The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has wrapped for 2020, concluding a slate that featured more than 120 world and American premieres, panels, tributes, and education programs. The festival has announced its award winners for the 35th edition, including the Audience Award, which went to Richard Hobert’s “The Birdcatcher’s Son.”
The films were chosen by jury members Jason Baffa, Max Barbakow, Lisa Black, Alex Carter, Geoff Green, Paul Kurta, Perry Lang, Artie Schmidt, Rita Taggart, Diego Tinoco, John Williams, and Anthony and Arnette Zerbe.
Among those who received tributes and honors in their respective categories were Renée Zellweger (American Riviera Award), Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver (Outstanding Performers of the Year Award), Laura Dern (Cinema Vanguard Award), Brad Pitt (Maltin Modern Master Award), along with the winners of the Virtuosos Award: Awkwafina, Taron Egerton, Cynthia Erivo, Beanie Feldstein, Aldis Hodge, George MacKay, Florence Pugh, and Taylor Russell.
Other notable events included...
The films were chosen by jury members Jason Baffa, Max Barbakow, Lisa Black, Alex Carter, Geoff Green, Paul Kurta, Perry Lang, Artie Schmidt, Rita Taggart, Diego Tinoco, John Williams, and Anthony and Arnette Zerbe.
Among those who received tributes and honors in their respective categories were Renée Zellweger (American Riviera Award), Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver (Outstanding Performers of the Year Award), Laura Dern (Cinema Vanguard Award), Brad Pitt (Maltin Modern Master Award), along with the winners of the Virtuosos Award: Awkwafina, Taron Egerton, Cynthia Erivo, Beanie Feldstein, Aldis Hodge, George MacKay, Florence Pugh, and Taylor Russell.
Other notable events included...
- 1/25/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (Sbiff) announced on Saturday the winners of the 35th edition of the festival, which featured 47 world premieres and 71 U.S. premieres from 50 countries.
The festival’s top award, the audience choice award, went to Richard Hobert’s “The Birdcatcher’s Son.”
The winners were chosen by a jury consisting of Jason Baffa, Max Barbakow, Lisa Black, Alex Carter, Geoff Green, Paul Kurta, Perry Lang, Artie Schmidt, Rita Taggart, Diego Tinoco, John Williams, and Anthony & Arnette Zerbe.
“It’s been a wonderful 35 years celebrating international cinema as well as our local roots. We are grateful for all of the staff, volunteers, audiences and filmmakers that were able to join us at Sbiff to come together as a community to celebrate over 200 films – forge a sense of community and love that defies boundary,” Sbiff Executive Director Roger Durling.
In addition to the winners of the 35th festival,...
The festival’s top award, the audience choice award, went to Richard Hobert’s “The Birdcatcher’s Son.”
The winners were chosen by a jury consisting of Jason Baffa, Max Barbakow, Lisa Black, Alex Carter, Geoff Green, Paul Kurta, Perry Lang, Artie Schmidt, Rita Taggart, Diego Tinoco, John Williams, and Anthony & Arnette Zerbe.
“It’s been a wonderful 35 years celebrating international cinema as well as our local roots. We are grateful for all of the staff, volunteers, audiences and filmmakers that were able to join us at Sbiff to come together as a community to celebrate over 200 films – forge a sense of community and love that defies boundary,” Sbiff Executive Director Roger Durling.
In addition to the winners of the 35th festival,...
- 1/25/2020
- by Trey Williams
- The Wrap
From VancouverFilm.Net, here is the Vancouver Film Production Update for March 2019, including "Batwoman", "Frankenstein", "The Lost Boys" and a whole lot more:
Feature Film
Little Fish
Local Production Company: Little Fish Pictures Inc.
Director: Chad Hartigan
Producer: Chris Ferguson, Jesse Savath, Jj Dubois
Mar 11/19 - Apr 12/19
Playing With Fire
Local Production Company: Formula M Productions Inc.
Director: Andrew Fickman
Producer: Todd Garner, Sean Robins, Matt Dines
Feb 04/19 - Mar 29/19
The Boy II
Local Production Company: The Boy Film Productions Inc.
Director: William Brent Bell
Producer: Tom Rosenberg, Richard Wright, Gary Lucchesi
Jan 28/19 - Mar 08/19
To All The Boys 2
Local Production Company: All The Boys Productions Inc.
Director: Susan Johnson
Producer: Chris Foss
Mar 25/19 - May 06/19
TV Pilot
Batwoman
Local Production Company: Renraw Production Services Inc.
Director: Marcos Siega
Producer: Jae Marchant
Mar 04/19 - Mar 25/19
Frankenstein
Local Production Company: Vbc Pilot Productions Inc.
Director: Uta Briesewitz
Mar 19/19 - Apr 05/19
Next...
Feature Film
Little Fish
Local Production Company: Little Fish Pictures Inc.
Director: Chad Hartigan
Producer: Chris Ferguson, Jesse Savath, Jj Dubois
Mar 11/19 - Apr 12/19
Playing With Fire
Local Production Company: Formula M Productions Inc.
Director: Andrew Fickman
Producer: Todd Garner, Sean Robins, Matt Dines
Feb 04/19 - Mar 29/19
The Boy II
Local Production Company: The Boy Film Productions Inc.
Director: William Brent Bell
Producer: Tom Rosenberg, Richard Wright, Gary Lucchesi
Jan 28/19 - Mar 08/19
To All The Boys 2
Local Production Company: All The Boys Productions Inc.
Director: Susan Johnson
Producer: Chris Foss
Mar 25/19 - May 06/19
TV Pilot
Batwoman
Local Production Company: Renraw Production Services Inc.
Director: Marcos Siega
Producer: Jae Marchant
Mar 04/19 - Mar 25/19
Frankenstein
Local Production Company: Vbc Pilot Productions Inc.
Director: Uta Briesewitz
Mar 19/19 - Apr 05/19
Next...
- 3/1/2019
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
From VancouverFilm.Net, here is the Vancouver Film Production Update for February 2019, including "The Terror: Infamy", "The Man In The High Castle", "Lost In Space" and a whole lot more:
Feature Film
Playing With Fire
Local Production Company: Formula M Productions
Director: Andrew Fickman
Exec. Producer(s): Mark Moran
Feb 04/19 - Mar 29/19
Some Of Our Stallions
Local Production Company: Stallions Productions Inc.
Director: Carson Mell
Jan 28/19 - Feb 22/19
The Boy II
Local Production Company: The Boy Film Productions Inc.
Director: William Brent Bell
Producer: Tom Rosenberg, Richard Wright, Gary Lucchesi
Jan 28/19 - Mar 07/19
TV Pilot
Woke
Local Production Company: Pico Producitons (BC) Ltd.
Director: Maurice Marable
Jan 29/19 - Feb 06/19
TV Series
A Million Little Things - Season 1
Local Production Company: Stage 49 Ltd
Director: James Griffiths, Richard J. Lewis
Producer: Michael Lohmann
Jul 24/18 - Feb 04/19
Arrow - Season 7
Local Production Company: Beckmark Production Services Inc.
Director: Ruba Nadda, Marcus Stokes...
Feature Film
Playing With Fire
Local Production Company: Formula M Productions
Director: Andrew Fickman
Exec. Producer(s): Mark Moran
Feb 04/19 - Mar 29/19
Some Of Our Stallions
Local Production Company: Stallions Productions Inc.
Director: Carson Mell
Jan 28/19 - Feb 22/19
The Boy II
Local Production Company: The Boy Film Productions Inc.
Director: William Brent Bell
Producer: Tom Rosenberg, Richard Wright, Gary Lucchesi
Jan 28/19 - Mar 07/19
TV Pilot
Woke
Local Production Company: Pico Producitons (BC) Ltd.
Director: Maurice Marable
Jan 29/19 - Feb 06/19
TV Series
A Million Little Things - Season 1
Local Production Company: Stage 49 Ltd
Director: James Griffiths, Richard J. Lewis
Producer: Michael Lohmann
Jul 24/18 - Feb 04/19
Arrow - Season 7
Local Production Company: Beckmark Production Services Inc.
Director: Ruba Nadda, Marcus Stokes...
- 1/27/2019
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
From VancouverFilm.Net, here is the Vancouver Film Production Update for January 2019, including "Playing With Fire", "The 100", "The Terror" and a whole lot more:
Feature Film
Playing With Fire
Local Production Company: Formula M Productions
Director: Andrew Flickman
Exec. Producer(s): Mark Moran
Feb 04/19 - Mar 29/19
The Boy II
Local Production Company: The Boy Film Productions Inc.
Director: William Brent Bell
Exec. Producer(s): Jackie Shenoo
Jan 28/19 - Mar 07/19
TV Pilot
Woke
Local Production Company: Pico Producitons (BC) Ltd.
Director: Maurice Marable
Jan 29/19 - Feb 06/19
TV Series
A Million Little Things - Season 1
Local Production Company: Stage 49 Ltd
Director: James Griffiths, Richard J. Lewis
Producer: Michael Lohmann
Jul 24/18 - Feb 04/19
Arrow - Season 7
Local Production Company: Beckmark Production Services Inc.
Director: Marcus Stokes
Producer: Todd Pittson
Jul 06/18 - Apr 18/19
Charmed - Season 1
Local Production Company: First Cut Productions Inc.
Director: Brad Siberling, Melanie Mayron
Aug 13/18 - Jan...
Feature Film
Playing With Fire
Local Production Company: Formula M Productions
Director: Andrew Flickman
Exec. Producer(s): Mark Moran
Feb 04/19 - Mar 29/19
The Boy II
Local Production Company: The Boy Film Productions Inc.
Director: William Brent Bell
Exec. Producer(s): Jackie Shenoo
Jan 28/19 - Mar 07/19
TV Pilot
Woke
Local Production Company: Pico Producitons (BC) Ltd.
Director: Maurice Marable
Jan 29/19 - Feb 06/19
TV Series
A Million Little Things - Season 1
Local Production Company: Stage 49 Ltd
Director: James Griffiths, Richard J. Lewis
Producer: Michael Lohmann
Jul 24/18 - Feb 04/19
Arrow - Season 7
Local Production Company: Beckmark Production Services Inc.
Director: Marcus Stokes
Producer: Todd Pittson
Jul 06/18 - Apr 18/19
Charmed - Season 1
Local Production Company: First Cut Productions Inc.
Director: Brad Siberling, Melanie Mayron
Aug 13/18 - Jan...
- 12/30/2018
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Tfh Fearless Leader Joe Dante very astutely tip-toes around Larry Cohen’s stylistic filmmaking identity early on in King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen. Dante notes, “I would hardly call him the John Cassavetes of exploitation movies, but he does have a certain raw, visceral, realistic style.” Indeed, Larry Cohen’s signature film, Q: The Winged Serpent (1982), feels like what would happen if John Cassavetes directed a Ray Harryhausen film. And movie fans the world over are all the better for that most unlikely of authorial fusions!
For cineastes in La, King Cohen debuts Friday, July 20th, at Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre. There will be supplemental shows on the 23rd at the NoHo 7, and the Laemmle Monica on the 26th. It will expand to other select markets on July 27th (keep a sharp eye on the flick’s official site for further screening details). The...
For cineastes in La, King Cohen debuts Friday, July 20th, at Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre. There will be supplemental shows on the 23rd at the NoHo 7, and the Laemmle Monica on the 26th. It will expand to other select markets on July 27th (keep a sharp eye on the flick’s official site for further screening details). The...
- 7/19/2018
- by Alex Kirschenbaum
- Trailers from Hell
Deals close in Australia, Germany, Latin America.
Film Bridge International has sold multiple territories on An Interview With God starring Brenton Thwaites and David Strathairn after introducing the faith-based project to Cannes buyers last month.
Deals have closed for Germany (Ksm), Australia (Rialto Distribution), Latin America (Imagem Filmes Distribuidora), Philippines (Pioneer Films), and South Korea. (Breeze Pictures).
Film Bridge International chief Ellen Wander said she was in final negotiations with distributors for the UK, France, Benelux, South Africa, and Poland.
“The film resonated with the buyers,” Wander said. “It’s a beautiful story and the response was overwhelmingly positive. It...
Film Bridge International has sold multiple territories on An Interview With God starring Brenton Thwaites and David Strathairn after introducing the faith-based project to Cannes buyers last month.
Deals have closed for Germany (Ksm), Australia (Rialto Distribution), Latin America (Imagem Filmes Distribuidora), Philippines (Pioneer Films), and South Korea. (Breeze Pictures).
Film Bridge International chief Ellen Wander said she was in final negotiations with distributors for the UK, France, Benelux, South Africa, and Poland.
“The film resonated with the buyers,” Wander said. “It’s a beautiful story and the response was overwhelmingly positive. It...
- 6/19/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Film Bridge International has come on board to handle international rights for the faith-based drama An Interview With God starring Brenton Thwaites (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) and David Strathairn (Lincoln), for producers Fred Bernstein of Astute Films and Ken Aguado, who also scripted the project.
Perry Lang (Showtime’s Weeds) directs the movie about an up-and-coming journalist (Thwaites) who finds his world and faith increasingly challenged when he’s granted the interview of a lifetime – with someone who claims to be God (Strathairn).
Ellen S. Wander, CEO of Film Bridge, will be shopping the completed movie in Cannes next month and will show first footage ahead of the movie’s U.S. release this August via producers Astute Films. Executive producers include Rick Jackson and Paul Kurta. Co-producers are Dominique Telson, Harrison Powell, Lisa M. Jean, and Claudine Marrotte.
“Faith-based films are making an indelible impact in specialty box office.
Perry Lang (Showtime’s Weeds) directs the movie about an up-and-coming journalist (Thwaites) who finds his world and faith increasingly challenged when he’s granted the interview of a lifetime – with someone who claims to be God (Strathairn).
Ellen S. Wander, CEO of Film Bridge, will be shopping the completed movie in Cannes next month and will show first footage ahead of the movie’s U.S. release this August via producers Astute Films. Executive producers include Rick Jackson and Paul Kurta. Co-producers are Dominique Telson, Harrison Powell, Lisa M. Jean, and Claudine Marrotte.
“Faith-based films are making an indelible impact in specialty box office.
- 4/27/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Drama centres on journalist granted an interview with man claiming to be God.
Film Bridge International will handle international sales in Cannes on the faith-based drama An Interview With God starring Brenton Thwaites and David Strathairn.
Directed by Perry Lang and written by Ken Aguado, An Interview With God follows a journalist who is granted an interview with a man who claims to be God.
The cast includes Yael Grobglas, Hill Harper, and Charlbi Dean Kriek. The film is produced by Fred Bernstein of Astute Films and Aguado, and co-produced by Dominique Telson, Harrison Powell, Lisa M. Jean, and Claudine Marrotte.
Film Bridge International will handle international sales in Cannes on the faith-based drama An Interview With God starring Brenton Thwaites and David Strathairn.
Directed by Perry Lang and written by Ken Aguado, An Interview With God follows a journalist who is granted an interview with a man who claims to be God.
The cast includes Yael Grobglas, Hill Harper, and Charlbi Dean Kriek. The film is produced by Fred Bernstein of Astute Films and Aguado, and co-produced by Dominique Telson, Harrison Powell, Lisa M. Jean, and Claudine Marrotte.
- 4/26/2018
- by Jenn Sherman
- ScreenDaily
Welcome back for Day 9 of Daily Dead’s fourth annual Holiday Gift Guide, readers! Once again, our goal is to help you navigate through the horrors of the 2016 shopping season with our tips on unique gift ideas, and we’ll hopefully help you save a few bucks over the next few weeks, too. For today’s gift guide, we’re showcasing several of the amazing Arrow Video releases of 2016, and we're also featuring the work of IBTrav Illustration & Design, the Mondo soundtrack release for Deathgasm, more enamel pins, a book celebrating Marvel’s Doctor Strange, Horror LEGOs, recent Monster High releases, and so much more!
This year’s Holiday Gift Guide is sponsored by several amazing companies, including Mondo, Anchor Bay Entertainment, DC Entertainment, and Magnolia Home Entertainment, who have all donated an assortment of goodies to help get you into the spirit of the season. Daily Dead also recently...
This year’s Holiday Gift Guide is sponsored by several amazing companies, including Mondo, Anchor Bay Entertainment, DC Entertainment, and Magnolia Home Entertainment, who have all donated an assortment of goodies to help get you into the spirit of the season. Daily Dead also recently...
- 12/7/2016
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Larry Cohen is one of the great voices in genre cinema. As both a screenwriter, and later a director, Cohen is responsible for some of the best horror and B-movies of the ’70s and ‘80s, including Black Caesar, God Told Me To, Q: The Winged Serpent, and the It’s Alive and Maniac Cop franchises. He’s a wicked satirist and a political filmmaker, but he’s an entertainer first, and his work is always deceptively smart despite seeming silly or dopey on the surface. His 1985 horror comedy, The Stuff, fits that description perfectly.
A new dessert craze is sweeping America: it’s like ice cream, but not… it’s like yogurt, but not… it’s The Stuff. While shoppers clear it off store shelves by the cartful, the suffering ice cream industry hires corporate spy Mo Rutherford (Michael Moriarty, a regular collaborator with Cohen) to discover the source of...
A new dessert craze is sweeping America: it’s like ice cream, but not… it’s like yogurt, but not… it’s The Stuff. While shoppers clear it off store shelves by the cartful, the suffering ice cream industry hires corporate spy Mo Rutherford (Michael Moriarty, a regular collaborator with Cohen) to discover the source of...
- 5/6/2016
- by Patrick Bromley
- DailyDead
This third week of April has some exciting home entertainment offerings for us genre fans, including the special edition releases of two cult classics I adore, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and The Stuff. An indie film I’ve been hearing about for a while now, Grimewave, also makes its way to DVD this Tuesday and while it may not be traditional horror, Oscar-winner The Revenant certainly has enough badassery contained within its cinematic frames to be worthy of mentioning this week, and it arrives on both Blu-ray and DVD on April 19th.
Other notable releases this week include Smothered (which features a ton of horror icons and was directed by John Schneider of Smallville and Dukes of Hazzard fame), 15 Till Midnight, Classroom 6, Ip Man 3, German Angst and She Wolf Rising.
Grimewave (Wild Eye Raw, DVD)
When the legendary, unstoppable serial killer Cfk stumbles upon a drug deal, he accidentally...
Other notable releases this week include Smothered (which features a ton of horror icons and was directed by John Schneider of Smallville and Dukes of Hazzard fame), 15 Till Midnight, Classroom 6, Ip Man 3, German Angst and She Wolf Rising.
Grimewave (Wild Eye Raw, DVD)
When the legendary, unstoppable serial killer Cfk stumbles upon a drug deal, he accidentally...
- 4/19/2016
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Forget Caltiki and forget The Blob: 'The Stuff' doesn't eat you, you eat it! Larry Cohen takes a page from Professor Quatermass for this satirical slap at blind consumerism and unregulated commerce, in a thriller packed with ooky glob-monsters and people hollowed out like Halloween pumpkins. It's the smart side of '80s sci-fi: Cohen knows how to make the genre sustain his anti-establishment themes. The Stuff Blu-ray Arrow Video (Us) 1985 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 87 min. / Street Date April 19, 2016 / Available from Amazon / 39.95 Starring Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Garrett Morris, Paul Sorvino, Scott Bloom, Danny Aiello, Patrick O'Neal, Alexander Scourby, Harry Bellaver, Rutanya Alda, Brooke Adams, Laurene Landon, Tammy Grimes, Abe Vigoda, Clara Peller, Patrick Dempsey, Mira Sorvino, Eric Bogosian. Cinematography Paul Glickman Makeup Effects Ed French, Michael Maddi, Steve Neill, Kim Robinson, Rick Stratton, Craig Lyman Editor Armond Lebowitz Original Music Anthony Guefen Produced by Paul Kurta Written and...
- 4/5/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
It doesn't leave stains, it tastes great... and it slithers behind the refrigerator door. Last year, The Stuff celebrated its 30th birthday, and now Arrow Video has announced that Larry Cohen’s beloved cult classic will at long last hit Us shores on Blu-ray, along with The Black Cat and Bride of Re-Animator.
From Arrow Video: "The Stuff (Arrow Video) Blu-ray
Enough Is Never Enough!
North American pre-orders links should be live soon!
Release Date: 19th April
Region: A
Are you eating it ...or is it eating you?
The Stuff is the new dessert taking supermarket shelves by storm. It’s delicious, low in calories and – better still – doesn’t stain the family carpet… What’s not to like?! Well, for a start it has a life of its own, and we’re not talking friendly live bacteria…
Young Jason seems to be the only one who doesn’t...
From Arrow Video: "The Stuff (Arrow Video) Blu-ray
Enough Is Never Enough!
North American pre-orders links should be live soon!
Release Date: 19th April
Region: A
Are you eating it ...or is it eating you?
The Stuff is the new dessert taking supermarket shelves by storm. It’s delicious, low in calories and – better still – doesn’t stain the family carpet… What’s not to like?! Well, for a start it has a life of its own, and we’re not talking friendly live bacteria…
Young Jason seems to be the only one who doesn’t...
- 1/12/2016
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Arrow Video is excited to announce the UK Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD release of the 1985 cult horror classic The Stuff, available to own in the UK from March 10, 2014. Coming courtesy of horror auteur Larry Cohen (director of the It’s Alive series and scribe behind the Maniac Cop trilogy), The Stuff is a titillating treat for the taste-buds which blends elements of films such as Street Trash with the straight-up B-movie flavour of The Blob. Featuring a bumper crop of bonus features such as documentary Can’t Get Enough of The Stuff: Making Larry Cohen’s Classic Creature Feature, an all-new 52-minute documentary featuring director Larry Cohen, producer Paul Kurta, actress Andrea Marcovicci, Steve Neill (mechanical makeup effects) and Kim Newman. Alongside this, the disc will also feature an introduction and trailer commentary by director and The Stuff fan Darren Bousman (Saw II, Saw III). Synopsis: The Stuff is...
- 2/13/2014
- 24framespersecond.net
Are you a fan of Larry Cohen’s subversively wacko 1985 killer yogurt flick The Stuff and have been dying for it to get a Blu-ray release? There’s good news for you, but only if you’re British or have a region-free Blu-ray player.
For our friends across the pond and the fiends here at home with region-free capabilities that can’t get enough of The Stuff, the one-of-a-kind deadly dessert social satire is bowing on Blu-ray March 10th courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.
Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Garrett Morris, Paul Sorvino, and Danny Aiello star in this Larry Cohen (Q, The Winged Serpent, the It’s Alive trilogy) flick that is uniquely one of a kind.
Synopsis:
The Stuff is the new dessert taking supermarket shelves by storm. It's delicious, low in calories, and – better still – doesn't stain the family carpet… What's not to like?! Well, for a...
For our friends across the pond and the fiends here at home with region-free capabilities that can’t get enough of The Stuff, the one-of-a-kind deadly dessert social satire is bowing on Blu-ray March 10th courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.
Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Garrett Morris, Paul Sorvino, and Danny Aiello star in this Larry Cohen (Q, The Winged Serpent, the It’s Alive trilogy) flick that is uniquely one of a kind.
Synopsis:
The Stuff is the new dessert taking supermarket shelves by storm. It's delicious, low in calories, and – better still – doesn't stain the family carpet… What's not to like?! Well, for a...
- 2/12/2014
- by Foywonder
- DreadCentral.com
'Echo' Finds High Notes / Doo-wop-themed drama manages a certain poignancy depite its blatant manipulation
By David Hunter
Martin Davidson, director of "Eddie and the Cruisers" and "The Lords of Flatbush", takes us on another nostalgic cruise in the doo-wop-themed "Looking for an Echo". His angle is to set the story in present times, with Armand Assante starring as Vince, who once upon a time fronted a local band that had a few hits and then faded away.
A Regent Entertainment release with no enticements for viewers under 40, except perhaps the presence of likable heartthrob Edoardo Ballerini ("The Last Days of Disco"), "Echo" is a scattershot success at best and deliriously pumped up with its own sense of importance at worst.
Bartender, part-time musician and bus-riding lonely heart, Vince is depressed and not much of a talker. He's never gotten over the death of his wife 10 years ago, and pays close attention to his three children, including two grown sons and a daughter suffering from leukemia. A chip off the old block, Anthony (Ballerini) is a musician and unabashed fan of Vince's old group Vinnie and the Dreamers. Older brother Tommy (David Vadim) is a New York cop with a mild mean streak.
It's through frequent visits to the hospital that Vince resurrects his romantic nature with the enthusiastically available Joanne (Diane Venora), one of the nurses attending his seriously ill daughter, Tina (Christy Romano).
With a little help from Anthony, who croons Dad's biggest hit, "This I Swear", at a rock show they drop by for, Vince and Joanne have a long and successful first date.
Approaching 50 -- and passing it during the course of the movie -- Vince is bitter about the long-ago days when he fronted a band of "losers" that got shafted out of the big bucks. But with Joanne drawing him out of his funk, Vince goes along on a trip to Atlantic City, N.J., with former Dreamers bandmates, including Vic (Joe Grifasi). They have a swell time, Tina's condition goes from worse to better, and Anthony composes a new song that marks the passing of the teeny-bopper musical mojo from one generation to the next.
Executive produced by Steve Tisch ("Forrest Gump") and featuring music wrangling by Kenny Vance -- of Jay and the Americans fame as well as the creator of soundtracks for many films, including "American Hot Wax" and "Eddie and the Cruisers" -- "Echo" is thoroughly manipulative. But Assante and Venora, in fine performances, are well-matched, while the common experience of taking years to rebound from life's disappointments and tragedies leads to a warm, heartfelt atmosphere with the comfortableness of a slow air by one of the a cappella groups that inspired the filmmakers.
LOOKING FOR AN ECHO
Regent Entertainment
Steve Tisch/Paul Kurta
Credits: Director: Martin Davidson; Screenwriters: Jeffrey Goldenberg, Robert Held, Martin Davidson; Producers: Paul Kurta, Martin Davidson; Executive producer: Steve Tisch; Director of photography: Charles Minsky; Editor: Jerrold Ludwig; Costume designer: Sandy Davidson; Music: Kenny Vance. Cast: Vince: Armand Assante; Joanne: Diane Venora; Anthony: Edoardo Ballerini; Tina: Christy Romano; Vic: Joe Grifasi; Tommie: David Vadim. MPAA rating: R. Running time - 97 minutes. Color/stereo.
By David Hunter
Martin Davidson, director of "Eddie and the Cruisers" and "The Lords of Flatbush", takes us on another nostalgic cruise in the doo-wop-themed "Looking for an Echo". His angle is to set the story in present times, with Armand Assante starring as Vince, who once upon a time fronted a local band that had a few hits and then faded away.
A Regent Entertainment release with no enticements for viewers under 40, except perhaps the presence of likable heartthrob Edoardo Ballerini ("The Last Days of Disco"), "Echo" is a scattershot success at best and deliriously pumped up with its own sense of importance at worst.
Bartender, part-time musician and bus-riding lonely heart, Vince is depressed and not much of a talker. He's never gotten over the death of his wife 10 years ago, and pays close attention to his three children, including two grown sons and a daughter suffering from leukemia. A chip off the old block, Anthony (Ballerini) is a musician and unabashed fan of Vince's old group Vinnie and the Dreamers. Older brother Tommy (David Vadim) is a New York cop with a mild mean streak.
It's through frequent visits to the hospital that Vince resurrects his romantic nature with the enthusiastically available Joanne (Diane Venora), one of the nurses attending his seriously ill daughter, Tina (Christy Romano).
With a little help from Anthony, who croons Dad's biggest hit, "This I Swear", at a rock show they drop by for, Vince and Joanne have a long and successful first date.
Approaching 50 -- and passing it during the course of the movie -- Vince is bitter about the long-ago days when he fronted a band of "losers" that got shafted out of the big bucks. But with Joanne drawing him out of his funk, Vince goes along on a trip to Atlantic City, N.J., with former Dreamers bandmates, including Vic (Joe Grifasi). They have a swell time, Tina's condition goes from worse to better, and Anthony composes a new song that marks the passing of the teeny-bopper musical mojo from one generation to the next.
Executive produced by Steve Tisch ("Forrest Gump") and featuring music wrangling by Kenny Vance -- of Jay and the Americans fame as well as the creator of soundtracks for many films, including "American Hot Wax" and "Eddie and the Cruisers" -- "Echo" is thoroughly manipulative. But Assante and Venora, in fine performances, are well-matched, while the common experience of taking years to rebound from life's disappointments and tragedies leads to a warm, heartfelt atmosphere with the comfortableness of a slow air by one of the a cappella groups that inspired the filmmakers.
LOOKING FOR AN ECHO
Regent Entertainment
Steve Tisch/Paul Kurta
Credits: Director: Martin Davidson; Screenwriters: Jeffrey Goldenberg, Robert Held, Martin Davidson; Producers: Paul Kurta, Martin Davidson; Executive producer: Steve Tisch; Director of photography: Charles Minsky; Editor: Jerrold Ludwig; Costume designer: Sandy Davidson; Music: Kenny Vance. Cast: Vince: Armand Assante; Joanne: Diane Venora; Anthony: Edoardo Ballerini; Tina: Christy Romano; Vic: Joe Grifasi; Tommie: David Vadim. MPAA rating: R. Running time - 97 minutes. Color/stereo.
- 11/14/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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