Bicoastal/international production company Savage has signed director Neil Tardio Jr. for U.S. representation. His credits over the years span such clients as Coca-Cola, ESPN, AT&T, Volkswagen, Budweiser and Nike. Tardio’s move to Savage reunites him with executive producer Jay Shapiro who earlier had produced commercials for the director for a number of years.
“So much American advertising is comedy based and having worked with Neil over the years as a producer, I believe that we are not only gaining an incredibly skilled comedy director, but a great collaborator,” said Shapiro. “Neil’s infectious magnetism has gained him such strong relationships amongst agency and clients over the years–I couldn’t be more upbeat moving forward.”
Tardio graduated from Boston University, joining Saatchi & Saatchi and DDB/Chicago as an agency producer before moving into the director’s chair, creating memorable work showcasing deft handling of dialogue and comedy that has collected awards including Cannes Lions, Clios and Addys, Most recently prior to joining Savage, Tardio directed via Third Street Mining Company, a shop he co-founded.
“I wanted to land somewhere that suited my sensibilities and Savage fits right into what I think this industry needs going forward,” said Tardio. “My observational eye and humor segues nicely into the roster. Talking to Pavla [Burgetova, EP/founder] and Jay–someone that I have worked with and always trusted–I feel Savage and I together will be a very powerful combination.”
2014 has kicked into high gear for Savage which moved into a new space in Venice while directors wrapping work include Sam Tootal on a Samsung spot through Leo Burnett, Chicago, and Manny B for Dick’s Sporting Goods through Anomaly, New York.
Review: Writer-Director Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance”
In its first two hours, "The Substance" is a well-made, entertaining movie. Writer-director Coralie Fargeat treats audiences to a heavy dose of biting social commentary on ageism and sexism in Hollywood, with a spoonful of sugar- and sparkle-doused body horror.
But the film's deliciously unhinged, blood-soaked and inevitably polarizing third act is what makes it unforgettable.
What begins as a dread-inducing but still relatively palatable sci-fi flick spirals deeper into absurdism and violence, eventually erupting — quite literally — into a full-blown monster movie. Let the viewer decide who the monster is.
Fargeat — who won best screenplay at this year's Cannes Film Festival — has been vocal about her reverence for "The Fly" director David Cronenberg, and fans of the godfather of body horror will see his unmistakable influence. But "The Substance" is also wholly unique and benefits from Fargeat's perspective, which, according to the French filmmaker, has involved extensive grappling with her own relationship to her body and society's scrutiny.
"The Substance" tells the story of Elisabeth Sparkle, a famed aerobics instructor with a televised show, played by a powerfully vulnerable Demi Moore. Sparkle is fired on her 50th birthday by a ruthless executive — a perfectly cast Dennis Quaid, who nails sleazy and gross.
Feeling rejected by a town that once loved her and despairing over her bygone star power, Sparkle learns from a handsome young nurse about a black-market drug that promises to create a "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of its user. Though she initially tosses the phone number in the trash, she soon fishes it out in a desperate panic and places an order.
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