Matthew Weiner, creator of the lauded Mad Men series and writer/executive producer of The Sopranos, is set to make his feature film directorial debut with You Are Here for Gilbert Films. The movie, which was written by Weiner, is scheduled to start production in May in North Carolina.
You Are Here sports a cast that includes Owen Wilson and Zack Galifianakis. Discussions are underway for Amy Poehler to co-star. Weiner will be making his big screen debut after having directed numerous episodes of Mad Men through its five years of production. Gary Gilbert, Scott Hornbacher, and Jordan Horowitz will produce. Lionsgate is handling international sales.
You Are Here centers on local weatherman and freewheeling bachelor Steve Dallas (Wilson) and bi-polar man-child Ben (Galafinakis), childhood best friends who embark on a road trip home after Ben discovers that his estranged father has passed away. Once there, Ben is shocked to learn that his eccentric father had big plans for him and he’s inherited a whole lot more than his father’s money. As Ben struggles with his new responsibilities, his friendship with Steve is tested by the complications of his inheritance, his sister Terry’s ambition, and Steve’s desire to be with his father’s beautiful young widow Angela.
“This movie has been my passion for eight years and to see it come together with Owen and Zach and Amy is a dream come true,” said Weiner. “I can’t wait to get started because the movie is about everything I care about and I’m tired of reading it out loud to my friends.”
Gilbert Films is a Los Angeles-based production company dedicated to producing and financing both independent and studio films. Founder and CEO Gary Gilbert, along with Gilbert Films’ Jordan Horowitz, produced the Oscar®- nominated film The Kids Are All Right, earning recognition from the PGA, Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Awards with nominations for Best Picture. The film won Golden Globes for Best Picture and Best Actress (Comedy or Musical) and was nominated for four Academy Awards®, including Best Picture. Gilbert’s first feature, writer/director Zach Braff’s Garden State, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was honored with the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More