X-Files Recap is a weekly column by Keith Uhlich covering Chris Carter's 10-episode continuation of the X-Files television series.Some late-night chatter overheard at a diner: “The world’s gone mad…” says Martin (Dan Zukovic), a man of wild stare and clammy brow. “…because Martians have invaded, but nobody seems to care!” The eatery’s owner, Buddy (Alex Diakun), tries to calm the guy down with a bit of coffee and straight talk, but Martin—convinced that these extraterrestrial invaders are using some kind of mind-erasing laser gun—isn’t having it. His paranoia is soon proven true, since Martin turns out to be one of the bulbous-headed, multi-appendage aliens and Buddy is actually Satan himself. (What a twist!) But just before the big reveal, a fearful Martin points down the counter, right at the camera—at us, the audience, watching. “There! I just saw one!” he says, “Outside through that window!
- 1/27/2018
- MUBI
Today on Trailers from Hell, Josh Olson talks 1998's unsung cult comedy "The Last Big Thing," starring Mark Ruffalo. In spite of terrific reviews this small indie directed by Dan Zukovic and featuring an early appearance by Mark Ruffalo, remains relatively unknown. Director Zukovic cast himself as Simon Geist, an angry young man who produces a bogus publication called "The Next Big Thing," dedicated to eviscerating pop culture in all its forms. Zukovic, still toiling in the indie circuit, continues to produce and direct unconventional fare including 2004's "Dark Arc" and his latest, "Scammerhead."...
- 6/6/2014
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
In spite of terrific reviews this small indie directed by Dan Zukovic and featuring an early appearance by Mark Ruffalo, remains relatively unknown. Director Zukovic cast himself as Simon Geist, an angry young man who produces a bogus publication called "The Next Big Thing", dedicated to eviscerating pop culture in all its forms. Zukovic, still toiling in the indie circuit, continues to produce and direct unconventional fare including 2004's Dark Arc and his latest, Scammerhead.
The post The Last Big Thing appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post The Last Big Thing appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 6/6/2014
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
We’re back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes DVD release details for Shiver, information on the Mile High Horror Film Festival, an exclusive excerpt from Dead is Only Skin Deep, a Q&A with 13-year-old Emily Diprimio for Carver, and more:
Q&A Interview with Up-and-Coming 13-Year-Old Filmmaker Emily Diprimio
by Heather Wixson
It’s not often that you run across aspiring genre directors who are still in their teens so when we discovered a brand new Kickstarter campaign for Carver, an upcoming indie slasher from the filmmaking team of Ron Diprimio and his 13-year-old daughter Emily Diprimio, we immediately took notice.
In the campaign, the Diprimios’ describe Carver as, “a throwback 80’s style slasher that follows a group of teenagers who are haunted by a despicable act they committed on Halloween when they were younger.
Q&A Interview with Up-and-Coming 13-Year-Old Filmmaker Emily Diprimio
by Heather Wixson
It’s not often that you run across aspiring genre directors who are still in their teens so when we discovered a brand new Kickstarter campaign for Carver, an upcoming indie slasher from the filmmaking team of Ron Diprimio and his 13-year-old daughter Emily Diprimio, we immediately took notice.
In the campaign, the Diprimios’ describe Carver as, “a throwback 80’s style slasher that follows a group of teenagers who are haunted by a despicable act they committed on Halloween when they were younger.
- 9/15/2013
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Reviewed by Amanda Georges
(April 2011)
Directed/Written by: Dan Zukovic
Starring: Dan Zukovic, Mark Ruffalo and Susan Heimbeinder
A rising stand-up comic is at his microphone, making repeated references to old American sitcoms. While the audience laughs, a lone spectator rises to bellow a sarcastic cackle, a melee in his one-man war against pop culture. The man is Simon Geist in writer-director Dan Zukovic’s 1996 film “The Last Big Thing,” a sardonic portrayal of the independent art scene and modern pop culture in the mid-1990s that has yet to lose its relevance.
Zukovic stars as Simon, a self-proclaimed counter-cultural guru out to expose the superficiality of mainstream entertainment and the hypocrisy of up-and-coming stars. Simon creates a fake magazine, “The Next Big Thing,” as an excuse to confront young artists and criticize their talent and delusions of fame.
One band Simon pretends to interview for his faux magazine explains...
(April 2011)
Directed/Written by: Dan Zukovic
Starring: Dan Zukovic, Mark Ruffalo and Susan Heimbeinder
A rising stand-up comic is at his microphone, making repeated references to old American sitcoms. While the audience laughs, a lone spectator rises to bellow a sarcastic cackle, a melee in his one-man war against pop culture. The man is Simon Geist in writer-director Dan Zukovic’s 1996 film “The Last Big Thing,” a sardonic portrayal of the independent art scene and modern pop culture in the mid-1990s that has yet to lose its relevance.
Zukovic stars as Simon, a self-proclaimed counter-cultural guru out to expose the superficiality of mainstream entertainment and the hypocrisy of up-and-coming stars. Simon creates a fake magazine, “The Next Big Thing,” as an excuse to confront young artists and criticize their talent and delusions of fame.
One band Simon pretends to interview for his faux magazine explains...
- 4/30/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Reviewed by Amanda Georges
(April 2011)
Directed/Written by: Dan Zukovic
Starring: Dan Zukovic, Mark Ruffalo and Susan Heimbeinder
A rising stand-up comic is at his microphone, making repeated references to old American sitcoms. While the audience laughs, a lone spectator rises to bellow a sarcastic cackle, a melee in his one-man war against pop culture. The man is Simon Geist in writer-director Dan Zukovic’s 1996 film “The Last Big Thing,” a sardonic portrayal of the independent art scene and modern pop culture in the mid-1990s that has yet to lose its relevance.
Zukovic stars as Simon, a self-proclaimed counter-cultural guru out to expose the superficiality of mainstream entertainment and the hypocrisy of up-and-coming stars. Simon creates a fake magazine, “The Next Big Thing,” as an excuse to confront young artists and criticize their talent and delusions of fame.
One band Simon pretends to interview for his faux magazine explains...
(April 2011)
Directed/Written by: Dan Zukovic
Starring: Dan Zukovic, Mark Ruffalo and Susan Heimbeinder
A rising stand-up comic is at his microphone, making repeated references to old American sitcoms. While the audience laughs, a lone spectator rises to bellow a sarcastic cackle, a melee in his one-man war against pop culture. The man is Simon Geist in writer-director Dan Zukovic’s 1996 film “The Last Big Thing,” a sardonic portrayal of the independent art scene and modern pop culture in the mid-1990s that has yet to lose its relevance.
Zukovic stars as Simon, a self-proclaimed counter-cultural guru out to expose the superficiality of mainstream entertainment and the hypocrisy of up-and-coming stars. Simon creates a fake magazine, “The Next Big Thing,” as an excuse to confront young artists and criticize their talent and delusions of fame.
One band Simon pretends to interview for his faux magazine explains...
- 4/30/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Dan Zukovic's The Last Big Thing, called the "best unknown American film of the 1990's" in the film book "Defining Moments in Movies", was finally released on DVD by Vanguard Cinema. Featuring an important early role by 2011 Best Supporting Actor Oscar Nominee Mark Ruffalo ("Shutter Island", "Zodiac", "Collateral"), The Last Big Thing had a Us theatrical release in 1998, and gained a cult following over several years of screenings on the Showtime Networks.
- 2/14/2011
- by JL
- The Couch Potato Club
Dan Zukovic's "Dark Arc", a modern noir dark comedy called "Absolutely brilliant...truly and completely different..." in Film Threat, will be released on DVD on August 24 through Vanguard Cinema.The film had it's world premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival and it's Us premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival. Featuring Sarah Strange ("White Noise"), Kurt Max Runte ("X- Men", "Battlestar...
- 8/16/2010
- by Anthony T
After writing and directing several well-regarded plays and short films, Dan Zukovic shows promise in his first feature, in which he also plays Simon Geist, the memorable lead character. Showing strong screen presence as a dislikable crank who is in nearly every scene, Zukovic draws one into a wickedly amusing comedy with his ace performance and skillful direction of the low-budget (under $1 million) production.
Shown at the Vancouver and Hamptons film festivals, "The Last Big Thing" is too bizarre for mainstream consumption, but indie fans in a dark mood will find a well-constructed, fairly witty satire of instant fame and surfing the "zeitgeist."
Obsessed with both Edvard Munch's "The Scream" and the fashion ads in the main news section of the Los Angeles Times, Geist is an incredibly critical jerk with an "agenda," which is to attack modern culture -- from movies to stand-up comics to pop music to television.
With many explosive satiric blasts, Zukovic creates a charismatic info-anarchist, who has an equally cracked girlfriend. Geist and secretive, skittish Darla (Susan Heimbinder) live in a bland tract home, with her inheritance paying the bills and supporting their loopy lifestyle.
For most of the film Geist poses as the publisher of a new magazine called "The Next Big Thing". He interviews a series of young Tinsel Town types, asking insulting questions that create both enemies and disciples.
A subversive odyssey through Los Angeles milieus climaxes when the incorruptible curmudgeon directs a hit music video and the "agenda" changes. While Darla chronicles Geist's exploits and records his pronouncements for her own journalistic project, the beautiful Tedra (Pamela Dickerson) enters his life and he decides it is time to fight the media from inside.
Kudos to Zukovic and the rest of the cast, especially Heimbinder as the spooky and spunky Darla. Vancouver native Zukovic has a good eye for visuals, and overall the film is technically first-rate.
THE LAST BIG THING
A Byronic Pose production
Writer-director Dan Zukovic
Producers Vladimir Perlovich,
Anthony Rubenstein
Executive producers David Barnett,
Philip Starr
Director of photography M. David Mullen
Production designer Martina Buckley
Editor Markus Lofstrom
Music Cole Coonce
Casting Ann Maney
Color/stereo
Cast:
Simon Geist Dan Zukovic
Darla Susan Heimbinder
Brent Mark Ruffalo
Tedra Pamela Dickerson
Chris Andrew Falk
Running time -- 98 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Shown at the Vancouver and Hamptons film festivals, "The Last Big Thing" is too bizarre for mainstream consumption, but indie fans in a dark mood will find a well-constructed, fairly witty satire of instant fame and surfing the "zeitgeist."
Obsessed with both Edvard Munch's "The Scream" and the fashion ads in the main news section of the Los Angeles Times, Geist is an incredibly critical jerk with an "agenda," which is to attack modern culture -- from movies to stand-up comics to pop music to television.
With many explosive satiric blasts, Zukovic creates a charismatic info-anarchist, who has an equally cracked girlfriend. Geist and secretive, skittish Darla (Susan Heimbinder) live in a bland tract home, with her inheritance paying the bills and supporting their loopy lifestyle.
For most of the film Geist poses as the publisher of a new magazine called "The Next Big Thing". He interviews a series of young Tinsel Town types, asking insulting questions that create both enemies and disciples.
A subversive odyssey through Los Angeles milieus climaxes when the incorruptible curmudgeon directs a hit music video and the "agenda" changes. While Darla chronicles Geist's exploits and records his pronouncements for her own journalistic project, the beautiful Tedra (Pamela Dickerson) enters his life and he decides it is time to fight the media from inside.
Kudos to Zukovic and the rest of the cast, especially Heimbinder as the spooky and spunky Darla. Vancouver native Zukovic has a good eye for visuals, and overall the film is technically first-rate.
THE LAST BIG THING
A Byronic Pose production
Writer-director Dan Zukovic
Producers Vladimir Perlovich,
Anthony Rubenstein
Executive producers David Barnett,
Philip Starr
Director of photography M. David Mullen
Production designer Martina Buckley
Editor Markus Lofstrom
Music Cole Coonce
Casting Ann Maney
Color/stereo
Cast:
Simon Geist Dan Zukovic
Darla Susan Heimbinder
Brent Mark Ruffalo
Tedra Pamela Dickerson
Chris Andrew Falk
Running time -- 98 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 12/30/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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