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Bruce Springsteen on Garland Jeffreys in Claire Jeffreys' Doc NYC Audience Award-winning Garland Jeffreys: The King Of In Between: “He’s in the great singer songwriter tradition of Dylan and Neil Young. One of the American greats!” Photo: courtesy of Claire Jeffreys

Claire Jeffreys brilliant Doc NYC Audience Award-winning (and a highlight of the 14th edition) Garland Jeffreys: The King Of In Between has on-camera interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Laurie Anderson on Lou Reed’s support, Harvey Keitel, Vernon Reid, Alejandro Escovedo, Alan Freedman, Robert Christgau, Graham Parker, Michael Cuscuna, David Hajdu, Roger Guenveur Smith, and Phil Messina sharing their insights on Garland Jeffreys, whom Springsteen calls a great singer songwriter in the tradition of Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

Claire Jeffreys with Ed Bahlman and Anne-Katrin Titze on Garland Jeffreys: “He went out with Bette Midler when she was doing The Continental Baths and he dated Alice Walker of The Color Purple.

A Jewish family in New York is going about their day; every member is embroiled in his or her own idea about how things are and how they should be. The vignette-y film by director Evan Oppenheimer titled The Magnificent Meyersons, behaves more as a stage play than a film because of its heavy dialogue. The cinematic part occurs midway when the camera starts to show the city from far above with intent, owing to the extraterrestrial twist in the film. There are no actual aliens shown in the film, but someone alienated does visit the Meyersons, and their world undergoes a change. There are some strong performances in the film, but Richard Kind leaves an unforgettable impact, even though he doesn’t have a lot of screen time.

Spoilers Ahead

Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Film?

The Meyersons were a bunch of eclectic individuals. The patriarch was nowhere in the picture,...

Adaptation

“Tabby McTat,” the lively children’s story by writer Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler, is set to get the BBC treatment with a new adaptation by longtime Donaldson/Scheffler collaborators Magic Light Pictures. “Doctor Who” star Jodie Whittaker will narrate the tale about a cat who gets separated from his owner while Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísú (“Gangs of London”) will voice Tabby. Other stars lending their voices to the short include Rob Brydon (“Gavin and Stacey”), Cariad Lloyd (“Peep Show”), Joanna Scanlan (“The Thick of It”) and Susan Wokoma (“Enola Holmes”).

“Superworm” directors Sarah Scrimgeour and Jac Hamman will helm the project, which was written by Max Lang and Suzanne Lang. Barney Goodland and Michael Rose of Magic Light Pictures will produce. BBC chief content office Charlotte Moore and BBC drama commissioning editor Nawfal Faizullah acquired the film for the BBC. Red Star Studio will provide animation services.

Disney Season...

London-based outfit The Mise En Scène Company has taken global rights to “The Magnificent Meyersons” as part of its European Film Market slate.

Directed by Evan Oppenheimer, “The Magnificent Meyersons” is a New York-set family drama with a sci-fi twist. Its cast includes Kate Mulgrew, Lauren Ridloff, Daniel Eric Gold (“Ugly Betty”) and Richard Kind.

The story centers on a day that starts out like any other, full of small hostilities, self-doubt, moments of tenderness, and the other quotidian battles and joys that comprise a normal day in the big city. But on this day, perhaps the most significant scientific revelation in human history takes place, and the discovery will affect the everyday life of each member of the family in a different way.

Since its formation in 2020, Mise en Scène has been building out a cast-driven slate of movies, and is in development on a number of projects, with...

The Magnificent Meyersons Argot Pictures Reviewed for Shockya.com by Abe Friedtanzer Director: Evan Oppenheimer Writer: Evan Oppenheimer Cast: Kate Mulgrew, Richard Kind, Shoshannah Stern, Neal Huff, Daniel Eric Gold and Lauren Ridloff Screened at: Critics’ link, LA, 8/17/21 Opens: August 20th, 2021 Every family has its quirks. How it manifests and affects its members depends […]

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The Magnificent Meyersons follows an ordinary but complicated New York City family as they discover on one extraordinary day that although life—and family—can sometimes shock you … it can also lead to miraculous new places. Here’s the trailer:

Premiering in New York City August 20 at the Marlene Meyerson Jcc Manhattan; and Los Angeles August 27 at the Laemmle Town Center 5, Encino. The film is also available virtually on the websites of all locations. Select screenings in theaters will offer open captioned showings (check theater websites for times).

Written and directed by Evan Oppenheimer (A Little Game; Alchemy; Justice; The Auteur Theory), The Magnificent Meyers features a stellar ensemble cast that includes Kate Mulgrew (the upcoming Star Trek: Prodigy; Orange is the New Black; Star Trek: Voyager; Star Trek: Nemesis), Richard Kind (The Goldbergs; Inside Out; Argo; A Serious Man; A Bug’s Life), Shoshannah Stern (Supernatural; This Close; Weeds), Neal Huff...

Any visitor to Florence knows that the myriad temptations include beautiful people, sumptuous food and wine and more stunning art than you could see in a lifetime. But for filmmakers, there's a danger of succumbing to one in particular. They’ll inevitably want to make a movie in the picturesque historical city.

Such was the case for writer/director Evan Oppenheimer, whose Lost in Florence reveals the hazards of succumbing to the impulse. In this romantic drama, gorgeous bodies are displayed; delicious gelato is consumed; the exotic sport of calcio storico (“historic football”) is given plenty of screen time; and, needless to...

What’s better than American football?

Try Calcio Storico in Florence, Italy.

This version of Italian football is more aggressive and violent and it is showcased in the movie Lost In Florence starring Brett Dalton and Stana Katic.

Here’s the full synopsis:

When Eric Lombard proposes to his girlfriend Colleen during a romantic trip to Florence, he is shocked when she turns him down and heads back home. Heartbroken, he stays behind with his cousin Anna and her Italian husband who introduces to Calcio Storico, an ancient form of football played every summer in Florence that combines rugby and street fighting. As a former college star, Eric is a natural at the sport and while many of the local Italians have their reservations about an American playing their beloved game, he proves himself again and again on the field and ultimately wins their approval. During his time in Florence,...

comScore today announced the official worldwide weekend box office estimates for the weekend of January 29, 2017, as compiled by the company’s theatrical measurement services. This past weekend saw the continued domination of M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller, Split, on the domestic front. The film beat out the domestic totals of both A Dog’s Purpose and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.

Not only did Split enjoy a better-than-expected opening weekend, taking in around $40 million domestically, but in this past weekend it only dropped around 34.3 percent, taking in $26.3 million, more than enough to catapult it into first place for the second weekend in a row. Without a doubt, the positive word of mouth seems to be doing this flick some real good.

A Dog’s Purpose came in at around $18.4 million. While the film only cost around $22 million to make, so it looks like it’ll make back its production...

Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out.

This Past Weekend:

As per my Thursday update, M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller Split ended up winning the weekend but with way more than anyone, including myself, predicted, with more than $40 million for its opening weekend. That’s pretty impressive, and his first movie to open at that level since 2010’s The Last Airbender. Meanwhile, Vin Diesel’s sequel xXx: The Return of Xander Cage ended up making around where I predicted, taking second place with $20.1 million, not a great sign for the continuation of that franchise. Michael Keaton’s The Founder ended up right around where I predicted with $3.4 million, ending up just outside the Top 10. Hidden Figures, La La Land and Sing continued to do well with minimal drop-offs.

This...

One look at the Lost In Florence poster and you might have a preconceived notion of the film being a by the book romantic tale featuring a few recognizable names (Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Brett Dalton, Castle's Stana Katic). But with anything worth a measure of import, a closer look is necessary. Thankfully, writer/director Evan Oppenheimer gives [...]...

Best known as Grant Ward on ABC’s Marvel’S Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Brett Dalton returned to his roots into indie films.

Lrm caught up exclusively with Dalton on the red carpet at the opening night of the faith-based movie The Resurrection Of Gavin Stone in Fresno, Calif. The film is about a former child star, who had to pick up the pieces of his life by doing community service at a local church in his hometown. He falls in love with the pastor’s daughter and assists on developing a play about Jesus Christ with his acting expertise.

In addition, Dalton also talked about Lost In Florence, another indie film which premieres at the end of this month. The romantic film is about an American who lives in Florence, Italy and participates in Calcio Fiorentino, a version of football.

Lrm would also like to thank Harvest Bible Chapel of...

The new film “Lost in Florence” takes a hard look at love, sorrow and the healing power of sports in the heart of Florence, Italy. When his girlfriend turns down his marriage proposal on a trip to Florence, former college football star Eric Lombard (Brett Dalton) stays behind with his cousin Anna (Stana Katic) and her Italian husband to heal his wounds. While he’s there, they introduce him to calcio storico, an ancient form of football played every summer in Florence that combines rugby and street fighting. During his time there, Eric falls for Stefania (Alessandra Mastronardi), the girlfriend of his teammate Paolo (Alessandro Preziosi), and tries to learn what makes life worth living. It co-stars Emily Atack (“The Inbetweeners”), Robert Aramayo (“Game of Thrones”) and Marco Bonini (“Under the Tuscan Sun”). Watch an exclusive clip from the film below.

Read More: ‘Greater’ Exclusive Clip: The True Story of...

Title: A Little Game Arc Entertainment Director: Evan Oppenheimer Writer: Evan Oppenheimer Cast: Ralph Macchio, Janeane Garofalo, F. Murray Abraham, Rachel Dratch, Olympia Dukakis, Makenna Ballard Running Time: 91 minutes, Rated PG Special Features: Behind the Scenes; Bloopers; Trailer Available on DVD: January 20th, 2015 Max (Makenna Ballard)  is a 10 year old girl and the smartest kid in her school. Her parents (Ralph Macchio & Janeane Garofalo) want their oldest daughter to attend an all-girls private school to better her education, so they work themselves almost to death to pay the tuition. Meanwhile Max is unhappy leaving her friends behind, being bullied by the rich girls because her father  [ Read More ]

The post A Little Game DVD Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Enduring seemingly overwhelming and unforeseen situations that harrowingly force you to contend with unwanted and irrevocable changes can surprisingly be turned into a positive outcome, as they can help you realize you can expand your outlooks on your life. That all-important realization is a motivating life lesson that the young protagonist in writer-director Evan Oppenheimer’s new family adventure film, ‘A Little Game,’ realizes after the devastating death of her treasured grandmother. Academy Award-winning actress, Olympia Dukakis, who plays the main character’s grandmother in the movie, naturally showcases the all-important lesson of not only cherishing those who are important in your life, but also learning to embrace life’s unpredictable changes, which [ Read More ]

The post Interview: Olympia Dukakis Talks A Little Game (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.

Howl

Ed Speleers ("Downton Abbey") and Shauna Macdonald ("Filth") have joined the cast of Paul Hyett's upcoming creature feature "Howl" which begins shooting later this month. Ed King and Martin Gentles will produce.

The story follows a midnight train which is attacked by a terrifying pack of werewolves, forcing a shy ticket inspector to unleash his inner beast to lead his passengers to safety and survive the night. [Source: Screen]

Beautiful Jim Key

Morgan Freeman will star in Robert Rodat's "Beautiful Jim Key," the true story of showman Dr William Key which has been setup at The Mark Gordon Company, Cargo, Two Ton Films and Revelations Entertainment. Filming begins early 2015.

Based on Mim Eichlar Rivas' book, Key is a carnival sideshow performer who recruits Pt Barnum's former promoter to help turn a horse into a nationwide sensation and centrepiece of the 1904 St Louis Exposition. [Source: Screen]

My All American

Robin Tunney ("The Mentalist...

Wasn’t it just eight years ago that Nick Stahl was being groomed for Hollywood stardom, and started off his campaign with a major starring role in “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”? Nowadays you’ll find the former John Connor plying his trade on a variety of direct-to-dvd movies, having produced an astounding eight — count’em, eight — movies in 2010 alone. Mind you, we’re not talking about cameos here; Stahl was the male lead in five of those titles, and had worthy supporting roles in the rest. Stahl already has five titles upcoming in 2011, including a regular gig on the TV show “Locke and Key”. Evan Oppenheimer’s “The Speed of Thought” is one of Stahl’s 2011 offering, and although moderately budgeted, was surprisingly quite good. Stahl plays Joshua Lazarus, a telepath (or “scoper” in the movie’s parlance) who works for the U.S. Government (run by “Fringe...

When you hear there exists a story about a little girl who has the power to create fire, and her father who can manipulate someone’s thoughts, you know you’re in for some incredible set pieces that showcase their awesome powers; and that’s what you more or less got with Stephen King’s novel Firestarter. And when you have a movie with characters tunneling into other people’s minds by using their extraordinary powers of telepathy, similarly you sort of expect remarkable occurrences and fascinating concepts, but I kept asking myself watching The Speed of Thought, Where are they?

In the film, Nick Stahl plays Joshua Lazarus, a government operative, womanizer and telepath; and anyone with that power is referred to as a Scoper. Writer/director Evan Oppenheimer came up with some interesting terms (like Scoper) and concepts like Merging which is the act of melding two minds in an intimate,...

Director/writer: Evan Oppenheimer.

Maya Entertainment has released The Speed of Thought on to DVD April 12th. The film stars Nick Stahl (Mirrors 2), Mia Maestro (Cutthroat), Taryn Manning (The Devil's Tomb) and Wallace Shawn, in a fictional world set in telepathy. The film has some similarities to Christopher Nolan's Inception (2010). The conscious and unconscious parts of the mind are used for governmental espionage, with Joshua Lazarus (Stahl) attempting to uncover the source of a fictional ailment, called Wittman's disease. The result is a thrilling and imaginitive ninety minutes.

Much of the film takes place in a consciously constructed world of the mind. Here, scopers, or those with telepathy, communicate with others like themselves. The fantasy constructs are much like the ones created in Inception, with less attention spent on the grand scale of this earlier production. Instead, dreamscapes are created. Later, the protagonist Lazarus merges with a new mysterious scoper,...

A look at what's new on DVD this week:

"A Summer in Genoa"

Directed by Michael Winterbottom

Released by Entertainment One

Of the many films Michael Winterbottom ("A Mighty Heart," "9 Songs") has directed in recent years, you wouldn't guess the one starring recent Oscar winner Colin Firth as a father who must take care of his two daughters in the wake of a car accident involving their mother (Hope Davis) would be the one to have trouble making it to the U.S. But here we are three years after "Genova," as it's known in much of the rest of the world, was shot and it's finally arrived on DVD, a mix of supernatural thriller and human drama that's actually getting reasonably good reviews upon its delayed release. Catherine Keener co-stars.

"Belladonna"

Directed by Annika Glac

Released by Osiris

Glac's debut as a writer/director centers on a man whose...

Distribution company Maya Entertainment will release a new sci-fi thriller titled Speed of Thought. Nick Stahl (Mirrors 2), Mia Maestro (Frida), and Taryn Manning (Kill Theory) will star. Speed of Thought involves that prolific gift of telepathy and the lengths that governments will go to manipulate those with this power.

Nick Stahl plays Joshua Lazarus, the gifted and his name portends to biblical references. Is this a gift from God? There are references to Joshua leading the Isrealites in the New Testament and of course, Lazarus is one of the first ever zombies (resurrected by Jesus). One begins to wonder at the significance of the name and why filmmakers continue to choose their influences from religious doctrines e.g. Christian, Jewish and Muslim teachings. Have there been some new eye witness accounts of the messiah recently, that his reviewer has missed?

The synopsis for Speed of Thought is here:

"Joshua...

The 2005 Tribeca Film Festival, founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, announced films in four competitive categories Wednesday. The festival, which runs April 19-May 1 in Lower Manhattan, will feature fictional films and documentaries in two categories, dubbed NY, NY Narrative Features and NY, NY Documentary Features. The fictional features, which range from dramas focusing on the effects of 9/11 to slapstick comedy and suburban tales, include: Adam & Steve, directed by Craig Chester; Alchemy, Evan Oppenheimer; Bittersweet Place, Alexandra Brodsky; Conventioneers, Mora Stephens; The F Word, Jed Weintrob; Four Lane Highway, Dylan McCormick; Great New Wonderful, Danny Leiner; Laura Smiles, Jason Ruscio; Life on the Ledge, Lewis Helfer; Love, Vladan Nikolic; Puzzlehead, James Bai; The Reception, John G. Young; Red Doors, Georgia Lee; Rockaway, Mark Street; Satellite, Jeff Winner; and Slingshot, Jay Alaimo.