“To have pain is to have certainty,” essayist Elaine Scarry wrote in The Body in Pain in 1985. “To hear about pain is to have doubt.” Even that shared certainty can’t quite quell the doubts among Infinite Life’s characters, visitors to a California clinic for people living with chronic pain. Sofi (Christina Kirk) is pretty certain that her bladder condition, which has decimated her sexual health, is the worst pain anyone there has experienced. Nelson (Pete Simpson) insists that his colon disease hurts worse than childbirth. No one has a verbal metric to accurately compare their pain so even sharing their experiences with other sufferers can be lonely. How can anyone know the silent pain of a body only you have ever lived in?
That’s one of the central questions at the tender, discomfiting heart of Infinite Life, but the knowledge that this is a new Annie Baker...
That’s one of the central questions at the tender, discomfiting heart of Infinite Life, but the knowledge that this is a new Annie Baker...
- 9/13/2023
- by Dan Rubins
- Slant Magazine
The Blacklist fans, we’ve got a fresh off the press preview for the new Season 10 Episode 21 episode titled !
Find out everything you need to know about the episode of The Blacklist, including a full preview, videos, release date, cast information and how to watch!
The Blacklist Season 10 Episode 21 Preview
In this gripping installment titled “Raymond Reddington,” the task force faces mounting pressure as they navigate a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. Congressman Hudson’s relentless investigation casts a shadow of uncertainty, forcing the team to delve deeper into the mysterious world of Raymond Reddington, a master manipulator and criminal mastermind.
As the task force races against the clock, they must anticipate Reddington’s every move. With his cunning intellect and vast resources, Reddington remains one step ahead, posing a constant threat to their mission to bring him to justice. Will they be able to outsmart the enigmatic Reddington,...
Find out everything you need to know about the episode of The Blacklist, including a full preview, videos, release date, cast information and how to watch!
The Blacklist Season 10 Episode 21 Preview
In this gripping installment titled “Raymond Reddington,” the task force faces mounting pressure as they navigate a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. Congressman Hudson’s relentless investigation casts a shadow of uncertainty, forcing the team to delve deeper into the mysterious world of Raymond Reddington, a master manipulator and criminal mastermind.
As the task force races against the clock, they must anticipate Reddington’s every move. With his cunning intellect and vast resources, Reddington remains one step ahead, posing a constant threat to their mission to bring him to justice. Will they be able to outsmart the enigmatic Reddington,...
- 7/6/2023
- by News
- TV Regular
2023 Drama League Awards winners: Annaleigh Ashford (‘Sweeney Todd’) takes Distinguished Performance
Winners of the 2023 Drama League Awards were announced on Friday, May 19, 2023, at an in-person ceremony, hosted by Emmy-winning reporter Frank Dilella at The Ziegfeld Ballroom. The Drama League Awards honor both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions from the 2022-2023 theater season.
“Leopoldstadt” asserted itself as the dominant play of the season, picking up the Best Play prize. Tom Stoppard’s drama has been perched atop Gold Derby’s Tony Awards odds since we launched the prediction center. With Tony favorite “Kimberly Akimbo” out of the running for Best Musical (the Drama League already considered that tuner for its Off-Broadway run), “Some Like it Hot” cruised to a win in that category. It prevailed over four of its fellow Tony nominees: “& Juliet,” “New York, New York,” and “Shucked.”
The Drama League bolstered the Tony prospects of “A Doll’s House” by bestowing it with the Best Revival of a Play prize. But the...
“Leopoldstadt” asserted itself as the dominant play of the season, picking up the Best Play prize. Tom Stoppard’s drama has been perched atop Gold Derby’s Tony Awards odds since we launched the prediction center. With Tony favorite “Kimberly Akimbo” out of the running for Best Musical (the Drama League already considered that tuner for its Off-Broadway run), “Some Like it Hot” cruised to a win in that category. It prevailed over four of its fellow Tony nominees: “& Juliet,” “New York, New York,” and “Shucked.”
The Drama League bolstered the Tony prospects of “A Doll’s House” by bestowing it with the Best Revival of a Play prize. But the...
- 5/20/2023
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
The Outer Critics Circle (Occ), the official organization of writers on New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers and national publications, today announced the nominees for the 72nd Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards, honoring the 2022-2023 Broadway and Off-Broadway season.
“New York, New York” received a major backing from this announcement, which coincides with the production’s opening night. The new musical with songs from John Kander, the late Fred Ebb and Lin-Manuel Miranda earned a whopping 12 nominations, the most of any production. “Some Like it Hot” trails just behind it with 10 nominations. The most nominated plays of the season are the Off-Broadway sensation “Downstate” and Broadway epic “Leopoldstadt,” both with six nominations apiece.
This is the first season with newly reconstructed acting categories, which have removed gender specifications, and have been expanded to separately include off-Broadway performers. In the previous configuration, actors in Broadway and off-Broadway productions competed in the same category.
“New York, New York” received a major backing from this announcement, which coincides with the production’s opening night. The new musical with songs from John Kander, the late Fred Ebb and Lin-Manuel Miranda earned a whopping 12 nominations, the most of any production. “Some Like it Hot” trails just behind it with 10 nominations. The most nominated plays of the season are the Off-Broadway sensation “Downstate” and Broadway epic “Leopoldstadt,” both with six nominations apiece.
This is the first season with newly reconstructed acting categories, which have removed gender specifications, and have been expanded to separately include off-Broadway performers. In the previous configuration, actors in Broadway and off-Broadway productions competed in the same category.
- 4/26/2023
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: Amblin Partners have picked up the sci-fi feature The Exchange, from writer Brian Watkins and producers Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Tony Shaw, of Escape Artists. Watkins will pen script with Black, Blumenthal and Shaw producing through their Escape Artists banner. Steve Tisch and David Bloomfield are exec producing
Plot details are being kept under wraps, for now. Jeb Brody, President of Production, and John Buderwitz, Director of Development, will oversee the project for Amblin Partners.
Watkins is the creator and executive producer of the Amazon Prime Video series Outer Range, starring Josh Brolin. Following its hit first season, the series was just renewed for Season 2. Watkins’ latest play Epiphany, starring Marylouise Burke and directed by Tyne Rafaeli, premiered to critical acclaim at Lincoln Center Theatre in the spring of 2022, after premiering internationally at the iconic Druid Theatre in 2019 under the direction of Garry Hynes. His other plays include Wyoming,...
Plot details are being kept under wraps, for now. Jeb Brody, President of Production, and John Buderwitz, Director of Development, will oversee the project for Amblin Partners.
Watkins is the creator and executive producer of the Amazon Prime Video series Outer Range, starring Josh Brolin. Following its hit first season, the series was just renewed for Season 2. Watkins’ latest play Epiphany, starring Marylouise Burke and directed by Tyne Rafaeli, premiered to critical acclaim at Lincoln Center Theatre in the spring of 2022, after premiering internationally at the iconic Druid Theatre in 2019 under the direction of Garry Hynes. His other plays include Wyoming,...
- 10/12/2022
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for upcoming awards. To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective
2021 Golden Globe Final Predictions:
Best TV Series (Drama)
Updated: Feb. 24, 2021
Awards Commentary:
Personally, we wouldn’t be mad to see a surprise victory by “Lovecraft Country” here. That show managed to explore the topics of racial injustice and violence, particularly in the Jim Crow era, through the lens of pulp horror — and to amazing results. But alas, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. didn’t nominate its stars, Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors, leaving us to wonder how committed they are to the HBO series. “The Mandalorian” was an Emmy victor several times over thanks to various craft categories, and “Ratched” comes from the awards bait of Mr. Ryan Murphy. But it likely comes down to two other Netflix dramas: “Ozark” and “The Crown.
2021 Golden Globe Final Predictions:
Best TV Series (Drama)
Updated: Feb. 24, 2021
Awards Commentary:
Personally, we wouldn’t be mad to see a surprise victory by “Lovecraft Country” here. That show managed to explore the topics of racial injustice and violence, particularly in the Jim Crow era, through the lens of pulp horror — and to amazing results. But alas, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. didn’t nominate its stars, Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors, leaving us to wonder how committed they are to the HBO series. “The Mandalorian” was an Emmy victor several times over thanks to various craft categories, and “Ratched” comes from the awards bait of Mr. Ryan Murphy. But it likely comes down to two other Netflix dramas: “Ozark” and “The Crown.
- 2/24/2021
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for upcoming awards. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective
Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season
2021 Golden Globe Predictions:
Best TV Series (Drama)
Updated: Jan. 11, 2021
Awards Commentary:
Production delays due to Covid-19 mean that some of last year’s contenders, including best drama winner “Succession,” aren’t back to compete in 2021 — opening the door to some new possibilities. Could this also be a year that genre makes a big splash with HFPA members? Hot off its Emmy streak, “The Mandalorian” is in the hunt, while HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” and...
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective
Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season
2021 Golden Globe Predictions:
Best TV Series (Drama)
Updated: Jan. 11, 2021
Awards Commentary:
Production delays due to Covid-19 mean that some of last year’s contenders, including best drama winner “Succession,” aren’t back to compete in 2021 — opening the door to some new possibilities. Could this also be a year that genre makes a big splash with HFPA members? Hot off its Emmy streak, “The Mandalorian” is in the hunt, while HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” and...
- 1/12/2021
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
I have a love/hate relationship with Ozark. On the plus side, the Netflix crime drama’s ensemble — buoyed by Julia Garner’s breakout, Emmy-winning performance as the ferocious and fierce Ruth Langmore — is an embarrassment of prestige TV riches. On the down side, the series’ frustrating tendency to prioritize plot over character regularly undermines the emotional stakes and reduces potentially interesting and complex characters to one-dimensional pawns in what can feel like a contrived version of Breaking Bad.
Ozark infuriates me while simultaneously entertaining me and I resent it but I also kind of admire it.
More from TVLineIan...
Ozark infuriates me while simultaneously entertaining me and I resent it but I also kind of admire it.
More from TVLineIan...
- 3/29/2020
- TVLine.com
[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “Ozark” Season 3, including the ending.]
Describing a movie or TV show as a parallel to our troubled times is already a cliché, but watching “Ozark” while bunkered down does crystalize the obsession around Netflix’s distressing drama. So, before digging into Season 3’s twists, toils, and tumultuous ending, it’s worth noting why the new episodes feel both distinct from and eerily similar to past seasons — besides that it’s simply better-made than Season 2.
More from IndieWire'Ozark' Review: A Resurgent Season 3 Kicks Things Up a Notch on Netflix — Spoiler-Free7 New Netflix Shows in March 2020, and the Best Reasons to Watch
At its core, “Ozark” is about two people who screwed up so badly there’s no coming back. The only solace they can find is temporary. Maybe it’s in the day-to-day grind, when they can distract themselves through work. Perhaps they only feel at ease when they’re lying...
Describing a movie or TV show as a parallel to our troubled times is already a cliché, but watching “Ozark” while bunkered down does crystalize the obsession around Netflix’s distressing drama. So, before digging into Season 3’s twists, toils, and tumultuous ending, it’s worth noting why the new episodes feel both distinct from and eerily similar to past seasons — besides that it’s simply better-made than Season 2.
More from IndieWire'Ozark' Review: A Resurgent Season 3 Kicks Things Up a Notch on Netflix — Spoiler-Free7 New Netflix Shows in March 2020, and the Best Reasons to Watch
At its core, “Ozark” is about two people who screwed up so badly there’s no coming back. The only solace they can find is temporary. Maybe it’s in the day-to-day grind, when they can distract themselves through work. Perhaps they only feel at ease when they’re lying...
- 3/28/2020
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
A new set of 24 “Viral Monologues” from The 24 Hour Plays will be available on Instagram tonight, with actors Daveed Diggs, Michael Shannon, Clark Gregg, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Dylan Baker, Danny Pudi and Josh Hamilton, among others, performing monologues written by playwrights including Jonathan Marc Sherman, Eric Bogosian and Stephen Adly Guirgis.
See the complete list of performers and writers below. The new round of monologues will begin at 6 pm/Et, with a new one posted every 15 minutes until midnight on Instagram and The 24 Hour Plays website (see links below).
More from Deadline'Central Park' Exec Producer Takes Heat for Voice Casting Choices - TCA'Snowpiercer' TV Series Finally Gets Its TNT Premiere Date - TCAMarcia Gay Harden, 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Clark Gregg & More Round Out The Cast Of Amy Poehler's 'Moxie'
The first round of monologues hit Instagram last week, with actors including Patrick Wilson, Rachel Dratch and Hugh Dancy,...
See the complete list of performers and writers below. The new round of monologues will begin at 6 pm/Et, with a new one posted every 15 minutes until midnight on Instagram and The 24 Hour Plays website (see links below).
More from Deadline'Central Park' Exec Producer Takes Heat for Voice Casting Choices - TCA'Snowpiercer' TV Series Finally Gets Its TNT Premiere Date - TCAMarcia Gay Harden, 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Clark Gregg & More Round Out The Cast Of Amy Poehler's 'Moxie'
The first round of monologues hit Instagram last week, with actors including Patrick Wilson, Rachel Dratch and Hugh Dancy,...
- 3/24/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The trailer for “Ozark” Season 3 opens with Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) commuting by Bayliner to his family’s new money-laundering venture, a riverboat casino. Shortly thereafter, it cuts to Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) pointing a gun at her hubby.
Yeah, the Byrdes have problems, which is probably why they have hired marriage counselor Sue Shelby (Marylouise Burke) to help them sort through a very unique situation. There’s just one problem with Sue’s impartial professional advice: Marty is bribing her.
Shortly thereafter, in case it wasn’t absolutely crystal clear that Shelby is the Netflix show’s resident couples therapist, Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) tells Marty, “I’m not your f—ing marriage counselor.”
Also Read: Netflix in March: Here's Everything Coming and Going
She used to at least be his f—ing employee, but now the lines are a bit blurred. Ruth was never really one for being subordinate.
Yeah, the Byrdes have problems, which is probably why they have hired marriage counselor Sue Shelby (Marylouise Burke) to help them sort through a very unique situation. There’s just one problem with Sue’s impartial professional advice: Marty is bribing her.
Shortly thereafter, in case it wasn’t absolutely crystal clear that Shelby is the Netflix show’s resident couples therapist, Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) tells Marty, “I’m not your f—ing marriage counselor.”
Also Read: Netflix in March: Here's Everything Coming and Going
She used to at least be his f—ing employee, but now the lines are a bit blurred. Ruth was never really one for being subordinate.
- 3/5/2020
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
The Performer | Freddie Highmore
The Show | The Good Doctor
More from TVLinePerformers of the Week: Grant Gustin and Josh O'Connor (11/30)Performer of the Week: Rami Malek (11/23)Ratings: CBS Dramas Slip as ABC's College Football Dominates Friday
The Episode | “Friends and Family” (Dec. 2, 2019)
The Performance | Rare are the occasions when Highmore gets to wear emotionally stunted Shaun’s heart on his sleeve. But when he finally confronted his dying father in Monday’s midseason closer, the actor got, and made the most of, a showcase for the ages.
It was in the immediate aftermath of Ethan’s half-hearted apology that Highmore first erupted,...
The Show | The Good Doctor
More from TVLinePerformers of the Week: Grant Gustin and Josh O'Connor (11/30)Performer of the Week: Rami Malek (11/23)Ratings: CBS Dramas Slip as ABC's College Football Dominates Friday
The Episode | “Friends and Family” (Dec. 2, 2019)
The Performance | Rare are the occasions when Highmore gets to wear emotionally stunted Shaun’s heart on his sleeve. But when he finally confronted his dying father in Monday’s midseason closer, the actor got, and made the most of, a showcase for the ages.
It was in the immediate aftermath of Ethan’s half-hearted apology that Highmore first erupted,...
- 12/7/2019
- TVLine.com
Marylouise Burke True West and Andre De Shields Hdestown are the recipients of the annual Richard Seff Award presented by the Actors' Equity Foundation to veteran female and male character actors for the best performance in a supporting role in a Broadway or Off-Broadway production. The announcement was made by Judy Rice, president of the Foundation, which administers the award.
- 5/3/2019
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
As we’re now about halfway through the Broadway season, there are currently eight productions of plays set to open this spring. Could we be seeing any of them contend at this year’s Tony Awards? Below, we recap the plot of each play as well as the awards history of its author, cast, creative types, the opening, and (where applicable) closing dates.
“Choir Boy” (opens January 8; closes March 10)
In this new play by Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney, the story centers on the Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys, which for a half a century has been dedicated to the education of strong, ethical black men. One talented student has been waiting for years to take his rightful place as the leader of the school’s legendary gospel choir. But can he make his way through the hallowed halls of this institution if he sings in his own key?...
“Choir Boy” (opens January 8; closes March 10)
In this new play by Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney, the story centers on the Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys, which for a half a century has been dedicated to the education of strong, ethical black men. One talented student has been waiting for years to take his rightful place as the leader of the school’s legendary gospel choir. But can he make his way through the hallowed halls of this institution if he sings in his own key?...
- 1/29/2019
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
At the core of “Ripcord,” which opened Tuesday at Mtc’s Off Broadway Stage 1 Theatre, is a Lifetime movie struggling to escape the quirky trappings of David Lindsay-Abaire‘s comedy. Rest assured: The show makes the escape with barely a bruise to anyone’s heartstrings. After plays like “Fuddy Meers” and “Kimberly Akimbo,” oddball is what you expect from Lindsay-Abaire, as well as from actress Marylouise Burke, who holds the patent on garrulous, pixilated old women. In “Ripcord,” Burke’s Marilyn takes another old woman, Abby (Holland Taylor), skydiving. Marilyn also takes Abby to a Halloween spook house, wherein a clown wielding a chainsaw.
- 10/21/2015
- by Robert Hofler
- The Wrap
Longtime Daily Show scribe/correspondent Wyatt Cenac — who recently made waves after detailing a rocky relationship with Jon Stewart — will next turn his attention to The Group, TBS’ upcoming comedy pilot in which he will star.
The Group — which counts Conan O’Brien and Greg Daniels (The Office, Parks and Recreation) among its executive producers — focuses on skeptical journalist Wyatt Jones (Cenac), who investigates a support group for people who believe they have been abducted by aliens. The more he digs into the oddballs’ claims, however, the more confused, intrigued and seduced he becomes.
The cast also includes Oscar Nuñez...
The Group — which counts Conan O’Brien and Greg Daniels (The Office, Parks and Recreation) among its executive producers — focuses on skeptical journalist Wyatt Jones (Cenac), who investigates a support group for people who believe they have been abducted by aliens. The more he digs into the oddballs’ claims, however, the more confused, intrigued and seduced he becomes.
The cast also includes Oscar Nuñez...
- 7/30/2015
- TVLine.com
There are three great actresses whose names include “Mary” and “Louise,” each with a different spelling and all associated with the Manhattan Theatre Club, where the new comedy Ripcord will have its world premiere in the fall. Mary-Louise Parker, who recently earned triumphal reviews for her performance in Heisenberg at Mtc, has nothing at all to do with Ripcord. Marylouise Burke is starring in Ripcord. Mary Louise Wilson was also set to star in Ripcord but has withdrawn…...
- 7/30/2015
- Deadline TV
There are three great actresses whose names include “Mary” and “Louise,” each with a different spelling and all associated with the Manhattan Theatre Club, where the new comedy Ripcord will have its world premiere in the fall. Mary-Louise Parker, who recently earned triumphal reviews for her performance in Heisenberg at Mtc, has nothing at all to do with Ripcord. Marylouise Burke is starring in Ripcord. Mary Louise Wilson was also set to star in Ripcord but has withdrawn…...
- 7/30/2015
- Deadline
'Sideways' movie, with Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church 'Sideways' movie review: California winery tour follows conventional road to male maturity With the 1999 Matthew Broderick-Reese Witherspoon vehicle Election, Alexander Payne displayed a flair for satirical comedy the likes of which would have turned Billy Wilder greener (with envy) than the Sideways poster found further below in this commentary. With the 2002 Jack Nicholson star vehicle About Schmidt, Payne demonstrated that his comedic flair could go the way of Wilder's in fluff like Sabrina and Love in the Afternoon: artificial, cutesy, bland.* In Sideways, Payne opted for the safer About Schmidt route – which may explain the film's enormous popularity with critics and audiences alike. For my part, I found his adaptation (with Jim Taylor) of Rex Pickett's novel to be an overlong, moralistic, and thoroughly unconvincing effort. (Warning: This Sideways movie review contains spoilers.
- 5/9/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Good Neighbors: Levine’s Indie Murder Mystery a Passing Homage to Classic Comedy
Actor/writer/director Lawrence Michael Levine reunites with director/actress wife Sophia Takal for his third feature, the harmlessly charming Brooklyn set murder mystery Wild Canaries, which tends to favor a bygone tradition of slapstick, noir tinged comedy. Several have compared Levine and Takal’s spousal chemistry to the likes of Myrna Loy of William Powell in their famed Thin Man series of classic films—but such an association is a tad hyperbolic. They make a charming duo, certainly, but the ragtag charm melts away in the face of the narrative’s eventual flaccid inability to remain energetically inventive, seemingly tired of its own formula by the final frames. Witty writing and effortless performances magically keep familiarity at bay, but at the end of the day, the film’s more provocative characterizations fade into a safe peripheral zone,...
Actor/writer/director Lawrence Michael Levine reunites with director/actress wife Sophia Takal for his third feature, the harmlessly charming Brooklyn set murder mystery Wild Canaries, which tends to favor a bygone tradition of slapstick, noir tinged comedy. Several have compared Levine and Takal’s spousal chemistry to the likes of Myrna Loy of William Powell in their famed Thin Man series of classic films—but such an association is a tad hyperbolic. They make a charming duo, certainly, but the ragtag charm melts away in the face of the narrative’s eventual flaccid inability to remain energetically inventive, seemingly tired of its own formula by the final frames. Witty writing and effortless performances magically keep familiarity at bay, but at the end of the day, the film’s more provocative characterizations fade into a safe peripheral zone,...
- 2/26/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
The new Brooklyn is generally derided as a wilderness of double-wide strollers, young men with the facial hair of Canadian loggers circa 1852, and artisanal everything. But in Wild Canaries, a modestly scaled murder mystery-comedy from writer-director-star Lawrence Michael Levine, today’s Brooklyn is a place of danger and intrigue. Just as in the good old bad old days of the Seventies and Eighties, you can actually get killed there, and the first corpse to show up in Wild Canaries is that of eightyish Sylvia (Marylouise Burke). Sylvia is the tenant of a rent-controlled apartment, and in New York City real estate terms, that right there makes her a sitting target for murder.
If Sylvia was murdered, who would do such a thing? A couple living in he...
If Sylvia was murdered, who would do such a thing? A couple living in he...
- 2/25/2015
- Village Voice
Casting is almost complete on Larry David's upcoming Broadway debut as playwright and star, Fish in the Dark, with Rita Wilson, Ben Shenkman and Marylouise Burke among those joining the populous ensemble. Anna D. Shapiro, a Tony winner for August: Osage County, who is currently represented on Broadway with her production of Kenneth Lonergan's This Is Our Youth, directs David's comedy about a death in the family. The production begins previews Feb. 2 at the Cort Theatre, with official opening night set for March 5. Also joining the cast is Lewis J. Stadlen, Tony-nominated in 1974 for Candide and
read more...
read more...
- 12/7/2014
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Playing ex-lovers and semi-siblings in the emotional shootout of a lifetime, Sam Rockwell and Nina Arianda will reprise their summer vacation performances in Sam Shepard’s intense, intimate 1983 play on Broadway beginning next September. The show was widely viewed as a likely New York transfer, and the move signifies not only the draw of star-power (and a great work) but of good old-fashioned connections.
This revival was mounted last July at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, where it earned considerable praise (though not from everyone). In New York, it will run at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, the Broadway flagship of the nonprofit Manhattan Theatre Club. Williamstown’s new artistic director, Mandy Greenfield, recently took over the esteemed Berkshires venue after a 10-year run at Mtc, most recently as artistic producer, i.e. number two to a.d Lynne Meadow. Greenfield is one of the most admired and well-liked producers in the nonprofit world.
This revival was mounted last July at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, where it earned considerable praise (though not from everyone). In New York, it will run at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, the Broadway flagship of the nonprofit Manhattan Theatre Club. Williamstown’s new artistic director, Mandy Greenfield, recently took over the esteemed Berkshires venue after a 10-year run at Mtc, most recently as artistic producer, i.e. number two to a.d Lynne Meadow. Greenfield is one of the most admired and well-liked producers in the nonprofit world.
- 12/3/2014
- by Jeremy Gerard
- Deadline
Patton Oswalt, Amy Poehler, Sarah Silverman, Adrian Grenier, and Werner Herzog are among the more than 80 actors, directors, and academic and civic leaders who are collaborating on the digital series We the Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss. Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Productions and Morgan Spurlock’s Cinelan will produce the series of informative and entertaining films that tackle serious economic issues. “At its core, the vision of this project is to fuse artistry and storytelling with economic expertise to engage the public in a truly informed dialogue about the U.S. economy," says Carole Tomko, general...
- 9/30/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
The Acting Company will present a benefit staged reading of Murderers, a new play by Jeffrey Hatcher Never Gonna Dance, Tuesdays with Morrie at 7 pm on Monday, February 24 at the Mainstage Theater Playwrights Horizons, 416 West 42nd Street 9th-10thAvenues. The performance-starring Acting Company Alumna and Tony-winner Harriet Harris Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, EncoresLittle Me, Marylouise Burke TV's Alpha House and Reg Rogers The Big Knife-will be followed by a reception with the cast and director, Ian Belknap, Artistic Director of The Acting Company. Tickets 35 and 60 Patron are available from 212-258-3111.
- 2/12/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
He managed to put together the Indie actress all-star team of Sophia Takal, Amy Seimetz, Kate Lyn Sheil and Lena Dunham (forgive the pun) all under one “roof” for Gabi on the Roof in July back in 2010, and in 2013, Lawrence Michael Levine packaged the himself, his wife (Takal), Alia Shawkat, Annie Parisse, Jason Ritter, Kevin Corrigan, Marylouise Burke, Lindsay Burdge and Eleonore Hendricks in a Bklyn whodunit, Wild Canaries. Production concluded in May of this year, and was presented among the half dozen titles at the U.S in Progress, leaving plenty of time for this cinematic hipster game of Clue to be ready in time for Park City.
Gist: A Brooklyn couple suspects foul play when their rent controlled neighbor suddenly drops dead.
Production Co./Producers: Takal, Kim Sherman (A Teacher), E. McCabe Walsh (Andrew Renzi’s Karaoke!)
Prediction: Next section appears to be just right – with plenty of...
Gist: A Brooklyn couple suspects foul play when their rent controlled neighbor suddenly drops dead.
Production Co./Producers: Takal, Kim Sherman (A Teacher), E. McCabe Walsh (Andrew Renzi’s Karaoke!)
Prediction: Next section appears to be just right – with plenty of...
- 11/22/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
A Parallelogram celebrated its opening night Sunday, July 21, at the Mark Taper Forum. The play, by Bruce Norris, is directed by Anna D. Shapiro. Along with the director Anna D. Shapiro and the cast Carlo Alban, Marylouise Burke, Marin Ireland and Tom Irwin, check out the video with Michael Chernus, Judy Reyes, Ana Ortiz, Jeff Goldblum, Jimmy Smits and James Franco at the opening night party for 'A Parallelogram.'...
- 7/26/2013
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
The world premiere production of the new musical Tuck Everlasting will play at Boston's Citi Performing Arts Center Emerson Colonial Theatre 106 Boylston Street from July 28-August 18, 2013. The pre-Broadway production will feature in alphabetical order Fred Applegate Sister Act as 'Constable Joe,'Marylouise Burke Fuddy Meers as 'Nana,' Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello Scandalous as 'Ma Tuck,' David Garrison Titanic as 'The Man In The Yellow Suit,' Andrew Keenan-Bolger Newsies as 'Jesse Tuck,' Daytime Emmy Award Winner Michael Park How To Succeed... as 'Pa Tuck,' Michael Wartella The Kid as 'Hugo,' and Valerie Wright Elf as 'Mother,' and will introduce Sadie Sink in the role of 'Winnie.'In the video below, watch Jeremy Jordan sing 'The Wheel' from the new musical...
- 4/3/2013
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
The world premiere production of the new musical Tuck Everlasting will play at Boston's Citi Performing Arts Center Emerson Colonial Theatre 106 Boylston Street from July 28-August 18, 2013. The pre-Broadway production will feature in alphabetical order Fred Applegate Sister Act as 'Constable Joe,' Marylouise Burke Fuddy Meers as 'Nana,' Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello Scandalous as 'Ma Tuck,' David Garrison Titanic as 'The Man In The Yellow Suit,' Andrew Keenan-Bolger Newsies as 'Jesse Tuck,' Daytime Emmy Award Winner Michael Park How To Succeed... as 'Pa Tuck,' Michael Wartella The Kid as 'Hugo,' and Valerie Wright Elf as 'Mother,' and will introduce Sadie Sink in the role of 'Winnie.'In the video below, go behind the scenes of the making of the new musical...
- 3/5/2013
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Producers Broadway Across America Beth Williams, Howard amp Janet Kagan and Barry Brown just announced casting for the world premiere production of the new musical Tuck Everlasting at Boston's Citi Performing Arts Center Emerson Colonial Theatre 106 Boylston Street from July 28-August 18, 2013. The pre-Broadway production will feature in alphabetical order Fred Applegate Sister Act as Constable Joe,' Marylouise Burke Fuddy Meers as Nana,' Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello Scandalous as Ma Tuck,' David Garrison Titanic as The Man In The Yellow Suit,' Andrew Keenan-Bolger Newsies as Jesse Tuck,' Daytime Emmy Award Winner Michael Park How To Succeed as Pa Tuck,' Michael Wartella The Kid as Hugo,' and Valerie Wright Elf as Mother,' and will introduce Sadie Sink in the role of Winnie.'...
- 1/23/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Winner of a 2012 Audience Award at Sundance, comedian Mike Birbiglia wrote, directed and stars in this sincere and hilarious film, based on his off-Broadway show and bestselling book. It’s also the first movie co-written by Ira Glass and co-produced by “This American Life.” The story: when an aspiring stand-up fails to express his true feelings about his girlfriend and his stalled career, his anxiety comes out in increasingly funny and dangerous sleepwalking incidents.
Sleepwalk With Me features Lauren Ambrose (“Six Feet Under”), Carol Kane (“Taxi”), James Rebhorn (“Meet the Parents”), Cristin Milioti (star of Broadway’s “Once”), plus comedians Marc Maron, Kristen Schaal, Wyatt Cenac, Jesse Klein, Henry Phillips and David Wain.
“A funny and insightful movie. I could have watched it for ten hours.”
- Judd Apatow
IFC Films and Wamg invite you to enter to win passes to the advance screening of Sleepwalk With Me in St.
Sleepwalk With Me features Lauren Ambrose (“Six Feet Under”), Carol Kane (“Taxi”), James Rebhorn (“Meet the Parents”), Cristin Milioti (star of Broadway’s “Once”), plus comedians Marc Maron, Kristen Schaal, Wyatt Cenac, Jesse Klein, Henry Phillips and David Wain.
“A funny and insightful movie. I could have watched it for ten hours.”
- Judd Apatow
IFC Films and Wamg invite you to enter to win passes to the advance screening of Sleepwalk With Me in St.
- 9/6/2012
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
We've all had the sort of soul-sapping jobs that make each minute feel like an eternity.
In the delightful "Rx," which opened Tuesday night, Feb. 7, at Primary Stages, 59E59 Theater A, Meena Pierotti (Marin Hinkle, "Two and a Half Men," "Electra") is a managing editor of American Cattle and Swine magazine. She wanted to be a poet and wound up editing stories about pig farmers.
As it happens, when I still harbored delusions about poetry and was a senior in college, I too had a job, or rather an internship, at trade magazines. I so felt Meena's pain. Truly, nothing makes time stand still longer than writing a story about corrugated boxes for Food and Drug Packaging unless, of course, you are proofreading Glass Monthly.
Meena is so miserable that she decides to enter a trial for a new drug, one that combats workplace depression. When Dr. Phil Gray (Stephen Kunken,...
In the delightful "Rx," which opened Tuesday night, Feb. 7, at Primary Stages, 59E59 Theater A, Meena Pierotti (Marin Hinkle, "Two and a Half Men," "Electra") is a managing editor of American Cattle and Swine magazine. She wanted to be a poet and wound up editing stories about pig farmers.
As it happens, when I still harbored delusions about poetry and was a senior in college, I too had a job, or rather an internship, at trade magazines. I so felt Meena's pain. Truly, nothing makes time stand still longer than writing a story about corrugated boxes for Food and Drug Packaging unless, of course, you are proofreading Glass Monthly.
Meena is so miserable that she decides to enter a trial for a new drug, one that combats workplace depression. When Dr. Phil Gray (Stephen Kunken,...
- 2/8/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
February 2nd marked the opening night for the Primary Stages Casey Childs, Founder amp Executive Producer Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director Elliot Fox, Managing Director world premiere of the new play, Rx, written by Kate Fodor. Directed by Ethan McSweeny, the cast features Michael Bakkensen, Marylouise Burke, Marin Hinkle, Stephen Kunken, Paul Niebanck, and Elizabeth Rich. Rx will have set design by Lee Savage, costume design by Andrea Lauer, lighting design by Matthew Richards, original music and sound design by Lindsay Jones, and prop supervision by Faye Armon. See photos from opening night below.
- 2/8/2012
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Veteran actor Marylouise Burke is working now more than ever. "I was always a character actress, even when I was an ingénue," she says, laughing. "But as you age, people know what to do with you, and you're not quite as dependent on maintaining leading-lady beauty." Burke has worked steadily for the past 20 years, and the last 10 have proved especially fruitful, she says.Roles in the films "Sideways," "A Prairie Home Companion," and "Series 7: The Contenders" and a recurring part on HBO's "Hung" number among her many credits. Currently, she is featured in "Rx," an Off-Broadway satire by Kate Fodor about job dissatisfaction and the difficulties of love in our overmedicated society. Burke's character is a dimwitted but compassionate and street-smart lady who buys oversize panties and helps the play's benighted heroine (played by Marin Hinkle) to see what's valuable in life."She's an elderly woman with limited resources,...
- 2/3/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Simi Horwitz)
- backstage.com
Title: Sleepwalk With Me Director: Mike Birbiglia and Seth Barrish Cast: Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose, Cristin Milioti, Aya Cash, Marylouise Burke, Loudon Wainwright III, James Rebhorn and Carol Kane Mike Birbiglia is a strange breed of comedian. He doesn’t really rely on punchlines and zingers but rather he takes the approach of storytelling. He has a great voice for storytelling, which translates into an engaging experience. His standup shows are hilarious. He’s one of the few alternative comedians that can tell a good story without delivering a lot of laughs. But when those laughs hit, they are full of impact. You can just tell that the stories he’s telling on...
- 1/25/2012
- by Rudie Obias
- ShockYa
Prior to his appointment as Assistant City Manager on the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation, Adam Scott already has had grabbed people’s attention with roles in High Crimes, Torque and The Aviator, and easily turned himself into a viable action hero in last summer’s Piranha 3D.
He has just seized two roles in two upcoming projects, My Mother’s Curse and See Girl Run.
My Mother’s Curse is based on Seth Rogen‘s character, an inventor who plans to take his mother (Barbra Streisand) on a road trip to try to market and sell his latest invention. He also has a learned motive to rejoin her with a long-lost love. It isn’t known with certainty what role Scott will play. Colin Hanks and Yvonne Strahovski are also starring. Anne Fletcher is helming My Mother’s Curse from a script by Dan Fogelman.
See Girl Run comes...
He has just seized two roles in two upcoming projects, My Mother’s Curse and See Girl Run.
My Mother’s Curse is based on Seth Rogen‘s character, an inventor who plans to take his mother (Barbra Streisand) on a road trip to try to market and sell his latest invention. He also has a learned motive to rejoin her with a long-lost love. It isn’t known with certainty what role Scott will play. Colin Hanks and Yvonne Strahovski are also starring. Anne Fletcher is helming My Mother’s Curse from a script by Dan Fogelman.
See Girl Run comes...
- 6/12/2011
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
The folks over at Allocine have debuted a new international trailer for the Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor dramedy I Love You Phillip Morris. Written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Bad Santa) and based on the book by Houston Chronicle crime reporter Steve McVicker, the film sees Carrey and McGregor star as two imprisoned lovers. McGregor’s character is released from prison, which leads Carrey to escape. It hits theaters February 10, 2010 and also stars Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, Nicholas Alexander, Allen Boudreaux, Brennan Brown, Beth Burvant, Marylouise Burke and Clay Chamberlin.
- 7/17/2009
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
The Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor dramedy I Love You Phillip Morris has been acquired for domestic distribution by Consolidated Pictures Group, report the trades. The production and distribution group, which launched at the Sundance Film Fest, has set a Valentine's Day 2010 release. Based on a book by Houston Chronicle crime reporter Steve McVicker, the fact-based film casts Carrey as Steven Russell, a married father whose exploits landed him in the Texas criminal justice system. He fell madly in love with his cellmate (McGregor), who eventually was set free, which led Russell to escape from Texas prisons four times. Despite earning positive reviews after it premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, many distributors passed on the film because of its subject matter. The film, written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Bad Santa), makes its overseas premiere as a Directors' Fortnight offering at Cannes. Leslie Mann,...
- 5/12/2009
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
"Series 7" is "Gladiator" for the digital video generation. Designed to look like a reality television show called "The Contenders", in which real people stalk and kill one another in real locations, the film was in development long before "Survivor" hit the airwaves. Writer-director Daniel Minahan even has the Sundance Lab records to prove it. Yet how eerie for art to anticipate life -- or rather to anticipate populist programming at its lowest-common-denominator depths.
Coming on the heels of the Japanese film "Battle Royale", in which 52 ninth-grade students fight to the finish on a small jungle isle, and "15 Minutes" -- also opening today -- in which two maniacs videotape their murderous crime spree in hopes of making a fortune off their infamy, "Series 7" is on the money when it comes to the media zeitgeist. That doesn't make it any easier to stomach.
This is 88 minutes of morose, amoral people stalking and murdering one another, which doesn't sound like a date movie. It certainly isn't fine art either. More interesting in concept than execution, the movie will generate controversy and late-night debates -- but only among the handful who venture into specialty venues for the offbeat. "Series 7" looks like a cult home video favorite.
It perhaps is a compliment to say that Minahan accomplishes his goals all too well. A veteran of TV documentaries and tabloid newsmagazine shows, Minahan has created a video-shot movie that perfectly mimics the TV reality show look, complete with hooky music cues, ponderous voice-overs and teasers to keep viewers glued to their sets.
His cast is convincingly "real." The best-known is Dawn (Brooke Smith), and -- again it's a left-handed compliment -- she actually makes you root for her in her quest to survive as the best killing machine in the contest. Staged in and around Minahan's hometown of Danbury, Conn., "Series 7" goes full-bore in its ruthless satirization of television at its worst. It's "Jerry Springer" crossed with "Survivor" and "Big Brother", with a hint of "Rollerball".
As contestants stake out positions -- and segments explore their individual back stories -- the key satirical ingredients are the disconnection between what they're doing and their explanations of their actions in terms of motives and strategy. Their world is one of institutionalized murders, such as in the classic short stories "The Most Dangerous Game" and "The Lottery", but the participants discuss their approach to hits as a young person would his Little League game or SAT scores.
Dawn is the reigning champ. But she's now eight months pregnant and faced with a new battlefield: her hometown, where she encounters not only friends and relations but an ex-boyfriend (Glenn Fitzgerald) who, despite being a cancer victim, is a contestant.
Her main opponent turns out to be a Catholic nurse (Marylouise Burke), whom you might discount unless you remember Nurse Ratched from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Others include a young girl (Merritt Wever), whose family eggs her on; an unemployed married man (Michael Kaycheck), who desperately needs the money; and a crazy old trailer-park coot (Richard Venture), whose orneriness just might save his life.
As with "The Blair Witch Project", the behind-the-camera personnel take advantage of what are normally drawbacks: limited resources and a video camera. Here it all makes perfect sense as a sendup of reality television.
Music by Girls Against Boys gives "Series 7" an MTV feel. Malcolm Jamieson's editing keeps things moving at the right pace for a show designed for viewers with short attention spans. There is sharp wit in the writing, and the direction is quite good. "Series 7" is undeniably effective, but that doesn't mean you feel good when it's over.
SERIES 7
USA Films
An October Films presentation of a Blow Up Pictures presentation of a Killer Films/Open City Films production
Producers: Jason Kloit, Joana Vicente, Christine Vachon, Katie Roumel
Screenwriter-director: Daniel Minahan
Executive producers: Charles J. Rusbasan, Judith Zarin, Michael Escott
Co-producers: Evan T. Cohen, Gretchen McGowan
Director of photography: Randy Drummond
Production designer: Gideon Ponte
Costume designer: Christine Beiselin
Editor: Malcolm Jamieson
Music: Girls Against Boys
Color/stereo
Cast:
Dawn: Brooke Smith
Connie: Marylouise Burke
Jeff: Glenn Fitzgerald
Tony: Michael Kaycheck
Franklin: Richard Venture
Lindsay: Merritt Wever
Sheila: Donna Hanover
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Coming on the heels of the Japanese film "Battle Royale", in which 52 ninth-grade students fight to the finish on a small jungle isle, and "15 Minutes" -- also opening today -- in which two maniacs videotape their murderous crime spree in hopes of making a fortune off their infamy, "Series 7" is on the money when it comes to the media zeitgeist. That doesn't make it any easier to stomach.
This is 88 minutes of morose, amoral people stalking and murdering one another, which doesn't sound like a date movie. It certainly isn't fine art either. More interesting in concept than execution, the movie will generate controversy and late-night debates -- but only among the handful who venture into specialty venues for the offbeat. "Series 7" looks like a cult home video favorite.
It perhaps is a compliment to say that Minahan accomplishes his goals all too well. A veteran of TV documentaries and tabloid newsmagazine shows, Minahan has created a video-shot movie that perfectly mimics the TV reality show look, complete with hooky music cues, ponderous voice-overs and teasers to keep viewers glued to their sets.
His cast is convincingly "real." The best-known is Dawn (Brooke Smith), and -- again it's a left-handed compliment -- she actually makes you root for her in her quest to survive as the best killing machine in the contest. Staged in and around Minahan's hometown of Danbury, Conn., "Series 7" goes full-bore in its ruthless satirization of television at its worst. It's "Jerry Springer" crossed with "Survivor" and "Big Brother", with a hint of "Rollerball".
As contestants stake out positions -- and segments explore their individual back stories -- the key satirical ingredients are the disconnection between what they're doing and their explanations of their actions in terms of motives and strategy. Their world is one of institutionalized murders, such as in the classic short stories "The Most Dangerous Game" and "The Lottery", but the participants discuss their approach to hits as a young person would his Little League game or SAT scores.
Dawn is the reigning champ. But she's now eight months pregnant and faced with a new battlefield: her hometown, where she encounters not only friends and relations but an ex-boyfriend (Glenn Fitzgerald) who, despite being a cancer victim, is a contestant.
Her main opponent turns out to be a Catholic nurse (Marylouise Burke), whom you might discount unless you remember Nurse Ratched from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Others include a young girl (Merritt Wever), whose family eggs her on; an unemployed married man (Michael Kaycheck), who desperately needs the money; and a crazy old trailer-park coot (Richard Venture), whose orneriness just might save his life.
As with "The Blair Witch Project", the behind-the-camera personnel take advantage of what are normally drawbacks: limited resources and a video camera. Here it all makes perfect sense as a sendup of reality television.
Music by Girls Against Boys gives "Series 7" an MTV feel. Malcolm Jamieson's editing keeps things moving at the right pace for a show designed for viewers with short attention spans. There is sharp wit in the writing, and the direction is quite good. "Series 7" is undeniably effective, but that doesn't mean you feel good when it's over.
SERIES 7
USA Films
An October Films presentation of a Blow Up Pictures presentation of a Killer Films/Open City Films production
Producers: Jason Kloit, Joana Vicente, Christine Vachon, Katie Roumel
Screenwriter-director: Daniel Minahan
Executive producers: Charles J. Rusbasan, Judith Zarin, Michael Escott
Co-producers: Evan T. Cohen, Gretchen McGowan
Director of photography: Randy Drummond
Production designer: Gideon Ponte
Costume designer: Christine Beiselin
Editor: Malcolm Jamieson
Music: Girls Against Boys
Color/stereo
Cast:
Dawn: Brooke Smith
Connie: Marylouise Burke
Jeff: Glenn Fitzgerald
Tony: Michael Kaycheck
Franklin: Richard Venture
Lindsay: Merritt Wever
Sheila: Donna Hanover
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
DreamWorks Pictures has acquired the feature film rights to David Lindsay-Abaire's off-Broadway play Kimberly Akimbo. The David Petrarca-directed play, which debuted Jan. 14, wrapped its run at the Manhattan Theatre Company on Sunday. Set in suburban New Jersey, Akimbo tells the story of a teenager with a rare condition that causes her body to age faster than it should. When her family moves away from their town under dubious circumstances, Kimberly is forced to re-evaluate her life while juggling a hypochondriac mother, a drunk father, a dishonest aunt, her own mortality and the possibility of first love. Marylouise Burke, John Gallagher Jr., Ana Gasteyer, Jodie Markell and Jake Weber starred in the stage production. Lindsay-Abaire will adapt for the big screen. Steven Spielberg recently saw the play in New York and moved to acquire the film rights. He is not attached to direct or produce, but he will have a hand in the project's development. Production executive Leah Keith will also oversee. Lindsay-Abaire is repped by the Gersh Agency and attorney Nancy Rose. He previously penned the theater works Fuddy Meers and Wonder of the World, starring Sarah Jessica Parker. Akimbo premiered two years ago at the South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, Calif.
"Series 7" is "Gladiator" for the digital video generation. Designed to look like a reality television show called "The Contenders", in which real people stalk and kill one another in real locations, the film was in development long before "Survivor" hit the airwaves. Writer-director Daniel Minahan even has the Sundance Lab records to prove it. Yet how eerie for art to anticipate life -- or rather to anticipate populist programming at its lowest-common-denominator depths.
Coming on the heels of the Japanese film "Battle Royale", in which 52 ninth-grade students fight to the finish on a small jungle isle, and "15 Minutes" -- also opening today -- in which two maniacs videotape their murderous crime spree in hopes of making a fortune off their infamy, "Series 7" is on the money when it comes to the media zeitgeist. That doesn't make it any easier to stomach.
This is 88 minutes of morose, amoral people stalking and murdering one another, which doesn't sound like a date movie. It certainly isn't fine art either. More interesting in concept than execution, the movie will generate controversy and late-night debates -- but only among the handful who venture into specialty venues for the offbeat. "Series 7" looks like a cult home video favorite.
It perhaps is a compliment to say that Minahan accomplishes his goals all too well. A veteran of TV documentaries and tabloid newsmagazine shows, Minahan has created a video-shot movie that perfectly mimics the TV reality show look, complete with hooky music cues, ponderous voice-overs and teasers to keep viewers glued to their sets.
His cast is convincingly "real." The best-known is Dawn (Brooke Smith), and -- again it's a left-handed compliment -- she actually makes you root for her in her quest to survive as the best killing machine in the contest. Staged in and around Minahan's hometown of Danbury, Conn., "Series 7" goes full-bore in its ruthless satirization of television at its worst. It's "Jerry Springer" crossed with "Survivor" and "Big Brother", with a hint of "Rollerball".
As contestants stake out positions -- and segments explore their individual back stories -- the key satirical ingredients are the disconnection between what they're doing and their explanations of their actions in terms of motives and strategy. Their world is one of institutionalized murders, such as in the classic short stories "The Most Dangerous Game" and "The Lottery", but the participants discuss their approach to hits as a young person would his Little League game or SAT scores.
Dawn is the reigning champ. But she's now eight months pregnant and faced with a new battlefield: her hometown, where she encounters not only friends and relations but an ex-boyfriend (Glenn Fitzgerald) who, despite being a cancer victim, is a contestant.
Her main opponent turns out to be a Catholic nurse (Marylouise Burke), whom you might discount unless you remember Nurse Ratched from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Others include a young girl (Merritt Wever), whose family eggs her on; an unemployed married man (Michael Kaycheck), who desperately needs the money; and a crazy old trailer-park coot (Richard Venture), whose orneriness just might save his life.
As with "The Blair Witch Project", the behind-the-camera personnel take advantage of what are normally drawbacks: limited resources and a video camera. Here it all makes perfect sense as a sendup of reality television.
Music by Girls Against Boys gives "Series 7" an MTV feel. Malcolm Jamieson's editing keeps things moving at the right pace for a show designed for viewers with short attention spans. There is sharp wit in the writing, and the direction is quite good. "Series 7" is undeniably effective, but that doesn't mean you feel good when it's over.
SERIES 7
USA Films
An October Films presentation of a Blow Up Pictures presentation of a Killer Films/Open City Films production
Producers: Jason Kloit, Joana Vicente, Christine Vachon, Katie Roumel
Screenwriter-director: Daniel Minahan
Executive producers: Charles J. Rusbasan, Judith Zarin, Michael Escott
Co-producers: Evan T. Cohen, Gretchen McGowan
Director of photography: Randy Drummond
Production designer: Gideon Ponte
Costume designer: Christine Beiselin
Editor: Malcolm Jamieson
Music: Girls Against Boys
Color/stereo
Cast:
Dawn: Brooke Smith
Connie: Marylouise Burke
Jeff: Glenn Fitzgerald
Tony: Michael Kaycheck
Franklin: Richard Venture
Lindsay: Merritt Wever
Sheila: Donna Hanover
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Coming on the heels of the Japanese film "Battle Royale", in which 52 ninth-grade students fight to the finish on a small jungle isle, and "15 Minutes" -- also opening today -- in which two maniacs videotape their murderous crime spree in hopes of making a fortune off their infamy, "Series 7" is on the money when it comes to the media zeitgeist. That doesn't make it any easier to stomach.
This is 88 minutes of morose, amoral people stalking and murdering one another, which doesn't sound like a date movie. It certainly isn't fine art either. More interesting in concept than execution, the movie will generate controversy and late-night debates -- but only among the handful who venture into specialty venues for the offbeat. "Series 7" looks like a cult home video favorite.
It perhaps is a compliment to say that Minahan accomplishes his goals all too well. A veteran of TV documentaries and tabloid newsmagazine shows, Minahan has created a video-shot movie that perfectly mimics the TV reality show look, complete with hooky music cues, ponderous voice-overs and teasers to keep viewers glued to their sets.
His cast is convincingly "real." The best-known is Dawn (Brooke Smith), and -- again it's a left-handed compliment -- she actually makes you root for her in her quest to survive as the best killing machine in the contest. Staged in and around Minahan's hometown of Danbury, Conn., "Series 7" goes full-bore in its ruthless satirization of television at its worst. It's "Jerry Springer" crossed with "Survivor" and "Big Brother", with a hint of "Rollerball".
As contestants stake out positions -- and segments explore their individual back stories -- the key satirical ingredients are the disconnection between what they're doing and their explanations of their actions in terms of motives and strategy. Their world is one of institutionalized murders, such as in the classic short stories "The Most Dangerous Game" and "The Lottery", but the participants discuss their approach to hits as a young person would his Little League game or SAT scores.
Dawn is the reigning champ. But she's now eight months pregnant and faced with a new battlefield: her hometown, where she encounters not only friends and relations but an ex-boyfriend (Glenn Fitzgerald) who, despite being a cancer victim, is a contestant.
Her main opponent turns out to be a Catholic nurse (Marylouise Burke), whom you might discount unless you remember Nurse Ratched from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Others include a young girl (Merritt Wever), whose family eggs her on; an unemployed married man (Michael Kaycheck), who desperately needs the money; and a crazy old trailer-park coot (Richard Venture), whose orneriness just might save his life.
As with "The Blair Witch Project", the behind-the-camera personnel take advantage of what are normally drawbacks: limited resources and a video camera. Here it all makes perfect sense as a sendup of reality television.
Music by Girls Against Boys gives "Series 7" an MTV feel. Malcolm Jamieson's editing keeps things moving at the right pace for a show designed for viewers with short attention spans. There is sharp wit in the writing, and the direction is quite good. "Series 7" is undeniably effective, but that doesn't mean you feel good when it's over.
SERIES 7
USA Films
An October Films presentation of a Blow Up Pictures presentation of a Killer Films/Open City Films production
Producers: Jason Kloit, Joana Vicente, Christine Vachon, Katie Roumel
Screenwriter-director: Daniel Minahan
Executive producers: Charles J. Rusbasan, Judith Zarin, Michael Escott
Co-producers: Evan T. Cohen, Gretchen McGowan
Director of photography: Randy Drummond
Production designer: Gideon Ponte
Costume designer: Christine Beiselin
Editor: Malcolm Jamieson
Music: Girls Against Boys
Color/stereo
Cast:
Dawn: Brooke Smith
Connie: Marylouise Burke
Jeff: Glenn Fitzgerald
Tony: Michael Kaycheck
Franklin: Richard Venture
Lindsay: Merritt Wever
Sheila: Donna Hanover
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
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