In the late 1990s Joker writer-director Todd Phillips, then applying his trade as an underground documentary filmmaker shot a non-fiction project titled Frat House, which nabbed the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Sundance before being promptly acquired by HBO Films.
“The premise of the documentary is that he pledged fraternities at colleges,” John Sloss, producer, founder and CEO of Cinetic Media, told an audience at the Sands Film Festival in St. Andrews, Scotland. He was discussing the pic as part of an onstage Q&a about the current state of documentary filmmaking alongside Molly Thompson, Head of Documentaries and Non-Fiction at Apple TV+, and Oscar-winning producer Melanie Miller.
Sloss had been representing Phillips at the time. Despite the early buzz surrounding the pic, it was never officially released. HBO shelved the project.
“What happened was that a separate chapter of the fraternity he [Phillips] pledged and made look...
“The premise of the documentary is that he pledged fraternities at colleges,” John Sloss, producer, founder and CEO of Cinetic Media, told an audience at the Sands Film Festival in St. Andrews, Scotland. He was discussing the pic as part of an onstage Q&a about the current state of documentary filmmaking alongside Molly Thompson, Head of Documentaries and Non-Fiction at Apple TV+, and Oscar-winning producer Melanie Miller.
Sloss had been representing Phillips at the time. Despite the early buzz surrounding the pic, it was never officially released. HBO shelved the project.
“What happened was that a separate chapter of the fraternity he [Phillips] pledged and made look...
- 4/20/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Todd Phillips’s hotly anticipated supervillain sequel “Joker: Folie à Deux” has secured itself an R rating from the MPA, as per Deadline. This is not too much of a surprise, as the 2019 smash “Joker” remains the top-grossing R-rated picture in history. Somewhat surprising, however, was the reason given by the “we’re not a censorship organization” censorship organization.
In addition to “strong violence”, “language” (sure), and “some sexuality” (okay), the group cited “brief full nudity.” Full, eh? Just how much of a clown show will we be seeing here?
“Joker: Folie à Deux”’s big draw for most audiences will be Lady Gaga’s turn as Harlene Quinzel (aka Harley Quinn) the Bugs Bunny-like psychiatrist who falls in love with the Clown Prince of Crime. Margot Robbie played the fan-favorite character in the “Suicide Squad” and “Birds of Prey” films, while Kaley Cuoco voices her in the not-for-kids animated series.
In addition to “strong violence”, “language” (sure), and “some sexuality” (okay), the group cited “brief full nudity.” Full, eh? Just how much of a clown show will we be seeing here?
“Joker: Folie à Deux”’s big draw for most audiences will be Lady Gaga’s turn as Harlene Quinzel (aka Harley Quinn) the Bugs Bunny-like psychiatrist who falls in love with the Clown Prince of Crime. Margot Robbie played the fan-favorite character in the “Suicide Squad” and “Birds of Prey” films, while Kaley Cuoco voices her in the not-for-kids animated series.
- 4/3/2024
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
As more and more lavish gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas from billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow are being unearthed, Ari Melber, host of MSNBC’s “The Beat” and chief legal correspondent, took an opportunity to call out Thomas directly — and bluntly — on Thursday.
“Do you think you will get away with this forever?” the MSNBC host asked, looking down the camera.
In early April, Propublica reported that for more than 20 years, Thomas was treated to expensive luxury vacations by Texas billionaire Harlan Crow. The issue is, Thomas never once reported said gifts on his financial disclosures. Then, a few weeks later, it was revealed that, in 2014, Thomas made more than $130,000 when he sold several properties to Crow — an amount far in excess of their value. This included the house Thomas’ mother currently lives in.
The story has continued developing though, as it has now been revealed that Crow...
“Do you think you will get away with this forever?” the MSNBC host asked, looking down the camera.
In early April, Propublica reported that for more than 20 years, Thomas was treated to expensive luxury vacations by Texas billionaire Harlan Crow. The issue is, Thomas never once reported said gifts on his financial disclosures. Then, a few weeks later, it was revealed that, in 2014, Thomas made more than $130,000 when he sold several properties to Crow — an amount far in excess of their value. This included the house Thomas’ mother currently lives in.
The story has continued developing though, as it has now been revealed that Crow...
- 5/5/2023
- by Andi Ortiz
- The Wrap
Josh Braun, producer of some of the best documentaries in the world, joins Josh and Joe to discuss the movies that have influenced him throughout his life.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Man On Wire (2008)
The Cove (2009)
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010)
Encounters At The End of the World (2007)
Winnebago Man (2009)
Spellbound (2002)
Supersize Me (2004)
Tell Me Who I Am (2019)
Apollo 11 (2019)
The Edge of Democracy (2019)
Finding Vivian Maier (2013)
Searching For Sugarman (2012)
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
A History Of Violence (2005)
Frat House (1998)
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003)
The Exorcist (1973)
Go West (1940)
A Night In Casablanca (1946)
Hello Down There (1974)
What’s Up Doc? (1972)
El Topo (1970)
Pink Flamingos (1972)
Female Trouble (1974)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Bambi Meets Godzilla (1969)
Gimme Shelter (1970)
Monterey Pop (1968)
Grey Gardens (1975)
Grey Gardens (2009)
Titicut Follies (1967)
To Have And Have Not (1944)
All About Eve...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Man On Wire (2008)
The Cove (2009)
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010)
Encounters At The End of the World (2007)
Winnebago Man (2009)
Spellbound (2002)
Supersize Me (2004)
Tell Me Who I Am (2019)
Apollo 11 (2019)
The Edge of Democracy (2019)
Finding Vivian Maier (2013)
Searching For Sugarman (2012)
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
A History Of Violence (2005)
Frat House (1998)
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003)
The Exorcist (1973)
Go West (1940)
A Night In Casablanca (1946)
Hello Down There (1974)
What’s Up Doc? (1972)
El Topo (1970)
Pink Flamingos (1972)
Female Trouble (1974)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Bambi Meets Godzilla (1969)
Gimme Shelter (1970)
Monterey Pop (1968)
Grey Gardens (1975)
Grey Gardens (2009)
Titicut Follies (1967)
To Have And Have Not (1944)
All About Eve...
- 7/21/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
In 2019, no movie became a greater flashpoint for cultural debate than “Joker” — and Todd Phillips sat happily at the center of the battlefield. To some, Phillips looked like he wanted to provoke the ire of the moment — the bearded reprobate with a naughty grin and cynical gaze, the Hollywood bro who made those “Hangover” movies and gave up on comedy to avoid the sensitivities of the moment, a Tinseltown huckster straight out of the “Entourage” mold who cared less about the art of filmmaking than contorting it into the ultimate blockbuster coup.
But these readings tend to ignore his roots, and how they set him up for everything that followed. Phillips’ origin story has been obscured by the sheer scale of his commercial successes, and even he’s reticent to look back. “People don’t always know about my beginnings, and I get it,” Phillips told me when we met...
But these readings tend to ignore his roots, and how they set him up for everything that followed. Phillips’ origin story has been obscured by the sheer scale of his commercial successes, and even he’s reticent to look back. “People don’t always know about my beginnings, and I get it,” Phillips told me when we met...
- 1/1/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
If the original 1974 “Black Christmas” had to obscure its feminism with subversion, subtlety, and a flirtatious Margot Kidder, the latest remake of the classic slasher film wears it proudly on its crop-top sleeve. When #MeToo launched an international conversation around rape and sexual assault in 2016, survivors breathed a collective sigh of relief that people finally believed them. Women knew about the domination of toxic male behavior for years; it didn’t take a genius to see that the calls were coming from inside the house.
In her gutsy and glossy remake, director Sophia Takal builds a timely horror out of the gaslighting and disbelief many survivors know all too well. Using the hyper-gendered spaces of college Greek life as a fertile palette, Takal and her co-writer April Wolfe skewer toxic masculinity, the white male literary canon, rape culture, patriarchy, and white male rage — all wrapped up with a bow in...
In her gutsy and glossy remake, director Sophia Takal builds a timely horror out of the gaslighting and disbelief many survivors know all too well. Using the hyper-gendered spaces of college Greek life as a fertile palette, Takal and her co-writer April Wolfe skewer toxic masculinity, the white male literary canon, rape culture, patriarchy, and white male rage — all wrapped up with a bow in...
- 12/13/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
“Privilege comes with sacrifice” says one character to another in “Pledge” — exactly the kind of noble sentiment authority figures always voice to hush the protests of those about to be sacrificed. This third feature for director Daniel Robbins is no delicate flower of cinematic art, but a lean and mean shocker that tells its tale of collegiate hazing run amuck with brute efficiency. IFC Midnight gave the quasi-horror meller a limited theatrical run simultaneous with its VOD launch on Jan. 11.
It’s Rush Week, and freshmen David (screenwriter Zachary Weiner), Ethan (Philip Andre Botello), and Justin (Zachary Byrd) are hot to pledge up and party down. Well, really it’s just one of them who’s dead set on both activities: Black, bespectacled nerd Ethan and plus-sized nerd Justin understand they are probably not at the top of any fraternity’s wish list. They’d be happy to get drunk in peaceful social isolation,...
It’s Rush Week, and freshmen David (screenwriter Zachary Weiner), Ethan (Philip Andre Botello), and Justin (Zachary Byrd) are hot to pledge up and party down. Well, really it’s just one of them who’s dead set on both activities: Black, bespectacled nerd Ethan and plus-sized nerd Justin understand they are probably not at the top of any fraternity’s wish list. They’d be happy to get drunk in peaceful social isolation,...
- 1/17/2019
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Who doesn’t enjoy a little Euripides with their breakfast cereal or, in this case, with their unrelenting celluloid exploration of sadistic, on-campus initiations? Of course, hazing has been ceaselessly explored in the news each time there’s a new frat and in previous efforts such as Todd Phillips and Andrew Gurland’s documentary Frat House (1998) and John Landis’ comedy Animal House (1978). Even the Lifetime channel (The Haunting of Sorority Row (2007)) and one of this year’s best movies (Prof. Marston and the Wonder Women) have taken out their paddles, exploring the female side of these rituals. However, seldom has Dionysus and the Bacchae been incorporated into the subject matter.
(Please note that Tennessee Williams was inspired by the same source material for Suddenly Last Summer, a tale of lobotomies, cannibalism, and repressed homosexuality. Sounds very much like a fraternity initiation in the end, doesn’t it?) Indeed, few films,...
(Please note that Tennessee Williams was inspired by the same source material for Suddenly Last Summer, a tale of lobotomies, cannibalism, and repressed homosexuality. Sounds very much like a fraternity initiation in the end, doesn’t it?) Indeed, few films,...
- 11/6/2017
- by Brandon Judell
- www.culturecatch.com
Hazing rituals, with their elitist foundations and untold mysteries, have long captured the imaginations of storytellers both comedic and dramatic. Most recently explored in the Nick Jonas vehicle “Goat,” but the topic is basically a subgenre at this point — from Todd Phillips’ documentary “Frat House” to the soapy thriller “The Skulls,” for comedic effect in the Zac Efron vehicle “Neighbors,” and, perhaps most famously, in Richard Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused.”
“Burning Sands,” Gerard McMurray’s entry in the hazing canon, is set at a fictional Historically Black College (Hbcu) called Frederick Douglass University. McMurray, an associate producer on Ryan Coogler’s “Fruitvale Station,” draws from personal experience to make his directorial debut. (McMurray co-wrote the script with Christine Berg). From the film’s overtly dark tone, it is safe to assume McMurray is critical of the most brutal hazing rituals, even if he glorifies them with his camera. The...
“Burning Sands,” Gerard McMurray’s entry in the hazing canon, is set at a fictional Historically Black College (Hbcu) called Frederick Douglass University. McMurray, an associate producer on Ryan Coogler’s “Fruitvale Station,” draws from personal experience to make his directorial debut. (McMurray co-wrote the script with Christine Berg). From the film’s overtly dark tone, it is safe to assume McMurray is critical of the most brutal hazing rituals, even if he glorifies them with his camera. The...
- 1/27/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
It starts like some kind of violent ballet: A semicircle of shirtless young men scream at something on the ground offscreen, in slow motion and without a sound, veins popping out of their necks like roided-out riverbeds. We can't see the object of their animalistic aggression, but that's not the point. Drunk on testosterone and plain old drunk, the hulking boys are not predators huddled over a zebra carcass; they're fraternity gentlemen. Welcome to Pledge Week.
The alternately chilling and poetic interlude that opens Goat, director Andrew Neel's scandalizing...
The alternately chilling and poetic interlude that opens Goat, director Andrew Neel's scandalizing...
- 9/22/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Far removed from the days of Animal House, Andrew Neel’s Goat takes a look at the initiation process to enter a fraternity (aka hazing) and the strength and limits of loyalty. Led by pop-star-turned-actor Nick Jonas and Ben Schnetzer, with a cameo by producer James Franco, as evidenced in a new Nsfw trailer, the script is co-written by David Gordon Green.
We said in our review from Sundance this year: “Telling us little new about the horrors of hazing that Todd Phillips’ documentary Frat House didn’t already do at Sundance nearly two decades ago, Goat is a compelling watch, but in the end, its themes are a bit muddled, and certainly not unique.”
Check out the trailer and poster below for the film also starring Gus Halper, Danny Flaherty, Jake Picking, and Virginia Gardner.
Reeling from a terrifying assault over the summer 19-year-old Brad Land (Ben Schnetzer) starts...
We said in our review from Sundance this year: “Telling us little new about the horrors of hazing that Todd Phillips’ documentary Frat House didn’t already do at Sundance nearly two decades ago, Goat is a compelling watch, but in the end, its themes are a bit muddled, and certainly not unique.”
Check out the trailer and poster below for the film also starring Gus Halper, Danny Flaherty, Jake Picking, and Virginia Gardner.
Reeling from a terrifying assault over the summer 19-year-old Brad Land (Ben Schnetzer) starts...
- 9/6/2016
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Todd Phillips is vaping. At least, he was vaping when IndieWire sat down with the “War Dogs” helmer a few weeks back to talk about his latest feature, a fact-based film that leans far more towards the dramatic than the “Hangover”-esque antics most people expect from the guy who directed the actual “Hangover” trilogy. That Phillips vapes isn’t exactly shocking — again, there’s certainly an expectation of behavior when it comes to the filmmaker behind “Road Trip” and “Old School” — but his open nature and keen honesty about his own work is pleasantly refreshing.
Phillips doesn’t like to chat too much about future projects and things that might happen (and don’t even bother to mention the litany of projects that populate his IMDb profile’s “in development” section, he says most of them are not real) and he’s not especially interested in the narrative that...
Phillips doesn’t like to chat too much about future projects and things that might happen (and don’t even bother to mention the litany of projects that populate his IMDb profile’s “in development” section, he says most of them are not real) and he’s not especially interested in the narrative that...
- 8/19/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
"My whole life, even now, I'm attracted to mayhem," Todd Phillips is saying, feet resting on a spotless coffee table inside his spotless office on the Warner Bros. film-studio lot in Burbank, him having turned this lifelong attraction into so much money you can't believe it.
Take the three Hangover movies, from 2009 to 2013, all of which Phillips directed and two of which he co-wrote. Altogether, they've raked in $1.4 billion, with lunacy galore, chain-smoking monkeys, unexpected face tattoos, roofie-puffed marshmallows and so forth, ad nauseam. Crazy stuff, none of which would...
Take the three Hangover movies, from 2009 to 2013, all of which Phillips directed and two of which he co-wrote. Altogether, they've raked in $1.4 billion, with lunacy galore, chain-smoking monkeys, unexpected face tattoos, roofie-puffed marshmallows and so forth, ad nauseam. Crazy stuff, none of which would...
- 8/11/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Frequent collaborators Bradley Cooper and Todd Phillips will executive produce a TV series about Isis for HBO, Deadline reports. The miniseries will be based on Joby Warrick’s 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction book “Black Flags: The Rise Of Isis.” Tim Van Patten (“Game of Thrones,” “Boardwalk Empire”) is attached to direct and executive produce. Author Gregg Hurwitz is in the process adapting the book, and will also serve as an executive producer.
The series could be the first TV project for the pair’s production company Joint Effort, which they established together in 2014. The company’s first movie since Cooper and Phillips merged their Warner Bros.-based shingles is “War Dogs,” which hits theaters August 19.
Read More: Jonah Hill On ‘War Dogs’ and the Acting Advice Leonardo DiCaprio Gave Him
The series based on “Black Flags” will cover the origin story of Isis, which began in a prison in Jordan before...
The series could be the first TV project for the pair’s production company Joint Effort, which they established together in 2014. The company’s first movie since Cooper and Phillips merged their Warner Bros.-based shingles is “War Dogs,” which hits theaters August 19.
Read More: Jonah Hill On ‘War Dogs’ and the Acting Advice Leonardo DiCaprio Gave Him
The series based on “Black Flags” will cover the origin story of Isis, which began in a prison in Jordan before...
- 8/5/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
“Cruelty. Brutality. Fraternity.” This is the tagline for Andrew Neel’s Goat, a film focusing on the initiation process to enter a fraternity (aka hazing) and the strength and limits of loyalty. Led by pop-star-turned-actor Nick Jonas and Ben Schnetzer with a cameo by producer James Franco, the film has received its first trailer ahead of a fall release. With a script co-written by David Gordon Green, the preview is all fun and games until the horrors of abusive frat life take shape.
We said in our review from Sundance this year: “Telling us little new about the horrors of hazing that Todd Phillips’ documentary Frat House didn’t already do at Sundance nearly two decades ago, Goat is a compelling watch, but in the end, its themes are a bit muddled, and certainly not unique.”
Check out the trailer and poster below for the film also starring Gus Halper,...
We said in our review from Sundance this year: “Telling us little new about the horrors of hazing that Todd Phillips’ documentary Frat House didn’t already do at Sundance nearly two decades ago, Goat is a compelling watch, but in the end, its themes are a bit muddled, and certainly not unique.”
Check out the trailer and poster below for the film also starring Gus Halper,...
- 7/7/2016
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
There is something inherently frustrating about the prospect of university life. As a college student, you can feel as if you’re stuck in limbo. You’re obviously no longer a child as sex, drugs and alcohol pervade your everyday world, yet you’re not really an adult — totally free of the burdens of the 9-to-5 rat race for at least a few more years. A feeling of unease can fall over you, as there’s always a kegger or a party to attend while lovers change partners more often than bed-sheets.
Everybody Wants Some!!, the long-awaited spiritual sequel to Richard Linklater‘s classic comedy Dazed & Confused is now out in theaters. In the film, a college freshman (Blake Jenner) arrives at school to find that his new baseball teammates are an out-of-control, alcohol-fueled army of irresponsible party-dudes.
To celebrate, we compiled ten of the finest college movies, all ranging wildly in style and tone.
Everybody Wants Some!!, the long-awaited spiritual sequel to Richard Linklater‘s classic comedy Dazed & Confused is now out in theaters. In the film, a college freshman (Blake Jenner) arrives at school to find that his new baseball teammates are an out-of-control, alcohol-fueled army of irresponsible party-dudes.
To celebrate, we compiled ten of the finest college movies, all ranging wildly in style and tone.
- 4/6/2016
- by Tony Hinds
- The Film Stage
There are no volunteer events, community service or positive team-building exercises to be found in Goat. Director Andrew Neel is focused instead on the most vile tendencies related to frat life, notably hazing, but also the larger picture of the addictive cycle of mutually assured self-destruction. Zeroing in a perverse voyeurism of the degrading activities carried out, the environment effectively convinces even if the script (written by Neel, David Gordon Green and Mike Roberts) often comes up short.
Based on Brad Land‘s memoir, we first find Brad (Ben Schnetzer) leaving a party early, foolishly deciding to give two sketchy men a quick ride home. Things start to get uneasy as they drive far past the initially promised distance, and eventually, Brad gets beat to a pulp and his car stolen. Spending the summer healing, he contemplates going back to school at Brookman University (a fictitious place, but shot in Cincinnati,...
Based on Brad Land‘s memoir, we first find Brad (Ben Schnetzer) leaving a party early, foolishly deciding to give two sketchy men a quick ride home. Things start to get uneasy as they drive far past the initially promised distance, and eventually, Brad gets beat to a pulp and his car stolen. Spending the summer healing, he contemplates going back to school at Brookman University (a fictitious place, but shot in Cincinnati,...
- 1/25/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
After weeks of killing off characters like “That Lady” and “What’s-His-Face,” Tuesday’s Scream Queens finally murked a fan-favorite — or at least someone whose name we know.
VideosScream Queens Exclusive: Pete Joins the Kappas for a Round of Truth or Dare
Predatory Lez met her untimely demise at the hands of the Red Devil, following a game of Truth or Dare gone horribly wrong. Revealing that Chanel No. 3’s father is actually Charles freaking Manson earned Sam a one-way ticket to the Kappas’ basement of secrets, where she received the biggest surprise of all. (Surprise! You’re dead now!
VideosScream Queens Exclusive: Pete Joins the Kappas for a Round of Truth or Dare
Predatory Lez met her untimely demise at the hands of the Red Devil, following a game of Truth or Dare gone horribly wrong. Revealing that Chanel No. 3’s father is actually Charles freaking Manson earned Sam a one-way ticket to the Kappas’ basement of secrets, where she received the biggest surprise of all. (Surprise! You’re dead now!
- 10/21/2015
- TVLine.com
In the middle of a gender discrimination lawsuit, social media giant Twitter is now apologizing for throwing a fraternity-themed party for the company’s internal happy hour on Tuesday. Complete with a beer pong table, red Solo cups and a banner reading “Twitter Frat House” in Greek lettering, the party mimicked a frat house gathering, drawing criticism for reinforcing “brogrammer” culture and sexism within the tech industry. The photo was posted by a female employee and was subsequently picked up by the Global Tech Women Twitter account. Twitter was quick to apologize for the party’s theme, calling it “ill-chosen.
- 7/22/2015
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
All week long our writers will debate: Which was the greatest film year of the past half century. Check here for a complete list of our essays. Just one glance at the Oscar nominees for 1998 might make it seem less a questionable choice for “best year in film” — and more an insane one. Instead of a 1974 – The Godfather II, The Conversation, Chinatown, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, etc – or even a 1994, where Shawshank, Quiz Show, and Pulp Fiction lost to Gump – you choose a year where the Oscars would allow Roberto Benigni to climb atop both the figurative and literal chairs of the Shrine? Fine, step away from the Oscars. Would you still celebrate a year that saw not one, but two movies about asteroids threatening the Earth? A year that saw such scars carved across cinematic history as Patch Adams, My Giant, Stepmom, and Krippendorf’s Tribe? It bears repeating: Krippendorf’S Tribe?...
- 4/27/2015
- by Michael Oates Palmer
- Hitfix
Kathy Griffin is in talks to replace Joan Rivers on “Fashion Police” Griffin recently confirmed she had been offered the job, but said, “I don’t know if the situation is correct at this time for me or right for me at this time.” Jon Stewart to promote his new movie on “The O’Reilly Factor” After plugging “Rosewater” on CNN, Stewart will appear on another news network that he scorns, Fox News, on Friday. Plus: A look back at Stewart’s side projects, Stewart and Steve Carell had a sweet reunion last night on “The Daily Show,” and watch Stewart sing Taylor Swift. Amy Poehler and Lena Dunham sell almost same number of books Poehler’s “Yes Please” sold 37,000 vs. 38,000 for Dunham’s "Not That Kind of Girl” in their first week. Both are on par with Tina Fey’s “Bossypants,” which sold 38,000 in its first week. Click Read...
- 11/13/2014
- by Norman Weiss
- Hitfix
Class on a Friday? Never again.
College is for learning. And even if you new froshes of the 2014-2015 school year haven’t learned a damn thing in your Psych 101 class yet, here are 24 mistakes you’ve certainly learned from in your first month:
1. Scheduling a Discussion Section on Friday.
In college, the weekend officially starts on Thursday. There is nothing you’ll want to do less on Friday morning than sit in a room and talk about biology or whatever with your T.A.
2. Scheduling Any Classes on Friday.
Best to keep it Tuesday through Thursday, if possible.
3. Wearing Your Student ID on a Lanyard Around Your Neck.
The easiest way to be picked out as a freshman is to wear your ID and your keys on your college-issued lanyard, jinglin’ and janglin’ as you run around campus. Nobody does that. Put them in your backpack like a human being.
4. Assuming All Gen...
College is for learning. And even if you new froshes of the 2014-2015 school year haven’t learned a damn thing in your Psych 101 class yet, here are 24 mistakes you’ve certainly learned from in your first month:
1. Scheduling a Discussion Section on Friday.
In college, the weekend officially starts on Thursday. There is nothing you’ll want to do less on Friday morning than sit in a room and talk about biology or whatever with your T.A.
2. Scheduling Any Classes on Friday.
Best to keep it Tuesday through Thursday, if possible.
3. Wearing Your Student ID on a Lanyard Around Your Neck.
The easiest way to be picked out as a freshman is to wear your ID and your keys on your college-issued lanyard, jinglin’ and janglin’ as you run around campus. Nobody does that. Put them in your backpack like a human being.
4. Assuming All Gen...
- 9/29/2014
- Entertainment Tonight
Someone Drugged Johnny Knoxville At A Frat House ... so says Johnny Knoxville, but he ain't exactly complaining about it. Knoxville says someone slipped an ecstacy pill into his beer during a recent promo shoot for his new movie "Bad Grandpa" ... and during his drug-induced haze, he injured his hand. "I wasn't mad at all," Johnny said ... "I hadn't done it since my 20s and I was like 'this is awesome' ... and after that the wheels fell off.
- 10/17/2013
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
This summer on Syfy school is back in session with the premiere of the hair-raising docu-series
"School Spirits" on Wednesday, June 20th, at 10 Pm (Et/Pt), and we have a sneak peek look at Episode 1.01, "Sorority House Terror".
Synopsis:
"School Spirits" features chilling ghost stories from schools and universities across the country. Each tale is told through the first-person, eyewitness accounts of the students, alumni, faculty, and historians who experienced the unexplained often terrifying phenomena, along with chilling dramatic reenactments. Executive producers are Seth Jarrett and Julie Insogna of Jarrett Creative Group ("Celebrity Ghost Stories") and Mark Burnett ("The Voice", "Survivor").
The premiere season of "Schools Spirits" consists of six, one-hour episodes to air as follows:
Wednesday, June 20 @ 10Pm Et/Pt
Episode 1.01 “Sorority House Terror” (University of Michigan)
In 2006 a group of students at the University of Michigan move into their new sorority house – a huge old house located just off campus.
"School Spirits" on Wednesday, June 20th, at 10 Pm (Et/Pt), and we have a sneak peek look at Episode 1.01, "Sorority House Terror".
Synopsis:
"School Spirits" features chilling ghost stories from schools and universities across the country. Each tale is told through the first-person, eyewitness accounts of the students, alumni, faculty, and historians who experienced the unexplained often terrifying phenomena, along with chilling dramatic reenactments. Executive producers are Seth Jarrett and Julie Insogna of Jarrett Creative Group ("Celebrity Ghost Stories") and Mark Burnett ("The Voice", "Survivor").
The premiere season of "Schools Spirits" consists of six, one-hour episodes to air as follows:
Wednesday, June 20 @ 10Pm Et/Pt
Episode 1.01 “Sorority House Terror” (University of Michigan)
In 2006 a group of students at the University of Michigan move into their new sorority house – a huge old house located just off campus.
- 6/19/2012
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
The Hangover's Todd Phillips has directed movies that involve drunken nights of debauchery and craziness. Before he directed Old School, Road Trip, and produced Project X, Phillips got his start with documentaries. He directed the G.G. Allin documentary Hated, and then helmed Frat House for HBO.
The project was to be part of the network's American Undercover series. The doc debuted at Sundance in 1998, but was shelved after accusations that the events shown were staged. Frat House was co-directed by Andrew Gurland (The Virginity Hit), The movie has been online before, and it is once again available. Here is a description: Frat House purports to go deep into the unseen world of rush week and the hazing that involves new recruits. The sizzle part of the doc is when Phillips decides to pledge himself in order to accurately experience and document what rushes undergo in order to join a fraternity.
The project was to be part of the network's American Undercover series. The doc debuted at Sundance in 1998, but was shelved after accusations that the events shown were staged. Frat House was co-directed by Andrew Gurland (The Virginity Hit), The movie has been online before, and it is once again available. Here is a description: Frat House purports to go deep into the unseen world of rush week and the hazing that involves new recruits. The sizzle part of the doc is when Phillips decides to pledge himself in order to accurately experience and document what rushes undergo in order to join a fraternity.
- 3/7/2012
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
Restaurant chain Subway has selected the winners of its Subway Fresh Artists Filmmakers contest, featuring original series from USC and Nyu film schools. Last year, Tubefilter got a sneak peek at the inaugural winners at a private screening at the IFC Crossroads House at SXSW. My Damn Channel will again distribute the winning series and provide promotional and marketing support. Created and executed by Content & Co., the contest challenged students to develop a creative treatment for scripted episodic web series. A panel including industry-insiders James Widdoes (Director of Two and a Half Men) and Brian Baumgartner (Emmy Award-winning actor from NBC’s The Office) judged more than 50 submissions based on their creativity, brand personality, and strategic fit to the creative brief. The two winning series from USC are: The Ultimates – A rag-tag Ultimate Frisbee team gets a shot at greatness thanks to a little luck, a new recruit, and a steady Subway diet.
- 3/7/2012
- by Drew Baldwin
- Tubefilter.com
Star map from Prometheus
Photo: 20th Century Fox Yesterday I had some Prometheus viral news and today comes more with the star map you see above unveiled on the Weyland Industries site. You can get a hi-res look at the image by clicking the source link. [source] Speaking of viral sites, there's one for Men in Black III, but my god, do you really care? By the way, is Will Smith coming up with a new rap for this one? [source] I know none of you are surprised to hear Warner Bros. has set director Brad Peyton and writers Brian and Mark Gunn to return for Journey 3 after Journey 2: The Mysterious Island has already managed to bring in over $270 million worldwide. Producer Beau Flynn tells EW both Sean (Josh Hutcherson) and Hank (Dwayne Johnson) are "absolutely" returning for the new film as are the actors playing them with a targeted 2014 release.
Photo: 20th Century Fox Yesterday I had some Prometheus viral news and today comes more with the star map you see above unveiled on the Weyland Industries site. You can get a hi-res look at the image by clicking the source link. [source] Speaking of viral sites, there's one for Men in Black III, but my god, do you really care? By the way, is Will Smith coming up with a new rap for this one? [source] I know none of you are surprised to hear Warner Bros. has set director Brad Peyton and writers Brian and Mark Gunn to return for Journey 3 after Journey 2: The Mysterious Island has already managed to bring in over $270 million worldwide. Producer Beau Flynn tells EW both Sean (Josh Hutcherson) and Hank (Dwayne Johnson) are "absolutely" returning for the new film as are the actors playing them with a targeted 2014 release.
- 3/7/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Over the past few years, not only has director Todd Phillips become one of comedies biggest names, but his brand of debauchery-filled chuckles have become the stuff of cinematic gold. Be it The Hangover or its box office busting sequel, or his most beloved film, Old School, Phillips is a filmmaker that knows literally nothing else outside of pure unruliness. And if you know anything about his career, this shouldn’t come as any shock.
Read more on Watch: Todd Phillips’ canned HBO fraternity documentary Frat House...
Read more on Watch: Todd Phillips’ canned HBO fraternity documentary Frat House...
- 3/5/2012
- by Joshua Brunsting
- GordonandtheWhale
To say that Todd Phillips has had an ongoing cinematic interest in recklessness and debauchery would be an understatement. As the director of "The Hangover," "Old School," "Road Trip" and the producer behind this weekend's R-rated found footage teenage bacchanalia "Project X," there is no one who is perhaps more tuned in to hedonistic male desires. But even before he made it big, Phillips was exploring what drives young men to the extreme ends of drunkeness and sex.
The director got his start with the notorious G.G. Allin documentary "Hated," before moving over to HBO to helm "Frat House." Originally intended for the network's "American Undercover" series, the one-hour doc premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998 and following accusations that events in the movie were staged, it was permanently shelved. It has popped up online now and again over the years, and seems to have surfaced once more, and...
The director got his start with the notorious G.G. Allin documentary "Hated," before moving over to HBO to helm "Frat House." Originally intended for the network's "American Undercover" series, the one-hour doc premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998 and following accusations that events in the movie were staged, it was permanently shelved. It has popped up online now and again over the years, and seems to have surfaced once more, and...
- 3/5/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
This Friday, director Nima Nourizadeh's Project X brings a new twist to the "found footage" genre, purporting to be the assembled video footage of the most out-of-control party of all time. Jonathan Daniel Brown, Thomas Mann and Oliver Cooper star as Jb, Thomas and Costa, three high school friends who, with Jb's parents out of town, decide to throw a birthday party and document it as they go. Produced by The Hangover director Todd Phillips (and evoking his early documentary, Frat House ), Project X promises a hilariously depraved look at American youth. ComingSoon.net sat down to speak with Nourizadeh, Phillips and the cast (which also includes Kirby Bliss Blanton and Alexis Knapp) about the unusual approach to a high school sex comedy, capturing the reality...
- 2/28/2012
- Comingsoon.net
By now, we're not surprised when a Sundance Film Festival documentary finds controversy. In 1998 it was "Kurt and Courtney;" in 1998, "Frat House," in 2010 it was "Catfish." For 2012, it's Lauren Greenfield's "The Queen of Versailles," which has generated a lawsuit in advance of its opening-night premiere next Thursday. However, this year's plaintiff distinguished himself by not suing over the film, but over the online proliferation of the associated press release. Specifically, the complaint stems from the film's blurb contained in the announcement of the festival's selections. The festival press release describes the film as showing a journey of "rags to riches to rags." It's those last "rags," along with saying that their 90,00-square-foot residence was foreclosed, that have infuriated plaintiff David Siegel, owner of Florida-based Westgate Resorts, a timeshare and real estate...
- 1/12/2012
- Indiewire
Showtime has ordered pilots from "The Last Exorcism" co-writer Andrew Gurland, "The Pacific" writer-producer Michelle Ashford, and "Southland" creator and "Public Enemies" writer Ann Biderman, the network announced Monday. Gurland's project, "Gurland on Gurland," is a half-hour comedy about his real family life and career challenges. The filmmaker won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance for his first film, "Frat House," which he co-directed with "The Hangover"'s Todd Phillips. Glenn Gordon Caron ("Medium," "Moonlighting," "Now and Again") will executive produce the CBS Television Studios production. Ashford's pilot, "Masters of Sex," follows the...
- 8/22/2011
- by Tim Molloy
- The Wrap
The Hangover Part II may have had the biggest opening five-day haul of any comedy in history, but the collective Internet/media/ spectator-snark voice has spoken, and the verdict is not pretty. The Hangover Part II, it is said, reduces the first Hangover to a transparently contrived formula; it’s a cookie-cutter comedy, way too safe and pat; it doesn’t do anything that’s really unpredictable; it’s more of the same; and beyond that (did I mention this point yet?), it’s more of the same. To which I can only react by asking: And you were expecting the movie to be what,...
- 5/30/2011
- by Owen Gleiberman
- EW - Inside Movies
Frat House Massacre Rane Jameson is a young up and coming actor born on November 7th which makes him a Scorpio. Scorpio's are always the quiet, mysterious ones that have a slick facade in which their hiding some ulterior motive or got something going on inside their head. So it's no wonder that he has a quiet, brooding intensity about him on screen. Even when his character is quiet and doesn't have much to say, you can see there is something going on inside his head and you just want to pick apart his brain to figure out what secrets he is hiding. It's no wonder that Rane Jameson was able to hold his own against Jon Fleming in Frat House Massacre. With Frat House Massacre, Jon Fleming had the flashy role, the stand out role. What was surprising, was to see someone so new like Rane Jameson be able...
- 4/3/2011
- by Big Daddy aka Brandon Sites
- Big Daddy Horror Reviews - Interviews
In conversation with Movieline's Elvis Mitchell Friday at SXSW, director Todd Phillips talked all things Todd Phillips: His fascination with awkward male relationships, the status of The Hangover 2, how heartbroken he was when his HBO documentary Frat House was shelved by a lawsuit, and wise words he once received from James Cameron. And somewhere between sharing revelations from Due Date (a test of how forgiving an audience could be of Robert Downey Jr.) and expressing love for both Mel Gibson and Charlie Sheen (they're both "my boys"), Phillips accused Warner Bros. of violating DGA rules in the name of milking the home-video market.
- 3/13/2011
- Movieline
Hard details about "Project X," the Todd Phillips-godfathered comedy starring a largely unknown cast of college-age kids, have been hard to come by these past few months. In general terms, the plot seems to have at least some connective creative tissue with Phillips' 1998 documentary, "Frat House," but in late August he told us, "It's not necessarily a return to that but a fresh approach to a really f--ked up incident."
What exactly that incident is — and how it ties into the movie's much-hyped "high concept" — Phillips wouldn’t say. No one, really, knows what the heck the movie is about. But now MTV News has learned details about one of the characters, played by Miles Teller.
We caught up with Teller on the red carpet for "Rabbit Hole" and asked him about "Project X."
"I play a kid who graduated from the high school the year before, kind of like the cool guy,...
What exactly that incident is — and how it ties into the movie's much-hyped "high concept" — Phillips wouldn’t say. No one, really, knows what the heck the movie is about. But now MTV News has learned details about one of the characters, played by Miles Teller.
We caught up with Teller on the red carpet for "Rabbit Hole" and asked him about "Project X."
"I play a kid who graduated from the high school the year before, kind of like the cool guy,...
- 12/3/2010
- by Eric Ditzian
- MTV Movies Blog
Due Date
Over a decade ago, Todd Phillips co-created the New York Underground Film Festival. Those were the days when this event was really, really underground and almost too scary to attend. (Try sitting through Roadkill.) He went on to direct the highly entertaining Frat House for HBO, a "documentary" never to be released for the masses. Then he surprised everyone by becoming one of the most commercially profitable directors in America, with Road Trip, Old School, and The Hangover -- the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time -- under his belt.
read more...
Over a decade ago, Todd Phillips co-created the New York Underground Film Festival. Those were the days when this event was really, really underground and almost too scary to attend. (Try sitting through Roadkill.) He went on to direct the highly entertaining Frat House for HBO, a "documentary" never to be released for the masses. Then he surprised everyone by becoming one of the most commercially profitable directors in America, with Road Trip, Old School, and The Hangover -- the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time -- under his belt.
read more...
- 11/18/2010
- by Brandon Judell
- www.culturecatch.com
Due Date
Over a decade ago, Todd Phillips co-created the New York Underground Film Festival. Those were the days when this event was really, really underground and almost too scary to attend. (Try sitting through Roadkill.) He went on to direct the highly entertaining Frat House for HBO, a "documentary" never to be released for the masses. Then he surprised everyone by becoming one of the most commercially profitable directors in America, with Road Trip, Old School, and The Hangover -- the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time -- under his belt.
read more...
Over a decade ago, Todd Phillips co-created the New York Underground Film Festival. Those were the days when this event was really, really underground and almost too scary to attend. (Try sitting through Roadkill.) He went on to direct the highly entertaining Frat House for HBO, a "documentary" never to be released for the masses. Then he surprised everyone by becoming one of the most commercially profitable directors in America, with Road Trip, Old School, and The Hangover -- the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time -- under his belt.
read more...
- 11/18/2010
- by Brandon Judell
- www.culturecatch.com
Ed Helms and Todd Phillips on the set of The HangoverThe other day I was reading an article in Salon magazine. The article was titled "Why we need more 'adult' movies?" and it addressed the need for more films with themes that "kids won't understand" according to the author. Then he went on to sing the praises of two recent movies, The American with George Clooney and The Romantics with Katie Holmes. I have to say I agreed with the premise, we could use more films with adult themes, but I couldn't agree with what he was saying.
First of all, the author seemed to equate slow pacing with "adult", going so far as to cite a scene in The Romantics where the camera lingers on Anna Paquin for almost a minute. Slow does not mean adult. (Many of the comments left for the author echoed my sentiments as well...
First of all, the author seemed to equate slow pacing with "adult", going so far as to cite a scene in The Romantics where the camera lingers on Anna Paquin for almost a minute. Slow does not mean adult. (Many of the comments left for the author echoed my sentiments as well...
- 9/21/2010
- by Bill Cody
- Rope of Silicon
Congratulations to director Todd Phillips for winning the Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical Golden Globe for his hit film The Hangover. Phillips, it may not be popularly known by anyone other than regular readers of this site, holds a special place in the history of underground film as the co-founder of the New York Underground Film Festival in 1994.
Prior to that, Phillips directed the documentary Hated, about controversial punk rock musician and performance artist Gg Allin, who regularly defecated, urinated and self-mutilated himself live on stage. According to the book Deathtripping: The Extreme Underground, Phillips financed the film through cab driving, “credit card scams” and by selling an advance poster signed by convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Three days before the film’s NYC premiere, Allin died of a heroin overdose.
Upon completion, Hated screened at film festivals all over the world. Phillips was especially impressed and inspired...
Prior to that, Phillips directed the documentary Hated, about controversial punk rock musician and performance artist Gg Allin, who regularly defecated, urinated and self-mutilated himself live on stage. According to the book Deathtripping: The Extreme Underground, Phillips financed the film through cab driving, “credit card scams” and by selling an advance poster signed by convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Three days before the film’s NYC premiere, Allin died of a heroin overdose.
Upon completion, Hated screened at film festivals all over the world. Phillips was especially impressed and inspired...
- 1/18/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The trajectory of careers can be pretty fascinating. I remember when G.G. Allin was a Lower East Side punk rock performance freakshow, cutting himself on stage, fighting with audience members and threatening/promising to kill himself during one of his performances. Todd Phillips was attending Nyu Film School at the time and while a junior there made his debut feature, a documentary portrait of the performer entitled Hated: Gg Allin and the Murder Junkies (1994). He also, with Andrew Gurland, founded the New York Underground Film Festival, would go on to make with Gurland the controversial college hazing doc Frat House (1998) and then, just two years later, would make the very successful comedy Road Trip. There was also Old School (2003)...
- 6/26/2009
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
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