CRIC, the Italian directing duo consisting of Davide Mardegan and Clemente De Muro, has landed its first U.S. commercial representation, signing with L.A.-based Boxer Films. The helming team made a major splash with its debut spot, Poste Italiane’s “Because I Like You,” a :90 which won a Bronze Lion at Cannes in 2011.
“Because I Like You” was also recognized with a Silver at ADCI, a Bronze at Italian Young Lions and nominations for the ADCE Awards and the Young Directors Awards, making the duo the most awarded advertising directors that year in Italy. CRIC’s affecting narrative storytelling combines stunning imagery and a personal sensitivity for character and emotion.
Mardegan and De Muro met when entering university in Milan and quickly discovered a common passion for filmmaking. Opting out of a traditional film education, the duo studied philosophy and literature to inform a unique creative viewpoint, choosing to learn their technical approach through hands-on experience. After landing entry-level jobs: De Muro as a copywriter at Lowe Pirella and Mardegan doing director research at a production company, the duo quickly realized their creativity would be best showcased in their own collective. They amplified their skills, attending a Master in Film Production in Rome, followed by a Master in Directing at the School of Visual Arts in New York.
Since launching CRIC, they have crafted spots for international brands including Fiat, Poste Italiene, Banco Intesa San Paolo and Chronotech, among others.
Review: “Novocaine,” A Bloody Action-Comedy From Directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen
Nathan Caine may not be able to feel pain, as the tagline for the new action-comedy "Novocaine" reads, but the same does not apply to audiences.
Although he doesn't scream when his leg is impaled with an arrow or when he sticks his hand in a vat of frying oil, you might. I certainly did. Out loud. In a theater. With other people. There may have been some phrases uttered entirely involuntarily too. Were other people reacting in the same way, I wonder? I couldn't hear them over my own groans. Hooray for the communal experience, I guess?
This is, in some ways, a film for people who thought John Wick wasn't stabby enough. It delights in the relentless mutilation of its hero, a regular guy (played by Jack Quaid ) with a rare condition that has rendered him immune from feeling any sort of discomfort to bodily harm. Unlike such high concept premises as "Crank," congenital insensitivity to pain analgesia (or CIPA) is actually real. But it's not exactly a superpower, Nate explains. He can still die; it just might be because he hasn't emptied his bladder in many hours. Or because he's accidentally bitten his tongue off eating a sandwich. These are real concerns of his.
His entire existence is devoted to preventing these kinds of crises, mostly through tried-and-true baby proofing techniques like using tennis balls on sharp corners. Like Kelly Ripa before a show, he only consumes "non-chewing food."
Work is stable and dull as an assistant manager at a bank. And dating is out of the question; He spends most of his free time playing online video games. Quaid, even with his two movie star parents, is somehow believable as this cautious introvert, though everything is played with a light touch and a wink. The movie, written by Lars Jacobson and... Read More