It has to. I know we’re going to keep writing great roles for women because, lucky for us, we’re good at it, I think.
Kouguell: What can we expect from this final season?
Scheffer: Well. It’s the final season. So expect big stories, some big reveals and I’d say that I think the finale is one I will always be very proud of.
Learn more about "Getting On": http://www.hbo.com/getting-on
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell teaches screenwriting at Purchase College Suny, and presents international seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog...
- 11/21/2015
- by Susan Kouguell
- Sydney's Buzz
From the depths of the history pages comes another story that brings truth to the phrase, “Truth is stranger than fiction.” As enemies at borderlines seek for the perfect moment to pounce and internal conflicts mount Ganapati Deva Chakravarthy (Krishnam Raju) and his Mahamantri Shiva Devayya (Prakash Raj) make a decision like no other in the era of 13th Century of the Kakatiya dynasty. A decision to hide from the world the real gender of the heir to the throne. Thus giving birth to hope to the people of the kingdom. From that point Rudrama Devi (Anushka Shetty) became known to the world as Rudra.
As a starting point to a story being told in a story, the idea that Marco Polo unveils the tale of Rudrama Devi to Duke Sforza of Milan as a potential solution to the Duke’s problem is an intriguing concept. One begins to wonder...
As a starting point to a story being told in a story, the idea that Marco Polo unveils the tale of Rudrama Devi to Duke Sforza of Milan as a potential solution to the Duke’s problem is an intriguing concept. One begins to wonder...
- 10/12/2015
- by Githa Vanan
- Bollyspice
This story first appeared in the June 26 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. Truth is stranger — and often more appealing — than fiction. So while Hollywood waits for the inevitable book by or about Rachel Dolezal and its preordained journey to the screen, there's two other true story–based books making the rounds for producers, directors and actors to chew on. Vendetta by James Neff (Little, Brown) Agent: Ron Bernstein (ICM) It has been 23 years since Jack Nicholson starred in Hoffa. Investigative reporter Neff's new nonfiction book on Jimmy Hoffa should
read more...
read more...
- 6/17/2015
- by Tatiana Siegel and Andy Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cleveland Abduction premieres May 2 at 8/7Ct on Lifetime. What It’s Based On: The shocking discovery that former school bus driver Ariel Castro held three women hostage in his suburban Cleveland home for more than a decade, fathering a child with one. Lifetime of a Lesson: Truth is stranger (and scarier) than fiction. This stunning survivor story is told from the perspective of 21-year-old single mom Michelle Knight (Taryn Manning), who was abducted by Ariel Castro (Breaking Bad‘s Raymond Cruz) in 2002. Castro later added naive teens Amanda Berry (Samantha Droke) and Gina DeJesus (Katie Sarife) to his house of horrors. … Continue reading →
The post Preview: Lifetime’s ‘Cleveland Abduction’ premieres May 2 appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.
The post Preview: Lifetime’s ‘Cleveland Abduction’ premieres May 2 appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.
- 4/24/2015
- by Lori Acken
- ChannelGuideMag
This article originally appeared in Nathaniel's column at Towleroad. It is reprinted here with their permission...
Truth is stranger-than-fiction and also often gayer. The new feature Pride dramatizes a largely unknown historical anecdote from the bitter year-long miner’s strike in Thatcher-era Britain when a group of gay activists fundraised for the miners. This alliance is at first an awkward tense match but it eventually finds heartwarming pockets of oxygen when these two unlikely groups are breathing the same air.
It begins with a handful of gay activists (“and lesbian!” their only female member interjects with a small wave in a recurring joke), notice a sudden decline in police bullying in their neighborhood. They make the connection: the conservative government has a new minority to scapegoat. They form a group called Lgsm “Lesbians and Gays for the Striking Miners” to help the people suffering without paychecks for months on...
Truth is stranger-than-fiction and also often gayer. The new feature Pride dramatizes a largely unknown historical anecdote from the bitter year-long miner’s strike in Thatcher-era Britain when a group of gay activists fundraised for the miners. This alliance is at first an awkward tense match but it eventually finds heartwarming pockets of oxygen when these two unlikely groups are breathing the same air.
It begins with a handful of gay activists (“and lesbian!” their only female member interjects with a small wave in a recurring joke), notice a sudden decline in police bullying in their neighborhood. They make the connection: the conservative government has a new minority to scapegoat. They form a group called Lgsm “Lesbians and Gays for the Striking Miners” to help the people suffering without paychecks for months on...
- 9/25/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
If you've put off reading the work of Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who died Wednesday in Mexico City, please don't. For years I resisted reading his great classic, One Hundred Years of Solitude. Novelist William Kennedy famously called it "the first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race," and that was precisely what scared me off. That and the fact that the title consists of the words "one hundred years" and "solitude." "Of" I was fine with. But Solitude is a landmark work of fiction that also happens to be exhilarating,...
- 4/18/2014
- by Tom Gliatto
- PEOPLE.com
Dogwoof Pictures
Most of the time when we watch movies we’re seeking escapism from our everyday lives – films allow us to travel to distant planets or deep into the dark heart of criminal underworlds, safe in the knowledge that it’s a work of fiction; a vicarious thrill ride without any consequences to ourselves or the world around us.
But as the saying goes, “Truth is stranger than fiction” and nowhere is this maxim more evident than in some documentaries, which show us a glimpse of real heroes and villains who destroy and shape the world we live in. From tyrants, dictators and war criminals who slaughter millions to the tireless campaigners and freedom fighters who fight against them, the documentary captures moments in history and slices of life every bit as moving as the fictional movies they often inspire.
The following are eight revealing and illuminating documentaries, from...
Most of the time when we watch movies we’re seeking escapism from our everyday lives – films allow us to travel to distant planets or deep into the dark heart of criminal underworlds, safe in the knowledge that it’s a work of fiction; a vicarious thrill ride without any consequences to ourselves or the world around us.
But as the saying goes, “Truth is stranger than fiction” and nowhere is this maxim more evident than in some documentaries, which show us a glimpse of real heroes and villains who destroy and shape the world we live in. From tyrants, dictators and war criminals who slaughter millions to the tireless campaigners and freedom fighters who fight against them, the documentary captures moments in history and slices of life every bit as moving as the fictional movies they often inspire.
The following are eight revealing and illuminating documentaries, from...
- 3/10/2014
- by Andrew Dilks
- Obsessed with Film
Daniel Blake Smith is a writer and filmmaker who loves to tell true, compelling American stories. Raised in the north Texas town of Wolfe City, and educated at Oklahoma State University and the University of Virginia (where he received his doctorate in American history), Smith is the author of several books, most recently a new book about the epic internal battles in Indian country that culminated in the epic tragedy of forced removal: An American Betrayal: Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears. He’s also the co-author of a critical narrative story about early Virginia, The Shipwreck That Saved Jamestown . Formerly a professor of American History at the University of Kentucky, Smith now lives in St. Louis where he writes books and makes films.
Daniel Blake Smith’s latest project is as writer and producer of the documentary Impact: After The Crash. The film, directed by Jason Epperson, is the story of the Carrollton,...
Daniel Blake Smith’s latest project is as writer and producer of the documentary Impact: After The Crash. The film, directed by Jason Epperson, is the story of the Carrollton,...
- 11/20/2013
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The 6th Istanbul Documentary Days was blessed with an outstanding location for a documentary film festival: a park which has become a cause and a symbol of an urban uprising movement that has spread to the whole of the country. What makes it even more fantastic is that it was not meant to be so. It all happened naturally, so to speak.
In 2012, an announcement was made that there was a plan to turn Gezi Park, a small historical park in central Istanbul, into a shopping mall area. Activists for environmental as well urban rights launched a campaign to preserve the park. As work which would destroy the park began in the second half of May this year, a small group of activists set up tents in the park to stage a peaceful protest.
As the police reacted violently to push the protesters out of the park, tens of thousands...
In 2012, an announcement was made that there was a plan to turn Gezi Park, a small historical park in central Istanbul, into a shopping mall area. Activists for environmental as well urban rights launched a campaign to preserve the park. As work which would destroy the park began in the second half of May this year, a small group of activists set up tents in the park to stage a peaceful protest.
As the police reacted violently to push the protesters out of the park, tens of thousands...
- 7/22/2013
- by N. Buket Cengiz
- The Moving Arts Journal
Truth is stranger than fiction for Christoph Waltz. The Django Unchained star has come on board to star in the thriller True Crimes, based on the real-life events surrounding a cold case. Photos: Jessica Chastain, Christoph Waltz Attend AmfAR Charity Event Adapted from David Grann’s 2008 New Yorker feature, the story involves the case of Krystian Bala, a Polish writer who was convicted of murder in 2007. The murder for which he was convicted had been a cold case, baffling the Polish police for years, and had been called a perfect crime. Bala, never a suspect in the case, attracted attention when he published
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- 6/6/2013
- by Tatiana Siegel
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Director: Richard Linklater; Screenwriters: Skip Hollandsworth, Richard Linklater; Starring: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey, Brady Coleman; Running time: 99 mins; Certificate: 12A
Truth is stranger than fiction, and it doesn't get much stranger than this. Jack Black is Bernie, a pillar of his small-town Texas community who is charged with the murder of a wealthy widow (Shirley MacLaine). Heinous as it is, the crime itself is unremarkable. It's the reaction of the locals and Bernie's way of coping with the burden that boggles the mind. While these things are unexpectedly funny, director Richard Linklater seems uninterested in the whys and wherefores.
After directing Black off the leash in School of Rock (2003), Linklater draws a picture of someone who is much more restrained here and, arguably, repressed in many ways. Black is so mild-mannered he's almost bland. Still, they're angling for comedy in an unusual approach that also uses testimony...
Truth is stranger than fiction, and it doesn't get much stranger than this. Jack Black is Bernie, a pillar of his small-town Texas community who is charged with the murder of a wealthy widow (Shirley MacLaine). Heinous as it is, the crime itself is unremarkable. It's the reaction of the locals and Bernie's way of coping with the burden that boggles the mind. While these things are unexpectedly funny, director Richard Linklater seems uninterested in the whys and wherefores.
After directing Black off the leash in School of Rock (2003), Linklater draws a picture of someone who is much more restrained here and, arguably, repressed in many ways. Black is so mild-mannered he's almost bland. Still, they're angling for comedy in an unusual approach that also uses testimony...
- 4/22/2013
- Digital Spy
“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.” ― Mark Twain Once again it appears that the Weinstein Co. could...
- 1/24/2013
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
This is the Pure Movies review of The Imposter by Michael Holder. The film is directed by Bart Layton and produced by Poppy Dixon and Dimitri Doganis. The film stars Frederic Bourdin, Adam O'Brian, Carey Gibson and Anna Ruben. Truth is stranger than fiction, as Lord Byron once wrote. But fiction was invented because, most of the time, truth is either too boring or painful. So on the odd occasion when truth is actually very, very strange indeed, it’s destined to be made into a feature film at a single shake of a lamb’s tale. Thus, when documentary-maker Bart Layton stumbled upon this fascinating story of a Frenchman who in 1997 convinced a Texan family he was their missing 16-year-old son Nicolas Barclay, he could probably scarcely believe his luck that no one had documented the story on film before.
- 8/25/2012
- by Michael Holder
- Pure Movies
"Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't."
--Mark Twain
This statement is a perfect metaphor for the documentary The Imposter, which screened at SXSW 2012 and returns to Austin theaters on Friday. The Imposter tells the story of Nicholas Barclay and Frederic Bourdin. Nicholas is a boy from San Antonio who disappeared one day in 1994 after playing basketball with friends. Frederic is a serial imposter who in 1997 managed to convince Barclay's family as well as authorities in Spain and the U.S. that he was Nicholas. This story would make an interesting piece of fiction if it were not true. It definitely makes for an interesting documentary.
The movie was directed by Bart Layton, who is known for creating the British TV series Locked Up Abroad. Layton's extensive experience making documentaries shows in this movie, his first feature. The Imposter...
--Mark Twain
This statement is a perfect metaphor for the documentary The Imposter, which screened at SXSW 2012 and returns to Austin theaters on Friday. The Imposter tells the story of Nicholas Barclay and Frederic Bourdin. Nicholas is a boy from San Antonio who disappeared one day in 1994 after playing basketball with friends. Frederic is a serial imposter who in 1997 managed to convince Barclay's family as well as authorities in Spain and the U.S. that he was Nicholas. This story would make an interesting piece of fiction if it were not true. It definitely makes for an interesting documentary.
The movie was directed by Bart Layton, who is known for creating the British TV series Locked Up Abroad. Layton's extensive experience making documentaries shows in this movie, his first feature. The Imposter...
- 8/16/2012
- by Rod Paddock
- Slackerwood
If you haven’t heard of the real-life story that inspired Craig Zobel’s “Compliance”, let me assure you, regardless of what Zobel does in his movie, it has nothing on the insanity that actually happened in the real-life case. (Or cases, as this has happened more than once.) The fact that it did happen is so mind-boggling as to be chilling. One of those, “Truth is stranger than fiction” examples. If Zobel had come up with the idea for the movie out of thin air, you would look at him and snicker. Of course, the quick knee-jerk reaction is, “Hell, I wouldn’t do that!” Are you sure? Cops have such power in today’s society, could you actually summon the nerve to defy them, even over the telephone? Don’t be so sure, my friend… Inspired by true events, Compliance tells the chilling story of just how far...
- 7/3/2012
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
So let's recap this just a moment: so far, Drew Barrymore has dated Tom Green, the Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti, and as the world has just learned....Batman. Does this woman really have a "type?" Truth is stranger than fiction. Equally as stranger as either, is that the one-time "Charlie's Angels" star once dated a young Christian Bale....Read more...
- 5/29/2012
- by Yidio
- Yidio
Filed under: Movie News
Like Russell Crow, Gerard Butler's choice of recent films has not set Hollywood afire -- 'Law Abiding Citizen,' 'The Bounty Hunter' and 'The Ugly Truth,' each moderate successes, has done little to kick the Scot further up the serious leading man ladder. That may change with 'Machine Gun Preacher,' in which Butler stars as Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing biker tough guy who found God and became a crusader for hundreds of Sudanese children who've been forced to become soldiers, which opens Nov. 18, and 'The Bricklayer,' which Millenium Films has acquired for Butler to star in. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is based on the best-selling novel by former FBI agent Noah Boyd, about a rogue former agent, working as a Chicago bricklayer, who's called in to help battle a criminal group that is...
Like Russell Crow, Gerard Butler's choice of recent films has not set Hollywood afire -- 'Law Abiding Citizen,' 'The Bounty Hunter' and 'The Ugly Truth,' each moderate successes, has done little to kick the Scot further up the serious leading man ladder. That may change with 'Machine Gun Preacher,' in which Butler stars as Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing biker tough guy who found God and became a crusader for hundreds of Sudanese children who've been forced to become soldiers, which opens Nov. 18, and 'The Bricklayer,' which Millenium Films has acquired for Butler to star in. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is based on the best-selling novel by former FBI agent Noah Boyd, about a rogue former agent, working as a Chicago bricklayer, who's called in to help battle a criminal group that is...
- 8/9/2011
- by Harley W. Lond
- Moviefone
As the New York congressman prepares his controversial hearings on American Muslims, he's got support from the White House, he tells Lloyd Grove-praising Obama's war on terror and bashing birthers.
You'd think that President Obama's White House would be keeping its distance from House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King-or at least trying to dissuade King from complicating U.S. relations with the Muslim world during this high-stakes period of extreme volatility.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Obama's Last Chance on Libya
After all, the pugnacious New York Republican-who has scheduled a controversial public hearing Thursday on the question of whether Muslim Americans are cooperating with law enforcement officials or deliberately hiding homegrown terrorists in their midst-has been reviled in some quarters as a modern-day Joe McCarthy who demonizes U.S. citizens who happen to practice Islam.
So it's hardly a shock that Obama national security aide...
You'd think that President Obama's White House would be keeping its distance from House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King-or at least trying to dissuade King from complicating U.S. relations with the Muslim world during this high-stakes period of extreme volatility.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Obama's Last Chance on Libya
After all, the pugnacious New York Republican-who has scheduled a controversial public hearing Thursday on the question of whether Muslim Americans are cooperating with law enforcement officials or deliberately hiding homegrown terrorists in their midst-has been reviled in some quarters as a modern-day Joe McCarthy who demonizes U.S. citizens who happen to practice Islam.
So it's hardly a shock that Obama national security aide...
- 3/9/2011
- by Lloyd Grove
- The Daily Beast
DVD Playhouse September 2010
By
Allen Gardner
The Girl Who Played With Fire (Music Box Films) Follow up to the hit The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo finds Lisabeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) and Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) joining forces once again as Blomkvist is about to break a story on Sweden’s sex trade, which leads unexpectedly to a dark secret from Elizabeth’s past. Starts off well, then quickly nose-dives into sensationalism and downright silliness, with a pair of villains who are straight out of a Roger Moore-era James Bond film. A real letdown for those of us who felt Dragon Tattoo had finally breathed life into the cinema’s long-stagnant genre of the thriller. Bonuses: English language track; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby 5.1 surround.
The Killer Inside Me (IFC Films) Michael Winterbottom’s adaptation of Jim Thompson’s classic, and notorious, novel about the psychotic mind of a small town sheriff (Casey Affleck,...
By
Allen Gardner
The Girl Who Played With Fire (Music Box Films) Follow up to the hit The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo finds Lisabeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) and Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) joining forces once again as Blomkvist is about to break a story on Sweden’s sex trade, which leads unexpectedly to a dark secret from Elizabeth’s past. Starts off well, then quickly nose-dives into sensationalism and downright silliness, with a pair of villains who are straight out of a Roger Moore-era James Bond film. A real letdown for those of us who felt Dragon Tattoo had finally breathed life into the cinema’s long-stagnant genre of the thriller. Bonuses: English language track; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby 5.1 surround.
The Killer Inside Me (IFC Films) Michael Winterbottom’s adaptation of Jim Thompson’s classic, and notorious, novel about the psychotic mind of a small town sheriff (Casey Affleck,...
- 9/25/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
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