Kate Taylor, previously managing director of Skunk London, has joined Rogue as its new managing director/executive producer. She takes the helm from Rogue co-founder David van der Gaag and will be working in London alongside EP and head of production James Howland, with a brief to continue the evolution and reinvigoration of the company first founded in 1998.
Howland joined Rogue in 2001 and has produced many ground-breaking and award-winning pieces of work with director Sam Brown. His contributions to advertising have been widely recognized, having been awarded the “Achievement in Production” Craft Arrow, by the British Arrows, a record four times.
Prior to setting up and managing Skunk London, Taylor worked in production at Rattling Stick, Biscuit and RSA.
Charlie Crompton, co-founding partner of Rogue, said, “Kate is widely regarded as one of the smartest and most creative EPs in London. She deserves that reputation because she’s proved that she’s brilliant at finding and nurturing talent, is immersed in the craft of filmmaking and is also an endlessly creative and collaborative producer.”
Van der Gaag added, “I can’t think of a better qualified MD to come in and complement James’ production skills. Together they’re going to be a phenomenal partnership and we’re genuinely flattered that they buy into our ambitious vision for Rogue and the broader group of Blink/Rogue/Carnage companies going forward.”
Taylor said, “Running Skunk London has been a privilege. We’ve had some considerable successes and I am extremely proud of what we’ve achieved. Now, to be MD at such a prestigious production house as Rogue is just brilliant. I’m excited about the future and share their vision for growing and enduring success. I look forward to building on Rogue’s pedigree as a primary destination for excellence and established, top-level directors, as well as a nurturing home for the new generation of raw, emerging talent.”
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.
The one rule to follow is that... Read More