Paris animation company Lord of Barbes (formerly Mr. Hyde) has signed stop-motion animator/director Eric Montchaud. Lord Montchaud is well-known for his work on Michel Gondry’s films The Science of Sleep and Mood Indigo. His most recent short film, Anatole’s Little Casserole, was nominated for the Cesar Award, France’s national film award.
Director/cinematographer Mai Iskander is the newest addition to the roster of directors at C41 Media, a NYC-based company launched in 2011 by documentary filmmaker/commercial director Pete Sillen and his producer Brendan Doyle. Among Iskander’s initial projects for C41 are a forthcoming campaign for Whirlpool, a video for Apple Music, and an untitled documentary about Marin Alsop, the first female director of a major American symphony. Other recent projects for Iskander include commercial campaigns for Liberty Mutual and Wyndham….
LightHouse Films, an eight-year- old full service creative production and post boutique led by partner/executive producer Thibaut Estellon, has added tabletop director Claire Benoist to its roster. Benoist’s commercial credits include motion and still work for such clients as Target, Coca-Cola, Verizon, Nestle, Macy’s, AARP, and Unilever.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More