Toronto-based boutique production company Someplace Nice has added director Scott Pickett to its roster for representation in Canada. (In the U.S. he recently joined production house Bunker). Born in Australia, Pickett is well versed in multiple genres. Recent years have seen him craft a short supernatural thriller in the U.S., a fashion film in France, and a 360 degree VR action comedy in Australia. Throughout his career, Pickett has moved between TV series and commercials, shooting campaigns in 17 different countries and picking up various advertising awards including the Gold Clio and a Bronze Cannes Lion. His work spans international brands such as Apple, Google, IKEA, Coke, Nestle, McDonald’s, Ford, Toyota, and VW. Pickett has also continued his long form work, with funding support from Screen Australia for short films and feature development. He’s directed drama for Channel 7 Australia, and has worked on TV comedies The Elegant Gentleman’s Guide to Knife Fighting (screened on Netflix, Hulu, and ABC Australia) and The Moody’s (ABC Australia, Hulu, Sky TV). Scott’s 2017 short film, The Doppel Chain, was also screened at Sydney International Film Festival and picked up by streaming channel Alter….
Is “Glicked” The New “Barbenheimer”? “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” Hit Theater Screens
"Barbenheimer" was a phenomenon impossible to manufacture. But, more than a year later, that hasn't stopped people from trying to make "Glicked" — or even "Babyratu" — happen.
The counterprogramming of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" in July 2023 hit a nerve culturally and had the receipts to back it up. Unlike so many things that begin as memes, it transcended its online beginnings. Instead of an either-or, the two movies ultimately complemented and boosted one another at the box office.
And ever since, moviegoers, marketers and meme makers have been trying to recreate that moment, searching the movie release schedule for odd mashups and sending candidates off into the social media void. Most attempts have fizzled (sorry, "Saw Patrol" ).
This weekend is perhaps the closest approximation yet as the Broadway musical adaptation "Wicked" opens Friday against the chest-thumping sword-and-sandals epic "Gladiator II." Two big studio releases (Universal and Paramount), with one-name titles, opposite tones and aesthetics and big blockbuster energy — it was already halfway there before the name game began: "Wickiator," "Wadiator," "Gladwick" and even the eyebrow raising "Gladicked" have all been suggested.
"'Glicked' rolls off the tongue a little bit more," actor Fred Hechinger said at the New York screening of "Gladiator II" this week. "I think we should all band around 'Glicked.' It gets too confusing if you have four or five different names for it."
As with "Barbenheimer," as reductive as it might seem, "Glicked" also has the male/female divide that make the fan art extra silly. One is pink and bright and awash in sparkles, tulle, Broadway bangers and brand tie-ins; The other is all sweat and sand, blood and bulging... Read More