Exclusive: Vmi Worldwide has acquired world rights to the WWII title Liberation, formally known as Avenue of the Giants, starring Stephen Lang (Avatar), Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade), Robin Weigert (Deadwood) and Luke Blumm (Where The Crawdads Sing).
Written and directed by filmmaker Finn Taylor, the film tells the true story of Herbert Heller (Blumm), who kept his experience as a teenage boy surviving for years in Auschwitz hidden from his family. That is until he meets Abbey (Fisher), a young teenager whose own brush with pain and death inspires him to open up as well, leading the two of them to exchange their stories as a meaningful and healing friendship is born.
The deal was negotiated by Jessica Bennett, COO of Productions and Acquisitions, Mickey Guerin, VP of Legal and Business Affairs for Vmi, and Mark Halloran and Executive Producer Noah Lang on behalf of the filmmakers.
The film was...
Written and directed by filmmaker Finn Taylor, the film tells the true story of Herbert Heller (Blumm), who kept his experience as a teenage boy surviving for years in Auschwitz hidden from his family. That is until he meets Abbey (Fisher), a young teenager whose own brush with pain and death inspires him to open up as well, leading the two of them to exchange their stories as a meaningful and healing friendship is born.
The deal was negotiated by Jessica Bennett, COO of Productions and Acquisitions, Mickey Guerin, VP of Legal and Business Affairs for Vmi, and Mark Halloran and Executive Producer Noah Lang on behalf of the filmmakers.
The film was...
- 9/6/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
2023 Hamptons International Film Festival Announces Alex Gibney Doc Centerpiece, Todd Haynes Tribute
The 2023 Hamptons International Film Festival has officially unveiled its Centerpiece screening and special events lineup.
Alex Gibney’s “In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon” will be this year’s Centerpiece presentation, screening October 6. Prolific documentarian Gibney previously helmed Theranos doc “The Inventor” and “Restless Dreams” will be making its New York premiere at the East End festival.
Gibney spent three years on “In Restless Dreams” following musician Simon’s creation of new album “Seven Psalms.”
“In early 2021 amid the pandemic, Paul invited me to film him while he was making his most recent album, ‘Seven Psalms.’ Paul was losing his hearing in one ear, and it was a devastating time,” Gibney said in a press statement (via Deadline). “His tribulations in making that album about faith and mortality are the emotional heart of this story. Creating a visual dreamscape to meet Paul’s life as an artist has been painstaking,...
Alex Gibney’s “In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon” will be this year’s Centerpiece presentation, screening October 6. Prolific documentarian Gibney previously helmed Theranos doc “The Inventor” and “Restless Dreams” will be making its New York premiere at the East End festival.
Gibney spent three years on “In Restless Dreams” following musician Simon’s creation of new album “Seven Psalms.”
“In early 2021 amid the pandemic, Paul invited me to film him while he was making his most recent album, ‘Seven Psalms.’ Paul was losing his hearing in one ear, and it was a devastating time,” Gibney said in a press statement (via Deadline). “His tribulations in making that album about faith and mortality are the emotional heart of this story. Creating a visual dreamscape to meet Paul’s life as an artist has been painstaking,...
- 8/23/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Drama stars Stephen Lang in the true story of Holocaust survivor Herbert Heller.
Avenue Of The Giants, a drama from writer-director Finn Taylor, has wrapped production in California and the Czech Republic.
The film stars Stephen Lang, Elsie Fisher, Robin Weigert and Luke Blumm in the true story of Herbert Heller, who keeps his experience as a teenage boy in Auschwitz hidden from his family until he meets a teenager whose own brush with death inspires him to open up.
Jeanine Thomas and George Rush are producing, with Debi Memmolo, Greg Taxin and Noah Lang serving as executive producers. David Minkowski...
Avenue Of The Giants, a drama from writer-director Finn Taylor, has wrapped production in California and the Czech Republic.
The film stars Stephen Lang, Elsie Fisher, Robin Weigert and Luke Blumm in the true story of Herbert Heller, who keeps his experience as a teenage boy in Auschwitz hidden from his family until he meets a teenager whose own brush with death inspires him to open up.
Jeanine Thomas and George Rush are producing, with Debi Memmolo, Greg Taxin and Noah Lang serving as executive producers. David Minkowski...
- 5/20/2023
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Stephen Lang (Avatar), Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade), Robin Weigert (Deadwood) and Luke Blumm (Where The Crawdads Sing) have teamed for writer/director Finn Taylor’s feature Avenue of the Giants, which recently wrapped filming. A first-look photo has also been unveiled.
Avenue of the Giants tells the true story of Herbert Heller (Blumm), who kept his experience as a teenage boy surviving for years in Auschwitz hidden from his family. That is until he meets Abbey (Fisher), a young teenager whose own brush with pain and death inspires him to open up as well, leading the two of them to exchange their stories as a meaningful and healing friendship is born.
The film was produced by Jeanine Thomas and George Rush. Debi Memmolo, Greg Taxin, and Noah Lang executive produced. David Minkowski and Matthew Stillman for Stillking Films (The Gray Man) co-produced alongside Jennifer Goshay, Michael Manasseri, Jeffrey Brown, and Mirka Taylor.
Avenue of the Giants tells the true story of Herbert Heller (Blumm), who kept his experience as a teenage boy surviving for years in Auschwitz hidden from his family. That is until he meets Abbey (Fisher), a young teenager whose own brush with pain and death inspires him to open up as well, leading the two of them to exchange their stories as a meaningful and healing friendship is born.
The film was produced by Jeanine Thomas and George Rush. Debi Memmolo, Greg Taxin, and Noah Lang executive produced. David Minkowski and Matthew Stillman for Stillking Films (The Gray Man) co-produced alongside Jennifer Goshay, Michael Manasseri, Jeffrey Brown, and Mirka Taylor.
- 5/19/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New cinema is, as always, the centerpiece of the Mill Valley Film Festival, which celebrates its 41st iteration Oct. 4-14 in and around the Marin County city. This year’s lineup of narrative and documentary films includes awards-season hopefuls, select arthouse pics and classic titles from years past.
Opening the fest are two powerhouse dramas — Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book,” with Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, and Matthew Heineman’s “A Private War,” with Rosamund Pike — both screening Oct. 4, with Farrelly, Ali, Pike and Heineman in attendance. On Oct. 8, Alfonso Cuaron will appear at the fest to screen his latest work, “Roma,” fresh from its Golden Lion win at Venice.
But there’s another presence at Mvff that goes beyond fresh new features: political and social conscience. An awareness of past and present issues has always been in the fabric of filmmaking, but with change occurring almost daily in regard to gender,...
Opening the fest are two powerhouse dramas — Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book,” with Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, and Matthew Heineman’s “A Private War,” with Rosamund Pike — both screening Oct. 4, with Farrelly, Ali, Pike and Heineman in attendance. On Oct. 8, Alfonso Cuaron will appear at the fest to screen his latest work, “Roma,” fresh from its Golden Lion win at Venice.
But there’s another presence at Mvff that goes beyond fresh new features: political and social conscience. An awareness of past and present issues has always been in the fabric of filmmaking, but with change occurring almost daily in regard to gender,...
- 10/5/2018
- by Malina Saval
- Variety Film + TV
Lonely viewers may find themselves eyeing their pets wistfully after seeing Finn Taylor’s romantic comedy about a young woman whose male cat and dog come to very hunky human life. Although it never quite lives up to the satirical possibilities of its high-concept premise, Unleashed delivers some mildly enjoyable laughs thanks to its engaging female lead and the exuberantly physical performances of her co-stars.
Kate Micucci, part of the musical comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates, plays the central role of Emma, an app designer (the go-to profession in movies these days). After her boyfriend betrays her by stealing her latest...
Kate Micucci, part of the musical comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates, plays the central role of Emma, an app designer (the go-to profession in movies these days). After her boyfriend betrays her by stealing her latest...
- 8/23/2017
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Love is a four-legged word. Level 33 Entertainment has debuted a new official trailer for the indie comedy titled Unleashed, written and directed by Finn Taylor. Yet another pet transformation movie, instead of a person turning into an animal, this time it's two animals turning into two people - two perfect guys. Kate Micucci stars as a woman who moves to San Francisco with her two pets after a break up, and learns about herself when they become these guys. Also starring Justin Chatwin, Steve Howey, Sean Astin, Illeana Douglas, Hana Mae Lee, and Josh Brener. This definitely looks very cheesy and almost way too quirky, but I like that the guys still act like her cat and dog, that makes it a bit more interesting. Have a look below. Here's the new official trailer (+ poster) for Finn Taylor's Unleashed, direct from YouTube: When a cosmic event turns Emma's (Kate Micucci) beloved pets,...
- 7/28/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Level 33 Entertainment and Voltage Pictures have acquired the rights to the comedy Unleashed from Braveart Films for domestic distribution and international sales respectively. Written and directed by Finn Taylor, Unleashed tells the story of a cosmic event that turns Emma’s dog and cat into two perfect guys, forcing her to reconsider her outlook on dating, hilariously work out her trust issues, and ultimately learn to love herself. The comedy stars Kate Micucci, Justin…...
- 3/16/2017
- Deadline
11th Gasparilla International Film Festival to Screen 35 Features Including J.K. Simmons’ ‘All Nighter’“All Nighter”
The 11th edition of Tampa’s most prominent film event, Suncoast Credit Union’s Gasparilla International Film Festival (Giff), will take place March 2-March 9, 2017 at the Tampa Theater and AMC Centro Ybor. Gavin Wiesen’s “All Nighter,” starring Academy Award-winner J. K. Simmons will have its World Premiere as part of the festival.
A total of 35 films and over 70 shorts will screen over eight days and will include international and regional premieres of narrative features, documentaries and short films from around the world. In addition to the film program, Giff will also feature master classes and panel discussions.
The title sponsor, Suncoast Credit Union, has been committed to the festival for three consecutive years with the goal of bringing quality entertainment and enrichment to the community. The Suncoast Credit Union also sponsors the Family Fun...
The 11th edition of Tampa’s most prominent film event, Suncoast Credit Union’s Gasparilla International Film Festival (Giff), will take place March 2-March 9, 2017 at the Tampa Theater and AMC Centro Ybor. Gavin Wiesen’s “All Nighter,” starring Academy Award-winner J. K. Simmons will have its World Premiere as part of the festival.
A total of 35 films and over 70 shorts will screen over eight days and will include international and regional premieres of narrative features, documentaries and short films from around the world. In addition to the film program, Giff will also feature master classes and panel discussions.
The title sponsor, Suncoast Credit Union, has been committed to the festival for three consecutive years with the goal of bringing quality entertainment and enrichment to the community. The Suncoast Credit Union also sponsors the Family Fun...
- 3/1/2017
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Suncoast Credit Union Gasparilla International Film Festival (Giff) announced its official selection for the annual event held at the Tampa Theater and AMC Centro Ybor in Tampa, Florida, from March 2-March 9.
The festival will host the world premiere for All Nighter starring Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons and directed by Gavin Wiesen.
There will be 35 films and over 70 shorts, in which it will host international and regional premieres of narrative features, documentaries and short films around the world.
Here are the highlighted line up of the films:
Opening Night Film:
Burn Your Maps: A nine-year-old boy, grieving with his parents over the recent loss of his baby sister, becomes obsessed with the idea that he’s a Mongolian goat herder who belongs back home in his small village in Mongolia. Cast: Vera Farmiga, Jacob Tremblay, Virginia Madsen, Suraj Sharma. Directed by Jordan Roberts
Closing Night Film:
Unleashed: When...
The festival will host the world premiere for All Nighter starring Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons and directed by Gavin Wiesen.
There will be 35 films and over 70 shorts, in which it will host international and regional premieres of narrative features, documentaries and short films around the world.
Here are the highlighted line up of the films:
Opening Night Film:
Burn Your Maps: A nine-year-old boy, grieving with his parents over the recent loss of his baby sister, becomes obsessed with the idea that he’s a Mongolian goat herder who belongs back home in his small village in Mongolia. Cast: Vera Farmiga, Jacob Tremblay, Virginia Madsen, Suraj Sharma. Directed by Jordan Roberts
Closing Night Film:
Unleashed: When...
- 2/22/2017
- by Gig Patta
- LRMonline.com
Come and Find Me, Unleashed, and Holjoom have made recent film casting, screenwriting, and director news. These films come from movie studios primarily based in the United States. The castings, screenwriters, and directors are subject to change.
Come And Find Me
Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) has signed on to star in Come And Find Me, which Zack Whedon has written and will direct…Come And Find Me, which appeared on the 2012 Black List, follows the character of David (Paul) who must track down his missing girlfriend after he realizes she’s not who she was pretending to be.
Unleashed
Sean Astin, Illeana Douglas, Hana Mae Lee and Josh Brener have joined indie Unleashed, which will be directed by Finn Taylor.
Kate Micucci and Shameless actors Steve Howey and Justin Chatwin are already signed on to star in the film
Micucci will star as Emma, a thirty-something app designer who moves...
Come And Find Me
Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) has signed on to star in Come And Find Me, which Zack Whedon has written and will direct…Come And Find Me, which appeared on the 2012 Black List, follows the character of David (Paul) who must track down his missing girlfriend after he realizes she’s not who she was pretending to be.
Unleashed
Sean Astin, Illeana Douglas, Hana Mae Lee and Josh Brener have joined indie Unleashed, which will be directed by Finn Taylor.
Kate Micucci and Shameless actors Steve Howey and Justin Chatwin are already signed on to star in the film
Micucci will star as Emma, a thirty-something app designer who moves...
- 6/18/2015
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
Sean Astin, Illeana Douglas, Hana Mae Lee and Josh Brener have joined indie Unleashed, which will be directed by Finn Taylor (Dream With the Fishes). Kate Micucci and Shameless actors Steve Howey and Justin Chatwin are already signed on to star in the film, which will kick off principal photography in San Francisco on July 1. Micucci will star as Emma, a 30-something app designer who moves to San Francisco after she's betrayed by her boyfriend. One night, her pets — Ajax, a golden-eyed cat, and Summit, an energetic mutt — are transformed into two handsome, full-grown
read more...
read more...
- 6/18/2015
- by Rebecca Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Six projects have been awarded a total of $300,000 from The San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grants. The twice-annual grants are given to narrative feature projects with social justice themes that will have a significant professional or economic impact on the Bay Area's local community of filmmakers. Grants given between 2009 and 2013 will total $2.5 million. (Two-time grantwinner "Beasts of the Southern Wild" from director Behn Zeitlin, is pictured above; the film was a big winner at Sundance and is heading to Cannes.) The six projects were chosen by a panel of Blye Faust, producer; Finn Taylor, writer/director; Jennifer Rainin, president, Kenneth Rainin Foundation; Margi English, Sffs director of development; and Michele Turnure-Salleo, Sffs director of Filmmaker360 (from which the winners will also receive support). Recipients of the Spring 2012 Sffs/Krf Filmmaking Grants are listed below: Ryan Coogler ...
- 5/3/2012
- by Sophia Savage
- Indiewire
So, back in June, we all had a chance to hear a rumor about Peter Sarsgaard’s possible involvement in a Bill Monroe’s biopic, written by Callie Khouri.
Today, we’re here to report that Sarsgaard’s wife and Maggie Gyllenhaal (Nanny McPhee Returns, Crazy Heart, Away We Go, The Dark Knight) will be the part of the upcoming project as well.
Maggie Gyllenhaal described her role this way:
“Bill Monroe, who invented bluegrass music, had a kind of Sid and Nancy style affair with this woman Bessie Lee Mauldin throughout his life and T-Bone Burnett’s going to do the music and Callie Khouri – who wrote Thelma & Louise – wrote the script so we’re going to do that together.”
Not bad at all! Especially with that Oscar winning team on board, and Finn Taylor (The Darwin Awards) in charge for directing the whole thing!
For all Gyllenhaal fans out there,...
Today, we’re here to report that Sarsgaard’s wife and Maggie Gyllenhaal (Nanny McPhee Returns, Crazy Heart, Away We Go, The Dark Knight) will be the part of the upcoming project as well.
Maggie Gyllenhaal described her role this way:
“Bill Monroe, who invented bluegrass music, had a kind of Sid and Nancy style affair with this woman Bessie Lee Mauldin throughout his life and T-Bone Burnett’s going to do the music and Callie Khouri – who wrote Thelma & Louise – wrote the script so we’re going to do that together.”
Not bad at all! Especially with that Oscar winning team on board, and Finn Taylor (The Darwin Awards) in charge for directing the whole thing!
For all Gyllenhaal fans out there,...
- 8/19/2010
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang opened in the UK earlier this year and this coming Friday it’s being released in the Us, now with the slight change in title: Nanny McPhee Returns.
During press interviews for the film, Maggie Gyllenhaal updated the status of two upcoming film projects: Hysteria, and an untitled Bill Monroe biopic.
The first, Hysteria, is a rom-com centered on the invention of the vibrator. Hysteria is set to be directed by Tanya Wexler from a script by Jonah Lisa Dyer and Stephen Dyer. The second film, an untitled biopic of music legend Bill Monroe, will see her acting alongside her husband Peter Sarsgaard. Finn Taylor is currently attached to direct.
Here’s what Maggie Gyllenhaal had to say of her involvement in Hysteria:
In Hysteria I play a firecracker whose father is a doctor who is in the business of curing hysterical women. He...
During press interviews for the film, Maggie Gyllenhaal updated the status of two upcoming film projects: Hysteria, and an untitled Bill Monroe biopic.
The first, Hysteria, is a rom-com centered on the invention of the vibrator. Hysteria is set to be directed by Tanya Wexler from a script by Jonah Lisa Dyer and Stephen Dyer. The second film, an untitled biopic of music legend Bill Monroe, will see her acting alongside her husband Peter Sarsgaard. Finn Taylor is currently attached to direct.
Here’s what Maggie Gyllenhaal had to say of her involvement in Hysteria:
In Hysteria I play a firecracker whose father is a doctor who is in the business of curing hysterical women. He...
- 8/19/2010
- by Jamie Neish
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Peter Sarsgaard is set to star in a biopic of famed bluegrass musician Bill Monroe according to The Wrap.
Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys band pioneered the genre in a career that spanned six decades and nearly twenty albums. The film is expected to follow the mold of Johnnie Cash biopic "Walk The Line" and Finn Taylor ("Cherish," "The Darwin Awards") will direct.
Sarsgaard has brought Callie Khouri ("Thelma And Louise") onto the independently-financed production to re-write an early script draft. The pair's other halves, musician T. Bone Burnett and actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, both worked on "Crazy Heart" and Burnett may be involved in a similar capacity here.
Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys band pioneered the genre in a career that spanned six decades and nearly twenty albums. The film is expected to follow the mold of Johnnie Cash biopic "Walk The Line" and Finn Taylor ("Cherish," "The Darwin Awards") will direct.
Sarsgaard has brought Callie Khouri ("Thelma And Louise") onto the independently-financed production to re-write an early script draft. The pair's other halves, musician T. Bone Burnett and actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, both worked on "Crazy Heart" and Burnett may be involved in a similar capacity here.
- 7/1/2010
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Academy voters are already putting in their ballots for these two performances: Meryl Streep has signed on to play former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for director Phyllida Lloyd, who Streep worked with on Mamma Mia!, while Sean Penn has signed on the play Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, the patriarch of “surfing’s first family.” Streep’s film is called The Iron Lady, the script written by Abi Morgan, co-financed by Pathe and Film4 and described as a “story of a woman who smashed through the barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male-dominated world. The story concerns power and the price that is paid for power, and is a surprising and insightful portrait of an extraordinary and complex woman.” [THR] Thatcher made as many enemies as she did friends (if not more), and was regarded by many to be brutal in her tactics and conservation decisions. Streep should destroy the role,...
- 7/1/2010
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Well, um, actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we're going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time. First up, Deadline reports Ashley Greene (The Twilight Saga) will star along Miley Cyrus in Lol. Greene will play Cyrus' nemesis in the remake of the 2009 French film Laughing Out Loud. The story follows a mother, Anne, and daughter, Lola who begin bonding after Lola's mom "accidentally" reads her teenage daughter's racy journal, and realizes just how wide their communication gap has grown. Read on! Second, The Wrap reports that Peter Sarsgaard (Knight & Day, An Education) is attached to star in a biopic of bluegrass musician Bill Monroe. The film, directed by Finn Taylor (The Darwin Awards) is apparently quite the passion project ...
- 6/30/2010
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
When you have parts in big budget action films, it.s only natural to want to do some smaller, independent filmmaking. Peter Sarsgaard thinks so at least. The Wrap is reporting that Sarsgaard is slated to star in an upcoming biopic about the .Father of Bluegrass. Bill Monroe. Sarsgaard is a longtime fan of Monroe's and had approached script writer Callie Khouri (Thelma and Louise) about helping her rewrite the early draft. Sarsgaard would play the legendary musician with director Finn Taylor (The Darwin Awards) on board to helm the project. The mandolin-playing Bill Monroe, along with his band .The Blue Grass Boys,. is credited with creating the bluegrass style of music (taken from his band name). He came from a large musical family and both his parents died before he reached the age of seventeen. Monroe went on to form his band and rise in the music scene during...
- 6/30/2010
- cinemablend.com
When you have parts in big budget action films, it.s only natural to want to do some smaller, independent filmmaking. Peter Sarsgaard thinks so at least. The Wrap is reporting that Sarsgaard is slated to star in an upcoming biopic about the .Father of Bluegrass. Billy Monroe. Sarsgaard is a longtime fan of Monroe's and had approached script writer Callie Khouri (Thelma and Louise) about helping her rewrite the early draft. Sarsgaard would play the legendary musician with director Finn Taylor (The Darwin Awards) on board to helm the project. The mandolin-playing Billy Monroe, along with his band .The Blue Grass Boys,. is credited with creating the bluegrass style of music (taken from his band name). He came from a large musical family and both his parents died before he reached the age of seventeen. Monroe went on to form his band and rise in the music scene during...
- 6/30/2010
- cinemablend.com
By Matt Singer
"He's Just Not That Into You" is a great title. Born from a "Sex in the City" episode, it's adorned a bestseller (by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo) and as a phrase has quickly wormed its way into the lexicon. Now it's got its own movie, too, opening this Friday and starring a slew of stars including Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson and Justin Long. What it does not have, at least in book form, is a story. "Hjntiy" is a dating advice book, a guide for women who can't get it through their heads that the dude they're interested in isn't reciprocating. It's long on helpful tips and sarcastic quips, but not necessarily on plot or character developments. That's an extra-heavy burden for the film's screenwriters, Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, who must fashion an entire story that can...
"He's Just Not That Into You" is a great title. Born from a "Sex in the City" episode, it's adorned a bestseller (by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo) and as a phrase has quickly wormed its way into the lexicon. Now it's got its own movie, too, opening this Friday and starring a slew of stars including Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson and Justin Long. What it does not have, at least in book form, is a story. "Hjntiy" is a dating advice book, a guide for women who can't get it through their heads that the dude they're interested in isn't reciprocating. It's long on helpful tips and sarcastic quips, but not necessarily on plot or character developments. That's an extra-heavy burden for the film's screenwriters, Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, who must fashion an entire story that can...
- 2/5/2009
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
PARK CITY -- There's a reason people don't make screwball comedies much anymore: They're hard to get right. Finn Taylor's "The Darwin Awards" attempts to modernize the genre with a patina of hipness that misses more than it hits.
The outlandish premise concerns people who improve the world's Gene Pool by accidentally dying in the dumbest ways. The film features an all-star cast toplined by Winona Ryder and Joseph Fiennes and has a few good laughs, but its scattershot humor will appeal mostly to a limited audience tuned in to this wavelength.
A real shaggy dog story, in fact several of them, the film is based on the Web site and three books by Wendy Northcutt detailing how people got themselves killed through stupid acts such as ice fishing with dynamite or trying to get a free soda and being crushed by the vending machine.
Taylor has stitched several of these urban myths together around the search by insurance investigators Burrows (Fiennes) and Siri (Ryder) to find individuals who possess the potential to do some real damage to themselves. If through their unscientific investigation they can pinpoint who these knuckleheads are, they could possibly save the company a bunch of money.
Fiennes and Ryder make a decent comedy team, founded on the notion that opposites attract. He's a methodical former San Francisco forensic cop who unfortunately faints at the sight of blood. He lost his job with the department when he passed out and let a serial killer Tim Blake Nelson) escape. Trying to put his life back together, he winds up in the Midwest working insurance with Siri. She's a hard-charging investigator who operates on instinct and doesn't care for having a partner.
Among the Darwin cases they encounter are the young and smug ad executive (Alessandro Nivola) who kills himself by running full-speed into the window of his new high-rise office to prove it's shatterproof. Guess what? Then there's the late Chris Penn in his last role as the aforementioned fisherman and a dunce (David Arquette) who attaches a JATO rocket to the back of his Chevy Impala and accelerates up to 400 mph but doesn't live to tell the tale.
And if that wasn't enough, Burrows and Siri are being followed around by a documentary filmmaker (Wilmer Valderrama) who would rather let them die than interfere in the precious process of recording reality. Burrows is becoming so obsessed with the Darwin cases that he's turning into one himself. It's all a bit clunky and plays more like a collection of not-so-funny skits than a coherent movie.
Tech credits are fine, and a good use of songs ranging from alt-rockers Wilco to Stevie Wonder add to the cool quotient. Even Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti is trotted out to seal the film's hipness credentials. Taylor and his friends seem to be having a great time but could have let the audience in on the joke.
THE DARWIN AWARDS
Bauer Martinez
A Tavistock Films, Wow Films, Blumhouse production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Finn Taylor
Producers: Jane Sindell, Johnny Wow, Jason Blum
Executive producers: Charles Hsiao, Laurie Miller, Steven Siebert
Director of photography: Hiro Narita
Production designer: Peter Jamison
Music: David Kitay
Costume designer: Amy Brownson
Editor: Rick LeCompte
Cast:
Burrows: Joseph Fiennes
Siri: Winona Ryder
Harvey Whetstone: David Arquette
Tom Sparrow: Chris Penn
Bob: Max Perlich
Stan: Brad Hunt
Perp: Tim Blake Nelson
Mr. Pearlman: Richmond Arquette
Carla: Julianna Margulies
Henry: Tom Hollander
Joleen Whetstone: Juliette Lewis
Mrs. Pearlman: Nora Dunn
Farley: Lucas Haas
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 93 minutes...
The outlandish premise concerns people who improve the world's Gene Pool by accidentally dying in the dumbest ways. The film features an all-star cast toplined by Winona Ryder and Joseph Fiennes and has a few good laughs, but its scattershot humor will appeal mostly to a limited audience tuned in to this wavelength.
A real shaggy dog story, in fact several of them, the film is based on the Web site and three books by Wendy Northcutt detailing how people got themselves killed through stupid acts such as ice fishing with dynamite or trying to get a free soda and being crushed by the vending machine.
Taylor has stitched several of these urban myths together around the search by insurance investigators Burrows (Fiennes) and Siri (Ryder) to find individuals who possess the potential to do some real damage to themselves. If through their unscientific investigation they can pinpoint who these knuckleheads are, they could possibly save the company a bunch of money.
Fiennes and Ryder make a decent comedy team, founded on the notion that opposites attract. He's a methodical former San Francisco forensic cop who unfortunately faints at the sight of blood. He lost his job with the department when he passed out and let a serial killer Tim Blake Nelson) escape. Trying to put his life back together, he winds up in the Midwest working insurance with Siri. She's a hard-charging investigator who operates on instinct and doesn't care for having a partner.
Among the Darwin cases they encounter are the young and smug ad executive (Alessandro Nivola) who kills himself by running full-speed into the window of his new high-rise office to prove it's shatterproof. Guess what? Then there's the late Chris Penn in his last role as the aforementioned fisherman and a dunce (David Arquette) who attaches a JATO rocket to the back of his Chevy Impala and accelerates up to 400 mph but doesn't live to tell the tale.
And if that wasn't enough, Burrows and Siri are being followed around by a documentary filmmaker (Wilmer Valderrama) who would rather let them die than interfere in the precious process of recording reality. Burrows is becoming so obsessed with the Darwin cases that he's turning into one himself. It's all a bit clunky and plays more like a collection of not-so-funny skits than a coherent movie.
Tech credits are fine, and a good use of songs ranging from alt-rockers Wilco to Stevie Wonder add to the cool quotient. Even Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti is trotted out to seal the film's hipness credentials. Taylor and his friends seem to be having a great time but could have let the audience in on the joke.
THE DARWIN AWARDS
Bauer Martinez
A Tavistock Films, Wow Films, Blumhouse production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Finn Taylor
Producers: Jane Sindell, Johnny Wow, Jason Blum
Executive producers: Charles Hsiao, Laurie Miller, Steven Siebert
Director of photography: Hiro Narita
Production designer: Peter Jamison
Music: David Kitay
Costume designer: Amy Brownson
Editor: Rick LeCompte
Cast:
Burrows: Joseph Fiennes
Siri: Winona Ryder
Harvey Whetstone: David Arquette
Tom Sparrow: Chris Penn
Bob: Max Perlich
Stan: Brad Hunt
Perp: Tim Blake Nelson
Mr. Pearlman: Richmond Arquette
Carla: Julianna Margulies
Henry: Tom Hollander
Joleen Whetstone: Juliette Lewis
Mrs. Pearlman: Nora Dunn
Farley: Lucas Haas
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 93 minutes...
PARK CITY -- There's a reason people don't make screwball comedies much anymore -- they're hard to get right. Finn Taylor's "The Darwin Awards" attempts to modernize the genre with a patina of hipness that misses more than it hits. Outlandish premise concerns people who actually improve the world's Gene Pool by accidentally dying in the dumbest ways. Film features an all-star cast toplined by Winona Ryder and Joseph Fiennes and has a few good laughs, but scattershot humor will appeal mostly to a limited audience tuned in to this wavelength.
A real shaggy dog story, in fact several of them, film is based on the Web site and three books by Wendy Northcutt detailing people who got themselves killed through stupid acts such as ice fishing with dynamite or trying to get a free soda and being crushed by the vending machine.
Taylor has stitched several of these urban myths together around the search by insurance investigators Burrows (Fiennes) and Siri (Ryder) to find individuals who possess the potential to do some real damage to themselves. If through their unscientific investigation they can pinpoint who these knuckleheads are, they could possibly save the company a bunch of money.
Fiennes and Ryder make a decent comedy team, founded on the notion that opposites attract. He's a methodical former San Francisco forensic cop who unfortunately faints at the sight of blood. He lost his job with the department when he passed out and let a serial killer Tim Blake Nelson) escape. Trying to put his life back together, he winds up in the mid-west working insurance with Siri. She's a hard-charging investigator who operates on instinct and doesn't care for having a partner.
Among the Darwin cases they encounter are the young and smug ad executive (Alessandro Nivola) who kills himself by running full-speed into the window of his new high-rise office to prove it's shatterproof. Guess what? Then there's the late Chris Penn in his last role as the aforementioned fisherman, and a dunce (David Arquette) who attaches a JATO rocket to the back of his Chevy Impala and accelerates up to 400 mph but doesn't live to tell the tale.
And if that wasn't enough, Burrows and Siri are being followed around by a documentary filmmaker (Wilmer Valderrama) who would rather let them die than interfere in the precious process of recording reality. Burrows is becoming so obsessed with the Darwin cases that he's turning into one himself. It's all a bit clunky and plays more like a collection of not-so-funny skits than a coherent movie.
Tech credits are fine and a good use of songs by everyone from alt-rockers Wilco to Stevie Wonder add to the cool quotient. Even Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti is trotted out to seal the film's hipness credentials. Taylor and his friends seem to be having a great time but could have let the audience in on the joke.
THE DARWIN AWARDS
A Tavistock Films, Wow Films, Blumhouse production
Credits: Director, writer: Finn Taylor; Producers: Jane Sindell, Johnny Wow, Jason Blum; Executive producers: Charles Hsiao, Laurie Miller, Steven Siebert; Director of photography: Hiro Narita; Production designer: Peter Jamison; Music: David Kitay; Costume designer: Amy Brownson; Editor: Rick LeCompte.
Cast: Burrows: Joseph Fiennes; Siri: Winona Ryder; Harvey Whetstone: David Arquette; Tom Sparrow: Chris Penn; Bob: Max Perlich; Stan: Brad Hunt; Perp: Tim Blake Nelson; Mr. Pearlman: Richmond Arquette; Carla: Julianna Margulies; Henry: Tom Hollander; Joleen Whetstone: Juliette Lewis; Mrs. Pearlman: Nora Dunn; Farley: Lucas Haas
No MPAA rating, running time 93 minutes...
A real shaggy dog story, in fact several of them, film is based on the Web site and three books by Wendy Northcutt detailing people who got themselves killed through stupid acts such as ice fishing with dynamite or trying to get a free soda and being crushed by the vending machine.
Taylor has stitched several of these urban myths together around the search by insurance investigators Burrows (Fiennes) and Siri (Ryder) to find individuals who possess the potential to do some real damage to themselves. If through their unscientific investigation they can pinpoint who these knuckleheads are, they could possibly save the company a bunch of money.
Fiennes and Ryder make a decent comedy team, founded on the notion that opposites attract. He's a methodical former San Francisco forensic cop who unfortunately faints at the sight of blood. He lost his job with the department when he passed out and let a serial killer Tim Blake Nelson) escape. Trying to put his life back together, he winds up in the mid-west working insurance with Siri. She's a hard-charging investigator who operates on instinct and doesn't care for having a partner.
Among the Darwin cases they encounter are the young and smug ad executive (Alessandro Nivola) who kills himself by running full-speed into the window of his new high-rise office to prove it's shatterproof. Guess what? Then there's the late Chris Penn in his last role as the aforementioned fisherman, and a dunce (David Arquette) who attaches a JATO rocket to the back of his Chevy Impala and accelerates up to 400 mph but doesn't live to tell the tale.
And if that wasn't enough, Burrows and Siri are being followed around by a documentary filmmaker (Wilmer Valderrama) who would rather let them die than interfere in the precious process of recording reality. Burrows is becoming so obsessed with the Darwin cases that he's turning into one himself. It's all a bit clunky and plays more like a collection of not-so-funny skits than a coherent movie.
Tech credits are fine and a good use of songs by everyone from alt-rockers Wilco to Stevie Wonder add to the cool quotient. Even Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti is trotted out to seal the film's hipness credentials. Taylor and his friends seem to be having a great time but could have let the audience in on the joke.
THE DARWIN AWARDS
A Tavistock Films, Wow Films, Blumhouse production
Credits: Director, writer: Finn Taylor; Producers: Jane Sindell, Johnny Wow, Jason Blum; Executive producers: Charles Hsiao, Laurie Miller, Steven Siebert; Director of photography: Hiro Narita; Production designer: Peter Jamison; Music: David Kitay; Costume designer: Amy Brownson; Editor: Rick LeCompte.
Cast: Burrows: Joseph Fiennes; Siri: Winona Ryder; Harvey Whetstone: David Arquette; Tom Sparrow: Chris Penn; Bob: Max Perlich; Stan: Brad Hunt; Perp: Tim Blake Nelson; Mr. Pearlman: Richmond Arquette; Carla: Julianna Margulies; Henry: Tom Hollander; Joleen Whetstone: Juliette Lewis; Mrs. Pearlman: Nora Dunn; Farley: Lucas Haas
No MPAA rating, running time 93 minutes...
- 1/30/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARK CITY -- As the 2006 Sundance Film Festival wound down, a final flurry of acquisition activity saw ThinkFilm take worldwide rights to Ryan Fleck's drama Half Nelson; Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films jointly acquire North American rights for mid-six figures to comedian-turned-writer-director Bob Goldthwait's provocative relationship comedy Stay; and Bauer Martinez Distribution tied up final details on its acquisition of North American rights to Finn Taylor's comedy The Darwin Awards. Half Nelson, which premiered in the festival's Dramatic Competition section, stars Ryan Gosling as an idealistic young junior high school teacher in New York who befriends a young girl, newcomer Shareeka Epps, after she discovers his crack addiction. It was purchased for less than $1 million plus a hefty percentage of the gross for the filmmakers, said sources close to the negotiations. "The deal was based on their passion for the film," producer Jamie Patricof said. "They support fresh filmmaking voices and daring films like 'The Aristocrats.' "...
- 1/29/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARK CITY -- As the 2006 Sundance Film Festival wound down, Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films jointly acquired North American rights for mid-six figures to comedian-turned-writer-director Bobcat Goldthwait's provocative relationship comedy Stay, which proved a popular hit with festival audiences. And Bauer Martinez Distribution tied up final details on its acquisition of North American rights to Finn Taylor's comedy The Darwin Awards. Stay tells the raunchy tale of a high school teacher who harbors a dark sexual secret from her past that she is terrified to reveal to her fiance. When she decides to bare all, she must deal with the consequences. Because it is unclear whether the film will earn an R or an NC-17 rating, the bidding on the film attracted only independent distributors, who, because they are not MPAA members, will have the option to release the film unrated. (Roadside released the 2004 Sundance docu Super Size Me without a rating.) Goldthwait took the time to meet all interested distributors, but Roadside and Goldwyn had the advantage of having released Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic. Goldthwait and Silverman are cohorts on the late-night TV show Jimmy Kimmel Live, where Goldthwait is a director.
- 1/27/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Winona Ryder has paid tribute to actor Chris Penn, her co-star in new movie The Darwin Awards, whose body was found on Tuesday. The 40-year-old was found dead in his Santa Monica, California, apartment by a housekeeper. Coroners have yet to determine a definite cause of death, but suspect he died of natural causes, related to his size and history of drug abuse. Speaking at a screening of The Darwin Awards at the Sundance Film Festival last night, Ryder said, "I really hope people go back and watch his movies. He was such a fantastic actor. He's not just Sean's little brother. He was Chris Penn." Director Finn Taylor added that Penn "gave an incredible performance in the film that's going to make a lot of people laugh for a years to come."...
- 1/27/2006
- WENN
- This year Ioncinema.com is covering the 2006 edition of the Sundance Film Festival Live from Park City, Utah. Weâ.ll be on hand to cover the festival, and while we wonâ.t be able to cover everything from A to Z: here is a comprehensive beforehand look at the selections in each of the festivalâ.s sections. (Note: To access individual preview pages, simply click on the links below) January 19, 2006Counting Down: updateCountdownClock('January 19, 2006'); A Little Trip to Heaven - Baltasar Kormakur Alpha Dog - Nick Cassavetes New Line Cinema) Art School Confidential - Terry Zwigoff (Sony Pictures Classics) Cargo - Clive Gordon The Darwin Awards - Finn Taylor Don't Come Knocking - Wim Wenders (Sony Pictures Classics) Friends With Money - Nicole Holofcener (Sony Pictures Classics) The Illusionist - Neil Burger Kinky Boots - Julian Jarrold Miramax Films Little Miss Sunshine - Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
- 1/18/2006
- IONCINEMA.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.