Transatlantic production company Loveboat, with offices in L.A. and Paris, has added Australian filmmaker Patrick Hughes to its diverse cooperative of directors and interdisciplinary artists.
Hughes is a writer, producer, and director who graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts Film & Television School in Melbourne. He has written and directed more than 20 short films including the 2001 Tropfest winner The Lighter; and Signs, a romantic tale that garnered 10 million-plus hits and won a Cannes Gold Lion in 2009. His credits also include notable commercials for brands such as Xbox, BMW, Honda, Mercedes, Vodafone and Toyota.
Hughes’ feature films include The Hitman’s Bodyguard, starring Ryan Reynolds, Salma Hayek, and Samuel L. Jackson, which was #1 at the box office for three consecutive weeks. The sequel, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, was released earlier this year, starring the same cast, along with Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas.
Hughes' upcoming feature The Man From Toronto, with another all-star cast including Woody Harrelson, Kevin Hart, and Kaley Cuoco, will release next year. Previously, Hughes helmed The Expendables 3, an installment of the action film franchise. He was handpicked by Sylvester Stallone to direct the film, which starred Stallone, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hughes also directed, wrote, and produced the modern-western thriller Red Hill, which marked his feature directorial debut. Red Hill premiered at the Berlin Film Festival where it was one of the fastest-selling films that year.
“Patrick is a high-octane director whose work is well known in Hollywood,” said Jeff Baron, managing partner of Loveboat’s L.A. office. “He’s extremely talented and the possibilities are endless in the realm of advertising with his level of expertise.”
Hughes is based in Los Angeles and in Melbourne. He is also represented by Finch in Australia and New Zealand. He was previously represented by Rattling Stick in the U.S. and U.K.
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