Exclusive: Abigail Palmer has been promoted to Literary Manager at Navigation Media Group, the management and production company launched in 2022 by veteran lit managers James Engle & Ben C. Silverman, which reps creators in film and television.
Palmer has been with the company since 2022 and previously served as Junior Manager. Prior to that, she was an assistant and eventually coordinator at Intellectual Property Group, where she worked with notable authors and learned the business of IP. Dedicated to supporting and advocating for female, Queer, and underrepresented talent across all media formats and genres, she currently manages a roster that includes Jess Carson (The Flash), Grace Ding (Walker: Independence), Victoria González (Saved by the Bell), Kate McLaughlin and Stacey Maltin (Triple Threat).
“I am very excited for this next chapter with Navigation,” Palmer told Deadline. “I am thrilled to be connected with a company that is interested...
Palmer has been with the company since 2022 and previously served as Junior Manager. Prior to that, she was an assistant and eventually coordinator at Intellectual Property Group, where she worked with notable authors and learned the business of IP. Dedicated to supporting and advocating for female, Queer, and underrepresented talent across all media formats and genres, she currently manages a roster that includes Jess Carson (The Flash), Grace Ding (Walker: Independence), Victoria González (Saved by the Bell), Kate McLaughlin and Stacey Maltin (Triple Threat).
“I am very excited for this next chapter with Navigation,” Palmer told Deadline. “I am thrilled to be connected with a company that is interested...
- 2/8/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmmaker Damien Chazelle is no stranger to the horror genre, but he’s primarily associated with his more dramatic efforts. He became one of the most exciting names of this generation, earning praise for 2014’s Whiplash and 2016’s La La Land, while garnering divisive reactions to 2022’s Babylon. He’s comfortable working with all-star casts, showcasing his skill at a young age. Chazelle became the youngest Oscar winner for the Best Director category at 32 years old for La La Land. He wrote three horror movies that showcased his versatility along with his more recent efforts.
‘The Last Exorcism Part II’ (2013) Ashley Bell as Nell | CBS Films
A sequel to 2010’s The Last Exorcism, the 2013 installment picks back up with Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell). She’s now living in New Orleans, but she can’t remember the horrifying events of the past. All of Nell’s family is dead, although that...
‘The Last Exorcism Part II’ (2013) Ashley Bell as Nell | CBS Films
A sequel to 2010’s The Last Exorcism, the 2013 installment picks back up with Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell). She’s now living in New Orleans, but she can’t remember the horrifying events of the past. All of Nell’s family is dead, although that...
- 3/25/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
So many filmmakers have found their way into the industry through genre movies. Horror has long been the genre where you can always cobble together a bit of money together and make something people will watch, because there is a dedicated, loyal audience willing to shell out for just about anything, regardless of quality. The financial risk of a film becomes much lower if you've got some prurient thrills that genre fans can't help but ignore. Some filmmakers are thrilled to operate within that realm, delivering exactly what the audience wants, but some see it as a means to an end, as a way to get their foot in the door to make the things they actually have a passion for.
Looking at the directorial work of Academy Award winner Damien Chazelle, it's clear that horror isn't exactly what gets him going creatively. He loves to make movies about people obsessed with their jobs,...
Looking at the directorial work of Academy Award winner Damien Chazelle, it's clear that horror isn't exactly what gets him going creatively. He loves to make movies about people obsessed with their jobs,...
- 2/13/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Mario Casas, one of Spain’s biggest film and TV stars, and Goya Award winner actress Anna Castillo, will headline “Escape,” the new film by writer-director Rodrigo Cortés.
Produced by Adrián Guerra and Núria Valls at Barcelona-based Nostromo Pictures, “Escape” is a free adaptation of same-title novel penned by Spanish author Enrique Rubio.
Nostromo announced the new film project after completing an intense 2022, in which the company lensed seven films and released two more titles – Marçal Forés’ “Through My Window” and Oriol Paulo’s “God’s Crooked Lines” – both achieving a standout global reach.
“Escape’s” story turns on N., a young man who wants to live in prison and will do whatever it takes to get there, raising questions such as if those who care about him will get to stop him from committing increasingly serious crimes and how far will the judge go to not grant him his proposal.
Produced by Adrián Guerra and Núria Valls at Barcelona-based Nostromo Pictures, “Escape” is a free adaptation of same-title novel penned by Spanish author Enrique Rubio.
Nostromo announced the new film project after completing an intense 2022, in which the company lensed seven films and released two more titles – Marçal Forés’ “Through My Window” and Oriol Paulo’s “God’s Crooked Lines” – both achieving a standout global reach.
“Escape’s” story turns on N., a young man who wants to live in prison and will do whatever it takes to get there, raising questions such as if those who care about him will get to stop him from committing increasingly serious crimes and how far will the judge go to not grant him his proposal.
- 1/25/2023
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The management and production firm Navigation Media Group, repping creators in film and television, is expanding with the addition of Kegan Schell as Literary Manager.
Schell is a passionate advocate for queer and underrepresented talent who, at Navigation, will work with a broad range of creators in the horror and genre space. He joins from Echo Lake Entertainment, where he worked for six years. It was there that he first came to connect with Navigation’s co-founder, James Engle, while working as his assistant.
Schell brings with him a list of clients that includes Tom Hanada (Motherland: Fort Salem), Jess Carson (The Flash), Meredith Kecskemety (The Legend of Vox Machina), Alyssa & Griffin Devine (Portals), Todd Stephens (Swan Song) and Addison Heimann (Hypochondriac). While Navigation is headquartered in Los Angeles, with teams in both L.A. and Vancouver, Schell will be the first member of the company to work out of New York.
Schell is a passionate advocate for queer and underrepresented talent who, at Navigation, will work with a broad range of creators in the horror and genre space. He joins from Echo Lake Entertainment, where he worked for six years. It was there that he first came to connect with Navigation’s co-founder, James Engle, while working as his assistant.
Schell brings with him a list of clients that includes Tom Hanada (Motherland: Fort Salem), Jess Carson (The Flash), Meredith Kecskemety (The Legend of Vox Machina), Alyssa & Griffin Devine (Portals), Todd Stephens (Swan Song) and Addison Heimann (Hypochondriac). While Navigation is headquartered in Los Angeles, with teams in both L.A. and Vancouver, Schell will be the first member of the company to work out of New York.
- 1/6/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
With all the different streaming services in operation these days, there’s an awful lot of TV out there, so much so that plenty of shows can easily slip your notice. If you’re hungry for a fast-paced, action series featuring cryogenically frozen secret agents, political conspiracies, and Spain’s fascist dictator Francisco Franco, then you should check out the trailer for Garcia!, a six-episode series streaming on HBO Max.
Garcia! is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Santiago García and Luis Bustos and spans six decades in Spain’s tumultuous political history, seamlessly blending satire and suspense for a genre-bending adventure of epic proportions. The series follows “Antonia (Veki Velilla), a young reporter who quickly becomes embroiled in an elaborate political conspiracy after accidentally defrosting a cryogenically frozen secret agent from the 1960s. Finding himself thrust into a fractured modern world, Garcia (Francisco Ortiz), a...
Garcia! is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Santiago García and Luis Bustos and spans six decades in Spain’s tumultuous political history, seamlessly blending satire and suspense for a genre-bending adventure of epic proportions. The series follows “Antonia (Veki Velilla), a young reporter who quickly becomes embroiled in an elaborate political conspiracy after accidentally defrosting a cryogenically frozen secret agent from the 1960s. Finding himself thrust into a fractured modern world, Garcia (Francisco Ortiz), a...
- 11/9/2022
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
"García!" is the new Spanish-produced, live-action TV series, based on the graphic novel by Santiago García and Luis Bustos, directed by Eugenio Mira, starring Francisco Ortiz and Veki Velilla, streaming October 28, 2022 on HBO Max:
"...set in a version of current-day Spain at the verge of societal collapse, 'Antonia' is a reporter who accidentally unravels a decades-old plot concerning super-agent 'García', created in the 1950's by the 'Francoist' secret services and subsequently 'cryogenized'.
"Now, defrosted by 'Antonia', he finds himself disoriented and confused until he slowly remembers how to use his special skills..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...set in a version of current-day Spain at the verge of societal collapse, 'Antonia' is a reporter who accidentally unravels a decades-old plot concerning super-agent 'García', created in the 1950's by the 'Francoist' secret services and subsequently 'cryogenized'.
"Now, defrosted by 'Antonia', he finds himself disoriented and confused until he slowly remembers how to use his special skills..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 10/26/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
There is no bigger swing this year from HBO Max in Spain than its original series “Garcia!” Produced by Madrid’s Zeta Studios, the company behind Netflix’s uber hit “Elite,” it also marks a push by HBO Max in Europe into series of broader appeal than the traditional HBO brand.
Dropping worldwide its first two episodes on HBO Max from Oct. 28, the six-part thriller played to applause at its world premiere at Austin’s Fantastic Fest where the series’ Spanish director, Eugenio Mira, is a firm favourite, winning best director in 2005 for his feature debut, “The Birthday,” and screening there in 2013 “Grand Piano,” starring Elijah Wood and John Cusack.
“One of our obsessions, and mine in particular, is trying to do things which have not been done before,” Miguel Salvat, VP commissioning editor Spain for HBO Max, explained to Variety at San Sebastian last year at a presentation which included “Garcia!
Dropping worldwide its first two episodes on HBO Max from Oct. 28, the six-part thriller played to applause at its world premiere at Austin’s Fantastic Fest where the series’ Spanish director, Eugenio Mira, is a firm favourite, winning best director in 2005 for his feature debut, “The Birthday,” and screening there in 2013 “Grand Piano,” starring Elijah Wood and John Cusack.
“One of our obsessions, and mine in particular, is trying to do things which have not been done before,” Miguel Salvat, VP commissioning editor Spain for HBO Max, explained to Variety at San Sebastian last year at a presentation which included “Garcia!
- 10/24/2022
- by Pablo Sandoval
- Variety Film + TV
Streaming
HBO Max has revealed the first teaser for Max original “García!” (6 x 60′), which will have its world premiere at Austin’s Fantastic Fest in September and European premiere at Sitges.
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Santiago García and Luis Bustos, the series is set in a present-day Spain, which is divided and on the brink of political chaos. It follows an inquisitive millennial investigative reporter Antonia (Veki Velilla) who stumbles on a decades-old conspiracy: the existence of a cryogenically frozen super-agent, García (Francisco Ortiz), created in a laboratory in the 1950s by General Franco’s fascist secret services. After sixty years in deep sleep, this perfect soldier with incredible physical strength, programmed to obey orders without question, is woken by Antonia. García finds himself disoriented and confused in a Spain that has changed beyond recognition. The old-world collides with the new as García and...
HBO Max has revealed the first teaser for Max original “García!” (6 x 60′), which will have its world premiere at Austin’s Fantastic Fest in September and European premiere at Sitges.
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Santiago García and Luis Bustos, the series is set in a present-day Spain, which is divided and on the brink of political chaos. It follows an inquisitive millennial investigative reporter Antonia (Veki Velilla) who stumbles on a decades-old conspiracy: the existence of a cryogenically frozen super-agent, García (Francisco Ortiz), created in a laboratory in the 1950s by General Franco’s fascist secret services. After sixty years in deep sleep, this perfect soldier with incredible physical strength, programmed to obey orders without question, is woken by Antonia. García finds himself disoriented and confused in a Spain that has changed beyond recognition. The old-world collides with the new as García and...
- 8/17/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Ahead of the streamer’s Oct. 26 arrival in Spain, representatives from several shows commissioned for WarnerMedia’s HBO Max assembled at the San Sebastian Film Festival on Sunday to preview their shows, slated to arrive on the platform on or after its launch.
Four series were presented to an at-capacity press conference held in San Sebastian’s Kuursal conference center, the main hub for the Spanish festival.
First up was “Todo lo otro,” a release day launch for HBO Max staring multi-hyphenate Abril Zamora who writes, directs and stars in the story of a group of 30-somethings living in Madrid who have reached adulthood and found themselves living lives different from what they’d once dreamed. Playing the series’ lead protagonist, Zamora stars as Daphne, pushing middle age, recently single and with a crap job. Complicating things even more, she finds herself falling for her best friend, who himself is...
Four series were presented to an at-capacity press conference held in San Sebastian’s Kuursal conference center, the main hub for the Spanish festival.
First up was “Todo lo otro,” a release day launch for HBO Max staring multi-hyphenate Abril Zamora who writes, directs and stars in the story of a group of 30-somethings living in Madrid who have reached adulthood and found themselves living lives different from what they’d once dreamed. Playing the series’ lead protagonist, Zamora stars as Daphne, pushing middle age, recently single and with a crap job. Complicating things even more, she finds herself falling for her best friend, who himself is...
- 9/19/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
David Tennant Joins Sky’s ‘The Amazing Maurice’
Former Doctor Who star David Tennant will join Hugh Laurie and Emilia Clarke in the cast of Sky’s The Amazing Maurice, an upcoming adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s best-selling children’s fantasy novel. It will mark the actor’s second turn in a Pratchett project, following on from his role as demon Crowley in 2019’s Good Omens from Amazon Studios. As well as Tennant, Sky confirmed additional cast for the project including Rob Brydon (Roald & Beatrix: The Tale of the Curious Mouse), Julie Atherton (Avenue Q), and YouTuber Joe Sugg. David Thewlis, Himesh Patel, Gemma Arterton and Hugh Bonneville also star. Story follows Maurice, a streetwise ginger cat who comes up with a money-making scam by befriending a group of self-taught talking rats. The con doesn’t go as planned when they meet a bookworm called Malicia. The project is co-produced by Sky,...
Former Doctor Who star David Tennant will join Hugh Laurie and Emilia Clarke in the cast of Sky’s The Amazing Maurice, an upcoming adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s best-selling children’s fantasy novel. It will mark the actor’s second turn in a Pratchett project, following on from his role as demon Crowley in 2019’s Good Omens from Amazon Studios. As well as Tennant, Sky confirmed additional cast for the project including Rob Brydon (Roald & Beatrix: The Tale of the Curious Mouse), Julie Atherton (Avenue Q), and YouTuber Joe Sugg. David Thewlis, Himesh Patel, Gemma Arterton and Hugh Bonneville also star. Story follows Maurice, a streetwise ginger cat who comes up with a money-making scam by befriending a group of self-taught talking rats. The con doesn’t go as planned when they meet a bookworm called Malicia. The project is co-produced by Sky,...
- 5/7/2021
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Set to launch in Europe later this year, HBO Max has bolstered its originals pipeline with the announcement of “García!” a new series to be produced in Spain based on the popular graphic novel of the same name by authors Santiago García and Luis Bustos.
Miguel Salvat, Steve Matthews and Antony Root, the trio behind HBO España’s fan-favorite horror thriller “30 Coins” from Spanish maestro Alex de la Iglesia, are teaming once again as executive producers on the six-hour series.
“’García!’ is a project with enormous narrative and epic visual ambition. The tiniest details combine to become an action-packed adventure series, sometimes honoring the great genre traditions, but sometimes blowing them up. In ‘García!’ whilst we see a Spain that has changed somewhat in the last few decades, some elements remain the same,” said Salvat.
Set in modern-day Spain, the novel, published by Astiberri Ediciones, plays on cultural and...
Miguel Salvat, Steve Matthews and Antony Root, the trio behind HBO España’s fan-favorite horror thriller “30 Coins” from Spanish maestro Alex de la Iglesia, are teaming once again as executive producers on the six-hour series.
“’García!’ is a project with enormous narrative and epic visual ambition. The tiniest details combine to become an action-packed adventure series, sometimes honoring the great genre traditions, but sometimes blowing them up. In ‘García!’ whilst we see a Spain that has changed somewhat in the last few decades, some elements remain the same,” said Salvat.
Set in modern-day Spain, the novel, published by Astiberri Ediciones, plays on cultural and...
- 5/7/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Nuria Valls
Valls already has 14 producer or exec-producer credits, including Eugenio Mira’s “Grand Piano,” Fernando González Molina’s Spanish blockbuster “Palm Trees in the Snow,” and Dan Krauss’ “The Kill Team;” all alongside her partner Adrián Guerra at Nostromo. Her latest productions include Alex and David Pastor’s “The Occupant” and Molina’s “Offering to the Storm,” both acquired by Netflix. Valls will shortly resume shooting on “Los favoritos de Midas,” created by Mateo Gil, her first TV series. “I’d like to do exactly what we’ve done so far: Making all kinds of movies we’d like to watch, not only genre.”
Oriol MAYMÓ
Maymó participated in the production of Rodrigo Cortés’ “Buried,” Marcel Barrena’s “Little World” and Pau Freixas’ TV-series “The Red Band Society” among many other titles. Now based out of Corte y Confección, he has produced Leticia Dolera’s Canneseries winner “A Perfect...
Valls already has 14 producer or exec-producer credits, including Eugenio Mira’s “Grand Piano,” Fernando González Molina’s Spanish blockbuster “Palm Trees in the Snow,” and Dan Krauss’ “The Kill Team;” all alongside her partner Adrián Guerra at Nostromo. Her latest productions include Alex and David Pastor’s “The Occupant” and Molina’s “Offering to the Storm,” both acquired by Netflix. Valls will shortly resume shooting on “Los favoritos de Midas,” created by Mateo Gil, her first TV series. “I’d like to do exactly what we’ve done so far: Making all kinds of movies we’d like to watch, not only genre.”
Oriol MAYMÓ
Maymó participated in the production of Rodrigo Cortés’ “Buried,” Marcel Barrena’s “Little World” and Pau Freixas’ TV-series “The Red Band Society” among many other titles. Now based out of Corte y Confección, he has produced Leticia Dolera’s Canneseries winner “A Perfect...
- 6/22/2020
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Hey everyone! The 15th annual Fantastic Fest kicks off this week, and this year, it’ll be myself, Heather Wixson, as well as Emily von Seele and Adrian Torres, who will be bringing you all kinds of coverage out of Austin for the duration of the festival. To celebrate Fantastic Fest’s momentous birthday this year, we have picked a few of our favorite films that have debuted over the years, and will be celebrating them as we lead up to the kickoff of Fantastic Fest on Thursday.
Enjoy!
Anna and the Apocalypse (Heather Wixson): When you talk about crowd-pleasing movies that are best enjoyed in a packed theater filled with genre enthusiasts, Anna and the Apocalypse is without a doubt the type of film that makes Fantastic Fest as much fun as it is. I know I’ve discussed my love of Anna ad nauseam over the last...
Enjoy!
Anna and the Apocalypse (Heather Wixson): When you talk about crowd-pleasing movies that are best enjoyed in a packed theater filled with genre enthusiasts, Anna and the Apocalypse is without a doubt the type of film that makes Fantastic Fest as much fun as it is. I know I’ve discussed my love of Anna ad nauseam over the last...
- 9/16/2019
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Barcelona – Laab – the Audiovisual Adaptations Laboratory of Barcelona – celebrated its first edition on July 9 in the Spanish city, with the aim of establishing a catalog of film rights to literary works from Barcelona, a publishing center in the Spanish-speaking world and platform, for example, for the ‘60s-70s Latin American Boom, led by authors such as Gabriel García Márquez and Mario Vargas Llosa.
The initiative was backed by the Barcelona Cultural Institute (Icub) and organized by the Barcelona Film Commission. Producer Sebastián Mery at Life and Pictures co-ordinated the event.
The one-day presentation included a networking session with one-to-one meetings and the presentation of six cinema development awards.
The Laab idea inherits the mantle of Barcelona’s Mida Ibero-American Audiovisual Rights market, a showcase for novels seeking big screen adaptations. Launched in 2006, the short-lived but highly-regarded event, which saw its last edition in 2009, was instrumental in the sale of big-screen...
The initiative was backed by the Barcelona Cultural Institute (Icub) and organized by the Barcelona Film Commission. Producer Sebastián Mery at Life and Pictures co-ordinated the event.
The one-day presentation included a networking session with one-to-one meetings and the presentation of six cinema development awards.
The Laab idea inherits the mantle of Barcelona’s Mida Ibero-American Audiovisual Rights market, a showcase for novels seeking big screen adaptations. Launched in 2006, the short-lived but highly-regarded event, which saw its last edition in 2009, was instrumental in the sale of big-screen...
- 7/12/2019
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Elijah Wood’s acting career has undergone a curious evolution in the years since the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy brought him to prominence. In tandem with the launch of production company SpectreVision, Wood has embraced his genre sensibilities with a range of horror, fantasy, and thriller projects made well beyond the studio arena.
The latest example, “Come to Daddy,” is the paragon of Wood’s sensibilities: The directorial debut of longtime genre producer Ant Timpson is the eerie look at a young man visiting his estranged father at a remote countryside home, where he discovers his hard-drinking pop might not be telling the full truth. From there, “Come to Daddy” careens into a bloody, slapstick thrill ride, equal parts “Evil Dead” and early Peter Jackson.
Wood met Timpson years ago on the genre festival circuit, and the pair worked together as co-producers on the wacky Sundance midnight sensation “The Greasy Strangler.
The latest example, “Come to Daddy,” is the paragon of Wood’s sensibilities: The directorial debut of longtime genre producer Ant Timpson is the eerie look at a young man visiting his estranged father at a remote countryside home, where he discovers his hard-drinking pop might not be telling the full truth. From there, “Come to Daddy” careens into a bloody, slapstick thrill ride, equal parts “Evil Dead” and early Peter Jackson.
Wood met Timpson years ago on the genre festival circuit, and the pair worked together as co-producers on the wacky Sundance midnight sensation “The Greasy Strangler.
- 4/24/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Matt Bomer, Bill Pullman, Josh Wiggins star in Walking Out; Salt boards international sales.
Production has wrapped in Montana on father-son survival drama Walking Out, starring Matt Bomer (Magic Mike Xxl), Bill Pullman (Independence Day) and Josh Wiggins (Max).
Written and directed by Alex and Andrew Smith, who teamed on Ryan Gosling sports drama The Slaughter Rule (2002) and Winter In The Blood (2010), in Walking Out Wiggins plays a city teen who travels to Montana to go hunting with his estranged father only for the strained trip to become a battle for survival when they encounter a grizzly bear.
Producers are Brunson Green of Harbinger Pictures and Laura Ivey of Co-Op Entertainment, with cooperation from the State of Montana’s Big Sky Film Grant. The Salt Company is handling international sales and will introduce the project at the upcoming Efm.
Director of photography is Todd McMullen (The Leftovers, Friday Night Lights), editor is Michael Taylor (Elvis & Nixon...
Production has wrapped in Montana on father-son survival drama Walking Out, starring Matt Bomer (Magic Mike Xxl), Bill Pullman (Independence Day) and Josh Wiggins (Max).
Written and directed by Alex and Andrew Smith, who teamed on Ryan Gosling sports drama The Slaughter Rule (2002) and Winter In The Blood (2010), in Walking Out Wiggins plays a city teen who travels to Montana to go hunting with his estranged father only for the strained trip to become a battle for survival when they encounter a grizzly bear.
Producers are Brunson Green of Harbinger Pictures and Laura Ivey of Co-Op Entertainment, with cooperation from the State of Montana’s Big Sky Film Grant. The Salt Company is handling international sales and will introduce the project at the upcoming Efm.
Director of photography is Todd McMullen (The Leftovers, Friday Night Lights), editor is Michael Taylor (Elvis & Nixon...
- 2/2/2016
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Special Mention: The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
Directed by Dario Argento
Screenplay by Dario Argento
1970, Italy
Genre: Giallo
One of the most self-assured directorial debuts of the 70’s was Dario Argento’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Not only was it a breakthrough film for the master of Giallo, but it was also a box office hit and had critics buzzing, regardless if they liked it or not. Although Argento would go on to perfect his craft in later films, The Bird With The Crystal Plumage went a long way in popularizing the Giallo genre and laid the groundwork for later classics like Deep Red. A difficult film to discuss without spoiling many of its most impressive and famous scenes, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is a fairly straightforward murder mystery, albeit with many twists, turns and one of the best surprise endings of all time. But...
Directed by Dario Argento
Screenplay by Dario Argento
1970, Italy
Genre: Giallo
One of the most self-assured directorial debuts of the 70’s was Dario Argento’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Not only was it a breakthrough film for the master of Giallo, but it was also a box office hit and had critics buzzing, regardless if they liked it or not. Although Argento would go on to perfect his craft in later films, The Bird With The Crystal Plumage went a long way in popularizing the Giallo genre and laid the groundwork for later classics like Deep Red. A difficult film to discuss without spoiling many of its most impressive and famous scenes, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is a fairly straightforward murder mystery, albeit with many twists, turns and one of the best surprise endings of all time. But...
- 10/16/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
Now that it's festival run is over, Spanish filmmaker Jon Mikel Caballero wants to share his award-winning short film, Hibernation, with you. It is an emotionally driven work of sci-fi with a bittersweet ending. The visual style is reminiscent of sci-fi films from the 60s and 70s. You can watch the full short below. Joseph is an astronaut set to go where no man has gone in the Universe through the hibernation program. But something is wrong between him and his instructor Claire, and decisions that seemed unshakeable begin to tremble.Some folks who worked on TwitchFilm faves lent their skills to this projects. Eugenio Mira, director of Grand Piano and Agnosia composed the score for the short and Sergio G. Sánchez, writer of The Orphanage, was...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 2/10/2015
- Screen Anarchy
"Lost in the Awards Rush" is a new weekly series Slackerwood is running during the awards season, to suggest lesser-known but excellent alternatives to popular frontrunners for big movie awards.
Whiplash's journey to the big screen is the kind of stuff indie dreams are made of. From a short at Sundance to one of the most acclaimed films of 2014, writer/director Damien Chazelle's passion project about a young drummer (Miles Teller) at a prestigious music academy and his tyrannical instructor (J.K. Simmons, in a career best performance) who pushes him beyond all limits, has been hailed by critics' groups everywhere.
In the rush to praise the near-perfection that is Whiplash, its easy to forget Chazelle's script for the taut and stunning thriller Grand Piano (2013), which was released earlier this year and screened at Fantastic Fest 2013 (Jette's review). Directed by Eugenio Mira from Chazelle's original screenplay, Grand Piano stars Elijah Wood as Tom Selznick,...
Whiplash's journey to the big screen is the kind of stuff indie dreams are made of. From a short at Sundance to one of the most acclaimed films of 2014, writer/director Damien Chazelle's passion project about a young drummer (Miles Teller) at a prestigious music academy and his tyrannical instructor (J.K. Simmons, in a career best performance) who pushes him beyond all limits, has been hailed by critics' groups everywhere.
In the rush to praise the near-perfection that is Whiplash, its easy to forget Chazelle's script for the taut and stunning thriller Grand Piano (2013), which was released earlier this year and screened at Fantastic Fest 2013 (Jette's review). Directed by Eugenio Mira from Chazelle's original screenplay, Grand Piano stars Elijah Wood as Tom Selznick,...
- 1/13/2015
- by Frank Calvillo
- Slackerwood
Peeping Tom: Vigalondo’s Virtual Voyeurism Thriller Too Wrapped Up in Tech
In the barest possible sense, Nacho Vigalondo’s latest film, Open Windows, can perhaps be described as Hitchcockian due to the fact that it concerns a voyeuristic male utilizing an opportunity to secretly observe a beautiful female a la a modernized Rear Window sort of set-up. Whether homage or coincidence, parallels with Hitchcock die out past Vigalondo’s log line and instead the film becomes yet another vehicle for an Elijah Wood protagonist to be manipulated in highly unlikely and increasingly silly fashion. Though Vigalondo has a rather inspired visual template for the unfolding of the narrative, much like the earlier release of technologically inspired Dutch film App, it’s a design that will only serve to hopelessly date the film which relays its tale via webcams in rudimentary form, making it also reminiscent of that multiple simultaneous perspective Mike Figgis film,...
In the barest possible sense, Nacho Vigalondo’s latest film, Open Windows, can perhaps be described as Hitchcockian due to the fact that it concerns a voyeuristic male utilizing an opportunity to secretly observe a beautiful female a la a modernized Rear Window sort of set-up. Whether homage or coincidence, parallels with Hitchcock die out past Vigalondo’s log line and instead the film becomes yet another vehicle for an Elijah Wood protagonist to be manipulated in highly unlikely and increasingly silly fashion. Though Vigalondo has a rather inspired visual template for the unfolding of the narrative, much like the earlier release of technologically inspired Dutch film App, it’s a design that will only serve to hopelessly date the film which relays its tale via webcams in rudimentary form, making it also reminiscent of that multiple simultaneous perspective Mike Figgis film,...
- 11/8/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Director, actor and former Bill & Ted star talks about his latest film, Grand Piano, his documentary Deep Web, and lots more...
Although perhaps best known for his roles in two Bill & Ted films and The Lost Boys, Alex Winter is equally at home behind the camera, having spent the last two decades working predominantly as a director – from the cult classic Freaked, through various music videos, adverts and movies, up to his recent documentary Downloaded (which tells the story of Shawn Fanning and Napster) and the upcoming, Kickstarted-funded Deep Web.
Recently, however, he’s taken a rare step back into acting, appearing alongside Elijah Wood and John Cusack as a villainous usher in Eugenio Mira’s stylish thriller Grand Piano. We caught up with Alex down the line from his new home base in La, to discuss his work on both sides of the actor-director divide.
So I guess the first question,...
Although perhaps best known for his roles in two Bill & Ted films and The Lost Boys, Alex Winter is equally at home behind the camera, having spent the last two decades working predominantly as a director – from the cult classic Freaked, through various music videos, adverts and movies, up to his recent documentary Downloaded (which tells the story of Shawn Fanning and Napster) and the upcoming, Kickstarted-funded Deep Web.
Recently, however, he’s taken a rare step back into acting, appearing alongside Elijah Wood and John Cusack as a villainous usher in Eugenio Mira’s stylish thriller Grand Piano. We caught up with Alex down the line from his new home base in La, to discuss his work on both sides of the actor-director divide.
So I guess the first question,...
- 9/29/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Elijah Wood has had a strange career. Ever since playing Frodo in The Lord of the Rings movies, the actor has seemingly chosen his projects because they were, above pay or publicity, interesting. And the string of genre flicks he’s recently starred in – Maniac, Open Windows, Cooties – have all been interesting, if not each entirely successful horror pictures, and Wood’s innocent face yet dapper charm has been a sleek fit for them. The same goes for Grand Piano, another of the 2010’s irony-dripping, trope-strangling slashers; thankfully, in no small part to Wood, it generally achieves what it sets out to do, which is to delight and baffle in equal measure.
After an entirely passive credits sequence that seems to last as long as Beethoven’s ninth, we learn that Tom Selznick (Wood) is a first-class pianist – but hasn’t performed live for years, thanks to fluffing a devilishly...
After an entirely passive credits sequence that seems to last as long as Beethoven’s ninth, we learn that Tom Selznick (Wood) is a first-class pianist – but hasn’t performed live for years, thanks to fluffing a devilishly...
- 9/19/2014
- by Gary Green
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
★★★★☆Take your seats for the next performance of Eugenio Mira's preposterous but breathlessly entertaining thriller, Grand Piano (2013). It's a genre piece packed with the kind of knowing Hitchcockian thrills peddled by Mira's fellow Spanish contemporaries like Guillem Morales (Julia's Eyes) and J. A. Bayona (The Orphanage), but the Usp here is the additional Speed-like high concept device, transposed to a more sedate setting while still delivering on the excitement. The eternally pixie-like Elijah Wood takes the lead as Tom Selznick, a young pianist virtuoso preparing for his big return to the limelight and a chance to tackle his demons after developing a disastrous bout of stage fright just five years earlier.
- 9/17/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Far be it from me to make any grand sweeping statements on the year in film this early, but as of July 2014, I would argue it’s already been a fascinating year for scores. Just look at blockbusters. We’ve heard both the invigoratingly new and the depressingly dull. Ambitious combinations have even produced a commendable failure here and there. Hollywood studios almost always take the safe road in their big-budget franchises, but the music attached to those tentpoles feels less restrained and not nearly as beholden to manageable cliches.
Thus far we’ve had a tremendous grab bag in film music (and I say this as someone who hasn’t yet seen Under the Skin), but what’s been the best to come out of it? Without further ado…
6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier — Henry Jackman (Intrada)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier isn’t a great movie, but it...
Thus far we’ve had a tremendous grab bag in film music (and I say this as someone who hasn’t yet seen Under the Skin), but what’s been the best to come out of it? Without further ado…
6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier — Henry Jackman (Intrada)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier isn’t a great movie, but it...
- 7/9/2014
- by David Klein
- SoundOnSight
Shoot me.
Do you know what a MacGuffin is, Maestro? It's a person or thing around which the entire film revolves and yet turns out to have little importance to the story. It's a magnificent device whereby a good plot can be given a driving force without the indecency of explanation. Grand Piano (2013), from director Eugenio Mira, is heavy with devices. A hidden threat, a hostage, an assistant, an unplayable piece of music, a stage, a key, and the unknown fortune of a deceased mentor. A great metaphor for a movie like this would go something like "Mira played these elements like a concert pianist, perfectly timed with a soaring melody." It would be more accurate to use that final, inaptly named, unplayable piece: the speed is good, the instrument is lovely, but the tune strays into cacophony.
Read more...
Do you know what a MacGuffin is, Maestro? It's a person or thing around which the entire film revolves and yet turns out to have little importance to the story. It's a magnificent device whereby a good plot can be given a driving force without the indecency of explanation. Grand Piano (2013), from director Eugenio Mira, is heavy with devices. A hidden threat, a hostage, an assistant, an unplayable piece of music, a stage, a key, and the unknown fortune of a deceased mentor. A great metaphor for a movie like this would go something like "Mira played these elements like a concert pianist, perfectly timed with a soaring melody." It would be more accurate to use that final, inaptly named, unplayable piece: the speed is good, the instrument is lovely, but the tune strays into cacophony.
Read more...
- 5/28/2014
- by Jason Ratigan
- JustPressPlay.net
Grand Piano - Magnolia - Blu-ray and DVD Director: Eugenio Mira Cast: Elijah Wood, John Cusack, Kerry Bishe, Tamsin Egerton, Allen Leech. Full cast + crew When people say something is Hitchcockian, they're usually not using the reference properly and simply describing a suspenseful thriller. Grand Piano is Hitchockian in the truer sense: It's a meticulously crafted piece of filmmaking that's wholly committed to a highly specific, somewhat outlandish premise. Elijah Wood plays a world-class pianist who takes the stage for a highly anticipated comeback performance, only to discover that if he fails to play the music precisely as it was written (a nearly impossible feat in this case), then a sniper hidden in the theater will open fire. This...
Read More...
Read More...
- 5/21/2014
- by Peter Hall
- Movies.com
El Mercado Fantastico is back. The international co-production market for genre films is putting out a wide alert to find projects made by Latino filmmakers currently in development, pre-production or post. Finalists will go to Austin during this year’s Fantastic Fest (September 18-25) and be hooked up with potential production partners, sales agents, and distributors. The market is co-produced with Canana and El Rey so you know the platform will attract heavyweight investors and partners.
Seize this unique opportunity to fast track your film, and who knows, your film could be distinguished in a future Fantastic Fest program with as many uncouth visual reference icons that fit your crazy film’s themes i.e. Fishhook Violence, Puppet Sex, Pedophilia, Decapitation, Lactation…. You have until May 31′st to submit
Along with accepting classic genre staples like horror, action and fantasy, projects can run the genre gamut and include animation, westerns, dark comedies, sci-fi, basically anything other than your run of the mill drama. In its second year, the market will select 12-14 projects and new this year, will select four films in post to screen as works in progress.
Since 2005, Fantastic Fest has nailed its epic niche of being the ultimate festival for a ravenous movie geek audience who embraces the rigorously curated fantastic program. And the international film marketplace has taken note, snapping up rights to several film titles that have screened in the Fantastic Fest program. El Mercado Fantastico feels like a natural step for them to incubate their specialty and sustain their grip on all films fantastic.
Director of Programming Rodney Perkins, along with Festival Director Kristin Bell are and heavily scouting for submissions. They received around 100 submissions last year and Rodney told me that overall, the quality was very high. Out of the 16 participating projects, a majority were by directors and producers who have had previous films in the festival. Rodney says they are looking to mix it up with bringing new talent to the surface, but also choosing projects by filmmakers with proven track records in making good movies and the quality of their new projects.
Rodney commented, “Some of the most interesting genre directors in the world are based out of countries like Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Brazil and Uruguay. Fantastic Fest has featured numerous films from these and other countries. A lot of these talented people don’t get recognized globally, particularly in the U.S. We want to do what we can to help them make films and expose their work to a broader international audience.”
Like Rodney says, since its inception, Fantastic Fest has supported and premiered films from Spanish filmmakers like Nacho Vigalondo (Time Crimes, Open Windows), Eugenio Mira (Agnosia, Grand Piano), Chileans like Ernesto Diaz Espinosa (Kiltro, Mandrill), Nicolas Lopez (Santos, Aftershock) and Mexicans Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Here Comes The Devil), and Jorge Michel Grau (Somos Lo Que Hay), among other filmmakers from all over South America and the Caribbean.
A number of projects that were in pre-production when they participated in the inaugural market last September are already coming to fruition. Notably Isaac Ezban’s feature debut El Incidente, produced by Andrea Quiroz (Here Comes the Devil), is completed and will screen at Ventana Sur’s Blood Window showcase at Cannes Marche du Film. Edgar Nito’s project Tatewari is steadily advancing and recently announced a new associate producer. The team from Uruguayan project Small Town found the producing partners for their film, Dios Local from the market last year. Dios Local is almost complete and is represented for international sales by the French company Elle Driver.
So what are you waiting for? I know there has got to be more than 100 Latino made genre projects out there. They aren’t just looking for international Latinos but U.S. native Latinos to represent. At least one of the filmmakers/producers should be some kind of Latino. Get your application together to submit asap. I was on the documentary jury last year which awarded Best Documentary to Jodorowsky’s Dune and Best Director to Shaul Shwarz for (Now on Netflix and iTunes) so I know firsthand this festival is a vital film festival. Plus, there’s really nowhere else you’ll find such sanctioned festival shenanigans like Helicopter Hog Hunting, Filmmaker Shotgun outings, the Schlitz chuggin Award Ceremony rite, Nerd rap, Karaoke and Debates that are settled with a good ol boxing fight.
Seize this unique opportunity to fast track your film, and who knows, your film could be distinguished in a future Fantastic Fest program with as many uncouth visual reference icons that fit your crazy film’s themes i.e. Fishhook Violence, Puppet Sex, Pedophilia, Decapitation, Lactation…. You have until May 31′st to submit
Along with accepting classic genre staples like horror, action and fantasy, projects can run the genre gamut and include animation, westerns, dark comedies, sci-fi, basically anything other than your run of the mill drama. In its second year, the market will select 12-14 projects and new this year, will select four films in post to screen as works in progress.
Since 2005, Fantastic Fest has nailed its epic niche of being the ultimate festival for a ravenous movie geek audience who embraces the rigorously curated fantastic program. And the international film marketplace has taken note, snapping up rights to several film titles that have screened in the Fantastic Fest program. El Mercado Fantastico feels like a natural step for them to incubate their specialty and sustain their grip on all films fantastic.
Director of Programming Rodney Perkins, along with Festival Director Kristin Bell are and heavily scouting for submissions. They received around 100 submissions last year and Rodney told me that overall, the quality was very high. Out of the 16 participating projects, a majority were by directors and producers who have had previous films in the festival. Rodney says they are looking to mix it up with bringing new talent to the surface, but also choosing projects by filmmakers with proven track records in making good movies and the quality of their new projects.
Rodney commented, “Some of the most interesting genre directors in the world are based out of countries like Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Brazil and Uruguay. Fantastic Fest has featured numerous films from these and other countries. A lot of these talented people don’t get recognized globally, particularly in the U.S. We want to do what we can to help them make films and expose their work to a broader international audience.”
Like Rodney says, since its inception, Fantastic Fest has supported and premiered films from Spanish filmmakers like Nacho Vigalondo (Time Crimes, Open Windows), Eugenio Mira (Agnosia, Grand Piano), Chileans like Ernesto Diaz Espinosa (Kiltro, Mandrill), Nicolas Lopez (Santos, Aftershock) and Mexicans Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Here Comes The Devil), and Jorge Michel Grau (Somos Lo Que Hay), among other filmmakers from all over South America and the Caribbean.
A number of projects that were in pre-production when they participated in the inaugural market last September are already coming to fruition. Notably Isaac Ezban’s feature debut El Incidente, produced by Andrea Quiroz (Here Comes the Devil), is completed and will screen at Ventana Sur’s Blood Window showcase at Cannes Marche du Film. Edgar Nito’s project Tatewari is steadily advancing and recently announced a new associate producer. The team from Uruguayan project Small Town found the producing partners for their film, Dios Local from the market last year. Dios Local is almost complete and is represented for international sales by the French company Elle Driver.
So what are you waiting for? I know there has got to be more than 100 Latino made genre projects out there. They aren’t just looking for international Latinos but U.S. native Latinos to represent. At least one of the filmmakers/producers should be some kind of Latino. Get your application together to submit asap. I was on the documentary jury last year which awarded Best Documentary to Jodorowsky’s Dune and Best Director to Shaul Shwarz for (Now on Netflix and iTunes) so I know firsthand this festival is a vital film festival. Plus, there’s really nowhere else you’ll find such sanctioned festival shenanigans like Helicopter Hog Hunting, Filmmaker Shotgun outings, the Schlitz chuggin Award Ceremony rite, Nerd rap, Karaoke and Debates that are settled with a good ol boxing fight.
- 5/7/2014
- by Christine Davila
- Sydney's Buzz
Editor's Note: This post is presented in partnership with Time Warner Cable Movies On Demand in support of May's Indie Film Month. In today's TWC indie pick, Elijah Wood stars as a piano player in fear for his life in director Eugenio Mira's "Grand Piano." Wood plays Tom Selznick, a concert pianist who suffers from such intense stage fright that he had to take a five-year hiatus. Upon his triumphant return, however, Selznick finds a note in his sheet music threatening his life if he makes a single mistake. In this exclusive interview, Mira discusses what drew him to the script and how the film's villain brings out the best in Selznick. The few shots of Wood's frenzied piano playing add to the thrilling elements of the plot and since Mira is also a composer, there's no doubt that he ensured that Wood's playing looked realistic as well as intense.
- 5/5/2014
- by Casey Cipriani
- Indiewire
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: May 20, 2014
Price: DVD $26.98, Blu-ray $29.98
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
An official selection of the 2013 Fantastic Fest, independent film Grand Piano got much acclaim from critics.
The thriller stars Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings movies) as Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, whose stage fright let to a catastrophic performance and sent him into seclusion. Years later, he’s ready to give his comeback performance. In front of a packed theater, he’s about to begin when he sees a message written on the score: “Play one wrong note and you die.”
Tom must figure out who’s threatening him and get help, all while never leaving the piano.
John Cusack (Hot Tub Time Machine) also stars in the R-rated movie, which was written by Damien Chazelle (Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench) and directed by Eugenio Mira (Agnosia), who’s also a composer.
Price: DVD $26.98, Blu-ray $29.98
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
An official selection of the 2013 Fantastic Fest, independent film Grand Piano got much acclaim from critics.
The thriller stars Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings movies) as Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, whose stage fright let to a catastrophic performance and sent him into seclusion. Years later, he’s ready to give his comeback performance. In front of a packed theater, he’s about to begin when he sees a message written on the score: “Play one wrong note and you die.”
Tom must figure out who’s threatening him and get help, all while never leaving the piano.
John Cusack (Hot Tub Time Machine) also stars in the R-rated movie, which was written by Damien Chazelle (Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench) and directed by Eugenio Mira (Agnosia), who’s also a composer.
- 4/18/2014
- by Sam
- Disc Dish
After tickling the ivories and scooping up acclaim on the festival circuit last year, Eugenio Mira's Grand Piano (review) hit limited theaters and On Demand outlets earlier this year. Now, the high stakes piano playing is headed to home video, and we've got the skinny for ya today.
Magnolia Home Entertainment has announced a May 20th release for the flick, on both DVD and Blu-ray. Check out the box art along with a listing of bonus features!
Elijah Wood stars in the thriller, alongside John Cusack. The cast also includes Dee Wallace, Alex Winter, Tamsin Egerton, Kerry Bishé.
Synopsis
Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public in a long awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of the expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on...
Magnolia Home Entertainment has announced a May 20th release for the flick, on both DVD and Blu-ray. Check out the box art along with a listing of bonus features!
Elijah Wood stars in the thriller, alongside John Cusack. The cast also includes Dee Wallace, Alex Winter, Tamsin Egerton, Kerry Bishé.
Synopsis
Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public in a long awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of the expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on...
- 4/15/2014
- by John Squires
- DreadCentral.com
Following its recent theatrical release, Grand Piano will be headed to Blu-ray and DVD next month:
“Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public in a long awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of the expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on the score: “Play one wrong note and you die.” Without leaving the piano, Tom must discover the anonymous sniper’s motives and look for help without anyone realizing.”
Grand Piano was directed by Eugenio Mira and stars Elijah Wood and John Cusack. Due out on May 20th, Grand Piano will be available on both Blu-ray and DVD. Bonus features are said to include a behind-the-scenes feature, and another featurette that is titled “A Look at Grand Piano”. We’ve included a look at the...
“Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public in a long awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of the expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on the score: “Play one wrong note and you die.” Without leaving the piano, Tom must discover the anonymous sniper’s motives and look for help without anyone realizing.”
Grand Piano was directed by Eugenio Mira and stars Elijah Wood and John Cusack. Due out on May 20th, Grand Piano will be available on both Blu-ray and DVD. Bonus features are said to include a behind-the-scenes feature, and another featurette that is titled “A Look at Grand Piano”. We’ve included a look at the...
- 4/15/2014
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Builds up a good momentum of suspense only to throw it away on a rushed and powerfully unsatisfying ending, rendering all its preposterousness suddenly unforgivable. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
World-famous classical concert pianist Tom Selznick (Elijah Wood: The Wind Rises, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) hasn’t been in front of an audience in five years, after a performance went, apparently, so disastrously wrong that classical music nerds are still talking about it. But his movie star wife, Emma (Kerry Bishé: The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, Argo), has arranged a comeback. And as if Tom weren’t already nervous enough, when he opens his sheet music — you know, the kind that I’m pretty sure world-famous classical concert pianists don’t use onstage in the same way that actors onstage don’t...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
World-famous classical concert pianist Tom Selznick (Elijah Wood: The Wind Rises, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) hasn’t been in front of an audience in five years, after a performance went, apparently, so disastrously wrong that classical music nerds are still talking about it. But his movie star wife, Emma (Kerry Bishé: The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, Argo), has arranged a comeback. And as if Tom weren’t already nervous enough, when he opens his sheet music — you know, the kind that I’m pretty sure world-famous classical concert pianists don’t use onstage in the same way that actors onstage don’t...
- 4/8/2014
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Player Piano: Interesting Ideas Churn Into Nonsensical Slog in Mira’s Third Outing
Back with his first film since the 2010 potboiler, Agnosia, Spanish director Eugenio Mira returns to filming in English with Grand Piano, an ambitiously designed film that desperately tries to work around a central gimmick. Featuring inspired use of several musical selections and slick editing, which seem designed to pick up the slack for the lack of dramatic tension in a laughable narrative that only becomes more ludicrous as more details become revealed, its initial set-up is quite certainly engaging in that it creates a curiosity to want to know more. That’s saying a lot considering there are several obnoxious supporting characters and wooden performances that muddle the mood early on.
Tom Selznick (Elijah Wood) is known as the most talented pianist of his generation, but he hasn’t performed in public for five years due to...
Back with his first film since the 2010 potboiler, Agnosia, Spanish director Eugenio Mira returns to filming in English with Grand Piano, an ambitiously designed film that desperately tries to work around a central gimmick. Featuring inspired use of several musical selections and slick editing, which seem designed to pick up the slack for the lack of dramatic tension in a laughable narrative that only becomes more ludicrous as more details become revealed, its initial set-up is quite certainly engaging in that it creates a curiosity to want to know more. That’s saying a lot considering there are several obnoxious supporting characters and wooden performances that muddle the mood early on.
Tom Selznick (Elijah Wood) is known as the most talented pianist of his generation, but he hasn’t performed in public for five years due to...
- 3/23/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
This week on Sordid Cinema, Elijah Wood stars as a celebrated pianist who, five years after a notorious fiasco of a performance, is making a nervous, much-hyped return to the stage in Eugenio Mira’s Hitchcock inspired thriller, The Grand Piano. Afterwards, we discuss Almost Human by first time writer/director Joe Begos. This gory sci-fi / horror hybrid, made for just $50,000, is a throwback to the exploitation midnight movies, maniac massacres, sci-fi films and graphic horror flicks of the 80′s. Finally we also take a look back at the Big Bad Wolves, written and directed by Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado. This brutal, unrelenting Israeli thriller from the filmmaking team behind 2010′s Rabies was named Quentin Tarantino’s favourite film of 2013. We’ll let you know what we think of it. All this and more!
Playlist:
Trance Figure – “School of Seven Bells”
Townes Van Zandt – “Lungs”
Please give us a rating on Itunes.
Playlist:
Trance Figure – “School of Seven Bells”
Townes Van Zandt – “Lungs”
Please give us a rating on Itunes.
- 3/17/2014
- by Sordid Cinema Podcast
- SoundOnSight
In Grand Piano, Elijah Wood stars as a brilliant classical pianist who is posed to make his grand return to the stage after stage fright kept him out of the spotlight for years. When he sits down to play, he finds death threats written in his sheet music, and it becomes painfully clear that this is no joke.
We spoke with Elijah and the film's director, Eugenio Mira, about working in real time, playing (or not playing) to an audience, and how the film is an ode to Hitchcock and giallo.
We spoke with Elijah and the film's director, Eugenio Mira, about working in real time, playing (or not playing) to an audience, and how the film is an ode to Hitchcock and giallo.
- 3/13/2014
- by Alyse Wax
- FEARnet
Eugenio Mira's Grand Piano arrives in limited theatres today, and in honor of the occasion a new clip and promo banner have arrived. Watch as things get dead serious for Elijah Wood.
Wood co-stars with John Cusack in the thriller Grand Piano (review here), which is also currently available On Demand and on iTunes.
Synopsis
Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public in a long-awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of the expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on the score: "Play one wrong note and you die."
Without leaving the piano, Tom must discover the anonymous sniper's motives and look for help without anyone realizing…
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Play for your life in the comments section below!
Wood co-stars with John Cusack in the thriller Grand Piano (review here), which is also currently available On Demand and on iTunes.
Synopsis
Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public in a long-awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of the expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on the score: "Play one wrong note and you die."
Without leaving the piano, Tom must discover the anonymous sniper's motives and look for help without anyone realizing…
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Play for your life in the comments section below!
- 3/8/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
In the new thriller Grand Piano, a stage-fright-stricken classical pianist (Elijah Wood) is informed he must perform his comeback recital perfectly or get shot to death. Don’t you just hate it when that happens?
Directed by Eugenio Mira (Agnosia) and costarring John Cusack and Alex Winter, the film opens theatrically in New York and Austin, Tx., today. To mark the film’s release, we spoke to Wood about tickling the ivories — and why it pays to hang out in Austin bars.
Entertainment Weekly: Grand Piano looks like it was a very difficult film to make from a technical standpoint.
Directed by Eugenio Mira (Agnosia) and costarring John Cusack and Alex Winter, the film opens theatrically in New York and Austin, Tx., today. To mark the film’s release, we spoke to Wood about tickling the ivories — and why it pays to hang out in Austin bars.
Entertainment Weekly: Grand Piano looks like it was a very difficult film to make from a technical standpoint.
- 3/7/2014
- by Clark Collis
- EW - Inside Movies
Feeling very much like a long lost episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Eugenio Mira’s Grand Piano is a stylish and taut thriller that wastes no time on spectacle, instead choosing to meticulously focus on story, characters, atmosphere and building tension throughout.
In Grand Piano, Elijah Wood portrays piano virtuoso Tom Selznick, who has fallen from the limelight after his last performance was a total disaster, leaving him as the laughing stock of the pianist world. Primed to make his comeback while playing his mentor’s piano at a special concert put together by his loving wife Emma (Kerry Bishe), Tom does his best to feign confidence as he first sits down to perform for an eager audience.
That façade of confidence is quickly shaken when he realizes there’s a maniacal sniper in the building (John Cusack) who has a gun aimed at his head. If Tom plays even...
In Grand Piano, Elijah Wood portrays piano virtuoso Tom Selznick, who has fallen from the limelight after his last performance was a total disaster, leaving him as the laughing stock of the pianist world. Primed to make his comeback while playing his mentor’s piano at a special concert put together by his loving wife Emma (Kerry Bishe), Tom does his best to feign confidence as he first sits down to perform for an eager audience.
That façade of confidence is quickly shaken when he realizes there’s a maniacal sniper in the building (John Cusack) who has a gun aimed at his head. If Tom plays even...
- 3/6/2014
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Grand Piano is an intense and mysterious thriller that stars Elijah Wood as Tom Selznick, a world class pianist who is about to play his first live concert in several years. While on his way to a Chicago performing arts center, we learn that Tom had developed stage fright and ended up suffering a nervous breakdown during his last concert, which nearly ended his promising career.
Now, he’s looking to make a comeback and he has his loving wife, Emma (played by Kerry Bishé) by his side to keep his spirits up. However, after the concert begins, Tom finds a message on his score that reads, “Play one wrong note and you die.” It doesn’t take long for Tom to discover that a sniper, somewhere in the audience, has him in his sights. And it is here, that the real fun begins.
Wood and director Eugenio Mira recently...
Now, he’s looking to make a comeback and he has his loving wife, Emma (played by Kerry Bishé) by his side to keep his spirits up. However, after the concert begins, Tom finds a message on his score that reads, “Play one wrong note and you die.” It doesn’t take long for Tom to discover that a sniper, somewhere in the audience, has him in his sights. And it is here, that the real fun begins.
Wood and director Eugenio Mira recently...
- 3/6/2014
- by Ben Kenber
- We Got This Covered
Currently available on VOD and arriving in limited theaters this weekend is the wickedly fun and stylish thriller Grand Piano which was directed by Eugenio Mira and stars Elijah Wood, John Cusack, Kerry Bishe, Alex Winter and Don McManus.
Daily Dead recently attended the press day for Grand Piano and had the opportunity to sit down and chat with both Mira and Wood about their collaborative efforts working together on bringing Damien Chazelle’s script to life. Wood also discussed the challenges of performing during several intense piano-playing sequences in Grand Piano and both Mira and Wood offered up their thoughts on the state of modern horror and why we don’t see more ‘grown up’ horror movies like Grand Piano being made these days.
Check out our exclusive video interview below and look for Grand Piano on VOD now and in limited theaters this weekend courtesy of Magnet Releasing.
Daily Dead recently attended the press day for Grand Piano and had the opportunity to sit down and chat with both Mira and Wood about their collaborative efforts working together on bringing Damien Chazelle’s script to life. Wood also discussed the challenges of performing during several intense piano-playing sequences in Grand Piano and both Mira and Wood offered up their thoughts on the state of modern horror and why we don’t see more ‘grown up’ horror movies like Grand Piano being made these days.
Check out our exclusive video interview below and look for Grand Piano on VOD now and in limited theaters this weekend courtesy of Magnet Releasing.
- 3/5/2014
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
The sustained cinematic tension seen in 2013’s offerings has carried over into the new year with Eugenio Mira’s “Grand Piano”, a high-concept thriller starring Elijah Wood as a concert pianist forced to deliver a flawless performance—or suffer fatal consequences. It’s a silly but gripping premise that first caught our attention at Fantastic Fest, and now you can hear the film’s director and star discuss its many facets. As part of the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Free Talk series, Mira and Wood took the stage and spoke about the genre elements of “Grand Piano,” and specifically the intensely specific technical know-how required to pull off such an immersive narrative. Wood talks the process of raising his musical abilities to the point of comfort for his role; meanwhile, Mira interestingly points, not to De Palma or Hitchcock as his main influence, but rather to silent cinema...
- 3/5/2014
- by Charlie Schmidlin
- The Playlist
Blockbuster spectacles are a dime a dozen. The thing we almost never see is the ambitious trifle, the smaller movie that strives to tell a story with vivid images rather than dialogue, that uses music lavishly but intelligently, that dances right at us, Nijinksy-style, with unapologetic theatricality, if not outright nuttiness. Grand Piano, a devilish little thriller from Spanish filmmaker Eugenio Mira, is that sort of movie.
In olden times — like, the '80s — to call a movie "stylish" was to damn it with faint praise. But today's movies are desperate for some flair: Magnificent special effects aren't a style, they're a line on a balance sheet. And deciding to make your movie in black-and-white, or to blanch most of the color out of it to make it look gritti...
In olden times — like, the '80s — to call a movie "stylish" was to damn it with faint praise. But today's movies are desperate for some flair: Magnificent special effects aren't a style, they're a line on a balance sheet. And deciding to make your movie in black-and-white, or to blanch most of the color out of it to make it look gritti...
- 3/5/2014
- Village Voice
Like James Bond, Elijah Wood spends his latest film in a tuxedo trying to save a beautiful blonde from an assassin. Only he's gotta do it sitting down.
In Spanish director Eugenio Mira's tidy thriller Grand Piano, Wood plays first-class concert pianist Tom Selznick, a prodigy nicknamed "Failznick" after choking in the middle of the unplayable (and fictitious) "La Cinquette." Shattered, he spends the next five years in hiding. En route to his comeback performance, he prays that the plane will crash. But when Tom walks toward his mentor's piano, his night gets worse. Scrawled on his sheet music is a threat from a sniper (John Cusack) vowing that if he plays one wrong note, both he and hi...
In Spanish director Eugenio Mira's tidy thriller Grand Piano, Wood plays first-class concert pianist Tom Selznick, a prodigy nicknamed "Failznick" after choking in the middle of the unplayable (and fictitious) "La Cinquette." Shattered, he spends the next five years in hiding. En route to his comeback performance, he prays that the plane will crash. But when Tom walks toward his mentor's piano, his night gets worse. Scrawled on his sheet music is a threat from a sniper (John Cusack) vowing that if he plays one wrong note, both he and hi...
- 3/5/2014
- Village Voice
A welcome reminder that high-concept thrillers needn’t rely on stupid coincidences and even stupider characters in order to succeed, “Grand Piano” turns the unlikeliest of scenarios into a riveting battle of wills. The story of a concert pianist whose comeback performance gets hijacked by a sniper with a secret agenda, director Eugenio Mira’s latest film breathlessly combines artistic anxiety and personal desperation, providing its character with a journey as intense emotionally as it is physically. In fact, probably the best Brian De Palma movie he never made, “Grand Piano” expands the boundaries of single-location, real-time mysteries like “Phone Booth” and “Panic Room” with a brilliantly simple concept and nimble, elegant style. Elijah Wood plays Tom Selznick, a master-class pianist set to play in public for the first time in five years. Having famously choked during a performance of a piece by his late mentor, he is understandably nervous...
- 3/4/2014
- by Todd Gilchrist
- The Playlist
As Magnet Releasing pre-orchestrates its upcoming theatrical release of Eugenio Mira's exciting new thriller 'Grand Piano' the fellas over at Styd have managed to ensnare a new alternative poster from the flick. The movie starring Elijah Wood ('Maniac') and John Cusask ('1408') is set to hit up select theatres across the Us this coming Friday. 'Grand Piano' also stars, Allen Leech, Alex Winter ('The Lost Boys'), Kerry Bishe ('Red State'), Dee Wallace ('The Howling),Don McManus ('Lucky Bastard') and sexy Brit Tamsin Egerton ('St. Trinian's'). Head below to view the poster and if you can't wait till Friday then don't forget this little tense thriller is currently playing on VOD....
- 3/4/2014
- Horror Asylum
Grand Piano Magnet Releasing Reviewed for Shockya by Harvey Karten. Data-based on Rotten Tomatoes Grade: B Director: Eugenio Mira Screenplay: Damien Chazelle Cast: Elijah Wood, John Cusack, Tamsin Egerton, Kerry Bishé, Alex Winter, Dee Wallace Screened at: Review 1, NYC, 2/20/14 Opens: March 7, 2014 If you like classical music and you love suspense, you’ll go for “Grand Piano,” a thriller directed by the Spanishn director Eugenio Mira from a script written purely as a spec by Damien Chazelle. If you see a bunch of Spanish names in the credits, that’s because a Catalunya company, Nostromo Pictures, ended up with a winning bid for the film, which [ Read More ]
The post Grand Piano Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Grand Piano Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 3/3/2014
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Another poster has come in for Eugenio Mira's Grand Piano, which arrives in limited theatres on March 7th. What we have here, kids, is an alternate take on the previously released one. Tell us which you like better!
Eugenio Mira's thriller Grand Piano (review here) is also available on VOD right now! Elijah Wood stars along with John Cusack.
Synopsis
Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public in a long-awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of the expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on the score: "Play one wrong note and you die." Without leaving the piano, Tom must discover the anonymous sniper's motives and look for help without anyone realizing…
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Eugenio Mira's thriller Grand Piano (review here) is also available on VOD right now! Elijah Wood stars along with John Cusack.
Synopsis
Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public in a long-awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of the expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on the score: "Play one wrong note and you die." Without leaving the piano, Tom must discover the anonymous sniper's motives and look for help without anyone realizing…
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Play...
- 2/27/2014
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
If you saw Eugenio Mira's earlier film "Agnosia," then you may have already noticed his fondness for Brian De Palma. Anyone making thrillers who holds De Palma as part of the pantheon is already on my short list of people I like, but when you see how well Mira pulls it all together for "Grand Piano," it's obvious that he's graduated to a different level with this film. I think it's very fair to compare this to "Non-Stop," which I reviewed earlier today, since both of them are thrillers that take place over a compressed period of time in a fairly restrictive setting with a ticking clock. For both filmmakers, the exercise is the same. Can you keep the film somewhat plausible while ratcheting up the tension and convincing us that things could unfold like this? In the case of "Grand Piano," the answer is a resounding yes, and...
- 2/27/2014
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
When it was first announced, Eugenio Mira.s mystery thriller Grand Piano sounded like a goofy idea for a sketch. Then it became a festival surprise, and is currently making musical magic via VOD on its way to a limited theatrical release, proving that an idea is only as silly as its execution. We now have the latest poster for the film, and it is by far the most visually appealing we've seen yet. Sure, it might make some people think the film is about Elijah Wood running away from a giant piano, but that.s fine as long as it gets them watching. Magnet Releasing tuned the poster up through their Twitter page, where they call it an "alternative poster" for the film, which probably means you won.t be seeing it anywhere but here - and that.s a shame. The top-down outline of a piano is a...
- 2/17/2014
- cinemablend.com
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