The DGA’s Women’s Steering Committee (Wsc) has announced the 2023 class of its Wsc Squad Mentorship Program. The latest class, which began in September, pairs 13 mid-career directors with well-established director-mentors.
“It is always exciting to kick off another year of the Wsc Mentorship Program,” said Shaz Bennett, cochair of the DGA’s Women’s Steering Committee. “The Wsc remains inspired by our community of mentors and mentees who have come together, united by a shared purpose — to uplift and empower one another. By joining forces on this journey of guidance and encouragement, we can all accomplish more than any one of us could alone. I can’t wait to see how these talented women lift each other up.”
The Wsc Squad Mentorship Program is led by directors DeMane Davis, Ashley Eakin, Morenike Joela Evans, Marie Jamora, Jen McGowan, and Rachel Raimist. The Wsc is cochaired by directors Shaz Bennett and Valerie Weiss,...
“It is always exciting to kick off another year of the Wsc Mentorship Program,” said Shaz Bennett, cochair of the DGA’s Women’s Steering Committee. “The Wsc remains inspired by our community of mentors and mentees who have come together, united by a shared purpose — to uplift and empower one another. By joining forces on this journey of guidance and encouragement, we can all accomplish more than any one of us could alone. I can’t wait to see how these talented women lift each other up.”
The Wsc Squad Mentorship Program is led by directors DeMane Davis, Ashley Eakin, Morenike Joela Evans, Marie Jamora, Jen McGowan, and Rachel Raimist. The Wsc is cochaired by directors Shaz Bennett and Valerie Weiss,...
- 10/5/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: We hear that Kris Rey is set to direct Sooner or Later, a romantic comedy that’s early in the works at 20th Century Studios from scribe Tess Morris and produced by Logan‘s Scott Frank.
Sooner or Later focuses on Nora, a cynical British journalist who is hired to write a puff piece for a legendary Hollywood playboy attempting to reinvent his image.
Rey’s most recent comedy feature I Used To Go Here premiered at SXSW in 2020 and starred Gillian Jacobs and Jemaine Clement. The pic was acquired stateside by Gravitas Ventures. Previously, she wrote and directed the feature Unexpected, which premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and stars Cobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean, and Elizabeth McGovern.
Up next on the feature side, Rey is attached to direct Higher Ground, a natural disaster rom-com written by Olivia Wolfe and Neel Shah. Dave Bernad and Ruben Fleischer are producing.
Sooner or Later focuses on Nora, a cynical British journalist who is hired to write a puff piece for a legendary Hollywood playboy attempting to reinvent his image.
Rey’s most recent comedy feature I Used To Go Here premiered at SXSW in 2020 and starred Gillian Jacobs and Jemaine Clement. The pic was acquired stateside by Gravitas Ventures. Previously, she wrote and directed the feature Unexpected, which premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and stars Cobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean, and Elizabeth McGovern.
Up next on the feature side, Rey is attached to direct Higher Ground, a natural disaster rom-com written by Olivia Wolfe and Neel Shah. Dave Bernad and Ruben Fleischer are producing.
- 12/7/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
America has officially celebrated Women’s History month since the 1980s when a feminist surge for equal job opportunities and education blossomed out of local celebrations and the International Women’s Day holiday, as well as Women’s History Week. And for the entire month of March, the streaming service HBO Max is celebrating Women’s History Month with programming devoted entirely to stories about women.
HBO Max is stacked with movies and shows that show complex female leads, and along with their spotlight page offerings, HBO is offering a first ever in-app trivia experience to celebrate the event. The HBO Max Women’s History Month Trivia tray allows fans to discover entertainment milestones that all involve women. To reveal the answer, viewers can simply click or tap the tile.
HBO Max has curated a list of films, TV shows and documentaries that reflect empowering and challenging female characters, overlooked and underrated performances,...
HBO Max is stacked with movies and shows that show complex female leads, and along with their spotlight page offerings, HBO is offering a first ever in-app trivia experience to celebrate the event. The HBO Max Women’s History Month Trivia tray allows fans to discover entertainment milestones that all involve women. To reveal the answer, viewers can simply click or tap the tile.
HBO Max has curated a list of films, TV shows and documentaries that reflect empowering and challenging female characters, overlooked and underrated performances,...
- 3/2/2022
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
“Community” and “Love” star Gillian Jacobs and “Aladdin” break-out Marwan Kenzari are set to lead Berlin-set romantic comedy “Any Other Night.”
Written by Patrick Whistler and directed by Michiel Ten Horn, the comedy follows two strangers thrown together as their lives are falling apart. Freshly dumped Maggie (Jacobs) and flailing cab driver Max (Kenzari) meet the night of a crippling transit strike, with the latter loading all of Maggie’s worldly possessions into the back of his decrepit van-cab. What should have been a simple fare becomes a wild, late-night odyssey.
“Any Other Night” is produced by Mike MacMillan of Lithium Studios, the outfit behind Cannes Director’s Fortnight selection “Mobile Homes,” alongside Sol Bondy of One Two Films (“The Tale”). Todd Brown of XYZ Films executive produces the film with XYZ handling sales.
The film marks the first English-language effort from acclaimed Dutch helmer Michiel Ten Horn (one of...
Written by Patrick Whistler and directed by Michiel Ten Horn, the comedy follows two strangers thrown together as their lives are falling apart. Freshly dumped Maggie (Jacobs) and flailing cab driver Max (Kenzari) meet the night of a crippling transit strike, with the latter loading all of Maggie’s worldly possessions into the back of his decrepit van-cab. What should have been a simple fare becomes a wild, late-night odyssey.
“Any Other Night” is produced by Mike MacMillan of Lithium Studios, the outfit behind Cannes Director’s Fortnight selection “Mobile Homes,” alongside Sol Bondy of One Two Films (“The Tale”). Todd Brown of XYZ Films executive produces the film with XYZ handling sales.
The film marks the first English-language effort from acclaimed Dutch helmer Michiel Ten Horn (one of...
- 5/6/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
One of the more interesting pandemic-era film narratives to emerge, Jeff Baena’s Showtime series “Cinema Toast,” reconditions classic film footage from the public domain, overlaying new dialogue and situations to create new hybrid shorts, landing somewhere between “Mystery Science 3000” and the early 2000s show “Mxc.” Produced by The Duplass Brothers, and featuring a host of famous indie directors – including Baena, Alex Ross Perry, David Lowery, Kris Rey, Aubrey Plaza, among others – “Cinema Toast” is fascinating, but oftentimes hit or miss, as each episode wildly careens through interests, genres, and even forms with decidedly mixed results and no episode-to-episode continuity.
Continue reading ‘Cinema Toast’ Is An Odd, Absurd Pandemic-Era Diversion [Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Cinema Toast’ Is An Odd, Absurd Pandemic-Era Diversion [Review] at The Playlist.
- 4/30/2021
- by Christian Gallichio
- The Playlist
Showtime has ordered the anthology series “Cinema Toast” from creator Jeff Baena and executive producers the Duplass brothers.
The series is described as a post-modernist reinvention of older movies that turns pre-existing imagery from the public domain on its head to tell brand new unique stories. It will feature the voices of actors like Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Fred Armisen, John Early, Christina Ricci, Megan Mullally, Chloe Fineman and Chris Meloni. Directors include Baena, Jay Duplass, Mel Eslyn, Alex Ross Perry, Marta Cunningham, Aubrey Plaza, Numa Perrier, Jordan Firstman, Kris Rey and David Lowery. Showtime has ordered 10 episodes, which will premiere all at once on Showtime on-demand streaming and partner platforms on April 20.
Episodes will cover a range of genres, including horror, comedy, and drama. Plaza’s psychological thriller “Quiet Illness” pieces together footage of Loretta Young to create a portrait of an emotionally tortured modern woman, while Cunningham’s...
The series is described as a post-modernist reinvention of older movies that turns pre-existing imagery from the public domain on its head to tell brand new unique stories. It will feature the voices of actors like Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Fred Armisen, John Early, Christina Ricci, Megan Mullally, Chloe Fineman and Chris Meloni. Directors include Baena, Jay Duplass, Mel Eslyn, Alex Ross Perry, Marta Cunningham, Aubrey Plaza, Numa Perrier, Jordan Firstman, Kris Rey and David Lowery. Showtime has ordered 10 episodes, which will premiere all at once on Showtime on-demand streaming and partner platforms on April 20.
Episodes will cover a range of genres, including horror, comedy, and drama. Plaza’s psychological thriller “Quiet Illness” pieces together footage of Loretta Young to create a portrait of an emotionally tortured modern woman, while Cunningham’s...
- 4/12/2021
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Showtime has ordered a new anthology series, Cinema Toast, created by Jeff Baena (The Little Hours) and produced by the Duplass Brothers (Room 104), set to stream later this month. The series is described as a post-modernist reinvention of older movies that turns pre-existing imagery from the public domain on its head to tell new unique stories. All 10 episodes of Cinema Toast will premiere on Showtime’s on-demand streaming and partner platforms on Tuesday, April 20.
Directors of the series include Baena, Jay Duplass, Mel Eslyn, Alex Ross Perry, Marta Cunningham, Aubrey Plaza, Numa Perrier, Jordan Firstman, Kris Rey and David Lowery. The episodes are voiced by actors including Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Fred Armisen, John Early, Christina Ricci, Megan Mullally, Chloe Fineman and Chris Meloni.
“When the pandemic first hit and all paths to traditional production seemed unlikely at best, I racked my brain to find a way to still create,...
Directors of the series include Baena, Jay Duplass, Mel Eslyn, Alex Ross Perry, Marta Cunningham, Aubrey Plaza, Numa Perrier, Jordan Firstman, Kris Rey and David Lowery. The episodes are voiced by actors including Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Fred Armisen, John Early, Christina Ricci, Megan Mullally, Chloe Fineman and Chris Meloni.
“When the pandemic first hit and all paths to traditional production seemed unlikely at best, I racked my brain to find a way to still create,...
- 4/12/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Amazon Studios has signed on to finance and distribute the Hannah Marks-directed father-daughter adventure dramedy Don’t Make Me Go starring John Cho.
The script for Don’t Make Me Go was written by Vera Herbert (This Is Us) and originated as a spec script that landed on the 2012 Black List. Herbert will also executive produce.
Don’t Make Me Go follows a single father who takes his teenage daughter on a road trip to find her estranged mother, as he tries to teach her everything she might need to know for the rest of her life along the way.
Cho recently wrapped production on the first season of the live-action series Cowboy Bebop for Netflix. Based on the popular original Japanese animated series from 1997, Cho will star as the impossibly cool bounty hunter Spike Spiegel. He also lent his voice to the Oscar-nominated...
The script for Don’t Make Me Go was written by Vera Herbert (This Is Us) and originated as a spec script that landed on the 2012 Black List. Herbert will also executive produce.
Don’t Make Me Go follows a single father who takes his teenage daughter on a road trip to find her estranged mother, as he tries to teach her everything she might need to know for the rest of her life along the way.
Cho recently wrapped production on the first season of the live-action series Cowboy Bebop for Netflix. Based on the popular original Japanese animated series from 1997, Cho will star as the impossibly cool bounty hunter Spike Spiegel. He also lent his voice to the Oscar-nominated...
- 3/24/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Afrofuturism
Curated by Ashley Clark, The Criterion Channel is putting the spotlight on Afrofuturism in a new series exploring, as Ytasha Womack writes, films that “combine elements of science fiction, historical fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy, Afrocentricity, and magic realism with non-Western beliefs.” Along with a handful of shorts, the features include Space Is the Place (1974), Born in Flames (1983), The Brother from Another Planet (1984), Ornette: Made in America (1985), Yeelen (1987), Welcome II the Terrordome (1995), The Last Angel of History (1996), An Oversimplification of Her Beauty (2012), White Out, Black In (2014), Crumbs (2015), Once There Was Brasilia (2017), and Supa Modo (2018).
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
City Hall (Frederick Wiseman)
In the opening shot of Frederick Wiseman’s National Gallery,...
Afrofuturism
Curated by Ashley Clark, The Criterion Channel is putting the spotlight on Afrofuturism in a new series exploring, as Ytasha Womack writes, films that “combine elements of science fiction, historical fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy, Afrocentricity, and magic realism with non-Western beliefs.” Along with a handful of shorts, the features include Space Is the Place (1974), Born in Flames (1983), The Brother from Another Planet (1984), Ornette: Made in America (1985), Yeelen (1987), Welcome II the Terrordome (1995), The Last Angel of History (1996), An Oversimplification of Her Beauty (2012), White Out, Black In (2014), Crumbs (2015), Once There Was Brasilia (2017), and Supa Modo (2018).
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
City Hall (Frederick Wiseman)
In the opening shot of Frederick Wiseman’s National Gallery,...
- 12/25/2020
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
A stressed-out first-time author has unexpected lessons to learn when she is invited to speak at her alma mater
Film-maker and actor Kris Rey is the cream of the mumblecore generation. Her 2009 debut about young Americans travelling and looking for new experiences in Costa Rica deserves attention simply due to its genius title: It Was Great, But I Was Ready to Come Home. Now she has made a beguiling comedy of manners: exquisitely awkward and painful, but also with a lovably broad streak of farcical absurdity.
Gillian Jacobs is Kate, a thirtysomething woman who is intensely stressed because her first novel has just been published and also because her relationship has collapsed. In this crisis of self-belief, she is flatteringly invited to return to her old college to give a reading and meet students – the invitation coming from her creepy (and married) former creative-writing professor David, tremendously played by Jemaine Clement.
Film-maker and actor Kris Rey is the cream of the mumblecore generation. Her 2009 debut about young Americans travelling and looking for new experiences in Costa Rica deserves attention simply due to its genius title: It Was Great, But I Was Ready to Come Home. Now she has made a beguiling comedy of manners: exquisitely awkward and painful, but also with a lovably broad streak of farcical absurdity.
Gillian Jacobs is Kate, a thirtysomething woman who is intensely stressed because her first novel has just been published and also because her relationship has collapsed. In this crisis of self-belief, she is flatteringly invited to return to her old college to give a reading and meet students – the invitation coming from her creepy (and married) former creative-writing professor David, tremendously played by Jemaine Clement.
- 9/10/2020
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm on August 6th, 2020, reviewing the new films “I Used to Go There” and “Creem: America’s Only Rock ’N’ Roll Magazine.”
Rating: 3.0/5.0
I Used to Go Here Directed by Chicagoan Kris Rey, and featuring Gillian Jacobs (“Community”), “Go Here” is a look at sorta mid-life crisis, as Jacobs portrays a 35-year-old novelist going back to her alma mater for a reading. There she encounters her first writing instructor (Jermaine Clement of “Flight of the Concords”) and some college kids giving her a taste of her own school day partying and nostalgia. It’s currently available on streaming platforms through “Virtual” Theaters and Limited actual theaters. 3/5 stars. Locally, it’s available for virtual download through MusicBoxTheatre.com.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Creem: America’s Only Rock ’N’ Roll Magazine This “Rock Doc” focuses on an upstart magazine from the 1960s and ‘70s called Creem,...
Rating: 3.0/5.0
I Used to Go Here Directed by Chicagoan Kris Rey, and featuring Gillian Jacobs (“Community”), “Go Here” is a look at sorta mid-life crisis, as Jacobs portrays a 35-year-old novelist going back to her alma mater for a reading. There she encounters her first writing instructor (Jermaine Clement of “Flight of the Concords”) and some college kids giving her a taste of her own school day partying and nostalgia. It’s currently available on streaming platforms through “Virtual” Theaters and Limited actual theaters. 3/5 stars. Locally, it’s available for virtual download through MusicBoxTheatre.com.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Creem: America’s Only Rock ’N’ Roll Magazine This “Rock Doc” focuses on an upstart magazine from the 1960s and ‘70s called Creem,...
- 8/13/2020
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Kris Rey and Gillian Jacobs make for a formidable duo in Rey’s latest film “I Used to Go Here.” A film about a woman in her early 30’s being asked to speak at her alma mater, the film explores the idea of difficult dreams and what if’s while also offering a realistic look at nostalgia and personal growth. Rey is best known for her 2015 feature “Unexpected” while Jacobs, who is excellent in the film, is known for her roles in series comedies such as cult favorite “Community” and “Love.” Our critic said of the film “It’s a bit like “Young Adult,” but instead of acid, Rey offers warmth and hope.”
We got to speak to both Rey and Jacobs about the film and about playing messy roles and writing complicated character dynamics.
Spoiler Warning: Specific plot points of the film are discussed below.
I wanted to get...
We got to speak to both Rey and Jacobs about the film and about playing messy roles and writing complicated character dynamics.
Spoiler Warning: Specific plot points of the film are discussed below.
I wanted to get...
- 8/8/2020
- by Ally Johnson
- The Playlist
Going, Going, Gone: Rey Finds Solace in Regression with Idle Dramedy
As a framing device, nostalgia has the slant of a moral lesson gleaned from Greek tragedy. Only a significant difference is whether the notion of nostalgia is purposefully used in cinema or literature to advance the tribulations of its characters or as suffocating fumes from the accidental missteps of its authors. Landing somewhere in a confusing nexus between these two points is the fourth feature from Kris Rey I Used to Go Here, which, as its title suggests, examines the experiences of a woman who revisits her past to fantasize regressively on what she could have been and then progressively reclaim some useful elements which evaporated in later adulthood.…...
As a framing device, nostalgia has the slant of a moral lesson gleaned from Greek tragedy. Only a significant difference is whether the notion of nostalgia is purposefully used in cinema or literature to advance the tribulations of its characters or as suffocating fumes from the accidental missteps of its authors. Landing somewhere in a confusing nexus between these two points is the fourth feature from Kris Rey I Used to Go Here, which, as its title suggests, examines the experiences of a woman who revisits her past to fantasize regressively on what she could have been and then progressively reclaim some useful elements which evaporated in later adulthood.…...
- 8/8/2020
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
While the Hollywood studios continue to keep their tentpoles locked up till most American cinemas reopen, indie distributors are releasing a handful of smaller movies with big stars in supporting roles this week.
Can’t wait to see Robert Pattinson in “Tenet”? Well, you can always catch him in the festival-anointed imperialist critique “Waiting for the Barbarians.” While the release date for “Dune” remains in question, Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård leads the well-reviewed Scandinavian drama “Out Stealing Horses,” about a widower’s return to the country. And before Liam Neeson returns to action-hero mode with “Honest Thief,” you can watch him playing opposite real-life son Micheál Richardson in “Made in Italy.”
Ok, those pairings probably aren’t for the same potential audiences at all, but it’s still nice to see versatile actors’ more serious work finding its way to streaming. And not all the week’s movies are minor.
Can’t wait to see Robert Pattinson in “Tenet”? Well, you can always catch him in the festival-anointed imperialist critique “Waiting for the Barbarians.” While the release date for “Dune” remains in question, Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård leads the well-reviewed Scandinavian drama “Out Stealing Horses,” about a widower’s return to the country. And before Liam Neeson returns to action-hero mode with “Honest Thief,” you can watch him playing opposite real-life son Micheál Richardson in “Made in Italy.”
Ok, those pairings probably aren’t for the same potential audiences at all, but it’s still nice to see versatile actors’ more serious work finding its way to streaming. And not all the week’s movies are minor.
- 8/7/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
With her fourth feature, writer/director Kris Rey teamed with lead actor Gillian Jacobs (“Love”) to create I Used To Go Here, a comedy focused on a newly published author returning to her alma mater to speak on her debut novel. The woman, Kate, interacts with her mentor in Jermaine Clement, the current residents of her college home, and the places and people that she used to know. Tackling the weird power of nostalgia, the commercial elements of making art, and falling back into old habits, Rey’s film was accepted to this year’s SXSW and has now hit VOD. The Film Stage chatted with Rey about the last decade of her career, the importance of validation, and her own filmmaking mentor, Lynn Shelton.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Film Stage: Why did you make the change to go from improvised features to scripted ones with Unexpected?...
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Film Stage: Why did you make the change to go from improvised features to scripted ones with Unexpected?...
- 8/7/2020
- by Michael Frank
- The Film Stage
The fight for freedom of the press and against the oppressive political regime in the Philippines takes center stage in Ramona S. Diaz’s A Thousand Cuts, which opens in theaters and in virtual theaters nationwide.
As journalists around the world face threats and the term “fake news” is thrown around recklessly by world leaders, A Thousand Cuts puts Filipino journalist Maria Ressa in the spotlight. The founder of the news site Rappler and Time Magazine’s Person of The Year has been on the frontlines holding Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte accountable for his controversial and violent war on drugs in the country as well as his regime’s bolstering of misinformation. Ressa has always been in Duterte’s crosshairs and in June, she was found guilty of cyber libel by a court in the Philippines. Diaz’s docu follows Ressa’s journey and how its impact may have global consequences.
As journalists around the world face threats and the term “fake news” is thrown around recklessly by world leaders, A Thousand Cuts puts Filipino journalist Maria Ressa in the spotlight. The founder of the news site Rappler and Time Magazine’s Person of The Year has been on the frontlines holding Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte accountable for his controversial and violent war on drugs in the country as well as his regime’s bolstering of misinformation. Ressa has always been in Duterte’s crosshairs and in June, she was found guilty of cyber libel by a court in the Philippines. Diaz’s docu follows Ressa’s journey and how its impact may have global consequences.
- 8/7/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Only a few films in, Kris Rey is an emerging voice on the independent cinema scene that’s well worth paying attention to. Gillian Jacobs, of course, is one of the better young actresses in the business. So, combing the writing and directing talents of Ray with the acting of Jacobs was always going to be a fruitful partnership. That collaboration, the indie comedy I Used to Go Here, comes out tomorrow (my positive review can be found right here), but last week, Jacobs and Ray were kind enough to get on a conference call/Zoom with me to talk about their movie. That conversation comes your way today! Below you can find my chat with Jacobs and Rey. It’s a laughed filled one, so much so that I actually paired it down a bit, so it wasn’t too meandering. There’s still some really excellent stuff to be found.
- 8/6/2020
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
“Critics are the worst kind of humans,” says Jemaine Clement in the role of David Kirkpatrick, a horndog college professor trying to comfort Kate Conklin (Gillian Jacobs), a former student whose first novel has just been savaged in The New York Times as an “amateurish beach read.” But the critic isn’t saying anything worse than what the author is thinking about herself. She knows her publisher hasn’t cancelled her book tour because they smell a bestseller. That’s why Kate, 35 and feeling a major squeeze on her options,...
- 8/6/2020
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
Likable enough, but a little too tame to make much of an impact, Kris Rey’s slight — and slightly autobiographical — “you can’t go home again” comedy “I Used to Go Here” was supposed to debut at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, only to have its premiere canceled at the last minute by the coronavirus pandemic. When Rey hatched the idea for the movie, her fourth feature — in which a floundering young novelist returns to her alma mater for an ego boost — she was still going by her married name, Kris Swanberg; she has since split with then-husband Joe.
That makes at least two ways Rey’s already personal project has evolved to more closely mirror her own life, and while any additional hurdle in the uphill path of an indie filmmaker can jeopardize the whole endeavor, this one survived that much more relevant. The movie marks a comeback...
That makes at least two ways Rey’s already personal project has evolved to more closely mirror her own life, and while any additional hurdle in the uphill path of an indie filmmaker can jeopardize the whole endeavor, this one survived that much more relevant. The movie marks a comeback...
- 8/6/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
What would you do if you wound up back at college? Many of us have wondered that over the years since graduating, but too many movies that think about that go broad and silly in their depiction. Not here, however, as I Used to Go Here finds a perfect angle and avoids the pratfalls that those other films fall into. This is a winning comedy that gives off a wholly pleasant vibe, while still telling a deep and affecting story. Anchored by Gillian Jacobs in a terrific turn, this flick is quite good and deserves to have a bit of a fuss made over it. The film is a comedy, centered on a writer in Kate Conklin (Jacobs) who has just had her first book published. Sadly, it’s not a hit and is not being met with universal acclaim. As she’s dealing with the first feelings of failure,...
- 8/5/2020
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Gillian Jacobs hasn’t been on a film shoot for months, but that hasn’t kept the perpetually busy performer from landing plenty of work. The actress has spent the past few months in lockdown burning through various gigs, from recording the second season of the podcast “Blood Ties” to new voiceover work, including the comic book-inspired series “Invincible.” Jacobs and her “Community” cohorts even got in on the “Zoom reunion” fad early, putting on a charity-benefitting table read and Q&a in mid-May.
Predictably, the event renewed calls for a “Community” movie, though all Jacobs will say at this point is that she feels “lucky that I’m part of something where people want more of it.” For now, however, she has plenty on her plate, including a burgeoning career as a documentary filmmaker.
And she’s on the virtual promotional trail for her latest indie gem: Kris Rey...
Predictably, the event renewed calls for a “Community” movie, though all Jacobs will say at this point is that she feels “lucky that I’m part of something where people want more of it.” For now, however, she has plenty on her plate, including a burgeoning career as a documentary filmmaker.
And she’s on the virtual promotional trail for her latest indie gem: Kris Rey...
- 8/5/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
This was the week when Kate’s (Gillian Jacobs) dreams were supposed to come true. Her debut novel was releasing, her wedding was on the horizon, and a nationwide book tour was about to commence. Everything she worked for since college had finally bore fruit and you couldn’t blame her if she smiled with relief at a job well done. Except she never gets that chance. She receives a call from her publisher weeks after her engagement was canceled to hear the tour has been too. Kate’s book proves a financial liability nobody is willing to defend and her last chance at a distraction from what now appears to be a complete professional and personal implosion was gone. A voicemail from a former professor therefore feels like a godsend.
Writer/director Kris Rey provides her lead character this beacon of hope at the start of I Used to...
Writer/director Kris Rey provides her lead character this beacon of hope at the start of I Used to...
- 8/5/2020
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Chicago – The urban drive-in is back … at least for now as we negotiate these extraordinary times. In a partnership with the Music Box Theatre and ChiTown Movies, Elevated Films Chicago – a non-profit that promotes the cinematic and other arts in the Windy City – presents the premiere of a New made-in-Chicago film by Kris Rey, ‘I Used to Go Here.’ On Wednesday, July 29th, 2020, there will be two screenings (with a filmmaker Q&a) at a drive-in set up in Chicago … with concessions available. Click Here for details.
Chicago Drive-In Premiere for ‘I Used to Go Here’
Photo credit: Gravitas Ventures
‘I Used to Go Here’ was written and directed by Kris Rey (“Unexpected”), a local filmmaker known for her connective character studies. The story involves Kate (Gillian Jacobs of “Community”) who has just published her first novel. This piques the interest of her old alma mater in downstate Illinois, including her first writing instructor,...
Chicago Drive-In Premiere for ‘I Used to Go Here’
Photo credit: Gravitas Ventures
‘I Used to Go Here’ was written and directed by Kris Rey (“Unexpected”), a local filmmaker known for her connective character studies. The story involves Kate (Gillian Jacobs of “Community”) who has just published her first novel. This piques the interest of her old alma mater in downstate Illinois, including her first writing instructor,...
- 7/29/2020
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
MRC Film has created a new label devoted to female comedies, which will be led by Becky Sloviter, the producer of Palm Springs, which sold to Neon and Hulu in a record deal at Sundance for $17.5M.
Already, the unnamed division has two projects in development: Let’s Have Kids!, which will serve as the directorial debut of Black Adam and Due Date screenwriter Adam Sztykiel and The Inheritance from Emmy winning Full Frontal With Samantha Bee and A Black Lady Sketch Show scribe Ashley Nicole Black.
The new label will work with other producers as well as various distributors as they amplify female-driven properties with an independent development budget. Sloviter will report to MRC Film Co-Presidents Brye Adler and Jonathan Golfman. She was recently the Head of Production and Development at Party Over Here, The Lonely Island’s production company where in addition to Palm Springs, she also produced...
Already, the unnamed division has two projects in development: Let’s Have Kids!, which will serve as the directorial debut of Black Adam and Due Date screenwriter Adam Sztykiel and The Inheritance from Emmy winning Full Frontal With Samantha Bee and A Black Lady Sketch Show scribe Ashley Nicole Black.
The new label will work with other producers as well as various distributors as they amplify female-driven properties with an independent development budget. Sloviter will report to MRC Film Co-Presidents Brye Adler and Jonathan Golfman. She was recently the Head of Production and Development at Party Over Here, The Lonely Island’s production company where in addition to Palm Springs, she also produced...
- 7/23/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Following her impressive drama Unexpected in 2015, director Kris Rey is returning to school with I Used to Go Here. Starring Gillian Jacobs, Jemaine Clement, and Kate Micucci, the film was set to premiere at this year’s SXSW and is now set to be released by Gravitas Ventures on August 7. Ahead of next month’s release the first trailer and poster have now landed.
The film follows Kate Conklin (Jacobs), who has published her first novel and receives a call from her creative writing professor David Kirk-Patrick (Clement), inviting her to do a reading of her book at her alma mater. In doing so, she is given the chance to relieve her formative years again, and wonders if she can redefine herself with the experience..
Brian Tallerico said in his review for RogerEbert.com, “At its best, I Used to Go Here is a fun hangout movie, driven by Rey’s affection for her characters.
The film follows Kate Conklin (Jacobs), who has published her first novel and receives a call from her creative writing professor David Kirk-Patrick (Clement), inviting her to do a reading of her book at her alma mater. In doing so, she is given the chance to relieve her formative years again, and wonders if she can redefine herself with the experience..
Brian Tallerico said in his review for RogerEbert.com, “At its best, I Used to Go Here is a fun hangout movie, driven by Rey’s affection for her characters.
- 7/13/2020
- by Margaret Rasberry
- The Film Stage
Let’s get this out of the way early, because there might be a bit of confusion. You probably know the works of filmmaker Kris Rey, but you might not because she used to go by Kris Swanberg. She directed films like “It Was Great, But I Was Ready to Come Home” (2009), “Empire Builder” (2012) and “Unexpected” (2015), and now goes by Kris Rey.
Continue reading ‘I Used To Go Here’ Trailer: Gillian Jacobs & Jemaine Clement Star In Kris Rey’s SXSW Regression College Comedy at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘I Used To Go Here’ Trailer: Gillian Jacobs & Jemaine Clement Star In Kris Rey’s SXSW Regression College Comedy at The Playlist.
- 7/8/2020
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
“I Used to Go Here” is shaping up to offer plenty of much-needed laughs for cinema buffs hungry for new material. IndieWire is exclusively premiering the trailer for Kris Rey’s upcoming film, which is set for a release later this summer in theaters and on VOD platforms courtesy of Gravitas Ventures. The cast includes “Community” and “Love” favorite Gillian Jacobs in the lead role opposite the likes of Jemaine Clement, Hannah Marks, Kate Micucci, Jorma Taccone, Josh Wiggins, and Forrest Goodluck.
Jacobs stars as Kate Conklin, a 35-year-old writer who heads back to her alma mater to give a lecture about writing following the lackluster debut of her first novel. The synopsis reads: “With her book tour canceled and her ego deflated, Kate wonders if returning to her old college as a published author might give her the morale boost she sorely needs. Instead, she falls into a comical...
Jacobs stars as Kate Conklin, a 35-year-old writer who heads back to her alma mater to give a lecture about writing following the lackluster debut of her first novel. The synopsis reads: “With her book tour canceled and her ego deflated, Kate wonders if returning to her old college as a published author might give her the morale boost she sorely needs. Instead, she falls into a comical...
- 7/8/2020
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
"I used to dance in this room like 15 years ago!" Signature Entertainment in the UK has released the first official trailer for an indie comedy called I Used to Go Here, from filmmaker Kris Rey. This premiered at the SXSW Film Festival earlier this year, and is arriving on VOD in the fall. Her engagement is called off, her first book isn't doing so well, and all her friends are having babies. Kate Conklin is in a real rut when out of nowhere she gets a call from her old professor, David Kirkpatrick, asking her to come back to her old university to do a reading. She gets sucked into college life again, hanging out with students and reconnecting with her old self. Gillian Jacobs stars with Jemaine Clement, and an indie cast including Hannah Marks, Jorma Taccone, Zoe Chao, Josh Wiggins, Forrest Goodluck, and Khloe Janel. This is really good!
- 7/7/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has obtained all North American distribution rights the Kris Rey-helmed SXSW comedy, I Used to Go Here. Starring Gillian Jacobs (Community), Jemaine Clement (What We Do In The Shadows), and Hannah Marks (Banana Split), the film will be available in theaters and on demand August 7.
The plot follows 35-year-old writer Kate Conklin (Jacobs) who, after the lackluster launch of her debut novel, receives an invitation from her former professor and old crush (Clement) to speak at her alma mater. With her book tour cancelled and her ego deflated, Kate decides to take the trip, wondering if returning to her old college as a published author might give her the morale boost she sorely needs. Instead, she falls into a comical regression – from misadventures with eccentric twenty-year-olds to feelings of jealousy toward her former professor’s new favorite student. Striking the balance between bittersweet and hilarious, Kate...
The plot follows 35-year-old writer Kate Conklin (Jacobs) who, after the lackluster launch of her debut novel, receives an invitation from her former professor and old crush (Clement) to speak at her alma mater. With her book tour cancelled and her ego deflated, Kate decides to take the trip, wondering if returning to her old college as a published author might give her the morale boost she sorely needs. Instead, she falls into a comical regression – from misadventures with eccentric twenty-year-olds to feelings of jealousy toward her former professor’s new favorite student. Striking the balance between bittersweet and hilarious, Kate...
- 6/18/2020
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
With the cancellation of the 2020 SXSW Film Festival, many of the filmmakers in its lineup were left wondering what might have been. Historically, SXSW tends to be a major platform for comedies that play well in the room, and in that vein, Kris Rey’s “I Used to Go Here” had serious potential.
The movie, which UTA planned to premiere as a sales title at the festival, has all the hallmarks of a breakout. Boasting a producing team that includes the Lonely Island trifecta of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone, “I Used to Go Here” stars Gillian Jacobs as a young novelist who returns to her alma mater to promote her work. Once there, she resurrects a complicated relationship with her old professor (a seedy Jemaine Clement), bonds with a boisterous group of undergraduates, and wrestles with the bumpy road to success that didn’t quite pan out as she’d hoped.
The movie, which UTA planned to premiere as a sales title at the festival, has all the hallmarks of a breakout. Boasting a producing team that includes the Lonely Island trifecta of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone, “I Used to Go Here” stars Gillian Jacobs as a young novelist who returns to her alma mater to promote her work. Once there, she resurrects a complicated relationship with her old professor (a seedy Jemaine Clement), bonds with a boisterous group of undergraduates, and wrestles with the bumpy road to success that didn’t quite pan out as she’d hoped.
- 3/18/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Please Note: “I Used To Go Here” was originally scheduled to premiere at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival. With the express consent of the representatives of the filmmakers, we present the review of the film here.
The launch of her first novel was supposed to be a landmark accomplishment for Kate Conklin (Gillian Jacobs). But at 35, her life doesn’t look like she’d imagined it would it would back when she was a college student gluing glow-in-the-dark stars to the ceiling of her campus housing.
Continue reading ‘I Used To Go Here’: Gillian Jacobs & Jemaine Clement Offer Quirky Comedy In Kris Rey’s Charming Film [Review] at The Playlist.
The launch of her first novel was supposed to be a landmark accomplishment for Kate Conklin (Gillian Jacobs). But at 35, her life doesn’t look like she’d imagined it would it would back when she was a college student gluing glow-in-the-dark stars to the ceiling of her campus housing.
Continue reading ‘I Used To Go Here’: Gillian Jacobs & Jemaine Clement Offer Quirky Comedy In Kris Rey’s Charming Film [Review] at The Playlist.
- 3/13/2020
- by Kristy Puchko
- The Playlist
While the 2020 SXSW Film Festival has been canceled due to the coronavirus, IndieWire is reviewing select titles from this year’s edition.
Filmmaker Kris Rey (formerly known as Kris Swanberg) has long trafficked in stories about compelling women who temper awkward moments by bonding with inappropriate new pals. In her most widely seen feature to date, 2015 Sundance entry “Unexpected,” she matched up a pregnant high school teacher with an expecting student with illuminating results. That concept takes on more amusing results with “I Used to Go Here,” Rey’s best film, which still smacks of her usual obsessions. However, armed with her funniest material to date and a winning performance from Gillian Jacobs,
More from IndieWireSXSW 2020 Will Still Hand Out Film Awards Despite Cancellation'Freeland' Review: 'Krisha' Breakout Gives a Devastating Performance as an Aging Pot Dealer
As with other Rey-scripted heroines, “I Used to Go Here” finds its leading lady...
Filmmaker Kris Rey (formerly known as Kris Swanberg) has long trafficked in stories about compelling women who temper awkward moments by bonding with inappropriate new pals. In her most widely seen feature to date, 2015 Sundance entry “Unexpected,” she matched up a pregnant high school teacher with an expecting student with illuminating results. That concept takes on more amusing results with “I Used to Go Here,” Rey’s best film, which still smacks of her usual obsessions. However, armed with her funniest material to date and a winning performance from Gillian Jacobs,
More from IndieWireSXSW 2020 Will Still Hand Out Film Awards Despite Cancellation'Freeland' Review: 'Krisha' Breakout Gives a Devastating Performance as an Aging Pot Dealer
As with other Rey-scripted heroines, “I Used to Go Here” finds its leading lady...
- 3/12/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Landry Bender (Looking for Alaska), Ian Duff (New Amsterdam) and Forrest Goodluck (The Miseducation of Cameron Post) are set as series regulars opposite Stella Baker and Luke Mitchell in the CW drama pilot The Republic of Sarah, from Jeffrey Paul King, Marc Webb, CBS TV Studios and studio-based Fulwell 73.
Written by King, in The Republic of Sarah, faced with the destruction of her town at the hands of a greedy mining company, rebellious high school history teacher Sarah Cooper (Baker) utilizes an obscure cartographical loophole to declare independence. Now Sarah must lead a young group of misfits as they attempt to start their own country from scratch.
Bender will play Bella (fka Phoebe). Preppy and composed, Bella is the daughter of Greylock’s mayor and one of Sarah’s students. She begins to question her allegiance to her “popular girl” status after an unpleasant sexual encounter with her...
Written by King, in The Republic of Sarah, faced with the destruction of her town at the hands of a greedy mining company, rebellious high school history teacher Sarah Cooper (Baker) utilizes an obscure cartographical loophole to declare independence. Now Sarah must lead a young group of misfits as they attempt to start their own country from scratch.
Bender will play Bella (fka Phoebe). Preppy and composed, Bella is the daughter of Greylock’s mayor and one of Sarah’s students. She begins to question her allegiance to her “popular girl” status after an unpleasant sexual encounter with her...
- 3/10/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2020 edition of SXSW has announced its features and episodic premieres for the 27th edition of the film festival, running March 13 – 22 in Austin. The 102 features and episodics in this release will be shown across the nine days of SXSW. The 2020 program was selected from 2,316 feature-length film submissions, with a total of 8,362 films submitted this year.
As has become its tradition, the festival will open with a highly anticipated studio crowdpleaser. Judd Apatow’s “The King of Staten Island,” his first feature directorial outing since 2015’s “Trainwreck,” stars Pete Davidson in a lightly fictionalized version of the “SNL” star’s own life story. The film is set for a June release from Universal Pictures.
Apatow has been a regular at SXSW, where “Knocked Up” and “Trainwreck” both launched to strong reactions, but this is his first time opening the festival. “It’s a great film,” SXSW Director of Film Janet Pierson...
As has become its tradition, the festival will open with a highly anticipated studio crowdpleaser. Judd Apatow’s “The King of Staten Island,” his first feature directorial outing since 2015’s “Trainwreck,” stars Pete Davidson in a lightly fictionalized version of the “SNL” star’s own life story. The film is set for a June release from Universal Pictures.
Apatow has been a regular at SXSW, where “Knocked Up” and “Trainwreck” both launched to strong reactions, but this is his first time opening the festival. “It’s a great film,” SXSW Director of Film Janet Pierson...
- 1/15/2020
- by Kate Erbland and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Specialty film financier The Forest Road Company is taking a stake in New York-based Yale Productions to diversify its film lending model.
Terms of the investment deal were not disclosed, but Forest Road, led by CEO Zachary Tarica, has already collaborated on nine films with Yale Productions, which is led by indie producers Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman.
Their joint projects include I Used to Go Here, directed by Kris Rey and starring Gillian Jacobs, and Burn, starring Josh Hutcherson and Suki Waterhouse.
"Forest Road’s number one priority is to help filmmakers tell their stories by putting our capital ...
Terms of the investment deal were not disclosed, but Forest Road, led by CEO Zachary Tarica, has already collaborated on nine films with Yale Productions, which is led by indie producers Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman.
Their joint projects include I Used to Go Here, directed by Kris Rey and starring Gillian Jacobs, and Burn, starring Josh Hutcherson and Suki Waterhouse.
"Forest Road’s number one priority is to help filmmakers tell their stories by putting our capital ...
- 12/17/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Specialty film financier The Forest Road Company is taking a stake in New York-based Yale Productions to diversify its film lending model.
Terms of the investment deal were not disclosed, but Forest Road, led by CEO Zachary Tarica, has already collaborated on nine films with Yale Productions, which is led by indie producers Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman.
Their joint projects include I Used to Go Here, directed by Kris Rey and starring Gillian Jacobs, and Burn, starring Josh Hutcherson and Suki Waterhouse.
"Forest Road’s number one priority is to help filmmakers tell their stories by putting our capital ...
Terms of the investment deal were not disclosed, but Forest Road, led by CEO Zachary Tarica, has already collaborated on nine films with Yale Productions, which is led by indie producers Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman.
Their joint projects include I Used to Go Here, directed by Kris Rey and starring Gillian Jacobs, and Burn, starring Josh Hutcherson and Suki Waterhouse.
"Forest Road’s number one priority is to help filmmakers tell their stories by putting our capital ...
- 12/17/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: CBS has put in development Who Gets Dad? a multi-camera siblings comedy from former The Last Man On Earth writer-producer Liz Cackowski, Lonely Island’s production shingle Party Over Here and CBS Television Studios.
Written by Cackowski, Who Gets Dad? revolves around adult siblings who reconnect when they are forced to share custody of their aging father.
Cackowski executive produces with Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and Becky Sloviter for Party Over Here. CBS Television Studios is the studio.
Cackowski, who came out of Second City, is a writer and actress. She spent four years as a writer on Saturday Night Live and worked on the first three seasons of The Last Man On Earth, most recently as co-producer. She most recently co-wrote and co-produced Netflix feature Wine Country. She previously was an Executive Story Editor on NBC’s Community and also co-created and starred in The Jeanne Tate Show.
Written by Cackowski, Who Gets Dad? revolves around adult siblings who reconnect when they are forced to share custody of their aging father.
Cackowski executive produces with Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and Becky Sloviter for Party Over Here. CBS Television Studios is the studio.
Cackowski, who came out of Second City, is a writer and actress. She spent four years as a writer on Saturday Night Live and worked on the first three seasons of The Last Man On Earth, most recently as co-producer. She most recently co-wrote and co-produced Netflix feature Wine Country. She previously was an Executive Story Editor on NBC’s Community and also co-created and starred in The Jeanne Tate Show.
- 11/22/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Gillian Jacobs (Community) and Jemaine Clement (What We Do In the Shadows) lead cast in writer-director Kris Rey’s (Unexpected) under-the-radar comedy feature I Used To Go Here, which has recently wrapped production in Chicago.
Myriad will launch international sales at the Toronto Film Festival. UTA Independent Film Group is repping domestic rights.
Supporting cast includes Hannah Marks (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency), Forrest Goodluck (The Miseducation of Cameron Post), Josh Wiggins (Hellion), Kate Micucci (The Last Laugh), Jorma Taccone (Saturday Night Live) and Zoe Chao.
The film will follow Kate Conklin (Jacobs) who is in a rut. Her engagement is called off, her first book isn’t doing so hot, and all her friends are having babies. Out of nowhere she gets a call from her old professor, David Kirkpatrick (Clement), asking her to come back to her alma mater to do a reading.
Myriad will launch international sales at the Toronto Film Festival. UTA Independent Film Group is repping domestic rights.
Supporting cast includes Hannah Marks (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency), Forrest Goodluck (The Miseducation of Cameron Post), Josh Wiggins (Hellion), Kate Micucci (The Last Laugh), Jorma Taccone (Saturday Night Live) and Zoe Chao.
The film will follow Kate Conklin (Jacobs) who is in a rut. Her engagement is called off, her first book isn’t doing so hot, and all her friends are having babies. Out of nowhere she gets a call from her old professor, David Kirkpatrick (Clement), asking her to come back to her alma mater to do a reading.
- 8/28/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
No 2018 release has spent more time as a presumed Best Picture contender than First Man. Damien Chazelle’s follow up to La La Land was thought to be an Academy Award player ever since it was first announced. After all, Chazelle was re-teaming with star Ryan Gosling and much of his creative team that helped his previous film to a half dozen Oscar wins. Throw in Whiplash and every movie Chazelle has made since his feature debut has not only gotten nominations, but victories as well. Still, it would be easy to look for a disappointment, or a blotch on his record. You won’t find that here though, as the flick is outstanding. Opening this week, it’s going to blow people away. Simply put, it’s one of the year’s very best films. In case you’re unaware, a brief recap of what First Man is about.
- 10/8/2018
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Yesterday morning, folks not over in Italy woke up to news that Damien Chazelle’s latest outing was indeed an Oscar player. Yes, First Man debuted at the Venice Film Festival to highly positive reviews. Much like his prior two films, Whiplash and especially La La Land, festival buzz is likely to propel this one very far in the Awards Season. In fact, this is only the first fest for the flick, as it has more to come very shortly. In addition, the movie dropped a second Trailer to coincide with this launch (no pun intended). We’ll share that with you too today, as we dive in a bit to dissect First Man’s first wave of buzz/reviews! Once again, the film is a biopic of Neil Armstrong, arguably the world’s most famous astronaut. Here is the official synopsis that Universal Pictures has provided: “On the heels...
- 8/30/2018
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
On Friday night, the world got their first look at a potential Best Picture possibility when First Man debuted its Trailer. This film, given its pedigree, more or less has to be at the very top of any early set of Oscar predictions. The follow up to La La Land from filmmaker Damien Chazelle pairs him again with Ryan Gosling, this time for a prestige biopic. If anything though, it seems like he’s going back to his Whiplash roots. That combination alone would make any movie worth seeing, but this is something else. You can see the Trailer below, but first, some discussion of the potential Academy Award favorite is in order. The film is a biopic of Neil Armstrong, arguably the world’s most famous astronaut. Here is the official synopsis that Universal Pictures has provided: “On the heels of their six-time Academy Award-winning smash, La La Land,...
- 6/11/2018
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.
Lineup Announcements
– Exclusive: Jcc Manhattan’s 5th Annual Israel Film Center Festival announced its complete line-up of feature films from acclaimed Israeli filmmakers. The festival, which highlights Israel’s latest groundbreaking cinema and also features conversations among industry creative, runs June 8 – 13, 2017 with two pre-festival previews on May 21, and May 23, at Jcc Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street.
Highlights of this year’s film line-up include the New York premieres of Meni Yaish’s “Our Father,” Erez Tadmor’s “Home Port,” Roee Florentin’s “Mr. Predictable,” and a special preview of “Aida’s Secrets,” set to open in theaters in the fall. Most films included in this year’s slate are New York premieres.
This year’s festival includes popular films coming out of Israel’s industry. “Most...
Lineup Announcements
– Exclusive: Jcc Manhattan’s 5th Annual Israel Film Center Festival announced its complete line-up of feature films from acclaimed Israeli filmmakers. The festival, which highlights Israel’s latest groundbreaking cinema and also features conversations among industry creative, runs June 8 – 13, 2017 with two pre-festival previews on May 21, and May 23, at Jcc Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street.
Highlights of this year’s film line-up include the New York premieres of Meni Yaish’s “Our Father,” Erez Tadmor’s “Home Port,” Roee Florentin’s “Mr. Predictable,” and a special preview of “Aida’s Secrets,” set to open in theaters in the fall. Most films included in this year’s slate are New York premieres.
This year’s festival includes popular films coming out of Israel’s industry. “Most...
- 4/27/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Although there’s no shortage of regional film festivals throughout the year, few — if any — are better curated than the Maryland Film Festival. With a slate organized by Director of Programming Eric Allen Hatch, the downtown Baltimore festival, which takes place from May 3-7, offers the finest in independent and international cinema of the past year, as well as some of our most-anticipated world premieres.
Now in its 19th year, we’re pleased to debut the full line-up for the 6-screen festival, and can exclusively reveal that Brett Haley‘s The Hero (one of our favorite films from Sundance) will be the Closing Night film. World premiering at the festival is Stephen Cone‘s Princess Cyd, his follow-up to one of last year’s finest films, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, along with Josh Crockett‘s Dr. Brinks & Dr. Brinks.
We can also exclusively reveal the Opening Night Shorts — 5 short...
Now in its 19th year, we’re pleased to debut the full line-up for the 6-screen festival, and can exclusively reveal that Brett Haley‘s The Hero (one of our favorite films from Sundance) will be the Closing Night film. World premiering at the festival is Stephen Cone‘s Princess Cyd, his follow-up to one of last year’s finest films, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, along with Josh Crockett‘s Dr. Brinks & Dr. Brinks.
We can also exclusively reveal the Opening Night Shorts — 5 short...
- 4/21/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Joe Swanberg has had one of the more interesting career upswings of any independent filmmaker out there. After being one of the essential founders of the mumblecore indie movement, he made a right turn of sorts a few years back. Opting for bigger stars and similarly simple premises, he’s found more acclaim than ever before. Between Drinking Buddies, Happy Christmas, and Digging for Fire, Swanberg is as exciting a writer/director as ever before. Most recently, Swanberg has teamed up again with frequent collaborator Jake Johnson for Win It All, a film that at once feels both different and similar than what he’s been up to lately. Above all else, it’s a great vehicle for Johnson, who does his best work when paired with Swanberg. The flick is a character study, centered on gambler Eddie Garrett (Johnson). He’s broke, but charming. A nice guy unable to resist a card game,...
- 4/12/2017
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Exclusive: Forager Films, the Chicago-based production company toplined by filmmaker Joe Swanberg, is set to release writer-director Zach Clark’s Little Sister theatrically in New York as well as on iTunes and Digital VOD on October 14. It’s the first distribution play for the company, which has produced such films as Kris Swanberg’s Unexpected and Alex Ross Perry’s upcoming Golden Exits. Ally Sheedy, Addison Timlin, Keith Poulson, Kristin Slaysman, Barbara Crampton and…...
- 8/24/2016
- Deadline
Every week, a bevy of new releases (independent or otherwise), open in theaters. That’s why we created the Weekly Film Guide, filled with basic plot, personnel and cinema information for all of this week’s fresh offerings.
For August, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for August 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, August 12. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
Anthropoid
Director: Sean Ellis
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Harry Lloyd, Jamie Dornan, Toby Jones
Synopsis: “Anthropoid” is based on the extraordinary true story of “Operation Anthropoid,” the code name for the Czechoslovakian operatives’ mission to assassinate SS officer Reinhard Heydrich. Heydrich, the main architect behind the Final Solution,...
For August, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for August 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, August 12. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
Anthropoid
Director: Sean Ellis
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Harry Lloyd, Jamie Dornan, Toby Jones
Synopsis: “Anthropoid” is based on the extraordinary true story of “Operation Anthropoid,” the code name for the Czechoslovakian operatives’ mission to assassinate SS officer Reinhard Heydrich. Heydrich, the main architect behind the Final Solution,...
- 8/11/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
If filmmaker Jeff Baena had his way, this interview wouldn’t exist. The filmmaker behind films like “Life After Beth” and the soon-to-be-released “Joshy” isn’t a fan of playing to the press or penning long synopses of his films or, really, releasing any kind of information about his projects before they hit the big screen.
Unsurprisingly, Baena breathed a sigh of relief during a recent interview, when I mentioned that a first act plot point in his Sundance premiere “Joshy” genuinely surprised me. It’s a major element of the story – and one that won’t be spoiled here – that’s neatly obscured by the film’s upbeat marketing and a very well-worded official synopsis.
Read More: ‘Joshy’ Trailer: Thomas Middleditch & Jenny Slate Get Weird In Sundance Comedy
“That was intentional,” Baena said. “Ideally, I don’t necessarily want to talk about it. It’s so rare when marketing...
Unsurprisingly, Baena breathed a sigh of relief during a recent interview, when I mentioned that a first act plot point in his Sundance premiere “Joshy” genuinely surprised me. It’s a major element of the story – and one that won’t be spoiled here – that’s neatly obscured by the film’s upbeat marketing and a very well-worded official synopsis.
Read More: ‘Joshy’ Trailer: Thomas Middleditch & Jenny Slate Get Weird In Sundance Comedy
“That was intentional,” Baena said. “Ideally, I don’t necessarily want to talk about it. It’s so rare when marketing...
- 8/10/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Nine years before he completed production on the multi-million dollar Disney remake of “Pete’s Dragon,” David Lowery was living out of the back of his car, editing corporate videos. The Dallas native directed his first feature, the little-seen “Lullaby,” at age 19. The ensuing years found him collaborating with a close-knit group of local film-savvy friends, but little in the way of upward mobility. “I never put a premium on making a living,” he told me in a recent phone conversation. “It was never one of those things that was important to me.”
Lowery’s work at the time suggests as much — it’s anything but commercial — and yet it provided him with an ideal platform for a massive career move as one of Disney’s newest secret weapons. “Pete’s Dragon,” a $60 million re-imagining of the 1977 live-action-animated musical film, has all the hallmarks of Lowery’s earlier work: a serene,...
Lowery’s work at the time suggests as much — it’s anything but commercial — and yet it provided him with an ideal platform for a massive career move as one of Disney’s newest secret weapons. “Pete’s Dragon,” a $60 million re-imagining of the 1977 live-action-animated musical film, has all the hallmarks of Lowery’s earlier work: a serene,...
- 8/9/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
"Trust me, the night is not over." Lionsgate + Hulu have debuted a trailer for the indie comedy Joshy, which first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Up-and-coming actor Thomas Middleditch (seen in Being Flynn, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Bronze, The Final Girls) stars in this film as a guy named Josh(y) and it takes place at his would-be bachelor party, after his wedding is cancelled, becoming his chance to reconnect with all of his old friends. The full cast includes Adam Pally, Alex Ross Perry, Nick Kroll, Jenny Slate, Lauren Graham, Aubrey Plaza, Joe & Kris Swanberg and Alison Brie. Looks like fun. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Jeff Baena's Joshy, direct from Hulu's YouTube (via Tfs): Joshy's friends aren't going to let his cancelled wedding get in the way of his big bachelor party. Josh (Thomas Middleditch) treats what would have been his...
- 6/27/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Chicago – It was a celebration in late January for Women in Film Chicago, as the organization showcased notable women in media with their annual Focus Awards. Advertising guru Jean Batthany, director Kris Swanberg, Editor Kathryn Hempel and writer/actress Megan Mercier were the honorees.
Women in Film Chicago is a advocacy group representing women in media, providing a voice for their membership in the show business environs of the Windy City. Their next event is a Women’s History month spotlight with a short film program called “Movies Made by Women Filmmakers,” which will take place on Tuesday, March 8th, 2016. Click here for more details.
Honorees, L to R: Kris Swanberg, Megan Mercier, Kathryn Hempel, Wifc President Carrie Hunter and Jean Batthany
Photo credit: © 2016 Maribeth Ratajczyk
HollywoodChicago.com was at the Focus Awards, and got the opportunity to briefly speak to three of the honorees. The fourth recipient, Megan Mercier,...
Women in Film Chicago is a advocacy group representing women in media, providing a voice for their membership in the show business environs of the Windy City. Their next event is a Women’s History month spotlight with a short film program called “Movies Made by Women Filmmakers,” which will take place on Tuesday, March 8th, 2016. Click here for more details.
Honorees, L to R: Kris Swanberg, Megan Mercier, Kathryn Hempel, Wifc President Carrie Hunter and Jean Batthany
Photo credit: © 2016 Maribeth Ratajczyk
HollywoodChicago.com was at the Focus Awards, and got the opportunity to briefly speak to three of the honorees. The fourth recipient, Megan Mercier,...
- 3/7/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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