Biscuit Filmworks has signed acclaimed filmmaker Errol Morris to its commercial roster in both the U.S. and U.K. He had previously been handled by Moxie Pictures for spots. Renowned as a documentary film and commercial director, and a best-selling author, Morris has deployed an idiosyncratic style which has indelibly altered modern perceptions of the non-fiction film. Morris’ latest film, The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography, is in theaters, and he is currently working on Wormwood, a documentary miniseries for Netflix starring Peter Sarsgaard.
Morris has directed over 1,000 commercials throughout his career, including campaigns for Apple, American Express, Nike, IBM, Target, General Motors, Miller High Life, and Cisco. His “Photobooth” spot in 2001 for PBS out of Fallon Minneapolis earned a Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial. As a documentary filmmaker, Morris has directed 11 features including the groundbreaking The Thin Blue Line, Academy Award-winning The Fog of War, and Gates of Heaven, which Roger Ebert named one of the ten best films of all time. Morris invented the Interrotron camera rig to achieve his singularly personal interview style, allowing his subjects to simultaneously look directly into the camera and at him. Morris has also received two DGA nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary and one for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials. He was the subject of a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, and a recipient of five fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a MacArthur Fellowship.
“What a gift in this business to be able to work with someone whose vision you’ve admired for a long time. We’re excited to bring a fresh perspective to Errol’s work in the commercial realm. We feel honored to work with him,” said Shawn Lacy, co-founder of Biscuit.
Morris related, “Commercials have always been like vitamins for me, an essential part of my daily dietary requirements. So I’m delighted to be in partnership now with the Biscuit community.”
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