Exclusive: Smith Global Media has obtained the U.S. and Canadian theatrical distribution rights to Deception Road, which is being directed by Max Mayer. Formally titled, Green Olds, the Dallas Mitchell Brennan-penned dark comedic thriller will star Finn Wittrock (Unbroken), Alice Eve (She’s Out of My League), and Thomas Haden Church (Divorce). Production is slated to take place in Utah this summer.
Set in the atomic age, the film follows Oscar (Wittrock) who hitches a ride with Hal (Church) in what starts out as a simple ride but soon turns into a bizarre and dangerous game of cat and mouse. Oscar finds himself caught between Hal and his sexy wife Jessie (Eve) in a passionate and twisted relationship game played out on the road against the stark landscape of the American Southwest.
CAA Media Finance group sold domestic rights, while Pacific Film Trade is handling international sales.
Brennan, Chris Gilligan,...
Set in the atomic age, the film follows Oscar (Wittrock) who hitches a ride with Hal (Church) in what starts out as a simple ride but soon turns into a bizarre and dangerous game of cat and mouse. Oscar finds himself caught between Hal and his sexy wife Jessie (Eve) in a passionate and twisted relationship game played out on the road against the stark landscape of the American Southwest.
CAA Media Finance group sold domestic rights, while Pacific Film Trade is handling international sales.
Brennan, Chris Gilligan,...
- 6/10/2019
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Thomas Haden Church (Divorce), Finn Wittrock (American Horror Story) and Alice Eve (She's Out Of My League) are set to topline comedy thriller Green Olds, which Max Mayer (As Cool As I Am) is directing from a screenplay by Dallas Mitchell Brennan. Myriad Pictures is on board to handle international sales and will present the project to buyers at the Toronto Film Festival starting this week; CAA will manage domestic sales. The story follows Oscar (Wittrock) who, after…...
- 9/5/2017
- Deadline
Read More: Exclusive: Laverne Cox, Parker Posey and Rachael Horovitz Join Lower East Side Film Festival Judges Similar to Max Mayer's 2009 drama "Adam," William Sullivan's latest work, "Jane Wants a Boyfriend," is raising autism awareness by showing what it's like for someone on the autism spectrum to fall in love and how their family relationships might change as a result. The official synopsis reads: "'Jane Wants a Boyfriend' explores a week in the life of Jane (Louisa Krause), a young woman looking for love in New York City. Despite dealing with the everyday challenges of being on the autism spectrum, Jane looks to her older sister, Bianca (Eliza Dushku), to help her find her very first boyfriend. As the innocent Jane embarks on new territory, and as Bianca worries that Jane's heart will be broken, they open up a new chapter in their relationship as sisters." "Jane Wants...
- 6/11/2015
- by Kaeli Van Cott
- Indiewire
The Sundance Institute announced I Origins as the winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Lab Fellowship, which is presented through the Institute’s Feature Film Program.
These activities, as well as a panel at the Festival and the Alfred P. Sloan Commissioning Grant, are part of the Sundance Institute Science-in-Film Initiative, which is made possible by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The initiative supports the development and exhibition of new independent film projects that explore science and technology themes or that depict scientists, engineers and mathematicians in engaging and innovative ways.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Sundance Institute for the 11th year in a row and to recognize Mike Cahill’s original and compelling I Origins as the winner of this year’s Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize,” said Doron Weber, Vice President, Programs at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “With Academy Award-nominated films like this year’s Gravity and Her, I Origins—as well as new scripts we are developing with Sundance Institute Labs such as The Buried Life and Prodigal Summer—demonstrates that not only are science and technology central to understanding, engaging with and dramatizing modern life, but they also make for cracking good films that draw large audiences.”
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Independent filmmakers offer unique perspectives on the role math, science and technology play in our world and culture. The Sundance Institute Science-in-Film Initiative, with critical support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, recognizes and encourages these projects as they make their way to audiences.”
Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize
I Origins, directed and written by Mike Cahill, has been awarded the 2014 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize and will receive a $20,000 cash award by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The Prize is selected by a jury of film and science professionals and presented to outstanding feature films focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character.
In I Origins, a molecular biologist and his lab partner uncover startling evidence that could fundamentally change society as we know it and cause them to question their once-certain beliefs in science and spirituality. The cast includes Michael Pitt, Brit Marling, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Steven Yeun, Archie Panjabi. The jury presented the award to the film for its “intelligent and nuanced portrayal of molecular biologists as central characters, and for dramatizing the power of the scientific process to explore fundamental questions about the human condition.”
Previous Alfred P. Sloan Prize Winners include: Andrew Bujalski, Computer Chess (2013); Jake Schreier, Christopher Ford, Robot & Frank (2012); Musa Syeed, Valley of Saints (2012); Mike Cahill and Brit Marling, Another Earth (2011); Diane Bell, Obselidia (2010); Max Mayer, Adam (2009); Alex Rivera, Sleep Dealer (2008); Shi-Zheng Chen, Dark Matter (2007); Andrucha Waddington, The House of Sand (2006); Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man (2005), Shane Carruth, Primer (2004) and Marc Decena, Dopamine (2003). Several past winners have also been awarded Jury Awards at the Festival, including the Grand Jury Prize for Primer, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Sleep Dealer and the Excellence in Cinematography Award for Obselidia.
This year’s Alfred P. Sloan jury members are:
Dr. Kevin Hand Dr. Kevin Hand is deputy chief scientist for Solar System Exploration at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His research focuses on the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the solar system. His fieldwork involves exploring some of Earth’s most extreme environments from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, to the depths of the Earth’s oceans, to the glaciers of Kilimanjaro.
Flora Lichtman Flora Lichtman is a science journalist living in New York. She has worked as a video journalist for the New York Times and National Public Radio’s Science Friday and writes regularly for Popular Science magazine. She is the coauthor of Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us.
Max Mayer Max Mayer is a founder and producing director of New York Stage and Film and has directed over 50 new plays by writers such as John Patrick Shanley, Lee Blessing, and Eric Overmyer. In addition to writing and directing Better Living and Adam, which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and won the Sloan Prize, Mayer has directed As Cool as I Am and episodes of The West Wing, Alias, and Family Law and written three produced plays.
Jon Spaihts Jon Spaihts is the screenwriter of The Darkest Hour, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, and the upcoming Passengers and The Mummy. The one-time physics student and science writer continues to specialize in science fiction.
Jill Tarter Astronomer Jill Tarter, the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for the Seti Institute, has devoted her career to hunting for signs of sentient beings elsewhere. The lead for Project Phoenix, a decade-long Seti scrutiny of about 750 nearby star systems, she now leads Seti’s efforts to build and operate the Allen Telescope Array. A 2009 Ted prize recipient, she is also the real-life researcher upon whom the Jodie Foster character in Contact is largely based.
Sundance Institute / Alfred P. Sloan Lab Fellowship
The Buried Life (U.S.A.) Joan Stein Schimke and Averie Storck (co-writers/co-directors) An archaeologist risks her reputation for the dig of her career, but when her rock 'n' roll sister and overbearing father follow her to the excavation, she discovers her biggest challenge is facing what's above ground.
Joan Stein Schimke and Averie Storck have just attended the Institute’s January Screenwriters Lab with The Buried Life.
Joan Stein Schimke was nominated for an Academy Award® for her short film One Day Crossing, which won several other awards including the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Best Woman Student Filmmaker, Best Director, National Board of Review and the Student Academy Award® Gold Medal. Other directing credits include Law and Order and the short film Solidarity, which screened at over a dozen festivals including the New York Film Festival. Stein Schimke is an Mfa graduate of Columbia University’s Film Program and is currently an Associate Professor at Adelphi University in New York.
Averie Storck is an Mfa graduate of Columbia University’s Film Program. Her award-winning short films include Live at Five , which won the New Line Cinema Development Award and screened at more than 30 international film festivals. Prior to filmmaking, Storck worked for People and Vogue magazines, was a writer for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and studied improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in NYC. She currently teaches and directs at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Founded in 1934, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a non-profit philanthropy that makes grants in science, technology and economic performance. This Sloan-Sundance partnership forms part of a broader national program by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to stimulate leading artists in film, television, and theater; to create more realistic and compelling stories about science and technology; and to challenge existing stereotypes about scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the popular imagination. Over the past decade, the Foundation has partnered with some of the top film schools in the country – including AFI, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Nyu, UCLA, and USC – and established annual awards in screenwriting and film production and an annual first-feature award for alumni. The Foundation has also started an annual Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival and initiated new screenwriting and film production workshops at the Hamptons and Tribeca Film Festival and with Film Independent. As more finished films emerge from this developmental pipeline—four features were completed in 2013, with half a dozen more on deck—the foundation has also partnered with the Coolidge Corner Theater and the Arthouse Convergence to screen science films in up to 40 theaters nationwide. The Foundation also has an active theater program and commissions over a dozen science plays each year from the Ensemble Studio Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club and Playwright Horizons.
These activities, as well as a panel at the Festival and the Alfred P. Sloan Commissioning Grant, are part of the Sundance Institute Science-in-Film Initiative, which is made possible by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The initiative supports the development and exhibition of new independent film projects that explore science and technology themes or that depict scientists, engineers and mathematicians in engaging and innovative ways.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Sundance Institute for the 11th year in a row and to recognize Mike Cahill’s original and compelling I Origins as the winner of this year’s Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize,” said Doron Weber, Vice President, Programs at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “With Academy Award-nominated films like this year’s Gravity and Her, I Origins—as well as new scripts we are developing with Sundance Institute Labs such as The Buried Life and Prodigal Summer—demonstrates that not only are science and technology central to understanding, engaging with and dramatizing modern life, but they also make for cracking good films that draw large audiences.”
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Independent filmmakers offer unique perspectives on the role math, science and technology play in our world and culture. The Sundance Institute Science-in-Film Initiative, with critical support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, recognizes and encourages these projects as they make their way to audiences.”
Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize
I Origins, directed and written by Mike Cahill, has been awarded the 2014 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize and will receive a $20,000 cash award by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The Prize is selected by a jury of film and science professionals and presented to outstanding feature films focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character.
In I Origins, a molecular biologist and his lab partner uncover startling evidence that could fundamentally change society as we know it and cause them to question their once-certain beliefs in science and spirituality. The cast includes Michael Pitt, Brit Marling, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Steven Yeun, Archie Panjabi. The jury presented the award to the film for its “intelligent and nuanced portrayal of molecular biologists as central characters, and for dramatizing the power of the scientific process to explore fundamental questions about the human condition.”
Previous Alfred P. Sloan Prize Winners include: Andrew Bujalski, Computer Chess (2013); Jake Schreier, Christopher Ford, Robot & Frank (2012); Musa Syeed, Valley of Saints (2012); Mike Cahill and Brit Marling, Another Earth (2011); Diane Bell, Obselidia (2010); Max Mayer, Adam (2009); Alex Rivera, Sleep Dealer (2008); Shi-Zheng Chen, Dark Matter (2007); Andrucha Waddington, The House of Sand (2006); Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man (2005), Shane Carruth, Primer (2004) and Marc Decena, Dopamine (2003). Several past winners have also been awarded Jury Awards at the Festival, including the Grand Jury Prize for Primer, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Sleep Dealer and the Excellence in Cinematography Award for Obselidia.
This year’s Alfred P. Sloan jury members are:
Dr. Kevin Hand Dr. Kevin Hand is deputy chief scientist for Solar System Exploration at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His research focuses on the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the solar system. His fieldwork involves exploring some of Earth’s most extreme environments from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, to the depths of the Earth’s oceans, to the glaciers of Kilimanjaro.
Flora Lichtman Flora Lichtman is a science journalist living in New York. She has worked as a video journalist for the New York Times and National Public Radio’s Science Friday and writes regularly for Popular Science magazine. She is the coauthor of Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us.
Max Mayer Max Mayer is a founder and producing director of New York Stage and Film and has directed over 50 new plays by writers such as John Patrick Shanley, Lee Blessing, and Eric Overmyer. In addition to writing and directing Better Living and Adam, which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and won the Sloan Prize, Mayer has directed As Cool as I Am and episodes of The West Wing, Alias, and Family Law and written three produced plays.
Jon Spaihts Jon Spaihts is the screenwriter of The Darkest Hour, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, and the upcoming Passengers and The Mummy. The one-time physics student and science writer continues to specialize in science fiction.
Jill Tarter Astronomer Jill Tarter, the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for the Seti Institute, has devoted her career to hunting for signs of sentient beings elsewhere. The lead for Project Phoenix, a decade-long Seti scrutiny of about 750 nearby star systems, she now leads Seti’s efforts to build and operate the Allen Telescope Array. A 2009 Ted prize recipient, she is also the real-life researcher upon whom the Jodie Foster character in Contact is largely based.
Sundance Institute / Alfred P. Sloan Lab Fellowship
The Buried Life (U.S.A.) Joan Stein Schimke and Averie Storck (co-writers/co-directors) An archaeologist risks her reputation for the dig of her career, but when her rock 'n' roll sister and overbearing father follow her to the excavation, she discovers her biggest challenge is facing what's above ground.
Joan Stein Schimke and Averie Storck have just attended the Institute’s January Screenwriters Lab with The Buried Life.
Joan Stein Schimke was nominated for an Academy Award® for her short film One Day Crossing, which won several other awards including the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Best Woman Student Filmmaker, Best Director, National Board of Review and the Student Academy Award® Gold Medal. Other directing credits include Law and Order and the short film Solidarity, which screened at over a dozen festivals including the New York Film Festival. Stein Schimke is an Mfa graduate of Columbia University’s Film Program and is currently an Associate Professor at Adelphi University in New York.
Averie Storck is an Mfa graduate of Columbia University’s Film Program. Her award-winning short films include Live at Five , which won the New Line Cinema Development Award and screened at more than 30 international film festivals. Prior to filmmaking, Storck worked for People and Vogue magazines, was a writer for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and studied improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in NYC. She currently teaches and directs at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Founded in 1934, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a non-profit philanthropy that makes grants in science, technology and economic performance. This Sloan-Sundance partnership forms part of a broader national program by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to stimulate leading artists in film, television, and theater; to create more realistic and compelling stories about science and technology; and to challenge existing stereotypes about scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the popular imagination. Over the past decade, the Foundation has partnered with some of the top film schools in the country – including AFI, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Nyu, UCLA, and USC – and established annual awards in screenwriting and film production and an annual first-feature award for alumni. The Foundation has also started an annual Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival and initiated new screenwriting and film production workshops at the Hamptons and Tribeca Film Festival and with Film Independent. As more finished films emerge from this developmental pipeline—four features were completed in 2013, with half a dozen more on deck—the foundation has also partnered with the Coolidge Corner Theater and the Arthouse Convergence to screen science films in up to 40 theaters nationwide. The Foundation also has an active theater program and commissions over a dozen science plays each year from the Ensemble Studio Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club and Playwright Horizons.
- 1/24/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
X-Men franchise director Bryan Singer, whose first two features debuted at the Sundance Film Festival — including The Usual Suspects in 1995 — was one of the industry figures named to the Sundance juries that will judge this year’s films when the festival begins next week. Singer, who has X-Men: Days of Future Past due in May, will be one of five members of the U.S. Dramatic Jury. Other members of the juries include Tracy Chapman, Lone Scherfig, Leonard Maltin, and screenwriter Jon Spaihts (Prometheus). A complete list of the juries, courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival, can be viewed after the jump.
- 1/9/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
As Cool As I Am is a coming of age story about a smart, young girl caught in small town America. Dreaming of a bigger life, Lucy (Sarah Bolger) is subjected to her parents’ Lainee (Claire Danes) and Chuck (James Marsden) disintegrating marriage. Finding it tough to navigate her own relationships, Lucy not only confides in, but relies on best-friend, Kenny (Thomas Mann), for emotional and physical support. Ultimately, she finds hope and her dreams are within reach.
Check out the new featurette where Claire Danes and James Marsden discusses their roles in the film.
Director: Max Mayer
Starring: Claire Danes, James Marsden, Sarah Bolger As Cool As I Am is now available to watch in select theaters, Cable VOD, SundanceNOW and other digital outlets (iTunes, Amazon Streaming, PS3 Playstation Unlimited, Xbox Zune, Google Play and YouTube)...
Check out the new featurette where Claire Danes and James Marsden discusses their roles in the film.
Director: Max Mayer
Starring: Claire Danes, James Marsden, Sarah Bolger As Cool As I Am is now available to watch in select theaters, Cable VOD, SundanceNOW and other digital outlets (iTunes, Amazon Streaming, PS3 Playstation Unlimited, Xbox Zune, Google Play and YouTube)...
- 6/13/2013
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
New York Stage and Film Johanna Pfaelzer, Artistic Director Thomas Pearson, Executive Director Mark Linn-Baker, Max Mayer, Leslie Urdang, Producing Directors and Vassar College Ed Cheetham, Producing Director recently announced the line-up of their 2013 Powerhouse Theater Season, which runs fromJune 21st - July 28th at Vassar College Poughkeepsie, New York. The 2013 season will include fully staged productions of new plays by Seth Zvi Rosenfeld andMozhan Marno, as well as two exciting musical workshops the Steve Martin amp Edie Brickell collaboration Bright Star featuring music from their newly released recording Love Has Come For You, directed by Tony Award-winner Walter Bobbie Chicago and A new musical inspired by The Brooklyn Hero Supply Company, music and lyrics by Peter Lerman, book by Simon Rich, based on characters created by Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, directed by Tony Award-winner Michael Mayer Spring Awakening. The casts met the press earlier...
- 6/4/2013
- by Jennifer Broski
- BroadwayWorld.com
In real life, Claire Danes is probably a fantasmically excellent mother. However, her character in this new trailer for "As Cool As I Am" needs a 'lil help.
Fellow junkies of the "My So-Called Life" series — which, seriously, how in the world was that show just one season? — will remember a younger Danes as the sullen Angela Chase, dying her hair (much to her mother's chagrin) and desperately trying to find herself a comfy corner in the universe while hoping above all hope that the hot guitar guy at school might one day pay her just an ounce of attention. Ah, hormones.
Cut back to the present, and Danes is on the receiving end of all that angst ... and deservedly so.
"Cool" features Claire Danes and James Marsden as a former pair who got preggers while still just teenagers. Under the pressure of a shotgun-wielding elder of some sort, no doubt,...
Fellow junkies of the "My So-Called Life" series — which, seriously, how in the world was that show just one season? — will remember a younger Danes as the sullen Angela Chase, dying her hair (much to her mother's chagrin) and desperately trying to find herself a comfy corner in the universe while hoping above all hope that the hot guitar guy at school might one day pay her just an ounce of attention. Ah, hormones.
Cut back to the present, and Danes is on the receiving end of all that angst ... and deservedly so.
"Cool" features Claire Danes and James Marsden as a former pair who got preggers while still just teenagers. Under the pressure of a shotgun-wielding elder of some sort, no doubt,...
- 5/21/2013
- by Amanda Bell
- NextMovie
Being a teenager is hard. We.ve seen examples of it time and time again, both on film and in real life. Teenagers in broken homes have it even worse, as we.ve also seen on film a bunch of times. So in order to stand out in the crowd, a movie that centers on this kind of storyline has to pull some tricks to be heard above the din. I.m not sure if the above trailer for As Cool As I Am does that exactly. The film is adapted from the 1994 novel by Pete Fromm with a screenplay from Virginia Korus Spragg (An Unfinished Life), and Max Mayer (Adam) directing. Sarah Bolger (The Moth Diaries) plays Lucy Diamond, a teenage girl who suddenly finds herself reaching maturity just as her parents, played by Claire Danes (Homeland) and James Marsden (Robot and Frank), are losing theirs. Apparently the deal...
- 5/21/2013
- cinemablend.com
Claire Danes and James Marsden's on-screen daughter isn't the only one growing up in the coming-of-age movie "As Cool as I Am." Danes and Marsden are, too. The first trailer for the upcoming IFC release focuses on their bright teenage daughter (Sara Bolger) dealing with Danes forgetting her birthday and cheating on her dad, while Marsden appears to be too busy working to notice. Also read: James Marsden, Claire Danes to Star in 'As Cool as I Am' Thomas Mann ("Project X") co-stars as Bolger's high school love interest. Max Mayer ("Adam") directed from Virginia...
- 5/20/2013
- by Greg Gilman
- The Wrap
IFC has debuted the trailer for Max Mayer's As Cool As I Am drama, starring Claire Danes, James Marsden, Sarah Bolger and Thomas Mann, adapted from the novel by Pete Fromm. Lucy (Bolger) is a self-confessed tomboy that is considered one of the guys with her masculine haircut and attitude. She gets on well with her father (Marsden) but is frequently separated from him for months on end when he works in Canada. Her relationship with her mother (Danes) is easy-going provided she keeps the house tidy. Her mother's lenience even allows her daughter to drive her car, even when she is too young to apply for a license.
- 5/20/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
New York Stage and Film Johanna Pfaelzer, Artistic Director Thomas Pearson, Executive Director Mark Linn-Baker, Max Mayer, Leslie Urdang, Producing Directors and Vassar College Ed Cheetham, Producing Director have announced the line-up of their 2013 Powerhouse Theater Season, which includes new works from actor, writer and prolific, Grammy Award-winning musician Steve Martin and Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Broadway'sIn the Heights, among many others. The 2013 Powerhouse Theater Season runs from June 21st - July 28th at Vassar College Poughkeepsie, New York, and a full calendar and description of events are below. Casting is underway and will be announced shortly.
- 4/24/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Members of the Sloan Jury at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, chosen by the Sundance Institute and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, also participated in the Science in Film Forum Panel at the Festival. The members of the 2013 Sloan Jury were: Paula Apsell (Senior Executive Producer, Nova and Nova ScienceNow, Director, Wgbh Science Unit), Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, The Fountain, Pi), Scott Burns (writer, Contagion, Pu-239, The Informant and producer, An Inconvenient Truth), Dr. André Fenton (Professor of Neural Science at the Center for Neural Science at New York University), Dr. Lisa Randall (Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science, Harvard University, author of Knocking on Heaven’s Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World).
2013 marks the 10th Anniversary of the Alfred P. Sloan Science in Film initiative, a collaboration between Sundance Institute and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to support the development and presentation of film projects that explore science and technology ideas, or depict scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in engaging new ways. Activities include the Science in Film Forum, the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, the Sloan Commissioning Grant, and the Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Scientists, engineers, mathematicians are – like filmmakers - some of the most imaginative and adventurous thinkers of our time, and the Alfred P. Sloan Science in Film initiative has fostered awareness of and engagement with these fascinating themes in independent film for the last 10 years.”
"We are thrilled to celebrate our tenth anniversary with Sundance, which has been such a great partner in our nationwide effort to encourage filmmakers to engage with science and technology themes and characters,” said Doron Weber, Vice President, Programs at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “Anyone who looks at the incredible list of winning films, from Shane Carruth's Primer and Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man to Jake Scheirer’sRobot and Frank and Musa Syeed's Valley of Saints—or at the amazing screenplays that have been developed through the Sloan Fellowship at Sundance Institute Labs and the Sloan Commissioning Grant—will see that science and technology can reveal the human condition in ways previously unseen and undreamt of."
For more information about the Science in Film initiative, along with updated content, a complete list of supported filmmakers, trailers for completed films, and an interview with Jake Schreier (director, Robot and Frank, 2012 Sloan Prize Winner), visit www.sundance.org/science-in-film.
Feature Film Prize Jury
The Sloan Jury determines the recipient of the Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Sundance Film Festival which is presented to an outstanding Festival feature film focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character. The Prize includes a $20,000 cash award by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Previous Alfred P. Sloan Prize Winners include: Jake Schreier and Christopher Ford, Robot & Frank, and Musa Syeed, Valley of Saints (2012); Mike Cahill and Brit Marling, Another Earth (2011); Diane Bell, Obselidia(2010); Max Mayer, Adam (2009); Alex Rivera, Sleep Dealer (2008); Shi-Zheng Chen, Dark Matter (2007); Andrucha Waddington, The House of Sand (2006); Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man (2005), Shane Carruth, Primer(2004) and Marc Decena, Dopamine (2003). Several past winners have also been awarded Jury Awards at the Festival, including the Grand Jury Prize for Primer, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Sleep Dealer and the Excellence in Cinematography Award for Obselidia.
Science in Film Forum Panel
The Science in Film Forum Panel takes place at Sundance Film Festival on January 22 at 2:30 p.m. Mt at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City. Sloan Jurors Aronofsky, Burns, Dr. Fenton and Dr. Randall will engage in conversation with moderator Paula Apsell.
Juror and Panelist Bios
Paula Apsell
As Director of the Wgbh Science Unit and Senior Executive Producer of the PBS science series Nova, Paula Apsell has overseen the production of hundreds of acclaimed science documentaries, including such distinguished miniseries as The Fabric of the Cosmos with Brian Greene, Origins with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Making Stuff with David Pogue and the magazine spin-off Nova scienceNOW. Nova is the nation’s most watched science series, a top site on pbs.org, and recipient of every major broadcasting honor, including the Emmy®, the Peabody®, and the duPont-Columbia Gold Baton. Paula has won numerous individual awards and has served on many boards including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. She was recently journalist in residence at Uc Santa Barbara’s Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Darren Aronofsky
Academy Award® Nominated Director Darren Aronofsky was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His most recent film, Black Swan, won Natalie Portman the Academy Award® for Best Actress and received four other nominations, including Best Picture. The film received scores of other accolades, appeared on over 200 critical Top Ten lists, and swept the 2011 Independent Spirit Award with wins for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Cinematography. Prior to Black Swan, Darren directed The Wrestler. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the esteemed Golden Lion making it only the third American film in history to win this grand prize. He also directed The Fountain, starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, and Requiem for a Dream, which was named to over 150 Top Ten lists. Darren’s first feature, π, won the Director’s Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. He is currently at work on Noah, based on the biblical story of Noah’s ark. Among his honors, the American Film Institute gave Darren the prestigious Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal, the Stockholm Film Festival presented him the Golden Horse Visionary Award, and he has won three Independent Spirit Awards.
Scott Z. Burns
Scott Burns is screenwriter, director and producer. He wrote the original screenplay for Contagion, directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Matt Damon, penned the screen adaptation of Soderbergh's The Informant! and co-wrote the Academy Award® winning Bourne Ultimatum, directed by Paul Greengrass. He was a producer on An Inconvenient Truth, the Academy Award® winning documentary, for which he received the Humanitas Prize and the Stanley Kramer Award from the Producers Guild of America. Scott recently completed production on Side Effects, a psychological thriller, slated for release in early 2013. It stars Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta Jones and Channing Tatum and is again directed by Steven Soderbergh with Scott writing and producing along with Greg Jacobs and Lorenzo Di Bonaventura. Currently, Scott is writing The Library, a stage play based on the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School with Steven Soderbergh directing and Kennedy/Marshall producing. The play is under development at the Public Theater in New York City. Scott began his career in advertising and was part of the creative team responsible for the original "Got Milk?" campaign. His advertising work has been recognized by the Clio Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival.
Dr. André Fenton
Dr. André Fenton, is a neuroscientist, biomedical engineer and entrepreneur working on three related problems: how brains store information in memory; how brains coordinate knowledge to selectively activate relevant information and suppress irrelevant information; and how to record electrical activity from brain cells in freely-moving subjects. André and colleagues identified PKMzeta as the first memory storage molecule, a discovery identified by Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s journal, as one of the ten most important breakthroughs in all the science reported in 2006. Recordings of electrical brain activity in André’s lab are elucidating the physiology of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. It was recently discovered that preemptive cognitive training during adolescence changes the brain sufficiently to prevent the adult brain dysfunction and cognitive impairments that arises from brain damage during early life in a schizophrenia-related animal model. André is a Professor of Neural Science at New York University’s Center for Neural Science. He founded Bio-Signal Group Corp., which is developing an inexpensive, miniature wireless Eeg system for functional brain monitoring of patients in emergency medicine applications and other clinical scenarios.
Dr. Lisa Randall
Dr. Lisa Randall studies theoretical particle physics and cosmology at Harvard University where she is Frank J. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science. Her research connects theoretical insights addressing puzzles in our current understanding of the properties of matter, the universe, and space. Dr. Randall is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is the recipient of many awards and honorary degrees. Professor Randall was included in Time Magazine's “100 Most Influential People” of 2007, was among Esquire Magazine's “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century," and was one of 40 people featured in “The Rolling Stone 40th Anniversary issue" in 2008. Dr. Randall's two books, Warped Passages (2005) and Knocking on Heaven’s Door (2011) were featured on the lists of New York Times 100 Most Influential Books. Her ebook, Higgs Discovery: The Power of Empty Space, was published last summer.
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Founded in 1934, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a non-profit philanthropy that makes grants in science, technology and economic performance. This Sloan-Sundance partnership forms part of a broader national program by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to stimulate leading artists in film, television, and theater; to create more realistic and compelling stories about science and technology; and to challenge existing stereotypes about scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the popular imagination. Over the past decade, the Foundation has partnered with some of the top film schools in the country – including AFI, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Nyu, UCLA, and USC – and established annual awards in screenwriting and film production and an annual first-feature award for alumni. The Foundation has also started an annual Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival and initiated new screenwriting and film production workshops at the Hamptons and Tribeca Film Festival and with Film Independent. As more finished films emerge from this developmental pipeline—four features were completed this year, with half a dozen more on deck—the foundation has also partnered with the Coolidge Corner Theater and the Arthouse Convergence to screen science films in up to 40 theaters nationwide. The Foundation also has an active theater program and commissions over a dozen science plays each year from the Ensemble Studio Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club and Playwright Horizons.
The Sundance Film Festival®
A program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®, the Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most ground-breaking films of the past two decades, including sex, lies, and videotape, Maria Full of Grace, The Cove, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious, Trouble the Water, and Napoleon Dynamite, and through its New Frontier initiative, has showcased the cinematic works of media artists including Isaac Julien, Doug Aitken, Pierre Huyghe, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Matthew Barney. The 2013 Sundance Film Festival® sponsors include: Presenting Sponsors – Hp, Acura, Sundance Channel and Chase Sapphire PreferredSM; Leadership Sponsors – Directv, Entertainment Weekly, Focus Forward, a partnership between Ge and Cinelan, Southwest Airlines, Sprint and YouTube; Sustaining Sponsors – Adobe, Canada Goose, Canon U.S.A., Inc., CÎRoc Ultra Premium Vodka, FilterForGood®, a partnership between Brita® and Nalgene®, Hilton HHonors and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Intel Corporation, L'Oréal Paris, Recycled Paper Greetings, Stella Artois® and Time Warner Inc. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations will defray costs associated with the 10-day Festival and the nonprofit Sundance Institute's year-round programs for independent film and theatre artists. www.sundance.org/festival.
Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
2013 marks the 10th Anniversary of the Alfred P. Sloan Science in Film initiative, a collaboration between Sundance Institute and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to support the development and presentation of film projects that explore science and technology ideas, or depict scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in engaging new ways. Activities include the Science in Film Forum, the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, the Sloan Commissioning Grant, and the Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Scientists, engineers, mathematicians are – like filmmakers - some of the most imaginative and adventurous thinkers of our time, and the Alfred P. Sloan Science in Film initiative has fostered awareness of and engagement with these fascinating themes in independent film for the last 10 years.”
"We are thrilled to celebrate our tenth anniversary with Sundance, which has been such a great partner in our nationwide effort to encourage filmmakers to engage with science and technology themes and characters,” said Doron Weber, Vice President, Programs at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “Anyone who looks at the incredible list of winning films, from Shane Carruth's Primer and Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man to Jake Scheirer’sRobot and Frank and Musa Syeed's Valley of Saints—or at the amazing screenplays that have been developed through the Sloan Fellowship at Sundance Institute Labs and the Sloan Commissioning Grant—will see that science and technology can reveal the human condition in ways previously unseen and undreamt of."
For more information about the Science in Film initiative, along with updated content, a complete list of supported filmmakers, trailers for completed films, and an interview with Jake Schreier (director, Robot and Frank, 2012 Sloan Prize Winner), visit www.sundance.org/science-in-film.
Feature Film Prize Jury
The Sloan Jury determines the recipient of the Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Sundance Film Festival which is presented to an outstanding Festival feature film focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character. The Prize includes a $20,000 cash award by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Previous Alfred P. Sloan Prize Winners include: Jake Schreier and Christopher Ford, Robot & Frank, and Musa Syeed, Valley of Saints (2012); Mike Cahill and Brit Marling, Another Earth (2011); Diane Bell, Obselidia(2010); Max Mayer, Adam (2009); Alex Rivera, Sleep Dealer (2008); Shi-Zheng Chen, Dark Matter (2007); Andrucha Waddington, The House of Sand (2006); Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man (2005), Shane Carruth, Primer(2004) and Marc Decena, Dopamine (2003). Several past winners have also been awarded Jury Awards at the Festival, including the Grand Jury Prize for Primer, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Sleep Dealer and the Excellence in Cinematography Award for Obselidia.
Science in Film Forum Panel
The Science in Film Forum Panel takes place at Sundance Film Festival on January 22 at 2:30 p.m. Mt at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City. Sloan Jurors Aronofsky, Burns, Dr. Fenton and Dr. Randall will engage in conversation with moderator Paula Apsell.
Juror and Panelist Bios
Paula Apsell
As Director of the Wgbh Science Unit and Senior Executive Producer of the PBS science series Nova, Paula Apsell has overseen the production of hundreds of acclaimed science documentaries, including such distinguished miniseries as The Fabric of the Cosmos with Brian Greene, Origins with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Making Stuff with David Pogue and the magazine spin-off Nova scienceNOW. Nova is the nation’s most watched science series, a top site on pbs.org, and recipient of every major broadcasting honor, including the Emmy®, the Peabody®, and the duPont-Columbia Gold Baton. Paula has won numerous individual awards and has served on many boards including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. She was recently journalist in residence at Uc Santa Barbara’s Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Darren Aronofsky
Academy Award® Nominated Director Darren Aronofsky was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His most recent film, Black Swan, won Natalie Portman the Academy Award® for Best Actress and received four other nominations, including Best Picture. The film received scores of other accolades, appeared on over 200 critical Top Ten lists, and swept the 2011 Independent Spirit Award with wins for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Cinematography. Prior to Black Swan, Darren directed The Wrestler. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the esteemed Golden Lion making it only the third American film in history to win this grand prize. He also directed The Fountain, starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, and Requiem for a Dream, which was named to over 150 Top Ten lists. Darren’s first feature, π, won the Director’s Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. He is currently at work on Noah, based on the biblical story of Noah’s ark. Among his honors, the American Film Institute gave Darren the prestigious Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal, the Stockholm Film Festival presented him the Golden Horse Visionary Award, and he has won three Independent Spirit Awards.
Scott Z. Burns
Scott Burns is screenwriter, director and producer. He wrote the original screenplay for Contagion, directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Matt Damon, penned the screen adaptation of Soderbergh's The Informant! and co-wrote the Academy Award® winning Bourne Ultimatum, directed by Paul Greengrass. He was a producer on An Inconvenient Truth, the Academy Award® winning documentary, for which he received the Humanitas Prize and the Stanley Kramer Award from the Producers Guild of America. Scott recently completed production on Side Effects, a psychological thriller, slated for release in early 2013. It stars Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta Jones and Channing Tatum and is again directed by Steven Soderbergh with Scott writing and producing along with Greg Jacobs and Lorenzo Di Bonaventura. Currently, Scott is writing The Library, a stage play based on the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School with Steven Soderbergh directing and Kennedy/Marshall producing. The play is under development at the Public Theater in New York City. Scott began his career in advertising and was part of the creative team responsible for the original "Got Milk?" campaign. His advertising work has been recognized by the Clio Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival.
Dr. André Fenton
Dr. André Fenton, is a neuroscientist, biomedical engineer and entrepreneur working on three related problems: how brains store information in memory; how brains coordinate knowledge to selectively activate relevant information and suppress irrelevant information; and how to record electrical activity from brain cells in freely-moving subjects. André and colleagues identified PKMzeta as the first memory storage molecule, a discovery identified by Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s journal, as one of the ten most important breakthroughs in all the science reported in 2006. Recordings of electrical brain activity in André’s lab are elucidating the physiology of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. It was recently discovered that preemptive cognitive training during adolescence changes the brain sufficiently to prevent the adult brain dysfunction and cognitive impairments that arises from brain damage during early life in a schizophrenia-related animal model. André is a Professor of Neural Science at New York University’s Center for Neural Science. He founded Bio-Signal Group Corp., which is developing an inexpensive, miniature wireless Eeg system for functional brain monitoring of patients in emergency medicine applications and other clinical scenarios.
Dr. Lisa Randall
Dr. Lisa Randall studies theoretical particle physics and cosmology at Harvard University where she is Frank J. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science. Her research connects theoretical insights addressing puzzles in our current understanding of the properties of matter, the universe, and space. Dr. Randall is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is the recipient of many awards and honorary degrees. Professor Randall was included in Time Magazine's “100 Most Influential People” of 2007, was among Esquire Magazine's “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century," and was one of 40 people featured in “The Rolling Stone 40th Anniversary issue" in 2008. Dr. Randall's two books, Warped Passages (2005) and Knocking on Heaven’s Door (2011) were featured on the lists of New York Times 100 Most Influential Books. Her ebook, Higgs Discovery: The Power of Empty Space, was published last summer.
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Founded in 1934, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a non-profit philanthropy that makes grants in science, technology and economic performance. This Sloan-Sundance partnership forms part of a broader national program by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to stimulate leading artists in film, television, and theater; to create more realistic and compelling stories about science and technology; and to challenge existing stereotypes about scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the popular imagination. Over the past decade, the Foundation has partnered with some of the top film schools in the country – including AFI, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Nyu, UCLA, and USC – and established annual awards in screenwriting and film production and an annual first-feature award for alumni. The Foundation has also started an annual Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival and initiated new screenwriting and film production workshops at the Hamptons and Tribeca Film Festival and with Film Independent. As more finished films emerge from this developmental pipeline—four features were completed this year, with half a dozen more on deck—the foundation has also partnered with the Coolidge Corner Theater and the Arthouse Convergence to screen science films in up to 40 theaters nationwide. The Foundation also has an active theater program and commissions over a dozen science plays each year from the Ensemble Studio Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club and Playwright Horizons.
The Sundance Film Festival®
A program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®, the Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most ground-breaking films of the past two decades, including sex, lies, and videotape, Maria Full of Grace, The Cove, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious, Trouble the Water, and Napoleon Dynamite, and through its New Frontier initiative, has showcased the cinematic works of media artists including Isaac Julien, Doug Aitken, Pierre Huyghe, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Matthew Barney. The 2013 Sundance Film Festival® sponsors include: Presenting Sponsors – Hp, Acura, Sundance Channel and Chase Sapphire PreferredSM; Leadership Sponsors – Directv, Entertainment Weekly, Focus Forward, a partnership between Ge and Cinelan, Southwest Airlines, Sprint and YouTube; Sustaining Sponsors – Adobe, Canada Goose, Canon U.S.A., Inc., CÎRoc Ultra Premium Vodka, FilterForGood®, a partnership between Brita® and Nalgene®, Hilton HHonors and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Intel Corporation, L'Oréal Paris, Recycled Paper Greetings, Stella Artois® and Time Warner Inc. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations will defray costs associated with the 10-day Festival and the nonprofit Sundance Institute's year-round programs for independent film and theatre artists. www.sundance.org/festival.
Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
- 2/2/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Over the long weekend, plenty of folks got the news that they’ve had their feature, doc or short films accepted into the Sundance Film Festival. This Wednesday, the festival begins making their line-up official while keeping the short film announcements for the following week. The previous week we’ve made some prognostications as to what should be included in the 2013 edition. Here’s an easy to click recap of some of those predictions. We’ve added those who’ve been mentioned in Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film, the fortunate ones who’ve had their work run inside the Sundance Labs, those who are working from a Blacklist named screenplay, those who are basing their feature on a short film that was accepted into the festival in a previous edition and finally those who’ve had funding via Kickstarter. * denotes feature directorial debut while ++ denotes that person...
- 11/26/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Prize for his sophomore feature Adam (Sundance ’09), Max Mayer’s As Cool As I Am appears to be a “soft” entry – but then so was Adam. Filming took place in 2011, images were recently revealed during Afm – so this is clearly in the ready mode. Featuring Claire Danes, James Marsden, Sarah Bolger (pic above), Jeremy Sisto, Thomas Mann, Peter Fonda, and Anika Noni Rose, this dramedy is an adaptation of Pete Fromm’s novel.
Gist: Written by Virginia Korus Spragg, this is about a sarcastic and intelligent teenage girl (Bolger) comes of age in a small Montana town with her most absent and very young parents, and deals with the pains of adolescence with her equally wry boyfriend Kenny.
Production Co./Producers: Wind Dancer Films’ Matt Williams and Judd Payne (Bernie) will produce alongside Anthony Mastromauro of Identity Films
Prediction: Premieres section
U.S. Distributor:...
Gist: Written by Virginia Korus Spragg, this is about a sarcastic and intelligent teenage girl (Bolger) comes of age in a small Montana town with her most absent and very young parents, and deals with the pains of adolescence with her equally wry boyfriend Kenny.
Production Co./Producers: Wind Dancer Films’ Matt Williams and Judd Payne (Bernie) will produce alongside Anthony Mastromauro of Identity Films
Prediction: Premieres section
U.S. Distributor:...
- 11/19/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Here are 19 brand new photos from the upcoming comedy-drama movie As Cool As I Am, based on the novel of the same name by Pete Fromm.
Claire Danes and James Marsden star alongside Sarah Bolger, Thomas Mann, Jeremy Sisto, Mario Batali, Anika Noni Rose, and Peter Fonda in the film, about the teen daughter (Bolger) of self-centered parents (Danes and Marsden) who married too young and never had a chance to grow up themselves. Mann plays the daughter’s best friend, who comes to fall in love with her.
The film is directed by Max Mayer, Virginia Korus Spragg wrote the screenplay.
No release date is set yet but we’ll keep you up to date with all the latest developments. [source: Filmz.ru]
Claire Danes
Click to continue reading 19 New As Cool As I Am Photos...
Claire Danes and James Marsden star alongside Sarah Bolger, Thomas Mann, Jeremy Sisto, Mario Batali, Anika Noni Rose, and Peter Fonda in the film, about the teen daughter (Bolger) of self-centered parents (Danes and Marsden) who married too young and never had a chance to grow up themselves. Mann plays the daughter’s best friend, who comes to fall in love with her.
The film is directed by Max Mayer, Virginia Korus Spragg wrote the screenplay.
No release date is set yet but we’ll keep you up to date with all the latest developments. [source: Filmz.ru]
Claire Danes
Click to continue reading 19 New As Cool As I Am Photos...
- 10/24/2012
- by Allan Ford
- Filmofilia
As the American Film Market approaches, Radiant Films International will handle foreign rights to "As Cool As I Am," starring "Homeland"'s Emmy-winning Claire Danes as well as James Marsden, Sarah Bolger, Thomas Mann, Jeremy Sisto, Peter Fonda and TV chef Mario Batali. Currently in post, the film is directed by Max Mayer and adapted by Virginia Korus Spragg from Pete Fromm's novel. The synopsis is below: The film is produced by Matt Williams ("What Women Want") and Judd Payne ("Bernie") of Wind Dancer Films, and Anthony Mastromauro of Identity Pictures. Wind Dancer’s David McFadzean and Dete Meserve along with Ginger Sledge serve as exec producers. The film centers around a bright and intelligent teenage girl, Lucy (Bolger) and her almost boyfriend Kenny (Mann), who come of age in a small rural town. With her often absent and very young parents (Marsden and Danes) more in need of guidance and parenting than.
- 10/23/2012
- by Sophia Savage
- Thompson on Hollywood
Currently in post-production, Radiant Films International has announced it will be handling the foreign rights to the heartwarming comedy drama As Cool As I Am. Starring Claire Danes (“Homeland,” The Hours), James Marsden (X-men), Sarah Bolger (The Spiderwick Chronicles), Thomas Mann (Project X), Jeremy Sisto (Robot & Frank) and two time Academy Award nominee Peter Fonda (Ulee.S Gold), the film centers around a bright and intelligent teenage girl, Lucy (Bolger) and her almost boyfriend Kenny (Mann), who come of age in a small rural town. With her often absent and very young parents (Marsden and Danes) more in need of guidance and parenting than their daughter, Lucy turns to cooking shows to cope with the turbulent pains of adolescence and finds particular comfort in the celebrated culinary personality, Mario Batali. While Lucy charges ahead toward womanhood and her dream of becoming a chef, her mother is desperately searching for her...
- 10/23/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
One of this film year’s biggest discoveries has been Beasts of the Southern Wild, starring first-time actors Quvenzhané Wallis and Dwight Henry, as directed by first time helmer Benh Zeitlin. The aesthetic-driven indie film is about a father (Henry) and his young daughter (Wallis) who refuse to leave their hurricane-effected land near New Orleans called The Bathtub.
Though captured by a camera spiritually embedded into the unique territory, Zeitlin is originally from Connecticut. The 29-year-old studied film at Wesleyan University, which also has alumni like Avengers director Joss Whedon and blockbuster guy Michael Bay.
I sat down with Zeitlin in a roundtable interview to discuss the crafting of this film, his co-written score, and the key to getting an eight-year-old to act without turning her into a puppet.
Beasts of the Southern Wild opens in Chicago on July 6.
Before the final product was taken to the Sundance Film Festival,...
Though captured by a camera spiritually embedded into the unique territory, Zeitlin is originally from Connecticut. The 29-year-old studied film at Wesleyan University, which also has alumni like Avengers director Joss Whedon and blockbuster guy Michael Bay.
I sat down with Zeitlin in a roundtable interview to discuss the crafting of this film, his co-written score, and the key to getting an eight-year-old to act without turning her into a puppet.
Beasts of the Southern Wild opens in Chicago on July 6.
Before the final product was taken to the Sundance Film Festival,...
- 7/5/2012
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
Working with Marilyn Monroe must have been quite a special experience for third assistant director Colin Clark, whose brief time with the star has turned into two memoirs, and now a film, titled My Week with Marilyn. Similarly, the experience of working with Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams portraying Monroe must have been something magical for first-time director Simon Curtis.
I sat down with Curtis in a roundtable interview to discuss working with Williams on her inevitably Oscar-nominated performance, his feelings about Monroe, and what film set he wishes he could witness just as Colin Clark did back in 1956.
My Week with Marilyn is now playing in select theaters.
What fascinates you most about the movie star and production system of the 1950s, and which you wanted to communicate that in the film?
My way into this film was reading Colin Clark’s diaries, and Clark seeing the details as to...
I sat down with Curtis in a roundtable interview to discuss working with Williams on her inevitably Oscar-nominated performance, his feelings about Monroe, and what film set he wishes he could witness just as Colin Clark did back in 1956.
My Week with Marilyn is now playing in select theaters.
What fascinates you most about the movie star and production system of the 1950s, and which you wanted to communicate that in the film?
My way into this film was reading Colin Clark’s diaries, and Clark seeing the details as to...
- 12/1/2011
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
Christopher Lennertz has signed on to score the comedy drama As Cool as I Am. The movie starring James Marsden, Claire Danes, Sarah Bolger, Jon Tenney, Peter Fonda, Jeremy Sisto, Alanis Morissette, Thomas Mann, Anika Noni Rose and Mario Batali follows a Montana teen girl who deals with her self-centered parents trying to recapture the youth they feel they missed. The film is directed by Max Mayer who has previously collaborated with Lennertz on the 2009 indie drama Adam starring Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne. As Cool as I Am is adapted from a novel by Pete Fromm and adapted for the screen by Virginia Korus Spragg (An Unfinished Life). Matt Williams (What Women Want), Judd Payne (Southland Tales) and Anthony Mastromauro are producing. The movie is expected to be released in 2012.
Lennertz who is coming off scoring one of his biggest commercial hits of his career to date with the...
Lennertz who is coming off scoring one of his biggest commercial hits of his career to date with the...
- 9/29/2011
- by filmmusicreporter
- Film Music Reporter
As Cool as I Am is the upcoming independent movie that will be directed by Max Mayer, but I’m sure you all remember our previous chat about the whole thing, so let’s get straight to the newest casting update!
According to the latest reports, It’s Kind of a Funny Story star, Thomas Mann will join the project that already includes James Marsden and Claire Danes!
As we previously said, As Cool as I Am starts shooting next month in New Mexico, the script is written by Virginia Korus Spragg, and based on Pete Fromm‘s coming-of-age novel of the same name.
It will follow Lucy Diamond, the teen daughter of self-centered parents who married when they were teens. Marsden and Danes are on board to play the parents, the role of Lucy has not yet been cast, and now we have Thomas Mann on board to play...
According to the latest reports, It’s Kind of a Funny Story star, Thomas Mann will join the project that already includes James Marsden and Claire Danes!
As we previously said, As Cool as I Am starts shooting next month in New Mexico, the script is written by Virginia Korus Spragg, and based on Pete Fromm‘s coming-of-age novel of the same name.
It will follow Lucy Diamond, the teen daughter of self-centered parents who married when they were teens. Marsden and Danes are on board to play the parents, the role of Lucy has not yet been cast, and now we have Thomas Mann on board to play...
- 4/22/2011
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
Here's a quick glance at a few interesting and/or noteworthy projects that were recently added to IMDbPro's database of in-development titles.
As Cool as I Am – Claire Danes and James Marsden star in this coming-of-age tale from Adam director Max Mayer. Wind Dancer is producing the project, which begins filming in New Mexico next month.
Turning Stones – Tim Roth returns to the director’s chair with this feature adaptation of actor-turned-social worker Marc Parent’s memoir about saving New York children from their abusive parents.
Passing Harold Blumenthal – Brian Cox stars in Seth Fisher's indie pic as the titular playwright whose heart attack forces his estranged family to deal with their own personal obstacles, including, in one case, an epic bout of constipation.
Love, Scotch and Death – Dexter creator James Manos Jr. has tapped his series’ sympathetic schizoid, Michael C. Hall to star in this dark indie comedy based on events in the writer’s life. Vera Farminga co-stars.
If you know of something in the works, you can submit it via our online submission form.
As Cool as I Am – Claire Danes and James Marsden star in this coming-of-age tale from Adam director Max Mayer. Wind Dancer is producing the project, which begins filming in New Mexico next month.
Turning Stones – Tim Roth returns to the director’s chair with this feature adaptation of actor-turned-social worker Marc Parent’s memoir about saving New York children from their abusive parents.
Passing Harold Blumenthal – Brian Cox stars in Seth Fisher's indie pic as the titular playwright whose heart attack forces his estranged family to deal with their own personal obstacles, including, in one case, an epic bout of constipation.
Love, Scotch and Death – Dexter creator James Manos Jr. has tapped his series’ sympathetic schizoid, Michael C. Hall to star in this dark indie comedy based on events in the writer’s life. Vera Farminga co-stars.
If you know of something in the works, you can submit it via our online submission form.
- 4/22/2011
- by Eric Greene
- IMDbPro News
The names being called for "The Hunger Games" continues to grow by the day. Earlier this week it was announced that newcomers Amandla Stenberg and Dayo Okeniyi signed on to play District 11 members Rue and Thresh and that Elizabeth Banks was being circled to take on the role of chaperon Effie Trinket.
Now, as our friends over at Hollywood Crush reported, two more have joined in for the "Games" and much like Stenberg and Okeniyi, they are relative unknowns. Jack Quaid (son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan) and TV actress Leven Rambin ("Grey's Anatomy") will star as the privileged District 1 tributes, Marvel and Glimmer. While this casting gets fans one step closer to a better idea of how the film will look, there are still nine more district slots that need to be filled, as well as major characters such as Haymitch and Prim.
Check out the rest of...
Now, as our friends over at Hollywood Crush reported, two more have joined in for the "Games" and much like Stenberg and Okeniyi, they are relative unknowns. Jack Quaid (son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan) and TV actress Leven Rambin ("Grey's Anatomy") will star as the privileged District 1 tributes, Marvel and Glimmer. While this casting gets fans one step closer to a better idea of how the film will look, there are still nine more district slots that need to be filled, as well as major characters such as Haymitch and Prim.
Check out the rest of...
- 4/20/2011
- by Aly Semigran
- MTV Movies Blog
How cool are you? I guess you’re pretty cool, since you’re reading us, but that’s not important now, because we’re here to share something cool with you.
There’s a new independent movie, titled As Cool as I Am, that will be directed by Max Mayer and that will, according to the latest reports, have quite interesting cast – James Marsden and Claire Danes!
As Cool as I Am starts shooting next month in New Mexico, the script is written by Virginia Korus Spragg, and based on Pete Fromm‘s coming-of-age novel of the same name.
It will follow Lucy Diamond, the teen daughter of self-centered parents who married when they were teens. Of course, above mentioned Marsden and Danes are on board to play the parents, while the role of Lucy has not yet been cast.
If you’re interested in more details about this one,...
There’s a new independent movie, titled As Cool as I Am, that will be directed by Max Mayer and that will, according to the latest reports, have quite interesting cast – James Marsden and Claire Danes!
As Cool as I Am starts shooting next month in New Mexico, the script is written by Virginia Korus Spragg, and based on Pete Fromm‘s coming-of-age novel of the same name.
It will follow Lucy Diamond, the teen daughter of self-centered parents who married when they were teens. Of course, above mentioned Marsden and Danes are on board to play the parents, while the role of Lucy has not yet been cast.
If you’re interested in more details about this one,...
- 4/20/2011
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
Wait a minute... Claire Danes is old enough to be the mother of a teenager?
Okay, before you freak out, rest assured that even though Claire is indeed playing the mom of a teen in "As Cool As I Am," the fact that she's so young herself is part of the whole premise. Whew.
"As Cool As I Am" tells the story of Lucy Diamond, the teen daughter of self-centered parents who married when they themselves were teenagers. Claire Danes and James Marsden have joined the cast as the young parents, according to The Wrap.
It seems like just yesterday that Danes was playing a teenager on "My So-Called Life" and Marsden was playing a teenager in "Disturbing Behavior" (remember that one? It kind of rocks, actually). But it wasn't yesterday... it was (gulp!) the '90s.
"As Cool As I Am," based on Pete Fromm's coming-of-age novel, will be directed by Max Mayer,...
Okay, before you freak out, rest assured that even though Claire is indeed playing the mom of a teen in "As Cool As I Am," the fact that she's so young herself is part of the whole premise. Whew.
"As Cool As I Am" tells the story of Lucy Diamond, the teen daughter of self-centered parents who married when they themselves were teenagers. Claire Danes and James Marsden have joined the cast as the young parents, according to The Wrap.
It seems like just yesterday that Danes was playing a teenager on "My So-Called Life" and Marsden was playing a teenager in "Disturbing Behavior" (remember that one? It kind of rocks, actually). But it wasn't yesterday... it was (gulp!) the '90s.
"As Cool As I Am," based on Pete Fromm's coming-of-age novel, will be directed by Max Mayer,...
- 4/19/2011
- by Bryan Enk
- NextMovie
James Marsden and Claire Danes will star in "As Cool as I Am," an independent film that will shoot in New Mexico next month, TheWrap has confirmed. Writer-director Max Mayer, who directed Danes's husband, Hugh Dancy, in "Adam," is directing the movie, which is based on Pete Fromm's coming-of-age novel. "As Cool as I Am" is the story of Lucy Diamond, the teen daughter of self-centered parents who married when they were teens. Marsden and Danes play the parents. The role of Lucy has not yet been cast. Anthony Mastromauro, of Identity Films and Judd...
- 4/18/2011
- by Joshua L. Weinstein
- The Wrap
Overture Films has unveiled the first official trailer on Apple for Philip Seymour Hoffman's directorial debut Jack Goes Boating. This romantic comedy, starring Hoffman and a rather adorable Amy Ryan, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It's based on an off-Broadway stage play that Hoffman starred in as well. I didn't see this while I was at Sundance, which I'm now regretting, because it looks surprisingly good, like a sweet little, charming, intimate romantic dramedy, and I seem to have a soft spot for those (e.g. Max Mayer's Adam). If you're a Hoffman fan I suggest watching the trailer, you might also fall for it. Enjoy! Watch the official trailer for Philip Seymour Hoffman's Jack Goes Boating: [flv:http://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/JackGoesBoating-officialtrailer.flv http://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/JackGoesBoating-officialtrailer.jpg 598 316] You can also watch the new Jack Goes Boating trailer in High Definition on Apple A limo driver's blind date sparks a tale of love,...
- 7/9/2010
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
DVD Review
Adam
Directed by: Max Mayer
Cast: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, Frankie Faison
Running Time: 1 hr 38 mins
Rating: PG-13
Due Out: February 4, 2010
Plot: The story of a man with Asperger’s syndrome (Dancy) and the relationship he has with his school-teacher neighbor (Byrne).
Who’S It For?: Romantics of all tastes for movies could be touched by Adam’s certain charm, but those accustomed to independent romantic comedies and remembering to return their Netflix DVDs punctually would enjoy this film the most.
Movie:
An accomplished performance from Hugh Dancy (earlier known as the accented heartthrob from Confessions of a Shopaholic) is at the heart of Adam, a little romantic comedy that offers food for thought about really understanding those who operate slightly different than ourselves. His portrayal of a man with Asperger’s syndrome is brave and enduring, and the film itself does not...
Adam
Directed by: Max Mayer
Cast: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, Frankie Faison
Running Time: 1 hr 38 mins
Rating: PG-13
Due Out: February 4, 2010
Plot: The story of a man with Asperger’s syndrome (Dancy) and the relationship he has with his school-teacher neighbor (Byrne).
Who’S It For?: Romantics of all tastes for movies could be touched by Adam’s certain charm, but those accustomed to independent romantic comedies and remembering to return their Netflix DVDs punctually would enjoy this film the most.
Movie:
An accomplished performance from Hugh Dancy (earlier known as the accented heartthrob from Confessions of a Shopaholic) is at the heart of Adam, a little romantic comedy that offers food for thought about really understanding those who operate slightly different than ourselves. His portrayal of a man with Asperger’s syndrome is brave and enduring, and the film itself does not...
- 2/22/2010
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
Chicago – People who have been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, which is on the autistic spectrum, are sometimes described as being “mind blind”. In other words, they often don’t understand what people are thinking.
Rose Byrne and Hugh Dancy star in the film “Adam” to help audiences to visualize the condition, learn how to deal with it and metaphorically highlight it as just one way to understand typical misunderstandings in relationships.
“Adam” was released on DVD on Feb. 2, 2010. “Adam” star Rose Byrne is being buzzed about now with her return to TV’s “Damages” with Glenn Close. HollywoodChicago.com sat down with Rose Byrne and Hugh Dancy in Chicago to discuss the film.
Rose Byrne (left) and Hugh Dancy in “Adam”.
Photo credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures
HollywoodChicago.com: What does it actually feel like to be “mind blind”?
Hugh Dancy: I think it’d feel incredibly exhausting, frustrating...
Rose Byrne and Hugh Dancy star in the film “Adam” to help audiences to visualize the condition, learn how to deal with it and metaphorically highlight it as just one way to understand typical misunderstandings in relationships.
“Adam” was released on DVD on Feb. 2, 2010. “Adam” star Rose Byrne is being buzzed about now with her return to TV’s “Damages” with Glenn Close. HollywoodChicago.com sat down with Rose Byrne and Hugh Dancy in Chicago to discuss the film.
Rose Byrne (left) and Hugh Dancy in “Adam”.
Photo credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures
HollywoodChicago.com: What does it actually feel like to be “mind blind”?
Hugh Dancy: I think it’d feel incredibly exhausting, frustrating...
- 2/19/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
DVD Playhouse—February 2010
By
Allen Gardner
Hunger (Criterion) Harrowing true story of imprisoned Ira member Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender) and his 1981 hunger strike protesting the British government’s refusal to recognize him, and other Ira members as political prisoners. Director Steve McQueen delivers the story with true filmmaking panache, mixing startling imagery that blends both stunning beauty and stomach-churning horror. Fassbender is absolutely brilliant in the lead. Not for the faint-of-heart, but not to be missed or, particularly, ignored. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Interviews with McQueen and Fassbender; Short documentary; 1981 episode of BBC series “Panorama” that covers the Ira hunger strike; Trailer. Widescreen. DTS-hd audio on Blu-ray.
Adam (20th Century Fox) Quirky romantic comedy about an eccentric, borderline Asperger’s Syndrome, astronomy buff (Hugh Dancy) who is drawn out of his self-imposed shell by a beautiful and sympathetic neighbor (Rose Byrne). Charming film with engaging performances by the two leads,...
By
Allen Gardner
Hunger (Criterion) Harrowing true story of imprisoned Ira member Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender) and his 1981 hunger strike protesting the British government’s refusal to recognize him, and other Ira members as political prisoners. Director Steve McQueen delivers the story with true filmmaking panache, mixing startling imagery that blends both stunning beauty and stomach-churning horror. Fassbender is absolutely brilliant in the lead. Not for the faint-of-heart, but not to be missed or, particularly, ignored. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Interviews with McQueen and Fassbender; Short documentary; 1981 episode of BBC series “Panorama” that covers the Ira hunger strike; Trailer. Widescreen. DTS-hd audio on Blu-ray.
Adam (20th Century Fox) Quirky romantic comedy about an eccentric, borderline Asperger’s Syndrome, astronomy buff (Hugh Dancy) who is drawn out of his self-imposed shell by a beautiful and sympathetic neighbor (Rose Byrne). Charming film with engaging performances by the two leads,...
- 2/15/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Adam (Hugh Dancy) is an Asper. No, not a member of an alien species the likes of Kevin Spacey in 2001’s K-Pax but a man struggling with Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger’s is a milder, higher-functioning form of autism that makes it difficult for Adam to read people’s emotions. This often renders him socially stunted and writer/director Max Mayer presents us with the store of Adam’s blossoming in this small personal romantic drama.
A challenge facing a film like this nowadays is the division between films like Forrest Gump and say, 2003’s Radio. It is difficult to avoid telling a story of a physically or mentally disabled individual who shows he/she is not disabled but rather differently-abled without coming off as maudlin or saccharine. To put it bluntly, films like Radio and the long-forgotten Giovanni Ribisi/Juliette Lewis romantic comedy The Other Sister go “full retard.” Adam,...
A challenge facing a film like this nowadays is the division between films like Forrest Gump and say, 2003’s Radio. It is difficult to avoid telling a story of a physically or mentally disabled individual who shows he/she is not disabled but rather differently-abled without coming off as maudlin or saccharine. To put it bluntly, films like Radio and the long-forgotten Giovanni Ribisi/Juliette Lewis romantic comedy The Other Sister go “full retard.” Adam,...
- 2/3/2010
- by Mark Zhuravsky
- JustPressPlay.net
Adam Written and Directed by: Max Mayer Starring: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving Adam is an interesting movie, a mix of both quirky independent romantic comedy and a serious character study that helps inform people about the trials and tribulations of the form of autism known as Asperger’s Syndrome. Hugh Dancy stars as the title character, a man who faces being alone after the death of his father. Unable to connect on a social level with others, he spends his time by himself, repeating the same activities and wearing the same clothes over and over, and throws himself into both his job at a toy company and his love of space. One day, he runs into Beth (Rose Byrne), his new neighbor at his apartment complex, and the two begin to hit it off. Beth, having just gotten out of a relationship with a horrible excuse for a human being,...
- 2/1/2010
- by Jonathan
- FilmJunk
It used to be, actors could stretch by performing “ugly”, burying themselves under layers of makeup or by playing disadvantaged people such as Dustin Hoffman’s Rain Man or Larry Drake’s Benny on La Law. The current favorite seems to be playing people with Asperger syndrome as popularized with Christian Clemson’s award winning work on Boston Legal. As with anything on a David E. Kelly series, the portrayal tended to be over-the-top or poignant and rarely anything in between.
A more authentic performance can be found on Adam , a small movie you probably overlooked last year. 20th Century Fox released the movie in the fall and the DVD is being released Tuesday. The film stars Hugh Dancy (Beyond the Gates) as the title character and Rose Byrne (Damages) plays his neighbor. The movie won the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at Sundance and is well worth a look.
A more authentic performance can be found on Adam , a small movie you probably overlooked last year. 20th Century Fox released the movie in the fall and the DVD is being released Tuesday. The film stars Hugh Dancy (Beyond the Gates) as the title character and Rose Byrne (Damages) plays his neighbor. The movie won the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at Sundance and is well worth a look.
- 2/1/2010
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
I'm pretty sure you'll have Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman is to play) Amelia Earheart (Yup, Hilary Swank!), Julia Child (Meryl Streep), Coco Chanel (Audrey Tautou) and Bruno (Sasha Baron Cohen) on your list already! On the other end of the spectrum, there's Edward Cullen (Rob Pattinson), Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) to consider, esp by the Twilight fans.
- - -
- - - But hey, if that's the list, then it seems so predictable already. How about giving those lesser-known but equally fascinating (and mostly young) characters their share of the spotlight?
So, here they are: tMF's Ten Most Fascinating Movie Characters for 2009!
- - -
# 10 - 'Columbus' - Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland) - At first, I thought Jesse Eisenberg's character, James Brennan, in Greg Mottola's Adventureland would be the better choice. But then again, when you've watched Eisenberg many times, you know he's awesome in comedy,...
- - -
- - - But hey, if that's the list, then it seems so predictable already. How about giving those lesser-known but equally fascinating (and mostly young) characters their share of the spotlight?
So, here they are: tMF's Ten Most Fascinating Movie Characters for 2009!
- - -
# 10 - 'Columbus' - Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland) - At first, I thought Jesse Eisenberg's character, James Brennan, in Greg Mottola's Adventureland would be the better choice. But then again, when you've watched Eisenberg many times, you know he's awesome in comedy,...
- 8/17/2009
- The Movie Fanatic
I'm pretty sure you'll have Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman is to play) Amelia Earheart (Yup, Hilary Swank!), Julia Child (Meryl Streep), Coco Chanel (Audrey Tautou) and Bruno (Sasha Baron Cohen) on your list already! On the other end of the spectrum, there's Edward Cullen (Rob Pattinson), Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) to consider, esp by the Twilight fans.
- - -
- - - But hey, if that's the list, then it seems so predictable already. How about giving those lesser-known but equally fascinating (and mostly young) characters their share of the spotlight?
So, here they are: tMF's Ten Most Fascinating Movie Characters for 2009!
- - -
# 10 - 'Columbus' - Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland) - At first, I thought Jesse Eisenberg's character, James Brennan, in Greg Mottola's Adventureland would be the better choice. But then again, when you've watched Eisenberg many times, you know he's awesome in comedy,...
- - -
- - - But hey, if that's the list, then it seems so predictable already. How about giving those lesser-known but equally fascinating (and mostly young) characters their share of the spotlight?
So, here they are: tMF's Ten Most Fascinating Movie Characters for 2009!
- - -
# 10 - 'Columbus' - Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland) - At first, I thought Jesse Eisenberg's character, James Brennan, in Greg Mottola's Adventureland would be the better choice. But then again, when you've watched Eisenberg many times, you know he's awesome in comedy,...
- 8/17/2009
- The Movie Fanatic
I'm pretty sure you'll have Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman is to play) Amelia Earheart (Yup, Hilary Swank!), Julia Child (Meryl Streep), Coco Chanel (Audrey Tautou) and Bruno (Sasha Baron Cohen) on your list already! On the other end of the spectrum, there's Edward Cullen (Rob Pattinson), Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) to consider, esp by the Twilight fans.
- - -
- - - But hey, if that's the list, then it seems so predictable already. How about giving those lesser-known but equally fascinating (and mostly young) characters their share of the spotlight?
So, here they are: tMF's Ten Most Fascinating Movie Characters for 2009!
- - -
# 10 - 'Columbus' - Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland) - At first, I thought Jesse Eisenberg's character, James Brennan, in Greg Mottola's Adventureland would be the better choice. But then again, when you've watched Eisenberg many times, you know he's awesome in comedy,...
- - -
- - - But hey, if that's the list, then it seems so predictable already. How about giving those lesser-known but equally fascinating (and mostly young) characters their share of the spotlight?
So, here they are: tMF's Ten Most Fascinating Movie Characters for 2009!
- - -
# 10 - 'Columbus' - Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland) - At first, I thought Jesse Eisenberg's character, James Brennan, in Greg Mottola's Adventureland would be the better choice. But then again, when you've watched Eisenberg many times, you know he's awesome in comedy,...
- 8/17/2009
- The Movie Fanatic
Many will label Adam a romantic comedy, but that moniker is incorrectly applied. While laughs are present, writer and director Max Mayer plays it (correctly) as a drama rather than a comedy. Truthfully, there’s nothing funny about a man struggling through life with a mental handicap, and unfortunately Mayer might be criticized for doing such a project. He has modest intentions of bringing attention to Asperger’s Syndrome and its effects. If modesty counted for everything, Adam would be a terrific film and a true award-winner. However, as Bryan Singer taught us in 2006, good intentions do not, alone, make a good film.
Hugh Dancy will come out of this film the big winner for elevating everything around him. Granted, the film already rested on his shoulders for obvious reasons and Dancy carries the burden admirably. Apparently he’s out to right the ship after starring in another stinker earlier...
Hugh Dancy will come out of this film the big winner for elevating everything around him. Granted, the film already rested on his shoulders for obvious reasons and Dancy carries the burden admirably. Apparently he’s out to right the ship after starring in another stinker earlier...
- 8/14/2009
- by Philip Barrett
- Atomic Popcorn
Quickcard Review
Adam
Directed by: Max Mayer
Cast: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher
Running Time: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: PG-13
Release August 21, 2009 (Portland)
Click Here to read De Salvo’s complete Scorecard Review – 8/10
Click Here to read De Salvo’s interview with Hugh Dancy and Julie Byrne
Click Here to read De Salvo’s interview with director Max Mayer
Plot: When a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome (Dancy) meets his new neighbor Beth (Byrne), he has a difficult time showing her he wants more. Beth comes with her own baggage of getting out of an unhealthy relationship and being daddy’s little girl.
Who’s It For? This is a romantic drama for people who want something unique. Asperger’s Syndrome isn’t widely discussed, but that’s not all this movie is about. It’s about searching for yourself through your relationships with others.
Overall
You’ve got...
Adam
Directed by: Max Mayer
Cast: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher
Running Time: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: PG-13
Release August 21, 2009 (Portland)
Click Here to read De Salvo’s complete Scorecard Review – 8/10
Click Here to read De Salvo’s interview with Hugh Dancy and Julie Byrne
Click Here to read De Salvo’s interview with director Max Mayer
Plot: When a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome (Dancy) meets his new neighbor Beth (Byrne), he has a difficult time showing her he wants more. Beth comes with her own baggage of getting out of an unhealthy relationship and being daddy’s little girl.
Who’s It For? This is a romantic drama for people who want something unique. Asperger’s Syndrome isn’t widely discussed, but that’s not all this movie is about. It’s about searching for yourself through your relationships with others.
Overall
You’ve got...
- 8/14/2009
- by Jeff Bayer
- The Scorecard Review
British actor Hugh Dancy lost his cool during a scene in his new movie Adam - and trashed a pastor's home.
Writer/director Max Mayer used a friend's New York house as a location to keep costs down, but feared the the budget would spiral when his star put his foot through an antique cabinet in the middle of a violent scene.
Dancy, who plays a man with autism spectrum disorder Asperger's Syndrome in the film, says, "We had no budget in this movie and we were filming inside somebody's apartment, so there were props and I screamed and I threw them around.
"I was kind of roused and I put my foot through a piece of furniture - I slammed my foot through the front of a cabinet. I felt even though everybody was quiet because we were filming, an even greater hush descended on the room and it dawned on me that the furniture belonged to the person whose house we were using."
Mayer adds, "It was actually the pastor's apartment in the church on the Upper West Side (in Manhattan). That was awful because from my standpoint with our limited budget we were using somebody's house and I had pointed out to Hugh things that he could destroy and the things he couldn't, which included this antique cabinet, and he put his foot through it on the first take.
"I'm thinking, 'How much is that gonna cost? Can I cut a scene out tomorrow to make up for it?'
"The family was fantastic and we mended the cabinet, so, as far as I know, they weren't unhappy with us. They got some new colours on their walls."...
Writer/director Max Mayer used a friend's New York house as a location to keep costs down, but feared the the budget would spiral when his star put his foot through an antique cabinet in the middle of a violent scene.
Dancy, who plays a man with autism spectrum disorder Asperger's Syndrome in the film, says, "We had no budget in this movie and we were filming inside somebody's apartment, so there were props and I screamed and I threw them around.
"I was kind of roused and I put my foot through a piece of furniture - I slammed my foot through the front of a cabinet. I felt even though everybody was quiet because we were filming, an even greater hush descended on the room and it dawned on me that the furniture belonged to the person whose house we were using."
Mayer adds, "It was actually the pastor's apartment in the church on the Upper West Side (in Manhattan). That was awful because from my standpoint with our limited budget we were using somebody's house and I had pointed out to Hugh things that he could destroy and the things he couldn't, which included this antique cabinet, and he put his foot through it on the first take.
"I'm thinking, 'How much is that gonna cost? Can I cut a scene out tomorrow to make up for it?'
"The family was fantastic and we mended the cabinet, so, as far as I know, they weren't unhappy with us. They got some new colours on their walls."...
- 8/9/2009
- WENN
Adam
Directed by: Max Mayer
Cast: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher
Running Time: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: PG-13
Release August 7, 2009
Click Here to read De Salvo’s interview with Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne
Click Here to read De Salvo’s interview with director Max Mayer
Plot: When a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome meets his new neighbor, he has a difficult time transposing his feelings. As the two of them awkwardly forge a relationship, Beth [Rose Byrne] finds the lack of Adam’s [Hugh Darcy] tempestuous pursuit both innocently adorable, and frustratingly baffling. This is the story of how two very different lives can uncannily assist one another’s previously stagnant progression.
Who’s It For? People who are afraid to reveal their true selves to another. Those who balk at even trying to do so in the first place. Romantics who can’t differentiate between fate, and serendipity. Aspiring screenwriters looking...
Directed by: Max Mayer
Cast: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher
Running Time: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: PG-13
Release August 7, 2009
Click Here to read De Salvo’s interview with Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne
Click Here to read De Salvo’s interview with director Max Mayer
Plot: When a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome meets his new neighbor, he has a difficult time transposing his feelings. As the two of them awkwardly forge a relationship, Beth [Rose Byrne] finds the lack of Adam’s [Hugh Darcy] tempestuous pursuit both innocently adorable, and frustratingly baffling. This is the story of how two very different lives can uncannily assist one another’s previously stagnant progression.
Who’s It For? People who are afraid to reveal their true selves to another. Those who balk at even trying to do so in the first place. Romantics who can’t differentiate between fate, and serendipity. Aspiring screenwriters looking...
- 8/7/2009
- by Chris De Salvo
- The Scorecard Review
Confessions of a Shopaholic, Shooting Dogs, Ella Enchanted... If Hugh Dancy was in danger of being cast as the posh English heartthrob, his latest role has put paid to that. In the offbeat comedy-drama Adam from writer/director Max Mayer, the 34-year-old Brit plays a lonely New Yorker with Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism. Adam's lack of social skills make his courtship of neighbour Beth (Rose Byrne) comically awkward, and their resulting relationship a testing one. We caught up with Dancy at the film's Edinburgh premiere - where fiancé Claire Danes was on his arm -- to talk about playing...
- 8/6/2009
- Rotten Tomatoes
Chicago – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 admit-two run-of-engagement passes up for grabs to the new film “Adam” in Chicago.
“Adam” stars Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, John Rothman, Terry Walters, Susan Porro, Maddie Corman and Jeff Hiller from writer and director Max Mayer. To win your free pass to “Adam” in Chicago courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, all you need to do is tell us your love story in this Web-based submission form. That’s it!
The free pass will be good at Landmark Century Centre Cinema in Chicago for the duration of the film’s run. “Adam” opens on Aug. 7, 2009 in Chicago. Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.
The movie poster for “Adam” with Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne.
Image credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Here is plot description for “Adam”:
Romance can be risky,...
“Adam” stars Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, John Rothman, Terry Walters, Susan Porro, Maddie Corman and Jeff Hiller from writer and director Max Mayer. To win your free pass to “Adam” in Chicago courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, all you need to do is tell us your love story in this Web-based submission form. That’s it!
The free pass will be good at Landmark Century Centre Cinema in Chicago for the duration of the film’s run. “Adam” opens on Aug. 7, 2009 in Chicago. Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.
The movie poster for “Adam” with Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne.
Image credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Here is plot description for “Adam”:
Romance can be risky,...
- 8/4/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne are charmers. Ok, maybe their accents have something to do with it, but the bottom line is this: These are two impressive actors who have just made an impressive film about a relatively obscure social disorder. Asperger’s Syndrome limits one’s ability to fit in. It makes it next to impossible to see the world through anyone else’s eyes but your own, and keeps the world at a distance most of us couldn’t fathom. As the title character, Dancy delivers a devastatingly honest performance as a bright young man who’s enslaved by routine for fear that his entire world would cripple on the weight of change. When a new, attractive neighbor moves in (Byrne) below him, he’s enticed, but unsure how to go about pursuing a relationship.
Click Here to read De Salvo’s interview with director Max Mayer
While...
Click Here to read De Salvo’s interview with director Max Mayer
While...
- 8/4/2009
- by Chris De Salvo
- The Scorecard Review
Fox Searchlight
Max Mayer is a highly educated man. He’s witty, quick with a joke, and possesses all the charm of a director any promising young actor would love to work with. With his first feature film about to be released, Mayer is relaxed, and excited to talk about the process of making Adam. He’s not afraid to talk about the obvious obstacles making a film about a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome presented, and confesses his own interest in the disorder began as subtle interest that blossomed into a full-length indie starring Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne.
Click Here to read De Salvo’s interview with stars Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne
Our interview being the first of the day, Mayer looked calm, and genuinely happy to see me. This could not possibly have been the successful orchestrator of a film I dare say is the best of 2009. Or,...
Max Mayer is a highly educated man. He’s witty, quick with a joke, and possesses all the charm of a director any promising young actor would love to work with. With his first feature film about to be released, Mayer is relaxed, and excited to talk about the process of making Adam. He’s not afraid to talk about the obvious obstacles making a film about a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome presented, and confesses his own interest in the disorder began as subtle interest that blossomed into a full-length indie starring Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne.
Click Here to read De Salvo’s interview with stars Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne
Our interview being the first of the day, Mayer looked calm, and genuinely happy to see me. This could not possibly have been the successful orchestrator of a film I dare say is the best of 2009. Or,...
- 8/4/2009
- by Chris De Salvo
- The Scorecard Review
With studios tightening their belts and mini-majors dropping like flies, the days of festival feeding frenzies are long over. But then there's always the exceptions to the rule. As Fox Searchlight's Adam gets nudged into the big, bad world today -- gradually, of course, on four screens, typical of the measured strategy that turned Little Miss Sunshine and Juno into massive sleeper hits -- we asked director Max Mayer, an East Coast theater veteran, to recount the night his microbudget romance was scooped up at Sundance.
- 7/31/2009
- Movieline
I caught writer/director Max Mayer's "Adam" at Sundance earlier this year and very much enjoyed it. I remember thinking as I walked out what a tough time it would probably have getting picked up, so it makes me happy to know that the offbeat comic romance goes into limited release today. "Rom-com" is perhaps not the correct term for describing "Adam." A romance is central to the story and there are comedic elements, but the genre conventions of your average rom-com are for the most part abandoned.
Hugh Dancy stars as the titular Adam, a young man who is afflicted with Asperger syndrome. Asperger is considered an "autism spectrum disorder"; those who have it suffer from poor communication skills -- particularly with regards to reading body language or grasping social norms -- and an inability to empathize. Adam, who is mourning the loss of his father and last...
Hugh Dancy stars as the titular Adam, a young man who is afflicted with Asperger syndrome. Asperger is considered an "autism spectrum disorder"; those who have it suffer from poor communication skills -- particularly with regards to reading body language or grasping social norms -- and an inability to empathize. Adam, who is mourning the loss of his father and last...
- 7/31/2009
- by Adam Rosenberg
- MTV Movies Blog
We have an exclusive clip from the upcoming romantic drama Adam, starring Hugh Dancy (Jane Austen Book Club) and Rose 'Knowing' Byrne.It follows the unconventional and often awkward burgeoning relationship between two neighbours, young teacher Beth and Adam, an intensely intelligent man living with Aspergher's Syndrome following the death of his father.In this scene, Adam is introduced to Beth's parents, who are surprised to hear the depth of their daughter's boyfriend's knowledge about the theatre they are visiting, and witness first hand the difficulties his syndrome presents to the pair.Adam, directed by Max Mayer is in cinemas from August 7.
- 7/31/2009
- EmpireOnline
Amid a season full of loud blockbusters, and going directly up against the third film from comedy titan Judd Apatow, Max Mayer is quietly presenting his small, touching dramedy Adam, a movie that debuted at Sundance earlier this year and has become another in a long line of small jewels picked up for distribution by Fox Searchlight. For Mayer, though, Adam isn't just another Searchlight indie-- it's a project he was willing to make his passion for six years. "I look for a strong personal reaction to something, that feels like it will sustain me," Mayer said about writing the romance between a young man with Asperger's and a schoolteacher. "I thought that this was an opportunity to give people a window into something that was strange and yet universal at the same time." Adam, like all movies about people with mental disorders, walks a fine line between schmaltz and...
- 7/30/2009
- cinemablend.com
Amy Irving laughs on the telephone when asked whether others have commented on the fact that it's disorienting to see her playing the mother -- and not the daughter -- in Max Mayer's Adam. "Yeah, well, life happens," Irving says. "Time goes by." So, instead of playing Beth Buchwald (a role filled by Rose Byrne), love interest to the title character in Adam, she plays Beth's mother, a woman with troubles of her own to deal with. Irving, 55, and finishing a summer run in the Hamptons in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, says she wouldn't have it any other way. "Right now, I'm doing Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie and it's so much better than playing an ing...
- 7/30/2009
- by Marshall Fine
- Huffington Post
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