Craft, a global marketing production and adaptation agency that is a division of McCann Worldgroup, has made key hires and promotions in its New York and Boston studio locations. Shay Fu has been promoted to North America head of studio operations, Craft; Michael Marsan joins as director of operations, sales & marketing, Craft Translation; and Brian Distefano has been appointed managing director, Craft Boston, which was added to Craft’s global network of core studios in July. Fu, previously EVP/head of integrated operations, Craft New York, will extend her role to oversee production operations in the U.S. and Canada as head of studio operations across Craft’s North America network. Marsan brings over 20 years’ experience, having held senior management roles at leading global translation and transcreation houses. Distefano will be responsible for all functions of the Craft Boston office including creative and production services. Distefano began his career as a copywriter at Staples, Inc., rising to group creative director. Craft expanded its relationship with Staples earlier this year by integrating the retailer’s in-house creative and production services department into its operations, adding Craft Boston to its global lineup of core studios….
Director John Poliquin has joined production house Derby. Known for combining live action and motion graphic techniques, Poliquin has turned out work for the likes of GQ, D’décor, Wilhelmina Models, Norman Ambrose, Tribeca Film, Warner Music, Interscope Records, Universal Music, S’well, Nestle Purina, Blistex and Lubriderm. He got his start in the business by directing more than 60 music videos for artists including Carly Rae Jepsen and Walk Off The Earth. Poliquin has since garnered a number of industry accolades, including MTV’s MuchMusic award; “Best Short Film” at the Calgary International Film Festival for Inside Charlie; and last year’s S’well campaign, “Hydration Magic”….
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