The directorial team Berman+Pulcini—a.k.a. Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, who helmed American Splendor, the movie that won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and the Film Critics Award at the Cannes International Film Festival—has signed with bicoastal Moxie Pictures for exclusive representation in commercials….Director Larry Shanet, a.k.a. Kranky, has come aboard X-Ray Films, a division of Crossroads Films, bicoastal and Chicago….John Benson and Ward Evans, a.k.a. the directorial duo John & Ward, have signed with Play, Toronto, for exclusive spot representation in Canada. John & Ward continue to freelance via Valiant Films, San Francisco, and are currently exploring prospective U.S. production house roosts….Javier and Jorge Aguilera, a.k.a. the directing team Big Brother, have joined F.M. Rocks Commercials, Santa Monica, for exclusive representation in the U.S….Colin McGreal, who joined Charlex, New York, as creative director in 2001, is now formally diversifying into directing via the company. The move comes as his helming career gains momentum with the short live-action film Apsara, which has been screened at numerous festivals. McGreal also wrote the film….Rob Godbold of Large, London, will handle U.K. representation for the directorial roster of bicoastal Epoch Films….Director Domenic Mastrippolito has come aboard BeachHouse Films, Santa Monica….Director Luis Ruiz has joined Green Dot Films, Santa Monica….Director Adam Byrd has joined Moo Studios, a Burbank, Calif.-based house specializing in animation and spot production. He had been working at the company since ’02 on a freelance basis….FilmCore has promoted Jon Ettinger, executive producer of its San Francisco office, and Doug Walker, senior editor in San Francisco, to the newly created posts of senior VP of business development and senior VP of talent relations, respectively. In their new roles, Ettinger and Walker will spearhead an expansion aimed at growing the editorial talent pool at FilmCore’s operations in Santa Monica and San Francisco, and at opening additional FilmCore shops in New York and other major ad markets…. Designer Melissa von Bjal has come aboard SOMERsault, Chicago, joining her husband, designer Robert von Bjal. Most recently, Melissa von Bjal was serving as a motion graphics designer at Bazooka, the design division of Chicago-based Swell…. Toronto-headquartered Leitch Technology Corp. has appointed Tim Thorsteinson as president/CEO. Thorsteinson previously led the Broadcast product line of Thomson Broadcast and Media Solutions. He is perhaps best known as the former CEO/COO of Grass Valley Group. Jean Marc Hoffer has been promoted to succeed Thorsteinson at Thomson. Hoffer had been VP of operations/switcher, routers and modular products….
Review: Writer-Director Mark Anthony Green’s “Opus”
In the new horror movie "Opus," we are introduced to Alfred Moretti, the biggest pop star of the '90s, with 38 No. 1 hits and albums as big as "Thriller," "Hotel California" and "Nebraska." If the name Alfred Moretti sounds more like a personal injury attorney from New Jersey, that's the first sign "Opus" is going to stumble.
John Malkovich leans into his regular off-kilter creepy to play the unlikely pop star at the center of this serious misfire by the A24 studio, a movie that also manages to pull "The Bear" star Ayo Edebiri back to earth. How both could be totally miscast will haunt your dreams.
Writer-director Mark Anthony Green has created a pretty good premise: A massive pop star who went quiet for the better part of three decades reemerges with a new album — his 18th studio LP, called "Caesar's Request" — and invites a select six people to come to his remote Western compound for an album listening weekend. It's like a golden ticket.
Edebiri's Ariel is a one of those invited. She's 27, a writer for a hip music magazine who has been treading water for three years. She's ambitious but has no edge. "Your problem is you're middle," she's told. Unfortunately, her magazine boss is also invited, which means she's just a note-taker. Edebiri's self-conscious, understated humor is wasted here.
It takes Ariel and the rest of the guests — an influencer, a paparazzo, a former journalist-nemesis and a TV personality played by Juliette Lewis, once again cast as the frisky sexpot — way too much time to realize that Moretti has created a cult in the desert. And they're murderous. This is Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous" crossed with Mark Mylod's "The Menu."
It's always a mistake to get too close a look at the monster in a horror... Read More