Year: 2016

Happy Birthday: Paul Feig

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paulfeig.jpgPaul Feig

Born: September 17, 1962 in Mount Clemens, Michigan, USA

Married to: Laurie Karon (23 September 1994 – present)

What’s great about the geek spirit is that life never seems to stop us, and they never seem to kill our enthusiasm, our optimism and our hunger to experience the world. We keep our sense of humor, we protect our dignity, we talk to our friends about the experience and then we start again fresh the very next day.

BRIDESMAIDS
dir. Paul Feig
Stars:
Kristen Wiig
Maya Rudolph
actorARRESTED DEVELOPMENT Season 1
2003-2004
Stars
Jason Bateman
Michael Cera
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT Season 2
2004-2005
Stars
Portia de Rossi
Will Arnett		 MOVIE POSTERTHE HEAT
2013
dir. Paul Feig
Stars:
Sandra Bullock
Melissa McCarthy
actorARRESTED DEVELOPMENT Season 2
2004-2005
Stars
Portia de Rossi
Will Arnett

 

Happy Birthday: Bryan Singer

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bryansinger.jpgBryan Singer

Born: September 17, 1965 in New York City, New York, USA

One thing that interests me is the notion of ancient mutants. What would people, thousands of years ago, without the benefit of science, think mutants were? And more importantly, what would mutants, thousands of years ago, think they were? Gods? Titans? Angels? Demons? And if such mutants did exist thousands of years ago, what became of them? Did one survive?

X-Men
2000
dir. Singer
starring
Hugh Jackman
Patrick Stewart		 x-menX-Men 2
2003
dir. Singer
starring
Famke Jenson
Halie Berry
Superman ReturnsSuperman Returns
2006
dir. by Singer
starring
Kate Bosworth
Brandon Routh
Kevin Spacey		 ValkyrieValkyrie
Singer
Starring
Tom Cruise
Tom Wilkinson
MOVIE POSTERJACK THE GIANT SLAYER
2013
dir. Bryan Singer
Stars:
Nicholas Hoult
Stanley Tucci		 MOVIE POSTERX-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
2014
dir. Bryan Singer
Patrick Stewart
Ian McKellen

Happy Birthday: Baz Luhrmann

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bazluhrmann.jpgBaz Luhrmann

Born: September 17, 1962 in New South Wales, Australia

Married to: Catherine Martin (26 January 1997 – present) (2 children)

All the films I make are about 60% of what I imagine them to be.

[on his version of ‘The Great Gatsby’] The novel wasn’t set in in a period called ‘The Minimal Twenties’. It was called ‘The Roaring Twenties’. So it had to roar.

Moulin Rouge
2001
dir. Luhrmann
Starring
Ewan Mcgregor
Nicole Kidman
AustraliaAustralia
2007
dir. Luhrmann
Starring
Nicole Kidman
Hugh Jackman

ROMEO AND JULIET
1996
dir. Baz Luhrmann
Stars:
Leonardo DiCaprio
Claire Danes		 MOVIE POSTERTHE GREAT GATSBY
dir. Baz Luhrmann

 

Happy Birthday: John Ritter

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johnritter.jpgJohn Ritter (1948–2003)

Born: September 17, 1948 in Burbank, California, USA
Died: September 11, 2003 (age 54) in Burbank, California, USA

Married to:
Amy Yasbeck (18 September 1999 – 11 September 2003) (his death) (1 child)
Nancy Morgan (16 October 1977 – 1996) (divorced) (3 children)

[How John wants to be remembered] Just as a guy who was interested in the golden thread that intertwines all of us together. You know, that golden thread that goes through me and you, and the cameraman, and all the people out there and back through Nancy. That’s what an artist can do, that someone – anyone – could do, if they’re willing to pluck that. And either it makes you laugh or it makes you cry, it’s that golden thread of humanity, and I’d like to be remembered as maybe a guy who plucked a few of those.

BRIDE OF CHUCKY
1998
dir. by Ronny Yu
Stars:
Jennifer Tilly
Brad Dourif		 THEY ALL LAUGHEDThey All Laughed
1981
dir. Peter Bogdanovich
Cast
Audrey Hepburn
Ben Gazzara
BAD SANTABad Santa
2003
dir. Terry Zwigoff
Starring
Billy Bob Thornton
Tony Cox		 UNFORGIVABLEUnforgivable
1996
dir. Graeme Campbell
Starring
John Ritter
Harley Jane Kozak
Noises Off …
1992
dir Peter Bogdanovich
Starring
Carol Burnett
Caine		 IT
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Happy Birthday: Anne Bancroft (1931–2005)

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annebancroftAnne Bancroft (1931–2005)

Born: September 17, 1931 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
Died: June 6, 2005 (age 73) in New York City, New York, USA

Married to: Mel Brooks (5 August 1964 – 6 June 2005) (her death) (1 child)
Martin May (1 July 1953 – 13 February 1957) (divorced)

When [Mel Brooks] told his Jewish mother he was marrying an Italian girl, she said: “Bring her over. I’ll be in the kitchen – with my head in the oven”.

[of her Mrs. Robinson role in The Graduate (1967)] Film critics said I gave a voice to the fear we all have: that we’ll reach a point in our lives, look around and realize that all the things we said we’d do and become will never come to be – and that we’re ordinary.

DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCKDon’t Bother to Knock
1952
dir. Roy Ward Baker
Starring
Richard Widmark
Marilyn Monroe
Bancroft
The GraduateThe Graduate
1967
dir. by Mike Nichols
starring
Dustin Hoffman
Bancroft
The Elephant Man
1980
dir. David Lynch
Starring
Anthony Hopkins
John Hurt
AN AUDIENCE WITH MEL BROOKSAn Audience with Mel Brooks
1983
dir. Mel Brooks
starring
Mel Brooks
Bancroft		 MOVIETHE HINDENBURG
1975
dir. Robert Wise
Starring:
George C. Scott
Anne Bancroft
MOVIE POSTERTHE KID FROM LEFT FIELD
1953
dir. Harmon Jones
Stars:
Dan Dailey
Anne Bancroft

 

Happy Birthday: Kyle Chandler

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kylechandler.jpgKyle Chandler

Born: September 17, 1965 in Buffalo, New York, USA

Married to: Kathryn Chandler (1995 – present) (2 children)

Sometimes a scene may be about one thing, and it may end up still being about that, but the emotionality of it comes from somewhere else, or the humor of it comes from somewhere else, and it gives it that real-life quality.

The Day the Earth Stood Still
dir. Scott Derrickson
Starring
Reeves
Jennifer Connelly		 super 8SUPER 8
dir. J.J. Abrams
Stars:
Elle Fanning
Amanda Michalka,
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS SEASON 1FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Season 1
Starring:
Aimee Teegarden
Taylor Kitsch		 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS SEASON 2FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Season 2
Starring:
Zach Gilford
Brad Leland
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Season 3
Starring:
Minka Kelly
Jesse Plemons		 SydneyWhiteThe Kingdom
2007
Directed by Berg
Starring
Foxx
Jennifer Garner
KING KONG Movie PosterKing Kong
dir. Jackson
Starring
Jack Black
Naomi Watts
Adrian Brody		 24Best of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS TV series
MOVIE POSTERTHE WOLF OF WALL STREET
2013
dir. Martin Scorsese
Stars:
Leonardo DiCaprio
PJ Byrne		 MOVIE POSTERBROKEN CITY
2013
dir. Allen Hughes
Stars:
Mark Wahlberg
Russell Crowe
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Season 4
Starring:
Michael B. Jordan
Jurnee Smollett-Bell		 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS SEASON 5FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Season 5
Starring:
Kyle Chandler
Connie Britton

 

Happy Birthday: Ella Purnell

festreviews Happy Birthday , ,

ellapurnell.jpgElla Purnell

Born: September 17, 1996 in London, England, UK

[on who she looks up to in the industry] Jennifer Lawrence because she’s managed to stay so grounded, and Chloe [Grace-Moretz] because she has an amazing work ethic – she just works and works and works. I would be so exhausted!

MALEFICENT
2014
dir. Robert Stromberg
Stars:
Angelina Jolie
Elle Fanning

NEVER LET ME GONEVER LET ME GO
dir. Mark Romanek
Stars:
Keira Knightley
Carey Mulligan
KISS-ASS 2
2013
dir. Jeff Wadlow
Stars:
Aaron Taylor Johnson
Chloe Grace Moretz

 

Movie Review: JAILBREAK (2016)

festreviews 2016 movies, movie , , , , , ,

MOVIE POSTERJAILBREAK, 1min., USA, Animation/Crime
Directed by Alise Munson

Shot in black and white, “Jailbreak” follows the daring escape of a prisoner fleeing his cell and his quest for sweet punishment. The animated short from HouseSpecial Director Aaron Sorenson is a German Expressionist-inspired design mash-up of stop-motion and illustration with a decidedly adult twist.

Seen at the August 2016 ANIMATION FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Jail Break coming to us from the USA and directed by Alise Munson is a delight for the senses.

The curious duet of stop-motion and art illusion is superb creating a reality and
otherworldliness that is both engaging and visually decadent.

The animation in this piece is detailed, lush and highly satisfying. The story packs of humourous punch for so short a film coming in at just under one minute in length. You can’t help but side with our hard bitten hero, a complex criminal with some choice eclectic tastes.

Jail Break follows our criminal hero as he escapes from prison, narrowly missing guards and various obstacles only to get himself chained up in another, more pleasureably sense.

Comic irony that adults will enjoy, and might just go over the heads of a young audience. (Hopefully.)

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

Movie Review: TIME SMASH (2016)

festreviews 2016 movies, movie, Movie Review, Short Film Movie Review , , , , , , ,

MOVIE POSTERTIME SMASH, 2min., USA, Animation/Sci-Fi
Directed by Benjamin Reicher

A time traveler goes back 2 weeks to stop himself from going to Cynthia’s new years party. Unfortunately, he brings his cat along and forgets to let him back into the machine when he returns to the present. The cat grabs onto the machine last second, becomes radioactive, and ends up in ancient Egypt. What the time traveler finds when he returns to the present is pretty messed up….

Seen at the August 2016 ANIMATION FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Time Smash by USA director Benjamin Reicher, is frankly, hilarious. This is due to simple cinematic mathematics. The plot is clear, simple and concise, the visuals are strong and punchy, the story is strong and the punchline is fantastic.

The result is quick, effective comedy.

Our story opens on a young man bent on time traveling into the past by two weeks to tell his past self to avoid going to a party. Yet on his way back he has an unexpected guest in his travel machine his pet cat.

The cat stumbles out of the craft halfway through the journey getting hurled somewhere into the depths of space and time. When our hero returns to the present the future has been utterly altered.

It’s “an Oldie but a Goodie” plot line that nevertheless relies on a killer pay off to make the story really sing. And Oh Boy, does Time Smash deliver. The only line in the entire film, is well worth the wait.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film: