The AICP’s study of a dozen major ad agency production contracts will be distributed to member companies over the next couple of weeks. The national AICP board got its first look at the full report during its meeting last Sunday (6/10) in New York, and unanimously approved continuing the research to encompass other agency contracts. Stay tuned….Director Allen Coulter—of Sex and the City and The Sopranos fame—has officially joined bicoastal/international hungry man, through which he is slated to helm four more Budweiser "Whassup" spots this month…. Director/cinematographer Lionel Coleman has come aboard Pandemonium, the San Francisco-based production house headed by founder/president Stelio Kitrilakis….Pfeifer Van Dusen, New York, has signed director Jacob Williams….Executive producer Fred Porter has launched Tombo, a Hollywood-based company which will develop and produce both longform and spot projects. The new venture opens with a directorial roster that includes J. Brown, Matt Murphy, Carlo Sigon and Kimble Rendall. Company president Porter heads a management team that consists of head of production Robert Nackman; Su Armstrong, who heads Tombo’s feature division; animation producer Brian Rosen; and music supervisor Alex Patsavas….Jason Mayo has been named executive producer of creative design, animation and production studio Click 3X, New York. He comes over from arc light editorial, New York, where he was exec. producer….Executive producer Chuck Carey and creative directors Mark Bohman and Dan Pappalardo—who first collaborated at now defunct entertainment marketing/design house Pittard Sullivan—have launched their own Hollywood-based ID/motion design/ graphics/live-action shop, Troika Design Group….Noted director and ad agency creative Tony Cruz passed away on June 2 in Los Angeles due to respiratory complications. He was 44. For the past several years, Cruz had been directing spots through West Hollywood-headquartered Dark Light Pictures. Prior to that, he was a founding partner and chief creative officer of Los Angeles-based Hispanic ad agency cruz/kravetz: IDEAS. Cruz earlier served as VP/creative director of the Hispanic division at J. Walter Thompson, Los Angeles…
Review: Drew Hancock Makes Feature Directorial Debut With “Companion”
"Iris, wake up!"
Early in "Companion," lovely Iris and her nerdy-nice boyfriend Josh are driving to a secluded lake house for a stay with friends. Iris wakes from a nap and lovingly tells Josh she was dreaming about him. They reminisce about how they first met at the supermarket. All those oranges tumbling onto the floor! Ha ha.
In 20 minutes, absolutely everything about this sweet scene will be turned on its head in a terrifying and sinister manner. You will be surprised and shocked. Unless you saw the trailer, which reveals the whole thing.
And so we begin with a dilemma, dear moviegoer. "Companion," an exceedingly clever and entertaining sci-fi-horror-thriller-comedy by Drew Hancock in his feature debut, has more twists and turns than a corkscrew. But it's utterly impossible to write about the film without revealing the first of those twists.
So if you like coming in totally cold to a movie, then we're sorry to see you go, but stop reading! Otherwise, stay with us — we promise there'll be more surprises to come.
Moving on: Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and Josh (Jack Quaid) arrive at the estate. A nervous Iris stops at the door, worried that Josh's friends won't like her. He urges her to simply brighten up and act happy.
Kat (Megan Suri), Josh's ex, greets them. She is gorgeous, and frosty to Iris. Eli (Harvey Guillén) and his handsome boyfriend Patrick (Lukas Gage) are nicer. Then there's Sergey (Rupert Friend), Kat's aloof Russian boyfriend — sugar daddy, really — and owner of the house. The password to his devices is Stalin's birthday, which tells you something.
Things get dark, quickly. The next morning, someone dies. They will not be the first — this is a horror movie. And suddenly Iris, caked in blood,... Read More