Global creative studio MPC announced that colorist Houmam “H” Abdallah has joined its global MPC Color team. Abdallah starts his MPC career in London but will later move to Los Angeles, and work alongside colorist Mark Gethin, U.S. creative director/Color, and colorist Ricky Gausis.
Abdallah has spent the past three years coloring as well as directing projects out of Black Dog Films. He has also worked at Electric Theatre Collective collaborating with directors including Andreas Nilsson, Saam Farahmand, directing duo Us, Sam Miller, Nick Gordon and Rollo Jackson. Among the commercial work he has graded is the Gold Lion-winning Women’s Aid “Look At Me” campaign via WCRS London, and spots for Nike, Audi, adidas, Virgin Atlantic, Dyson, Glenfiddich, Intel and McLaren, to note a few.
“Joining MPC in Los Angeles is a golden opportunity to work with the best directors and cinematographers in the world and amongst colleagues I have long admired and been inspired by, Mark Gethin and Ricky Gausis,” Abdallah said. “I’m excited to collaborate with new commercial clients on memorable brand work, and now that I’m in the entertainment capitol of the world, I look forward to getting in the mix of grading films and TV series.”
Abdallah has lent his artistic touch to music videos for artists FKA Twigs, The Last Shadow Puppets, The War On Drugs and Blur, as well as short films including Tomorrow’s Flames are Already Burning. He graded FKA Twigs promo “M3LL155X” (Melissa) which was nominated in 2016 for both Best VFX at the MTV VMAs and Best Color at the UK MVAs. He also graded the Twigs’ “Two Weeks,” a nominee for Best VFX at the MTV VMAs in 2015. And H was the colorist for Clock Opera’s “Once And For All,” which earned director Ben Strebel a Cannes YDA honor.
Recent work from the MPC LA Color team includes Mike Mills’ 20th Century Women (colorist Gethin), FX’s critically acclaimed series “Atlanta” (Gausis), Samsung Surf’s “Snail” (Gausis), Vaseline’s “Wonder Jelly” (Gethin) and The Weeknd’s “Mania” (Gethin).
Review: Writer-Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood’s “Heretic”
"Heretic" opens with an unusual table setter: Two young missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are discussing condoms and why some are labeled as large even though they're all pretty much a standard size. "What else do we believe because of marketing?" one asks the other.
That line will echo through the movie, a stimulating discussion of religion that emerges from a horror movie wrapper. Despite a second-half slide and feeling unbalanced, this is the rare movie that combines lots of squirting blood and elevated discussion of the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
Our two church members — played fiercely by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East — are wandering around trying to covert souls when they knock on the door of a sweet-looking cottage. Its owner, Mr. Reed, offers a hearty "Good afternoon!" He welcomes them in, brings them drinks and promises a blueberry pie. He's also interested in learning more about the church. So far, so good.
Mr. Reed is, of course, if you've seen the poster, the baddie and he's played by Hugh Grant, who doesn't go the snarling, dead-eyed Hannibal Lecter route in "Heretic." Grant is the slightly bumbling, bashful and self-mocking character we fell in love with in "Four Weddings and a Funeral," but with a smear of menace. He gradually reveals that he actually knows quite a bit about the Mormon religion — and all religions.
"It's good to be religious," he says jauntily and promises his wife will join them soon, a requirement for the church. Homey touches in his home include a framed "Bless This Mess" needlepoint on a wall, but there are also oddities, like his lights are on a timer and there's metal in the walls and ceilings.
Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood — who also... Read More