IMy first encounter with an Edward Hopper painting took the form of a postcard-sized reproduction of Cape Cod Sunset. It was not long after searching and finding other works by him that I began to consider Hopper to be “my” painter. Even after subsequent encounters with Hopper’s works, both in books and in museums, it is still that initial coming together that endures the most in my memory. Closing my eyes, I can still see the painting’s afterimage imprinted on the underside of my lids: A two-story greyish house set down lonely at the edge of a field of yellowing-blue grass underneath a crepuscular sky, shading from light blue to green-yellow with bands of orange settling over the uncannily blurred pine forest that encircles the house. The house itself shows no signs of life, the windows muted and opaque; a mysterious house amongst the pines to dream oneself into; an image of calm,...
- 8/25/2020
- MUBI
Freddie Jones, the British actor who over a nearly 70-year career played such memorable roles as the sadistic freakshow owner in David Lynch’s “The Elephant Man,” died July 9 in the U.K., according to numerous British media reports. He was 91.
The father of actor Toby Jones, he had more recently been appearing on British soap “Emmerdale” as Sandy Thomas.
In 1980, he starred his first film for Lynch, “The Elephant Man,” which starred John Hurt as a deformed man in Victorian London. Subsequently, the actor continued working with Lynch and appeared in “Dune” (1984), “Wild at Heart” (1990), and the three-part U.S. TV series “Hotel Room.” Upon news of Jones’ death, the filmmaker shared his remarks on Twitter.
“Dear Twitter Friends, I loved, loved, loved Freddie Jones,” Lynch tweeted. “Man-o-man will he be missed.”
Dear Twitter Friends, I loved, loved, loved Freddie Jones. Man-o-man will he be missed.
— David Lynch (@DAVID...
The father of actor Toby Jones, he had more recently been appearing on British soap “Emmerdale” as Sandy Thomas.
In 1980, he starred his first film for Lynch, “The Elephant Man,” which starred John Hurt as a deformed man in Victorian London. Subsequently, the actor continued working with Lynch and appeared in “Dune” (1984), “Wild at Heart” (1990), and the three-part U.S. TV series “Hotel Room.” Upon news of Jones’ death, the filmmaker shared his remarks on Twitter.
“Dear Twitter Friends, I loved, loved, loved Freddie Jones,” Lynch tweeted. “Man-o-man will he be missed.”
Dear Twitter Friends, I loved, loved, loved Freddie Jones. Man-o-man will he be missed.
— David Lynch (@DAVID...
- 7/10/2019
- by BreAnna Bell
- Variety Film + TV
With cymbals crashing and string basses moaning, composer Angelo Badalamenti narrates a bawdy, bizarre and horrific story on “Woodcutters From Fiery Ships,” a track off his upcoming collaborative album with filmmaker David Lynch. The pair recorded the LP, Thought Gang, in spurts throughout the early Nineties, and though Lynch has used some of the tracks in his various films, it hasn’t gotten a proper release. It will now come out digitally and on LP and CD on November 2nd.
Badalamenti and Lynch first started working together in the mid-Eighties,...
Badalamenti and Lynch first started working together in the mid-Eighties,...
- 9/18/2018
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Pamela Anderson received instant backlash for comments she made about the Harvey Weinstein scandal on “Megyn Kelly Today,” most notably that “you know what you’re getting into if you’re going into a hotel room alone.” She has since expounded on her statement in an Instagram post, and isn’t exactly apologetic — among other things, she said that “my position is not ‘problematic’ because I doesn’t fall in line with the common herd or trend.”
Read More:Pamela Anderson Says Harvey Weinstein Accusers Should’ve Known Better: ‘Don’t Go Into a Hotel Room Alone’
“I’m trying to tell women as a survivor of childhood abuse myself – It is important to be proactive as an adult who knows better – in defending themselves,” she writes. “Don’t get in cars with strangers #rideresponsibly – Don’t go to Hotel rooms alone for an audition.”
Read More:Pamela Anderson Wrote...
Read More:Pamela Anderson Says Harvey Weinstein Accusers Should’ve Known Better: ‘Don’t Go Into a Hotel Room Alone’
“I’m trying to tell women as a survivor of childhood abuse myself – It is important to be proactive as an adult who knows better – in defending themselves,” she writes. “Don’t get in cars with strangers #rideresponsibly – Don’t go to Hotel rooms alone for an audition.”
Read More:Pamela Anderson Wrote...
- 12/2/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
To close out a week that dredged up sexual harassment and assault allegations against Matt Lauer, Garrison Keillor, Geraldo Rivera, Russell Simmons, and Geoffrey Rush, Amber Tamblyn published a New York Times op-ed called, “I’m Not Ready for the Redemption of Men.” In the November 30 piece, she clarifies her previous statements about whether she thinks Hollywood’s growing list of accused men should have the opportunity to resuscitate their careers.
Related:Can Hollywood’s Predators Be Rehabilitated? Doctors Say Yes, for Some — but There’s No Quick Fix
The actress, filmmaker, and author begins by recounting an exchange she witnessed between a pair of Emmy-winning writers, a woman and a man. According to the woman, those in the industry accused of sexual impropriety should never work again, prompting the man to ask, “Do you believe in redemption?” Tamblyn wrote that the question is “valid,” although she is “deeply suspicious of its timing…...
Related:Can Hollywood’s Predators Be Rehabilitated? Doctors Say Yes, for Some — but There’s No Quick Fix
The actress, filmmaker, and author begins by recounting an exchange she witnessed between a pair of Emmy-winning writers, a woman and a man. According to the woman, those in the industry accused of sexual impropriety should never work again, prompting the man to ask, “Do you believe in redemption?” Tamblyn wrote that the question is “valid,” although she is “deeply suspicious of its timing…...
- 12/1/2017
- by Jenna Marotta
- Indiewire
The Onion has been known to comment on controversial news in the past with their trademark satire, and the humorist news organization has been all over the current sexual harassment and abuse allegations taking place in Hollywood. The Onion’s most recent Hollywood sexual harassment article uses Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange” to make some pointed commentary on just how rampant the issue has become.
Read More:Matt Lauer Apologizes, Says Some Sexual Harassment Claims Aren’t True: ‘There Are No Words to Express My Sorrow’
In a November 29 article titled “Alex DeLarge Forced To Step Down As Leader Of Droogs Amidst Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct,” The Onion slams the way organizations and people in Hollywood have acted surprised over allegations of harassment that have long been open secrets. The satirical news brief says that DeLarge has left his position as the Droogs’ leader over allegations of sexual misconduct...
Read More:Matt Lauer Apologizes, Says Some Sexual Harassment Claims Aren’t True: ‘There Are No Words to Express My Sorrow’
In a November 29 article titled “Alex DeLarge Forced To Step Down As Leader Of Droogs Amidst Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct,” The Onion slams the way organizations and people in Hollywood have acted surprised over allegations of harassment that have long been open secrets. The satirical news brief says that DeLarge has left his position as the Droogs’ leader over allegations of sexual misconduct...
- 12/1/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Michael Moore is warring with Harvey and Bob Weinstein over the release of “Fahrenheit 11/9,” the Donald Trump-themed sequel to Moore’s award-winning “Fahrenheit 9/11,” the highest-grossing documentary of all time. The Weinstein brothers personally committed $6 million to Moore’s sequel, but now the future of the film is in jeopardy as TWC is for sale and both brothers face allegations of sexual harassment and abuse.
Read More:Donald Trump Tweets About Michael Moore’s ‘Total Bomb’ Broadway Show; Moore’s Response Holds Nothing Back
Deadline reports that the Weinsteins have spent $2 million on the film so far, and are blocking Moore and his Wme representative, Ari Emanuel, from placing the film with a different theatrical or broadcast outlet. The brothers apparently want to recoup the $2 million they’ve spent on the movie, but, according to Deadline, Moore does not want to give money to Harvey Weinstein as it would “morally...
Read More:Donald Trump Tweets About Michael Moore’s ‘Total Bomb’ Broadway Show; Moore’s Response Holds Nothing Back
Deadline reports that the Weinsteins have spent $2 million on the film so far, and are blocking Moore and his Wme representative, Ari Emanuel, from placing the film with a different theatrical or broadcast outlet. The brothers apparently want to recoup the $2 million they’ve spent on the movie, but, according to Deadline, Moore does not want to give money to Harvey Weinstein as it would “morally...
- 11/30/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
An Interview with the makers of Infinity Baby
2017: The Weinstein’s, Toback’s, Spacey’s, C.K’s, Affleck’s, and Hoffman’s of the film world have, for the first time, been ousted from their Hollywood havens and floated down an assembly line into the best short-term rehab facilities movie money can buy.
The effect is all encompassing, not just for filmmakers & entertainers, but for politicians (George H.W Bush, Al Franken), and the civilians who consume them, too. The influence is so sweeping that, come the 40th Denver Film Festival, a Toback story derailed an interview organized between the cast and crew of the feature film Infinity Baby, that was held in a small corner of the city’s Civic Center.
In attendance: Infinity Baby’s director Bob Byington (7 Chinese Brothers, Harmony & Me), its writer Onur Tukel (Catfight, The Misogynists), and its star Trieste Kelly Dunn (Banshee,...
2017: The Weinstein’s, Toback’s, Spacey’s, C.K’s, Affleck’s, and Hoffman’s of the film world have, for the first time, been ousted from their Hollywood havens and floated down an assembly line into the best short-term rehab facilities movie money can buy.
The effect is all encompassing, not just for filmmakers & entertainers, but for politicians (George H.W Bush, Al Franken), and the civilians who consume them, too. The influence is so sweeping that, come the 40th Denver Film Festival, a Toback story derailed an interview organized between the cast and crew of the feature film Infinity Baby, that was held in a small corner of the city’s Civic Center.
In attendance: Infinity Baby’s director Bob Byington (7 Chinese Brothers, Harmony & Me), its writer Onur Tukel (Catfight, The Misogynists), and its star Trieste Kelly Dunn (Banshee,...
- 11/16/2017
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Aaron Hunt)
- Cinelinx
Ilana Glazer is the latest celebrity to come forward with her own stories of sexual harassment.
The co-creator and star of hit Comedy Central show Broad City took to Instagram on Tuesday to use the #MeToo hashtag, which has become a rallying cry that thousands of women — and men — have been using on social media to share personal stories of sexual harassment and assault in the wake of numerous allegations brought against Harvey Weinstein.
“I’ve been sexually harassed countless times,” wrote Glazer, 30. “In middle school, in high school — by more teachers than students! At work as a waitress, at work as a showrunner!
The co-creator and star of hit Comedy Central show Broad City took to Instagram on Tuesday to use the #MeToo hashtag, which has become a rallying cry that thousands of women — and men — have been using on social media to share personal stories of sexual harassment and assault in the wake of numerous allegations brought against Harvey Weinstein.
“I’ve been sexually harassed countless times,” wrote Glazer, 30. “In middle school, in high school — by more teachers than students! At work as a waitress, at work as a showrunner!
- 10/17/2017
- by Aurelie Corinthios
- PEOPLE.com
Lena Headey is the latest actress to come forward with allegations against Harvey Weinstein.
The Game of Thrones star shared her story Tuesday on Twitter, detailing two alleged encounters with the movie mogul.
According to Headey, 44, she first met Weinstein, 65, at the Venice Film Festival, which at the time was showingThe Brothers Grimm, the 2005 Miramax movie she starred in alongside Matt Damon and Heath Ledger. (Headey also alleged that during shooting she was “subjected to endless bullying” by the film’s director Terry Gilliam, though she didn’t elaborate.)
“At one point Harvey asked me to take a walk down to the water,...
The Game of Thrones star shared her story Tuesday on Twitter, detailing two alleged encounters with the movie mogul.
According to Headey, 44, she first met Weinstein, 65, at the Venice Film Festival, which at the time was showingThe Brothers Grimm, the 2005 Miramax movie she starred in alongside Matt Damon and Heath Ledger. (Headey also alleged that during shooting she was “subjected to endless bullying” by the film’s director Terry Gilliam, though she didn’t elaborate.)
“At one point Harvey asked me to take a walk down to the water,...
- 10/17/2017
- by Aurelie Corinthios
- PEOPLE.com
Following his expulsion from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences October 14, Harvey Weinstein’s membership in the Producers Guild of America may soon be revoked as well. The PGA’s National Board of Directors and Officers met this morning, calling sexual harassment a “systemic and pervasive problem requiring immediate industry-wide action” and unanimously voting to begin termination proceedings against him. Their final decision comes early next month.
Read More:The Academy Expels Harvey Weinstein, Breaking with Tradition
Here’s the statement released by the PGA:
This morning, the PGA’s National Board of Directors and Officers decided by unanimous vote to institute termination proceedings concerning Harvey Weinstein’s membership.
As required by the PGA’s Constitution, Mr. Weinstein will be given the opportunity to respond before the Guild makes its final determination on November 6, 2017.
Sexual harassment of any type is completely unacceptable. This is a systemic and pervasive problem requiring immediate industry-wide action.
Read More:The Academy Expels Harvey Weinstein, Breaking with Tradition
Here’s the statement released by the PGA:
This morning, the PGA’s National Board of Directors and Officers decided by unanimous vote to institute termination proceedings concerning Harvey Weinstein’s membership.
As required by the PGA’s Constitution, Mr. Weinstein will be given the opportunity to respond before the Guild makes its final determination on November 6, 2017.
Sexual harassment of any type is completely unacceptable. This is a systemic and pervasive problem requiring immediate industry-wide action.
- 10/16/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: In the aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein story and all that it involves — as people reconsider their relationship to the Miramax films of the ’90s (or don’t) and brace for a new Woody Allen movie, etc. — we return to an age-old question that could always stand to be asked anew: How should the backstory of a film and / or its makers impact the way we receive it?
Kate Erbland (@katerbland), IndieWire
When horrifying accusations like the ones waged against Harvey Weinstein come to light, it’s very easy to scream for a boycott and move on (and, as we often see in cases like these,...
This week’s question: In the aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein story and all that it involves — as people reconsider their relationship to the Miramax films of the ’90s (or don’t) and brace for a new Woody Allen movie, etc. — we return to an age-old question that could always stand to be asked anew: How should the backstory of a film and / or its makers impact the way we receive it?
Kate Erbland (@katerbland), IndieWire
When horrifying accusations like the ones waged against Harvey Weinstein come to light, it’s very easy to scream for a boycott and move on (and, as we often see in cases like these,...
- 10/16/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Woody Allen broke his silence on the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal over the weekend, telling the BBC, “The whole Harvey Weinstein thing is very sad for everybody involved.” His comments received backlash for seemingly defending Weinstein, or at least for sympathizing with him (“It’s sad for Harvey that his life is so messed up,” Allen said), but the “Wonder Wheel” director has clarified his remarks in a new statement made exclusively to Variety.
Read More:Woody Allen Calls the Harvey Weinstein Scandal ‘Sad for Everybody Involved’
“When I said I felt sad for Harvey Weinstein I thought it was clear the meaning was because he is a sad, sick man,” Allen’s statement reads. “I was surprised it was treated differently. Lest there be any ambiguity, this statement clarifies my intention and feelings.”
Another part of Allen’s original statement that received criticism was his comparison of the...
Read More:Woody Allen Calls the Harvey Weinstein Scandal ‘Sad for Everybody Involved’
“When I said I felt sad for Harvey Weinstein I thought it was clear the meaning was because he is a sad, sick man,” Allen’s statement reads. “I was surprised it was treated differently. Lest there be any ambiguity, this statement clarifies my intention and feelings.”
Another part of Allen’s original statement that received criticism was his comparison of the...
- 10/16/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
James Corden appears to have learned the definition of “too soon” this weekend. The “Late Late Show” host appeared onstage at the AmfAR Gala Los Angeles two nights ago, starting things off with an ill-advised Harvey Weinstein joke: “This is a beautiful room, it’s a beautiful night here in L.A,” he said. “It’s so beautiful, Harvey Weinstein has already asked tonight up to his hotel to give him a massage.”
Read More:Scotland Yard Is Investigating New Sexual Assault Claims Against Harvey Weinstein
Corden has since apologized for his comments, which haven’t been especially well received (see below). “To be clear, sexual assault is no laughing matter,” he tweeted. “I was not trying to make light of Harvey’s inexcusable behavior, but to shame him, the abuser, not his victims. I am truly sorry for anyone offended, that was never my intention.”
Read More:Woody Allen Calls...
Read More:Scotland Yard Is Investigating New Sexual Assault Claims Against Harvey Weinstein
Corden has since apologized for his comments, which haven’t been especially well received (see below). “To be clear, sexual assault is no laughing matter,” he tweeted. “I was not trying to make light of Harvey’s inexcusable behavior, but to shame him, the abuser, not his victims. I am truly sorry for anyone offended, that was never my intention.”
Read More:Woody Allen Calls...
- 10/15/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
After being fired from the Weinstein Company and expelled from the Academy, Harvey Weinstein is now under investigation by Scotland Yard. A team of officers is looking into the claims of three different women alleging that the former executive sexually assaulted them between the late 1980s and 2015, with the Guardian reporting that actress Lysette Anthony gave video evidence to officers in London earlier this week.
Read More:Woody Allen Calls the Harvey Weinstein Scandal ‘Sad for Everybody Involved’
“On 11 October, Merseyside police referred an allegation of sexual assault to the Metropolitan Police Service,” said a Scotland Yard spokesman. “It is alleged that a man sexually assaulted a woman in the late 1980s in west London. On 14 October, further allegations were made against the same man. It is alleged that the man sexually assaulted a woman in Westminster in 2010 and 2011, and in Camden in 2015.”
The statement continued, “Officers from the Met...
Read More:Woody Allen Calls the Harvey Weinstein Scandal ‘Sad for Everybody Involved’
“On 11 October, Merseyside police referred an allegation of sexual assault to the Metropolitan Police Service,” said a Scotland Yard spokesman. “It is alleged that a man sexually assaulted a woman in the late 1980s in west London. On 14 October, further allegations were made against the same man. It is alleged that the man sexually assaulted a woman in Westminster in 2010 and 2011, and in Camden in 2015.”
The statement continued, “Officers from the Met...
- 10/15/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Kevin Hart had a message for his haters as he proclaimed on Instagram that his wife, Eniko Parrish, was his Woman Crush Wednesday.
The 38-year-old actor-comedian shared a photo of his pregnant spouse and praised her in the caption, writing: "Thanking God for this beautiful, strong woman that I am lucky enough to still be calling my wife today. You are truly amazing....Love you. #WCW #Wce#MyF**kingRib #Harts"
The sweet tribute to Parrish comes less than a month after Hart was allegedly part of a failed extortion attempt which was said to have in a Las Vegas hotel room.
Exclusive: Lisa Bloom Says 'Disturbing' Video Was Taken of Kevin Hart and Montia Sabbag in His Hotel Room
After gushing over the 33-year-old model, Hart further captioned the photo in response to the negative comments he assumed he would inevitably receive from some of his followers.
"Please feel free to insert your hate below. I'm as strong...
The 38-year-old actor-comedian shared a photo of his pregnant spouse and praised her in the caption, writing: "Thanking God for this beautiful, strong woman that I am lucky enough to still be calling my wife today. You are truly amazing....Love you. #WCW #Wce#MyF**kingRib #Harts"
The sweet tribute to Parrish comes less than a month after Hart was allegedly part of a failed extortion attempt which was said to have in a Las Vegas hotel room.
Exclusive: Lisa Bloom Says 'Disturbing' Video Was Taken of Kevin Hart and Montia Sabbag in His Hotel Room
After gushing over the 33-year-old model, Hart further captioned the photo in response to the negative comments he assumed he would inevitably receive from some of his followers.
"Please feel free to insert your hate below. I'm as strong...
- 10/11/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
A former navy sailor has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to the 2016 killing of a transgender woman in Mississippi with whom he’d had a sexual encounter, a Jackson County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson confirms to People.
Dwanya Hickerson, 21, pleaded guilty on Thursday to killing Dee Whigham in a St. Martin, Mississippi, hotel room last July 23, the Associated Press reports. Autopsy results show that Whigham, 25, was stabbed at least 119 times. Many of the wounds were to the victim’s face, and her throat was slashed three times, the spokesperson confirms.
Hickerson also pleaded guilty to robbery...
Dwanya Hickerson, 21, pleaded guilty on Thursday to killing Dee Whigham in a St. Martin, Mississippi, hotel room last July 23, the Associated Press reports. Autopsy results show that Whigham, 25, was stabbed at least 119 times. Many of the wounds were to the victim’s face, and her throat was slashed three times, the spokesperson confirms.
Hickerson also pleaded guilty to robbery...
- 7/21/2017
- by Yvonne Juris
- PEOPLE.com
Seth Meyer dedicated Thursday’s “A Closer Look” segment to examining Donald Trump’s obsession with loyalty, concluding that while the president loves to receive it, he’s far less likely to dish it out. Also Read: Stephen Colbert Visits Trump's Infamous 'Pee-Pee Tape' Hotel Room During Russia Visit (Video) Meyers used Attorney General Jeff Sessions as an example, highlighting Trump’s recent comments in The New York Times. “Sessions should have never recused himself,” the president said in the Nyt interview. “And if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job and I would have picked.
- 7/21/2017
- by Ashley Boucher
- The Wrap
It’s a match made in indie film heaven — filmmakers Mark and Jay Duplass, along with Seed&Spark, the film-focused crowdfunding platform with built-in distribution, has announced a brand new initiative designed to find and bolster new filmmaking talent all over the country. The newly announced Hometown Heroes partnership is designed to challenge “filmmakers from all over the country to tell stories that have never been told from wherever they are.”
The rally is a large-scale call for crowdfunding campaigns for narrative feature films on the Seed&Spark platform. Up to five winning projects will be picked from those that apply, and the Duplass brothers will then contribute up to $25,000 total, while also joining each project as executive producers. The pair also hope to use their knowledge and industry clout to further help each project on its path to the big screen.
Read More: The Duplass Brothers Reveal Favorite Films...
The rally is a large-scale call for crowdfunding campaigns for narrative feature films on the Seed&Spark platform. Up to five winning projects will be picked from those that apply, and the Duplass brothers will then contribute up to $25,000 total, while also joining each project as executive producers. The pair also hope to use their knowledge and industry clout to further help each project on its path to the big screen.
Read More: The Duplass Brothers Reveal Favorite Films...
- 6/28/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
“Portlandia” remains one of television’s most oddball series, committed both to the craft of filmmaking as well as the absurdist notions of executive producers Carrie Brownstein, Fred Armisen and Jonathan Krisel. The show has always been a labor of love for its creators, one in which they’ve been involved intimately since the beginning. Brownstein in particular stepped up for Season 7, directing two episodes for the first time, in addition to writing and acting.
Before IndieWire got on the phone with Brownstein, she sent over a list of her five favorite sketches, two of which were part of episodes she directed. We discussed what went into the making of each episode, with Brownstein revealing why she prefers not to be in sketches she’s directing, the surprising depth of empathy she has for the characters she plays (even the Men’s Rights Activist) and how she didn’t mind the way in which one of her favorite sketches overlapped with a recent episode of “Black Mirror.”
Read More: ‘Portlandia’: How Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein Keep the IFC Comedy Fresh After 7 Seasons
Hotel Room Explanation, “The Storytellers” (Episode 1)
A young woman (Vanessa Bayer) tries to check into her hotel room, with some help from a very helpful hotel clerk (Armisen). Director: Carrie Brownstein.
“I think we always relish having someone with the nimbleness of Vanessa on the show. We’ve been so fortunate to work with some of the best improvisers and comedians around them. Vanessa is one of those really brilliant performers — she and Fred have an innate chemistry together from being friends in real life and working together on ‘Saturday Night Live.’
“When I’m directing, I really enjoy not being in the scene — that allows me to really focus on performances and composition. You know, see it from a more holistic perspective. It was an incredible joy to watch them in that scene.”
How much footage did they actually shoot? “We could have made a six-part television series just from the footage we had. We really like the simple set-ups, because it allows more time for performance. When the sketches are more location-based or require more technical camerawork or choreography, the performers don’t get to delve as intensely into the scene and there’s not as much room for tangents or improvisation. But in a situation like this, we are basically just setting up the cameras and letting these people explore these characters and explore the scene.”
What About Men?, “Carrie Dates a Hunk” (Episode 2)
Men’s rights activists Drew (Armisen) and Andy (Brownstein) sing a ballad protesting their oppressed status as straight white men. Director: Jonathan Krisel.
“A big thing of the season was this notion of masculinity and gender. I think they were two themes that we explored in a variety of permutations. And we were thinking a lot about people who come into this world assuming a certain amount of privilege and inheritance and cultural relevance, and seeing themselves as the center of a narrative that’s kind of been written for them throughout history.
“There are these two guys who suddenly don’t see themselves in a society that’s slowly changing — the dismantling of the binary, moving towards an examination of the patriarchy. So we wanted to have these characters who felt a fragility within that environment and were lashing out against it. So they kind of came into fruition last year because we wanted to explore some of those themes.
On the casting of the video’s extras, who perfectly embody who you might expect to identify as a Mra: “We very explicitly want very real people. We’re not casting for good looks, we’re casting for people who are interesting in their authentic selves and embrace the kind of weirdness we want from them.
“We have an amazing casting director who is local and he really has an acumen for pulling from the local pool of talent. Simon Max Hill is wonderful and we have an extras casting guy, Adam Rosko, who is also great. We really rely on them for filling out the world of the show and yeah, that video is a good example of really nailing our requests.”
That said, they don’t think of the casting in terms of stereotypes. “I think you start getting into trouble when you start to assume what [an Mra] looks like. I think when we were talking about those sketches in general, we were realizing through anecdotal evidence that a lot of the men in our lives were also feeling vulnerable, sort of as if they were willing to admit it because culturally we are shifting away from perhaps white straight male dominance. It wasn’t just the alt-right guys online, it was people we knew, who were just having to reconsider their own lives and position.”
Massage Chair, “Fred’s Cell Phone Company” (Episode 3)
Lance (Brownstein) gets trapped in a massage chair purchased for him by Nina (Armisen). Director: Carrie Brownstein.
Was acting from a confined position easy or tough? “It means focusing the faculties you have with which to communicate, creating a whole language with tics and your eyes. Those of us who are able-bodied are able to compensate for nuance and misunderstandings with our hands and with our body language. So it does become a different kind of communication tool, when you don’t use your entire body.
“I had already mapped out Lance’s Pov, combining a ‘Diving Bell and the Butterfly’ or a ‘Misery’ kind of aesthetic. There was a little bit of a challenge to direct, because I was limited to this one sphere and I didn’t have as much of a sense of the scene, because I was stuck in one single place.”
Men’s Film Festival, “Friend Replacement” (Episode 6)
Men’s rights activists Drew and Andy return to host a festival celebrating the under-recognized achievements of men in film. Director: Jonathan Krisel.
On playing two different characters who happen to be men: “They are two very different characters, so I approach them differently. I don’t want them to be a caricature. Lance is of course a broader character and we try to focus on a little more on his fallibility and vulnerability… I don’t really approach it too much from a gender perspective. It’s just, ‘Who is this person and how much can I say about his humor?’
“We had a lot of fun writing that sketch and just coming up with alternatives for film titles that they wanted to see or remakes that they were afraid of. It was interesting in the wake of the ‘Wonder Woman’ release and all of the screenings that happened — just seeing the backlash against that.”
What other filmmakers were mentioned in alternate takes? “I think Barry Levinson, there might have been a little bit more Michael Bay. There was a shoutout to Anthony Scalia, the former Supreme Court judge there.”
Why so much mention of Kathryn Bigelow? “For so long, she was the go-to female director — like, no one could conjure another name. So we were sort of playing with that.”
Passenger Rating Pt. 1, “Passenger Rating” (Episode 9)
Carrie (Brownstein) is having trouble with her rating on a ride sharing service. Director: Steve Buscemi.
“This one stems partially from that feeling that the sharing economy or the gig economy requires a certain level of performance. We were just thinking about how that can really become awkward.”
How it relates to the “Black Mirror” episode “Nosedive,” starring Bryce Dallas Howard: “That ‘Black Mirror’ episode came out after we had filmed ours, but we hadn’t aired yet. It was really interesting to watch — there was only a couple of degrees of separation between the two, and both explore something so simple and innocent-seeming as a rating system, a desire to be liked. That need for likability can turn dark. Ours explores the same themes, without the sort of craziness of that show. But I am such a big fan of ‘Black Mirror.'”
What to Expect from Season 8
As of writing, production has begun on the final season of “Portlandia.” “We’re going into a season where the theme is, not surprisingly, anxiety. There’s an anxiety and sense of isolation that permeates a lot of the sketches this year, all through the absurdist lens of the show. But as we sat back and looked at the board in the writers’ room, we realized living in a state of constant uncertainty had really permeated the show.”
How does that connect to this being the last season? “I think in some ways it’s coincidental, but in some ways it helps our cause, because as we wind down we didn’t want to make any sort of big, sweeping statements. But there’s definitely an onus. People expect closure.”
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Related stories'The Leftovers': The Best Shots of the Final Season, Chosen by Director Mimi Leder'The Handmaid's Tale': Finding Lenses (and Cameras) to Create the Unfamiliar World of GileadHow TV Critics Began To Have a Bigger Impact on the Emmy Race -- Screen Talk Emmy Podcast...
Before IndieWire got on the phone with Brownstein, she sent over a list of her five favorite sketches, two of which were part of episodes she directed. We discussed what went into the making of each episode, with Brownstein revealing why she prefers not to be in sketches she’s directing, the surprising depth of empathy she has for the characters she plays (even the Men’s Rights Activist) and how she didn’t mind the way in which one of her favorite sketches overlapped with a recent episode of “Black Mirror.”
Read More: ‘Portlandia’: How Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein Keep the IFC Comedy Fresh After 7 Seasons
Hotel Room Explanation, “The Storytellers” (Episode 1)
A young woman (Vanessa Bayer) tries to check into her hotel room, with some help from a very helpful hotel clerk (Armisen). Director: Carrie Brownstein.
“I think we always relish having someone with the nimbleness of Vanessa on the show. We’ve been so fortunate to work with some of the best improvisers and comedians around them. Vanessa is one of those really brilliant performers — she and Fred have an innate chemistry together from being friends in real life and working together on ‘Saturday Night Live.’
“When I’m directing, I really enjoy not being in the scene — that allows me to really focus on performances and composition. You know, see it from a more holistic perspective. It was an incredible joy to watch them in that scene.”
How much footage did they actually shoot? “We could have made a six-part television series just from the footage we had. We really like the simple set-ups, because it allows more time for performance. When the sketches are more location-based or require more technical camerawork or choreography, the performers don’t get to delve as intensely into the scene and there’s not as much room for tangents or improvisation. But in a situation like this, we are basically just setting up the cameras and letting these people explore these characters and explore the scene.”
What About Men?, “Carrie Dates a Hunk” (Episode 2)
Men’s rights activists Drew (Armisen) and Andy (Brownstein) sing a ballad protesting their oppressed status as straight white men. Director: Jonathan Krisel.
“A big thing of the season was this notion of masculinity and gender. I think they were two themes that we explored in a variety of permutations. And we were thinking a lot about people who come into this world assuming a certain amount of privilege and inheritance and cultural relevance, and seeing themselves as the center of a narrative that’s kind of been written for them throughout history.
“There are these two guys who suddenly don’t see themselves in a society that’s slowly changing — the dismantling of the binary, moving towards an examination of the patriarchy. So we wanted to have these characters who felt a fragility within that environment and were lashing out against it. So they kind of came into fruition last year because we wanted to explore some of those themes.
On the casting of the video’s extras, who perfectly embody who you might expect to identify as a Mra: “We very explicitly want very real people. We’re not casting for good looks, we’re casting for people who are interesting in their authentic selves and embrace the kind of weirdness we want from them.
“We have an amazing casting director who is local and he really has an acumen for pulling from the local pool of talent. Simon Max Hill is wonderful and we have an extras casting guy, Adam Rosko, who is also great. We really rely on them for filling out the world of the show and yeah, that video is a good example of really nailing our requests.”
That said, they don’t think of the casting in terms of stereotypes. “I think you start getting into trouble when you start to assume what [an Mra] looks like. I think when we were talking about those sketches in general, we were realizing through anecdotal evidence that a lot of the men in our lives were also feeling vulnerable, sort of as if they were willing to admit it because culturally we are shifting away from perhaps white straight male dominance. It wasn’t just the alt-right guys online, it was people we knew, who were just having to reconsider their own lives and position.”
Massage Chair, “Fred’s Cell Phone Company” (Episode 3)
Lance (Brownstein) gets trapped in a massage chair purchased for him by Nina (Armisen). Director: Carrie Brownstein.
Was acting from a confined position easy or tough? “It means focusing the faculties you have with which to communicate, creating a whole language with tics and your eyes. Those of us who are able-bodied are able to compensate for nuance and misunderstandings with our hands and with our body language. So it does become a different kind of communication tool, when you don’t use your entire body.
“I had already mapped out Lance’s Pov, combining a ‘Diving Bell and the Butterfly’ or a ‘Misery’ kind of aesthetic. There was a little bit of a challenge to direct, because I was limited to this one sphere and I didn’t have as much of a sense of the scene, because I was stuck in one single place.”
Men’s Film Festival, “Friend Replacement” (Episode 6)
Men’s rights activists Drew and Andy return to host a festival celebrating the under-recognized achievements of men in film. Director: Jonathan Krisel.
On playing two different characters who happen to be men: “They are two very different characters, so I approach them differently. I don’t want them to be a caricature. Lance is of course a broader character and we try to focus on a little more on his fallibility and vulnerability… I don’t really approach it too much from a gender perspective. It’s just, ‘Who is this person and how much can I say about his humor?’
“We had a lot of fun writing that sketch and just coming up with alternatives for film titles that they wanted to see or remakes that they were afraid of. It was interesting in the wake of the ‘Wonder Woman’ release and all of the screenings that happened — just seeing the backlash against that.”
What other filmmakers were mentioned in alternate takes? “I think Barry Levinson, there might have been a little bit more Michael Bay. There was a shoutout to Anthony Scalia, the former Supreme Court judge there.”
Why so much mention of Kathryn Bigelow? “For so long, she was the go-to female director — like, no one could conjure another name. So we were sort of playing with that.”
Passenger Rating Pt. 1, “Passenger Rating” (Episode 9)
Carrie (Brownstein) is having trouble with her rating on a ride sharing service. Director: Steve Buscemi.
“This one stems partially from that feeling that the sharing economy or the gig economy requires a certain level of performance. We were just thinking about how that can really become awkward.”
How it relates to the “Black Mirror” episode “Nosedive,” starring Bryce Dallas Howard: “That ‘Black Mirror’ episode came out after we had filmed ours, but we hadn’t aired yet. It was really interesting to watch — there was only a couple of degrees of separation between the two, and both explore something so simple and innocent-seeming as a rating system, a desire to be liked. That need for likability can turn dark. Ours explores the same themes, without the sort of craziness of that show. But I am such a big fan of ‘Black Mirror.'”
What to Expect from Season 8
As of writing, production has begun on the final season of “Portlandia.” “We’re going into a season where the theme is, not surprisingly, anxiety. There’s an anxiety and sense of isolation that permeates a lot of the sketches this year, all through the absurdist lens of the show. But as we sat back and looked at the board in the writers’ room, we realized living in a state of constant uncertainty had really permeated the show.”
How does that connect to this being the last season? “I think in some ways it’s coincidental, but in some ways it helps our cause, because as we wind down we didn’t want to make any sort of big, sweeping statements. But there’s definitely an onus. People expect closure.”
Stay on top of the latest film and TV news! Sign up for our film and TV email newsletter here.
Related stories'The Leftovers': The Best Shots of the Final Season, Chosen by Director Mimi Leder'The Handmaid's Tale': Finding Lenses (and Cameras) to Create the Unfamiliar World of GileadHow TV Critics Began To Have a Bigger Impact on the Emmy Race -- Screen Talk Emmy Podcast...
- 6/23/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
Al Capone is America’s best known gangster and the single greatest symbol of the collapse of law and order in the United States during the 1920s Prohibition era. Capone had a leading role in the illegal activities that lent Chicago its reputation as a lawless city and an interesting variety of Hollywood stars have had the leading role as Al Capone in the many films that have been made that featured him as a character.
The first film about Capone was produced when he was still making headlines. The main character may be named Antonio Camonte, but there’s little doubt as to who producer Howard Hughes had in mind when he and director Howard Hawks filmed Scarface during the Great Depression. Camonte shares more than the same initials with one Al Capone, who was about to begin his eleven-year sentence for tax evasion when the movie was released...
The first film about Capone was produced when he was still making headlines. The main character may be named Antonio Camonte, but there’s little doubt as to who producer Howard Hughes had in mind when he and director Howard Hawks filmed Scarface during the Great Depression. Camonte shares more than the same initials with one Al Capone, who was about to begin his eleven-year sentence for tax evasion when the movie was released...
- 6/20/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Congratulations, Eliza Dushku!
The 36-year-old actress revealed to her fans on Thursday that she is engaged to her boyfriend, businessman Peter Palandjian.
Related: The Cast of 'Bring It On' Reunites 15 Years Later, Recalls Getting Arrested in Mexico
"#Ayo..! "Yes!!" Absolutely, my love.
The 36-year-old actress revealed to her fans on Thursday that she is engaged to her boyfriend, businessman Peter Palandjian.
Related: The Cast of 'Bring It On' Reunites 15 Years Later, Recalls Getting Arrested in Mexico
"#Ayo..! "Yes!!" Absolutely, my love.
- 6/16/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Filmmaker Rob Bralver (best known for his editing work on “Gore Vidal: The United States of America”) turns his attentions to a different side of filmmaking with his feature narrative debut, “Espionage Tonight,” bound for a world premiere at Dances With Films next week. The film stars Sean Astin, Lynn Whitfield, Joe Hursley, Greg Davis Jr., Chasty Ballesteros, and many more.
Read More: ‘Abu’ Trailer: Lgbtq Documentary Explores One Man’s Quest to Understand His Devout Muslim Father — Watch
Bralver wrote and directed the film, billed as “an inventive and sly critique of American media culture and politics,” which blends some timely issues around politics, “fake news,” the value of supposedly fact-based entertainment, and good old-fashioned espionage into a very amusing mix.
But there is some real meat here and, as Bralver explained in an official statement, some warnings, too. Said Bralver, “What used to be an intersectional space...
Read More: ‘Abu’ Trailer: Lgbtq Documentary Explores One Man’s Quest to Understand His Devout Muslim Father — Watch
Bralver wrote and directed the film, billed as “an inventive and sly critique of American media culture and politics,” which blends some timely issues around politics, “fake news,” the value of supposedly fact-based entertainment, and good old-fashioned espionage into a very amusing mix.
But there is some real meat here and, as Bralver explained in an official statement, some warnings, too. Said Bralver, “What used to be an intersectional space...
- 6/2/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Young and the Restless fans know that Victoria is on her A game when it comes to working her magic on Billy, but she’s not entirely prepared for all that Phyllis is willing to do to keep her man. She’s going to great lengths to be sure she doesn’t lose Billy to his ex-wife, and she’s not going to stop and play nice. She’s currently on her way to La where Billy and Victoria are at a work conference, and they are working hard to get things done. Of course, Victoria is working hard to get Billy to do whatever
Young and the Restless: Phyllis Waits in Billy’s Hotel Room...
Young and the Restless: Phyllis Waits in Billy’s Hotel Room...
- 5/16/2017
- by Tiffany Raiford
- TVovermind.com
Kim Kardashian West is living life differently following her terrifying Paris heist last fall.
In an E! clip from Sunday’s upcoming episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kim is in disbelief that French prosecutors made arrests in connection to those who conspired together to rob her of millions of dollars worth of jewels during Paris Fashion Week.
“Can you believe that they found them?” she asks sister Kourtney Kardashian.
“I honestly never thought that they would catch the robbers,” Kim, 36, admits. “I just thought so much time has gone on and I didn’t really realize how diligent...
In an E! clip from Sunday’s upcoming episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kim is in disbelief that French prosecutors made arrests in connection to those who conspired together to rob her of millions of dollars worth of jewels during Paris Fashion Week.
“Can you believe that they found them?” she asks sister Kourtney Kardashian.
“I honestly never thought that they would catch the robbers,” Kim, 36, admits. “I just thought so much time has gone on and I didn’t really realize how diligent...
- 5/4/2017
- by Natalie Stone
- PEOPLE.com
The Kardashians have made some drastic lifestyle changes since Kim‘s infamous Paris robbery.
“Security and privacy issues have changed not only for her but for the whole family,” a source close to the family tells People. “They have security guards most of the time when they go out.”
And those security guards have changed since the Paris robbery. “It wasn’t to do with issues with Pascal — they parted on good terms — but they just needed a fresh team with fresh eyes,” adds the insider. “This team is a lot larger and with them 24/7.”
During Paris Fashion Week last fall,...
“Security and privacy issues have changed not only for her but for the whole family,” a source close to the family tells People. “They have security guards most of the time when they go out.”
And those security guards have changed since the Paris robbery. “It wasn’t to do with issues with Pascal — they parted on good terms — but they just needed a fresh team with fresh eyes,” adds the insider. “This team is a lot larger and with them 24/7.”
During Paris Fashion Week last fall,...
- 3/24/2017
- by Brittany King
- PEOPLE.com
It’s been nearly six months since Kim Kardashian West was the victim of a terrifying robbery in Paris, but the memories continue to haunt the reality star.
While alone in her No Address Hotel room on Oct. 3, Kardashian West was bound, gagged and held at gunpoint while five masked men invaded her apartment and robbed her of millions of dollars worth of jewels during Paris Fashion Week. Following the horrific Paris heist, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star largely remained out of the public eye for three months by canceling all public appearances and retreating from engaging on social media.
While alone in her No Address Hotel room on Oct. 3, Kardashian West was bound, gagged and held at gunpoint while five masked men invaded her apartment and robbed her of millions of dollars worth of jewels during Paris Fashion Week. Following the horrific Paris heist, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star largely remained out of the public eye for three months by canceling all public appearances and retreating from engaging on social media.
- 3/21/2017
- by Lizz Leonard and Natalie Stone
- PEOPLE.com
Ahead of a new Keeping Up With the Kardashians episode in which Kim Kardashian West recounts being robbed at gunpoint in Paris, newly released testimony from the reality star reveals that she thought the masked men were terrorists — after having a scary premonition that “something bad was going to happen.”
In the February testimony obtained by French newspaper Le Monde, the 36-year-old TV personality recalled her hesitation to travel due to a strange feeling.
“For two weeks before we left, we were already afraid we might be victims of a terrorist attack if we left the country, and not only by going to Paris,...
In the February testimony obtained by French newspaper Le Monde, the 36-year-old TV personality recalled her hesitation to travel due to a strange feeling.
“For two weeks before we left, we were already afraid we might be victims of a terrorist attack if we left the country, and not only by going to Paris,...
- 3/19/2017
- by Peter Mikelbank and Stephanie Petit
- PEOPLE.com
Kim Kardashian West‘s platinum blonde hair was once compared to Harry Potter‘s Draco Malfoy, but her latest turn at lighter locks may be a nod to someone she actually knows.
The Keeping Up with the Kardashians reality star debuted a shorter, blonder ‘do on Snapchat Friday.
While we’re unsure if it’s permanent or a wig (she busts it out from time to time), it could’ve been an homage to another famous blonde’s birthday, her former Bff Paris Hilton.
“Today’s vibes channeling Paris! Happy Birthday @ParisHilton Can’t wait to celebrate with you soon!
The Keeping Up with the Kardashians reality star debuted a shorter, blonder ‘do on Snapchat Friday.
While we’re unsure if it’s permanent or a wig (she busts it out from time to time), it could’ve been an homage to another famous blonde’s birthday, her former Bff Paris Hilton.
“Today’s vibes channeling Paris! Happy Birthday @ParisHilton Can’t wait to celebrate with you soon!
- 2/18/2017
- by Karen Mizoguchi
- PEOPLE.com
France will have to wait a little while longer to see Kim Kardashian West return.
People previously reported that it was possibility that Kardashian West, 36, could fly to Paris for the first time since her robbery for Fashion Week at the end of February as her younger sister, Kendall Jenner, is walking a runway and her husband, Kanye West, is interested in attending.
But on Friday, a rep for the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star confirmed to People that she will not be returning to the “City of Light” for the week-long event.
“She wasn’t planning on attending,...
People previously reported that it was possibility that Kardashian West, 36, could fly to Paris for the first time since her robbery for Fashion Week at the end of February as her younger sister, Kendall Jenner, is walking a runway and her husband, Kanye West, is interested in attending.
But on Friday, a rep for the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star confirmed to People that she will not be returning to the “City of Light” for the week-long event.
“She wasn’t planning on attending,...
- 2/17/2017
- by Julie Jordan and Natalie Stone
- PEOPLE.com
Kim Kardashian West is crediting her late father to helping her choose the first pick for her book club.
Kardashian West, 36, announced on Twitter on Wednesday that she would be starting a book club with close friends Chrissy Teigen and Jen Atkin, and the trio’s first read would be Embraced by the Light.
So just how did the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star decide on Betty J. Eadie‘s 1992 New York Times bestseller non-fiction novel, which chronicles Eadie’s brush with death?
“When I was in high school, my dad used to get me to read this book...
Kardashian West, 36, announced on Twitter on Wednesday that she would be starting a book club with close friends Chrissy Teigen and Jen Atkin, and the trio’s first read would be Embraced by the Light.
So just how did the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star decide on Betty J. Eadie‘s 1992 New York Times bestseller non-fiction novel, which chronicles Eadie’s brush with death?
“When I was in high school, my dad used to get me to read this book...
- 2/6/2017
- by Natalie Stone
- PEOPLE.com
Kim Kardashian West is en route to Dubai!
On Wednesday, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star revealed to fans and followers that she is on her way to make her first public appearance since her terrifying Paris robbery in October.
“On our way, #dubai,” Kardashian West, 36, captioned an Instagram photo of herself standing alongside Scott Disick.
Shortly after sharing the picture on Instagram, Kardashian West posted a Snapchat from the airport, where she wore her “laser goggles.”
“All, you need laser goggles when you do a laser treatment. So these are perfect for plane lasers,” Kardashian West told her...
On Wednesday, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star revealed to fans and followers that she is on her way to make her first public appearance since her terrifying Paris robbery in October.
“On our way, #dubai,” Kardashian West, 36, captioned an Instagram photo of herself standing alongside Scott Disick.
Shortly after sharing the picture on Instagram, Kardashian West posted a Snapchat from the airport, where she wore her “laser goggles.”
“All, you need laser goggles when you do a laser treatment. So these are perfect for plane lasers,” Kardashian West told her...
- 1/12/2017
- by christinadugan
- PEOPLE.com
While Kim Kardashian West is “relieved” that Paris investigators are making progress in piecing together the details of her Oct. 3 robbery, hearing updates takes her back to the life-threatening night.
On Monday, 17 suspects were arrested in connection with Kardashian West’s heist that occurred while she was alone in her No Address Hotel room during Paris Fashion Week.
“Kim is aware that the French police have made arrests relating to her robbery,” a source close to the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star tells People. “While she is relieved they are making progress, any updates makes her relive everything. It...
On Monday, 17 suspects were arrested in connection with Kardashian West’s heist that occurred while she was alone in her No Address Hotel room during Paris Fashion Week.
“Kim is aware that the French police have made arrests relating to her robbery,” a source close to the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star tells People. “While she is relieved they are making progress, any updates makes her relive everything. It...
- 1/10/2017
- by nstonepeople
- PEOPLE.com
Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West’s marriage appears to be in a rough patch, according to multiple sources familiar with the couple.
According to one source close, “Things are still not great” in their relationship.
Although the A-list duo, who will celebrate their third wedding anniversary on May 24, spent Christmas together with their two children — North, 3, and Saint, 13 months — there are “issues” at home, continues the source.
“Kim and Kanye continue to spend time with the kids. They act friendly, but the passion seems to be missing.”
Undeniably, the past three months have been an especially trying time for...
According to one source close, “Things are still not great” in their relationship.
Although the A-list duo, who will celebrate their third wedding anniversary on May 24, spent Christmas together with their two children — North, 3, and Saint, 13 months — there are “issues” at home, continues the source.
“Kim and Kanye continue to spend time with the kids. They act friendly, but the passion seems to be missing.”
Undeniably, the past three months have been an especially trying time for...
- 1/6/2017
- by nstonepeople
- PEOPLE.com
Although Kim Kardashian West was the victim of a traumatic robbery last fall, her time spent out of the spotlight since the life-threatening incident appears to have positively benefited the reality star.
Following the Oct. 3 robbery, when Kardashian West, 36, was held at gunpoint and robbed of millions of dollars worth of jewelry in her No Address Hotel room during Paris Fashion Week, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star canceled all public appearances, largely remained out of the public eye, and took a 3 month-long hiatus from posting on social media.
But the time in between the robbery and the new...
Following the Oct. 3 robbery, when Kardashian West, 36, was held at gunpoint and robbed of millions of dollars worth of jewelry in her No Address Hotel room during Paris Fashion Week, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star canceled all public appearances, largely remained out of the public eye, and took a 3 month-long hiatus from posting on social media.
But the time in between the robbery and the new...
- 1/6/2017
- by nstonepeople
- PEOPLE.com
The past three months have been a trying time for Kim Kardashian West and husband Kanye, but a source close to the couple tells People that the power duo’s marriage was strained even before the rapper was hospitalized at the end of November.
“The divorce rumors come from before he had the breakdown. She didn’t know what was up with him and they weren’t spending time together. She didn’t realize it was a mental breakdown,” the source tells People.
On Oct. 3, Kardashian West, 36, was held at gunpoint and robbed of millions of dollars worth of jewelry...
“The divorce rumors come from before he had the breakdown. She didn’t know what was up with him and they weren’t spending time together. She didn’t realize it was a mental breakdown,” the source tells People.
On Oct. 3, Kardashian West, 36, was held at gunpoint and robbed of millions of dollars worth of jewelry...
- 12/17/2016
- by nstonepeople
- PEOPLE.com
La La Anthony is extending her “support and love” to best friend Kim Kardashian West two months after the reality star was held at gunpoint and robbed in her Paris apartment.
Anthony, 37, told People on Friday evening at Jingle Ball in New York that Kardashian West, 36, is “doing well” in the wake of the robbery.
“She’s one of my best friends so, best friend rule. I’m not gonna say too much, but I support her, I love her and I’m always here for her no matter what,” the actress told People about the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star.
Anthony, 37, told People on Friday evening at Jingle Ball in New York that Kardashian West, 36, is “doing well” in the wake of the robbery.
“She’s one of my best friends so, best friend rule. I’m not gonna say too much, but I support her, I love her and I’m always here for her no matter what,” the actress told People about the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star.
- 12/10/2016
- by nstonepeople
- PEOPLE.com
We know which Disney movie is playing on repeat in Kim Kardashian West‘s house this fall!
On Friday, new father Rob Kardashian — he welcomed daughter Dream Renée Kardashian with fiancée Blac Chyna on Nov. 10 — took the reins of his older sister’s website to share some photos from her favorite holiday: Halloween!
Although the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star has largely remained out of the spotlight since being bound, gagged and robbed at gunpoint of millions of dollars worth of jewelry in her No Address Hotel room during Paris Fashion week, she didn’t refrain from dressing up...
On Friday, new father Rob Kardashian — he welcomed daughter Dream Renée Kardashian with fiancée Blac Chyna on Nov. 10 — took the reins of his older sister’s website to share some photos from her favorite holiday: Halloween!
Although the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star has largely remained out of the spotlight since being bound, gagged and robbed at gunpoint of millions of dollars worth of jewelry in her No Address Hotel room during Paris Fashion week, she didn’t refrain from dressing up...
- 11/12/2016
- by nstonepeople
- PEOPLE.com
After being behind the Adult Swim viral sensation Too Many Cooks, the production team of Fake Wood Wallpaper Films brought their latest film, The Arbalest, to South by Southwest Film Festival this year. Written and directed by Adam Pinney, it picked up the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature and now it’ll get a release later this month.
A shape-shifting dark comedy, which follows the life of a toymaker and inventor, the first trailer has now arrived today, which throws around comparisons to Wes Anderson and David Lynch. We said in our review, “The Arbalest is one of the sharpest black comedies of recent memory, never apologizing or justifying the insanity of Kalt as those around him and the audience watch with morbid curiosity as to what he’ll do next and why.”
Check out the trailer and poster below.
From the minds behind “Too Many Cooks” comes...
A shape-shifting dark comedy, which follows the life of a toymaker and inventor, the first trailer has now arrived today, which throws around comparisons to Wes Anderson and David Lynch. We said in our review, “The Arbalest is one of the sharpest black comedies of recent memory, never apologizing or justifying the insanity of Kalt as those around him and the audience watch with morbid curiosity as to what he’ll do next and why.”
Check out the trailer and poster below.
From the minds behind “Too Many Cooks” comes...
- 11/9/2016
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West have parted ways with their longtime bodyguard, Pascal Duvier, one month after the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star was held at gunpoint and robbed of millions of dollars in jewelry, People confirms.
“Pascal no longer works for Kim and Kanye, but he wasn’t fired. He instead reassigned himself to another family for professional reasons. Pascal thought that he did let down Kim and didn’t do his job properly in Paris. They all agreed that it was better for Kim and Kanye to hire a completely new security team,” a source tells People.
“Pascal no longer works for Kim and Kanye, but he wasn’t fired. He instead reassigned himself to another family for professional reasons. Pascal thought that he did let down Kim and didn’t do his job properly in Paris. They all agreed that it was better for Kim and Kanye to hire a completely new security team,” a source tells People.
- 11/4/2016
- by nstonepeople
- PEOPLE.com
Ryan Lambie Nov 7, 2016
Arrival star Jeremy Renner tells us why Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws was key to his performance, and lots more...
An unexpected chill breeze greets us as we meet Jeremy Renner in a London Hotel room. We find the Hollywood star standing next to a window, his black coat swathed around him, collars turned up and pointy like a vampire's cape.
See related The shows & films that made Britain fall in love with anime Kill La Kill: 2014's hidden anime gem?
"It's chilly. I love it," Mr Renner says, cupping a roll-up cigarette, leaning partly out of the window. He's in town to promote Arrival, the sensational sci-fi drama-thriller from director Denis Villeneuve. A chill, moody breeze blows through the movie, too, as the unexpected appearance of alien craft leave our planet on the brink of a new cold war.
What do the aliens want? Can we trust them,...
Arrival star Jeremy Renner tells us why Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws was key to his performance, and lots more...
An unexpected chill breeze greets us as we meet Jeremy Renner in a London Hotel room. We find the Hollywood star standing next to a window, his black coat swathed around him, collars turned up and pointy like a vampire's cape.
See related The shows & films that made Britain fall in love with anime Kill La Kill: 2014's hidden anime gem?
"It's chilly. I love it," Mr Renner says, cupping a roll-up cigarette, leaning partly out of the window. He's in town to promote Arrival, the sensational sci-fi drama-thriller from director Denis Villeneuve. A chill, moody breeze blows through the movie, too, as the unexpected appearance of alien craft leave our planet on the brink of a new cold war.
What do the aliens want? Can we trust them,...
- 11/4/2016
- Den of Geek
Kim Kardashian West Says She ‘Can Handle’ Lack of Privacy from Social Media in Pre-Robbery Interview
Before Kim Kardashian West was held at gunpoint and robbed of nearly $11 million worth of jewelry, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star admitted in an upcoming broadcast interview that she “can handle” the lack of privacy that comes from displaying her life on social media.
In a 60 Minutes interview airing Sunday, Kardashian West, 36, discusses the “pitfalls” of being in front of the public eye with 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker.
“There are pitfalls â. lack of privacy, loss of privacy â. and that’s not for everyone,” Kardashian West tells Whitaker in the interview.
“That’s a pitfall?” he questions in the clip.
In a 60 Minutes interview airing Sunday, Kardashian West, 36, discusses the “pitfalls” of being in front of the public eye with 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker.
“There are pitfalls â. lack of privacy, loss of privacy â. and that’s not for everyone,” Kardashian West tells Whitaker in the interview.
“That’s a pitfall?” he questions in the clip.
- 10/21/2016
- by nstonepeople
- PEOPLE.com
Kourtney Kardashian has broken her silence about Kim Kardashian West‘s well-being after she was held at gunpoint and robbed in her Paris hotel room on Oct. 3.
During a video interview with Australia’s Today Extra on Wednesday, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star took a brief pause in speaking with co-hosts David Campbell and Sonia Kruger â. she cited a “bad connection” â. before she gave an update on how both her sister and family are holding up.
“She’s not doing great. I think we’re all really still shaken up and I just â. you know,...
During a video interview with Australia’s Today Extra on Wednesday, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star took a brief pause in speaking with co-hosts David Campbell and Sonia Kruger â. she cited a “bad connection” â. before she gave an update on how both her sister and family are holding up.
“She’s not doing great. I think we’re all really still shaken up and I just â. you know,...
- 10/20/2016
- by nstonepeople
- PEOPLE.com
Azealia Banks made headlines Monday after reportedly accusing Russell Crowe of calling her the N-word and physically choking her, but comedian Jim Jefferies says she is lying. Related: Azealia Banks Kicked Out Of Russell Crowe’s Hotel Room The confrontation allegedly occurred at a party Crowe held at his Bevery Hills hotel suite. A number of […]...
- 10/18/2016
- by Shakiel Mahjouri
- ET Canada
Kanye West is increasing security for his wife Kim Kardashian West after she was held at gunpoint and robbed in her Paris apartment.
At 2:30 a.m. Paris time on Monday morning, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star stayed back in her No Address Hotel room while her bodyguard Pascal Duvier was with her sisters Kourtney Kardashian and Kendall Jenner as they partied in Paris.
Just after Kardashian West FaceTimed with Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna during the couple's baby shower, five men disguised in police uniforms tied her up and robbed her of two cellphones and approximately $10 million worth of jewelry,...
At 2:30 a.m. Paris time on Monday morning, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star stayed back in her No Address Hotel room while her bodyguard Pascal Duvier was with her sisters Kourtney Kardashian and Kendall Jenner as they partied in Paris.
Just after Kardashian West FaceTimed with Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna during the couple's baby shower, five men disguised in police uniforms tied her up and robbed her of two cellphones and approximately $10 million worth of jewelry,...
- 10/3/2016
- by Natalie Stone
- People.com - TV Watch
Kanye West is increasing security for his wife Kim Kardashian West after she was held at gunpoint and robbed in her Paris apartment. At 2:30 a.m. Paris time on Monday morning, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star stayed back in her No Address Hotel room while her bodyguard Pascal Duvier was with her sisters Kourtney Kardashian and Kendall Jenner as they partied in Paris. Just after Kardashian West FaceTimed with Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna during the couple's baby shower, five men disguised in police uniforms tied her up and robbed her of two cellphones and approximately $10 million worth of jewelry,...
- 10/3/2016
- by Natalie Stone
- PEOPLE.com
Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult sweep into the room at the London Hotel, both proclaiming "It's really dark in here!" at almost the exact same time. They rush over to different switches in an attempt to bring in some light to the swanky London Hotel room on the July 8 afternoon. Unfortunately, they can't figure it out. The room, while nice, isn't like the setting of their latest film, Drake Doremus' Equals, set in a futuristic society where emotions don't exist but technology has made life very minimalist and streamlined (the film was shot primarily in Japan and Singapore). Still,
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- 7/14/2016
- by Rebecca Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hannah Polites pays no attention to the commenters on her Instagram account, she says she knows that her pregnancy is healthy. The midwife and lifestyle blogger started sharing photos of her wellness-focused life with her 1.2 million Instagram followers in 2012, but since announcing her pregnancy, the comments have shifted to shocked and often mean discussions of her small baby bump. "Unfortunately, it's become common for society to comment on the health of a person simply from their size being different to what they perceive to be normal," Polites, 25, tells People. "However, I do not take the small amount of negative comments to heart,...
- 5/19/2016
- by Julie Mazziotta, @julietmazz
- PEOPLE.com
Hannah Polites pays no attention to the commenters on her Instagram account, she says she knows that her pregnancy is healthy. The midwife and lifestyle blogger started sharing photos of her wellness-focused life with her 1.2 million Instagram followers in 2012, but since announcing her pregnancy, the comments have shifted to shocked and often mean discussions of her small baby bump. "Unfortunately, it's become common for society to comment on the health of a person simply from their size being different to what they perceive to be normal," Polites, 25, tells People. "However, I do not take the small amount of negative comments to heart,...
- 5/19/2016
- by Julie Mazziotta, @julietmazz
- PEOPLE.com
While in Panama for the film festival, one of the notable people I met was Jorge Ameer.
Jorge left his home in Panama at age 16 in the late 1980s due to political unrest and civil instability. The country’s dictator and drug king Noriega was recruiting young men to fight in his military army as the looming confrontation with the United States approached. In 1989, the United States invaded Panama under the name of “Just Cause” ousted the Panamanian dictator.
Living in Los Angeles, at the age of 18, he was selected to participate in the Walt Disney College Program. He worked in the marketing departments of New Line Cinema, Paramount and Columbia Pictures. In motion picture development, Jorge worked as a story analyst for Richard Gere's production company and Wendy Finerman's productions at Tri Star Pictures in the early nineties and the now defunct Fries Entertainment.
He also tried his hand at acting and was in Gramercy's "Panther" and "Tales from the Hood", HBO's "Social Friction Fables" New Line's "Friday" along with other cameos and supporting roles. He co-starred opposite award winning actor Matthew Leitch (Star of “Aka”) in the carnival romp "Sabor Tropical".
Ameer served as the coordinator for the 1988 Latino Entertainment Industry Conference and as a member of the advisory board of the Methodfest Film Festival. He was also the U.S. representative for the Barcelona G & L Film Festival and a film programmer for the Palm Springs G & L Film Festival.
In October 1997, he founded and executive directed The Continental Film Festival, better known as the first American Independent film festival held overseas on the island of Contadora, off the Gulf of Panama. There is where his film career actually began. He served as a festival coordinator during the very beginnings of the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival founded by Edward James Olmos and Marlene Dehmer.
At these festivals, Ameer helped in the selection of many foreign features. After noticing a lack of recognition of foreign and independent gay themed films released theatrically, he founded the International Gay Film Awards, the Glitter Awards (2001-2008), at that time the only award show of its kind.
In 1997, Ameer also started Hollywood Independents, a distribution company which launched with the theatrical release of "California Myth" starring Tyron Powers Jr.
Thereafter, the company has released such titles as the Jamaican/American co-production "Klash" starring Jazmine Guy, "Eastside" starring Mario Lopez, "Tequila Body Shots" starring Joey Lawrence, "Poor White Trash" starring Jamie Pressley, Jason London, William Devane and Sean Young, Spain's Academy Awards Winning film (Goya Winner) "I will Survive" (Sobrevivire), and "Hotel Room" from the director of "Nico & Dani". Other releases include his film "The Singing Forest", and "Junked" starring Thomas Jane (star of "The Mist", "Punisher" and the popular HBO series "Hung") and Jordan Ladd (star of "Cabin Fever", "Hostel 2").
Jorge Ameer's theatrical distribution company Hollywood Independents International opened its theatrical distribution operations in Central and South America in 2006 with the theatrical release of "Grande Ecole" a film by Robert Salis. The French film was censored and banned in Panama due to its explicit sexual content
Ameer took a trip to Panama to denounce the banning of this film. After outrage was expressed by the Panamanian press, the film opened successfully in Panama. It opened number one at the Alhambra-Plus Transistmica beating studio films "Night at the Museum" and "Deja Vu". It broke box office records locally, playing in theaters for eight weeks.
On January 26, 2009 the Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture study invited Mr. Ameer's to have his screenplays be a permanent part of "The Core Collection". The screenplays in this collection are made accessible for research purposes; students, filmmakers, writers and actors are among the patrons.
In April 2011, Mr. Ameer started his own film series in Panama called Jorge Ameer presents Cine Serie Independiente, a showcase to promote and exhibit high profile award winning independent and foreign films in Panama.
He brought in Aluzio Abranche's controversial incestuous drama of brotherly love "From Beginning to End" (“Do Comeco ao Fim”), Andre Shortell's "Psych 9" starring Sara Foster & Cary Elwes and Karee Andrew's "Altitude".
During the film presentations, directors presented their work to Panamanian audiences in person and live via skype. This is the first time in Panama's cinema history technology has allowed local cinephiles the opportunity to interact with award winning filmmakers virally before and after their film presentations.
Unfortunately, the presenting cinema and only theatre exhibitor to support independent films - the Alhambra Theatres- closed the following year, 2012, due to financial troubles. It was the last of a series of vintage stand-alone cinemas constructed during the boom of single screen theatres and drive-ins in Panama.
There are currently only two theatre chain exhibitors (Cinepolis & Cinemark) operating in Panama. Both chains have their multiplex cinemas located throughout today's popular mega malls.
Several months after his film series, Mr. Ameer produced the opening night after-party to the October 2011 edition of Screamfest, the world's premiere horror film festival based in Hollywood, California. The event was held at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel. The event brought luminaries of the genre such as Paranormal Activity's Oren Peli, "Saw" and "Insidious" director James Wan, as well as "Grease", "Summer Lovers", "Blue Lagoon" director Randal Kleiser and "Firestarters", "Class of 1984" director Mark Lester to name a few celebrity attendees. With a seance theme, over 400 votive candles were used to create the atmosphere. In addition over one hundred skulls, the Screamfest symbol, were featured as centerpieces and part of the morbid "look" throughout the event. A well-lit coffin surrounded by neon lights was featured in the gift room where guests retrieved their gift bags from the open casket.
Mr. Ameer has authored, produced, and directed the theatrical features "The Truth Within", "Strippers","The Singing Forest", "Contadora is for lovers", "The House of Adam", "The Dark Side of Love","Sabor Tropical", "D'Agostino". All projects released theatrically through Hollywood Independents.
Ameer has produced, written and directed countless 35mm comedic shorts films to name a few "My Straight Boyfriend", "Popcorn & Coke", "Uninhibited", "Midnight Snack", "Tease" now available on DVD as a compilation of shorts called “Straight Men & the Men Who Love Them”.
This collection has been so successful that he has executive produced, programmed and curated two more such programs “Straight Men & the Men Who Love Them 2” and the upcoming “Straight Men & the Men Who Love Them 3”. The latest compilation of shorts is a collection of international shorts curated from the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner.
Ameer made a documentary "Classic Hollywood Cinemas" an in depth look at the old Hollywood movie palaces, their historic and preservation value and impact.
He's also produced and arranged the publishing of the historical and award winning first ever "Guide to Gay & Lesbian Film which has won many book awards for its detail, educational and historical contribution to independent gay and lesbian films released in theaters.
In addition to filmmaking, within the exhibition industry, Jorge Ameer was the last person to re-open the historic Vogue theatre in Hollywood as a movie theatre to showcase independent films. Films such as "Nico and Dani" (Tla Releasing) and "Just one time" from the now defunct Cowboy Releasing played at this theatre. The resurgence of film exhibition at the Vogue was short lived due to alleged hauntings at the venue where a paranormal research group leased the theatre from Mann theaters to set up shop as headquarters for their research group.
Jorge Ameer's "The Dark Side of Love " was the last film to shoot at the Regent Showcase Theatre in Hollywood prior to its closing. "The Regent Showcase Theatre, originally the Gordon Theatre (1938), is one of the older art houses in Los Angeles until its closing in May 2009.
A human rights activist, Ameer has spent most of his career creating controversial, cutting edge trivial stories with thought provoking subject matters to challenge audiences from the stereotypical social conventions and outdated traditional values which detract from enhancing the global human experience.
He is currently working on his latest film project “Oasis” to be shot in Panama during the month of August. Oasis” is a twisted thriller set in the backdrop of Panama's paradise its about a newlywed American who decides to visit a friend while in Panama on business, to rekindle their friendship to prove his love to his wife by killing him.
Also, on the current issue of Scream Magazine issue # 35, the worlds largest horror film magazine, his “Medusa” has received with extensive coverage. The film is currently playing in theaters in the U.S. through Regal Cinemas after having its world premiere at the Cannes Film Market.
“Medusa” had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival Marche along with a horror short he starred in called "Find Pauletta" in the Short Film Corner. This was the first time a Panamanian has had two films in two different programs of the Cannes Film Festival.
VFX for “Medusa” was by Jeremy Vanneman who has worked on many studio films including the upcoming “Ghostbusters”, “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “San Andreas”, etc. “Medusa” also has a celebrity cameo by 80's hearthrob William McNamara.
Jorge is the only Panamanian filmmaker who writes, direct, produces and own his own production and distribution company in Hollywood.
Jorge Ameer has also pioneered and procured the opening of the first high school film program at one of the oldest (110 years) and most prestigious private high schools in Panama, the Pan American Institute (Instituto Panamericano) in Panama City.
The film program curriculum was designed by Ameer and approved by the Ministry of Education.
It launched in 2015 with the first class schedule to graduate in 2017.
In his own words:
The high school film program was an idea that started because of the lack of opportunity and education in film that I myself had when growing up. I loved film so much; film was my babysitter during my childhood years. Whenever I wasn't in school I was at the movie theatre watching several films a day until my mom picked me up from the theatre. I attended the Pan American Institute (Instituto Panamericano) from kindergarten through graduation 1989.
Decades later as a filmmaker, distributor and film buyer, I approached the principal of the high school with the high risk idea of starting a film school program for an industry that even though in its infancy I knew it would grow leaps and bounds if those who pushed hard enough would stick with it to create some semblance of film opportunities and production here in Panama. Ten years later after designing a very thorough program that includes script writing, production, distribution, film marketing, campaign strategy, film fund and grant writing as well as crowdfunding to use donors as ambassadors to promote the film, the Ministry of Education approved the program.
Last year, the first students, approximately 27 brave souls, risking the uncertainty the entertainment field has to offer, weathered the scrutiny of their parents to become the pioneering and prototype Class of 2017. This Class, now in the 11th grade, is gearing up to produce its first set of shorts for the Ipa Student Film Festival. The first film festival of its kind, it showcases the works of these film students with the goal of creating filmmakers from an early stage who will graduate with films reels in their areas of interest which will show their talents to prospective universities, scholarship programs and other international student competitions.
I got the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Film Department called Di Cine in conjunction with the Panama Film Commission to fund the projections of these works which will take place as an outdoor cinema event on the school grounds. on Friday, August 5 at 7pm. Provided the students meet the minimum Gpa, they will be required to do internships placed and provided through the Film Commission in conjunction with other private film entities such as the Tvn Channel 2, one of Panama's major television networks as well as The Panama Canal Chanel among other companies offering opportunities for these students to practice their craft prior to graduating.
Currently, under construction, is an upcoming state of the art film lab studio facility providing students with the opportunity to develop their talents. Also a new auditorium will host film events and eventually the high school graduation ceremony.
Jorge left his home in Panama at age 16 in the late 1980s due to political unrest and civil instability. The country’s dictator and drug king Noriega was recruiting young men to fight in his military army as the looming confrontation with the United States approached. In 1989, the United States invaded Panama under the name of “Just Cause” ousted the Panamanian dictator.
Living in Los Angeles, at the age of 18, he was selected to participate in the Walt Disney College Program. He worked in the marketing departments of New Line Cinema, Paramount and Columbia Pictures. In motion picture development, Jorge worked as a story analyst for Richard Gere's production company and Wendy Finerman's productions at Tri Star Pictures in the early nineties and the now defunct Fries Entertainment.
He also tried his hand at acting and was in Gramercy's "Panther" and "Tales from the Hood", HBO's "Social Friction Fables" New Line's "Friday" along with other cameos and supporting roles. He co-starred opposite award winning actor Matthew Leitch (Star of “Aka”) in the carnival romp "Sabor Tropical".
Ameer served as the coordinator for the 1988 Latino Entertainment Industry Conference and as a member of the advisory board of the Methodfest Film Festival. He was also the U.S. representative for the Barcelona G & L Film Festival and a film programmer for the Palm Springs G & L Film Festival.
In October 1997, he founded and executive directed The Continental Film Festival, better known as the first American Independent film festival held overseas on the island of Contadora, off the Gulf of Panama. There is where his film career actually began. He served as a festival coordinator during the very beginnings of the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival founded by Edward James Olmos and Marlene Dehmer.
At these festivals, Ameer helped in the selection of many foreign features. After noticing a lack of recognition of foreign and independent gay themed films released theatrically, he founded the International Gay Film Awards, the Glitter Awards (2001-2008), at that time the only award show of its kind.
In 1997, Ameer also started Hollywood Independents, a distribution company which launched with the theatrical release of "California Myth" starring Tyron Powers Jr.
Thereafter, the company has released such titles as the Jamaican/American co-production "Klash" starring Jazmine Guy, "Eastside" starring Mario Lopez, "Tequila Body Shots" starring Joey Lawrence, "Poor White Trash" starring Jamie Pressley, Jason London, William Devane and Sean Young, Spain's Academy Awards Winning film (Goya Winner) "I will Survive" (Sobrevivire), and "Hotel Room" from the director of "Nico & Dani". Other releases include his film "The Singing Forest", and "Junked" starring Thomas Jane (star of "The Mist", "Punisher" and the popular HBO series "Hung") and Jordan Ladd (star of "Cabin Fever", "Hostel 2").
Jorge Ameer's theatrical distribution company Hollywood Independents International opened its theatrical distribution operations in Central and South America in 2006 with the theatrical release of "Grande Ecole" a film by Robert Salis. The French film was censored and banned in Panama due to its explicit sexual content
Ameer took a trip to Panama to denounce the banning of this film. After outrage was expressed by the Panamanian press, the film opened successfully in Panama. It opened number one at the Alhambra-Plus Transistmica beating studio films "Night at the Museum" and "Deja Vu". It broke box office records locally, playing in theaters for eight weeks.
On January 26, 2009 the Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture study invited Mr. Ameer's to have his screenplays be a permanent part of "The Core Collection". The screenplays in this collection are made accessible for research purposes; students, filmmakers, writers and actors are among the patrons.
In April 2011, Mr. Ameer started his own film series in Panama called Jorge Ameer presents Cine Serie Independiente, a showcase to promote and exhibit high profile award winning independent and foreign films in Panama.
He brought in Aluzio Abranche's controversial incestuous drama of brotherly love "From Beginning to End" (“Do Comeco ao Fim”), Andre Shortell's "Psych 9" starring Sara Foster & Cary Elwes and Karee Andrew's "Altitude".
During the film presentations, directors presented their work to Panamanian audiences in person and live via skype. This is the first time in Panama's cinema history technology has allowed local cinephiles the opportunity to interact with award winning filmmakers virally before and after their film presentations.
Unfortunately, the presenting cinema and only theatre exhibitor to support independent films - the Alhambra Theatres- closed the following year, 2012, due to financial troubles. It was the last of a series of vintage stand-alone cinemas constructed during the boom of single screen theatres and drive-ins in Panama.
There are currently only two theatre chain exhibitors (Cinepolis & Cinemark) operating in Panama. Both chains have their multiplex cinemas located throughout today's popular mega malls.
Several months after his film series, Mr. Ameer produced the opening night after-party to the October 2011 edition of Screamfest, the world's premiere horror film festival based in Hollywood, California. The event was held at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel. The event brought luminaries of the genre such as Paranormal Activity's Oren Peli, "Saw" and "Insidious" director James Wan, as well as "Grease", "Summer Lovers", "Blue Lagoon" director Randal Kleiser and "Firestarters", "Class of 1984" director Mark Lester to name a few celebrity attendees. With a seance theme, over 400 votive candles were used to create the atmosphere. In addition over one hundred skulls, the Screamfest symbol, were featured as centerpieces and part of the morbid "look" throughout the event. A well-lit coffin surrounded by neon lights was featured in the gift room where guests retrieved their gift bags from the open casket.
Mr. Ameer has authored, produced, and directed the theatrical features "The Truth Within", "Strippers","The Singing Forest", "Contadora is for lovers", "The House of Adam", "The Dark Side of Love","Sabor Tropical", "D'Agostino". All projects released theatrically through Hollywood Independents.
Ameer has produced, written and directed countless 35mm comedic shorts films to name a few "My Straight Boyfriend", "Popcorn & Coke", "Uninhibited", "Midnight Snack", "Tease" now available on DVD as a compilation of shorts called “Straight Men & the Men Who Love Them”.
This collection has been so successful that he has executive produced, programmed and curated two more such programs “Straight Men & the Men Who Love Them 2” and the upcoming “Straight Men & the Men Who Love Them 3”. The latest compilation of shorts is a collection of international shorts curated from the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner.
Ameer made a documentary "Classic Hollywood Cinemas" an in depth look at the old Hollywood movie palaces, their historic and preservation value and impact.
He's also produced and arranged the publishing of the historical and award winning first ever "Guide to Gay & Lesbian Film which has won many book awards for its detail, educational and historical contribution to independent gay and lesbian films released in theaters.
In addition to filmmaking, within the exhibition industry, Jorge Ameer was the last person to re-open the historic Vogue theatre in Hollywood as a movie theatre to showcase independent films. Films such as "Nico and Dani" (Tla Releasing) and "Just one time" from the now defunct Cowboy Releasing played at this theatre. The resurgence of film exhibition at the Vogue was short lived due to alleged hauntings at the venue where a paranormal research group leased the theatre from Mann theaters to set up shop as headquarters for their research group.
Jorge Ameer's "The Dark Side of Love " was the last film to shoot at the Regent Showcase Theatre in Hollywood prior to its closing. "The Regent Showcase Theatre, originally the Gordon Theatre (1938), is one of the older art houses in Los Angeles until its closing in May 2009.
A human rights activist, Ameer has spent most of his career creating controversial, cutting edge trivial stories with thought provoking subject matters to challenge audiences from the stereotypical social conventions and outdated traditional values which detract from enhancing the global human experience.
He is currently working on his latest film project “Oasis” to be shot in Panama during the month of August. Oasis” is a twisted thriller set in the backdrop of Panama's paradise its about a newlywed American who decides to visit a friend while in Panama on business, to rekindle their friendship to prove his love to his wife by killing him.
Also, on the current issue of Scream Magazine issue # 35, the worlds largest horror film magazine, his “Medusa” has received with extensive coverage. The film is currently playing in theaters in the U.S. through Regal Cinemas after having its world premiere at the Cannes Film Market.
“Medusa” had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival Marche along with a horror short he starred in called "Find Pauletta" in the Short Film Corner. This was the first time a Panamanian has had two films in two different programs of the Cannes Film Festival.
VFX for “Medusa” was by Jeremy Vanneman who has worked on many studio films including the upcoming “Ghostbusters”, “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “San Andreas”, etc. “Medusa” also has a celebrity cameo by 80's hearthrob William McNamara.
Jorge is the only Panamanian filmmaker who writes, direct, produces and own his own production and distribution company in Hollywood.
Jorge Ameer has also pioneered and procured the opening of the first high school film program at one of the oldest (110 years) and most prestigious private high schools in Panama, the Pan American Institute (Instituto Panamericano) in Panama City.
The film program curriculum was designed by Ameer and approved by the Ministry of Education.
It launched in 2015 with the first class schedule to graduate in 2017.
In his own words:
The high school film program was an idea that started because of the lack of opportunity and education in film that I myself had when growing up. I loved film so much; film was my babysitter during my childhood years. Whenever I wasn't in school I was at the movie theatre watching several films a day until my mom picked me up from the theatre. I attended the Pan American Institute (Instituto Panamericano) from kindergarten through graduation 1989.
Decades later as a filmmaker, distributor and film buyer, I approached the principal of the high school with the high risk idea of starting a film school program for an industry that even though in its infancy I knew it would grow leaps and bounds if those who pushed hard enough would stick with it to create some semblance of film opportunities and production here in Panama. Ten years later after designing a very thorough program that includes script writing, production, distribution, film marketing, campaign strategy, film fund and grant writing as well as crowdfunding to use donors as ambassadors to promote the film, the Ministry of Education approved the program.
Last year, the first students, approximately 27 brave souls, risking the uncertainty the entertainment field has to offer, weathered the scrutiny of their parents to become the pioneering and prototype Class of 2017. This Class, now in the 11th grade, is gearing up to produce its first set of shorts for the Ipa Student Film Festival. The first film festival of its kind, it showcases the works of these film students with the goal of creating filmmakers from an early stage who will graduate with films reels in their areas of interest which will show their talents to prospective universities, scholarship programs and other international student competitions.
I got the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Film Department called Di Cine in conjunction with the Panama Film Commission to fund the projections of these works which will take place as an outdoor cinema event on the school grounds. on Friday, August 5 at 7pm. Provided the students meet the minimum Gpa, they will be required to do internships placed and provided through the Film Commission in conjunction with other private film entities such as the Tvn Channel 2, one of Panama's major television networks as well as The Panama Canal Chanel among other companies offering opportunities for these students to practice their craft prior to graduating.
Currently, under construction, is an upcoming state of the art film lab studio facility providing students with the opportunity to develop their talents. Also a new auditorium will host film events and eventually the high school graduation ceremony.
- 4/26/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
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