After the jump, check out my DT roundup of these 3 Penn alumni making news in the film world.
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Showing posts with label Film Director. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Film Director. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
After the jump, check out my DT roundup of these 3 Penn alumni making news in the film world.
Read More......
Thursday, June 16, 2011
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| (l to r): Scott speaking with Ricky Mabe while shooting in the Canadian Rockies |
After the jump, preview the latest film he has directed and produced which airs tonight on MTV and learn how he is franchising!
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Friday, June 12, 2009
In his documentary Truth in Numbers?, Scott takes us on the journey about the phenomenon that Wikipedia has become.
Per Scott,
"The question of whether you and I should be charged with canonizing the sum of human knowledge or whether that should be left to the scholars/experts really intrigues me. I think it’s safe to say that we’re among a populist revival era right now and nowhere is that more acutely reflected than on Wikipedia. If knowledge is power and history really is written by the winners, then Wikipedia, already the second most widely read publication in human history, clearly demonstrates this power shift towards "The People". The documentary tries to explore implications of that, among other things."
Check out his trailer above!
Catch Up!: More of my posts about Penn alumni:
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Friday, April 24, 2009
As I reported HERE the other week via exclusive videos, despite having good grades and extra curricular activities, there is still much anxiety associated with a prospect waiting to find out if he or she will get into Penn.
If you think this is bad, imagine what some parents need to do to get their child into ...nursery school!
Documentary filmmaker Marc Simon (C'96, SAM) has created a movie that many parents...especially in the NY and California regions will relate to. The film covers the (absurd!) process of getting their child into nursery school and what nursery school admissions is all about.
Per Marc (kneeling in picture below),
"From the moment parents learn they are "having a baby", they focus on providing a happy and healthy environment and the best opportunities for their kids. This includes planning for their children's education, and today, for moms and dads across this country, the pressures associated with schooling begin early - very early. Nursery University gets inside nursery school admissions -- a modern day cultural right of passage -- with sensitivity and a great sense of humor, inviting the audience behind the scenes to experience and learn from this stranger-than-fiction reality."
Nursery University Opens April 24th@ PHOENIX ADLABS IMAGINASIAN THEATRE
239 EAST 59TH STREET, NYC - BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD
Friday 11:30, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00, 9:15
Saturday 11:30, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00, 9:15
Sunday 11:30, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00, 9:15
Monday - Thursday 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
www.movietickets.com
**Q and A's after every screening with the film makers, families, heads of schools. and pre school experts.
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Friday, January 30, 2009
In light of this weekend's Superbowl, I have a special treat for all of you.
Filmmaker David Isser (C'01) has gone from documentaries to now comedies ...and in his latest one, Gameday (above), check out a guy who cleverly tries to find out the score of the big game from his buddies, while he's stuck in the car with his girlfriend who hates football.
Girls and guys out there will enjoy this I'm sure!
Also, be sure to also check out the show Dave edited for the Discovery show on February 8th, 9pm ET/PT, 8PM CT called "The Science of Sex Appeal". Sounds very interesting...
Speaking of football, did you check out Jordan Zucker's (C'97) very creative weekly videos from her Girls Guide to Fantasty Football website. Go over there and check them out!
Check out my other Funny Friday posts here!
Click here to learn how David got started as a film director
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Friday, September 12, 2008
Lots of Penn Hollywood news happening recently in the movies, on TV, in music and on magazine covers...
Click here for this week's scoopage.
Jon Avnet's (C'71) film Righteous Kill starring Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro comes out in theaters today.
Logline: "Two Veteran New York City Detectives hunt a vigilante who may be one of their own."
Check out the trailer below!
My past posts about Jon here
Executive Producer for Saturn Films, Norm Golightly (C'94, Mask and Wig) debuted Bangkok Dangerous in theater's last week.
Check out the trailer below.
My past posts about Norm here
Merv Griffin Executive Producer Roy Bank (C'94) will oversee Lifetime "Lisa Williams" show (working title). Per Variety, it will be "bringing the eponymous medium/clairvoyant back to the network for a week of half-hour episodes starting Oct. 27."
My past posts about Roy here
Elizabeth Banks (C'96) will be Women's Health's first-ever celebrity cover for the October 2008 issue. Click here to check it out
In a recent interview, it was revealed that it was Liz Banks' husband Max Handelman's (C'95, AEPi) idea for her to make THIS brilliant NSFW video:
My past posts about Liz here
Matt Kap's (C'97) band's (The Moving Picture Show) song "The Boy Who Lives Backwards" is featured in the season premiere of MTV's Road Rules Challenge: The Island. It was played at the end of the show when the cast decided to vote off one of their own. Check your local listings for the show's reairing.
Listen to "The Boy Who Lives Backwards" here:
The story behind the song? Per Matt:
"The Boy Who Lives Backwards" basically came out of a regret. I was going to take some summer classes at NYU and met a girl the first day in the dorm through a friend. She'd had a bad day and her friend wasn't around so I decided to try and cheer her up. We had a really incredible night but I was so shy at the time and thought she had a boyfriend so I didn't ask her out. Years later I thought of that while singing a melody and began thinking about regrets we have in life - the person we didn't kiss, the bully on the playground we didn't stand up to, the clever comebacks that we wished we'd said in an argument and that's what the song is about. It also really reminds me of New York City in the fall which is my favorite time of year."
Check out Matt's performance at our very own Pennfest 2007:
My past posts about Matt here
More about The Moving Picture Show
Past "DT Hollywood Bits and Pieces" posts here
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Monday, December 10, 2007
A month ago I reported on writer/Director Jon Hurwitz's (W'00) new trailer for Harold & Kumar 2.
Now, there is a "red band" trailer for this film. (FYI, a red band trailer is the "R" rated version of the trailer you don't see on TV)
Click here to check out why you won't be seeing this Harold & Kumar 2 "red band" trailer on TV anytime soon
Click here to check out an "R", bordering on "X", but still "R" rated still from this red band trailer! (not safe for work)
Click here to check out Jon's (and other alumni) films
Click here to learn about other Penn writers
Click here to learn about other Penn directors
Click to see what other 2000 Penn grads are up to
A still from the Harold and Kumar 2 red band trailer.Sign up for daily emails to get notified about alumni and undergraduate updates! (click here to see a newsletter)
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Monday, November 26, 2007
After 10 weeks of competition, Paul Shore's (C'96) short film Being Iraqi is now in the final round of the Digital Diversity Online competition featuring short films about cultural diversity!
Being Iraqi follows Iraqi- Canadian hip hop MC Yassin Alsalman (aka The Narcycist) over the US/Canada border to a show to see what life is like for him post 9-11.
Click here to vote
(Once at the site, click "Click Here to Launch the Competition". Then, under "Watch this Week's Finalists" scroll over the people and you will see Paul's name and the title of the film. It should be third from the left. Click the person and his film will come up and you can click the stars to rate it. )
Check out other Penn documentary filmmakers (there are a lot!)
Click to see what other 1996 Penn grads are up to
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Add yourself to our facebook, friendster and/or myspace profiles!
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Friday, November 2, 2007
Another alum with a documentary!
Check out and vote for (by November 4) Paul Shore (C'96)'s short film Being Iraqi. This film just made it to the quarterfinals in an online contest being hosted by Radio Canada International featuring short films about cultural diversity.
Being Iraqi follows Iraqi- Canadian hip hop MC Yassin Alsalman (aka The Narcycist) over the US/Canada border to a show to see what life is like for him post 9-11.
Click here to vote
(Once at the site, click "Click Here to Launch the Competition". Then, under Quarterfinals, there is Watch This Weeks Finalists. Paul's is in the row of people and if you scroll over it you will see his name and the title of the film. Click the person and his film will come up and you can click the stars to rate it (vote for it). )
Have you taken a peek at the 500+ Penn related videos we've got (divided neatly into categories? :)
Check out other Penn documentary filmmakers (there are a lot!)
Click to see what other 1996 Penn grads are up to
Sign up for daily emails to get notified about alumni and undergraduate updates! (click here to see a newsletter)
Add yourself to our facebook, friendster and/or myspace profiles!
Submitting a story to Dueling Tampons: What you need to know...
Friday, September 14, 2007
Filmmaker David Isser (C'01, Off the Beat) just took part in a 48 hour film festival for the Elevate Film Festival that premieres at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood tomorrow (Saturday, September 15).
This appears to be a great film festival! From the elevate film festival website, "It all begins with a nationwide search for socially relevant screenplays, documentary subjects, musicians and professional filmmakers. Though the directors are chosen prior to the festival, they have no clue as to what they will be shooting until they pull their project from a hat. Racing the clock, they charge into the jungles of guerilla filmmaking with 48 hours to complete a short film, documentary, or music video."
David's film is a short documentary called Making it Home, a story about a group of young homeless kids from Los Angeles, that go down to Tijuana to build a house for a needy family.
...David has been working as a freelance director and editor and has been focusing on documentaries, commercials, and psa's with a focus on projects that are socially relevant.
Click here to learn how David got started as a film director
Click here to check out other Penn documentary filmmakers
Click to see what other 2001 Penn grads are up to
Speaking of film festivals, get your ticket for Pennfest 2007!
Friday, August 17, 2007
Writer/Director Jon Hurwitz's (W'00) just emailed me with news that his Harold & Kumar 2 Teaser Trailer is now online.
From IMDB: The sequel "follows the cross-country adventures of the pot-smoking duo as they try to outrun authorities who suspect them of being terrorists when they try to sneak a bong on board their flight to Amsterdam."
The film was was co-written and co-directed by Jon and stars future Penn professor Kal Penn. (Kal is teaching a class or two at Penn beginning in January.)
Click here to check out the trailer!
Click here to check out Jon's (and other alumni) films
Click here to learn about other Penn writers
Click here to learn about other Penn directors
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Photo by Ben Lipsey Since his movie Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, Scott Glosserman (C'99) is now about to direct another thriller called Playing House.
Per Variety, "the plot follows a young couple that gets more than they bargained for at an abandoned island mansion. They soon find themselves being followed, and must escape their evil pursuers."
Production is set to start before the end of the year.
Click to check out my other posts about Scott.
Per Variety, "the plot follows a young couple that gets more than they bargained for at an abandoned island mansion. They soon find themselves being followed, and must escape their evil pursuers."
Production is set to start before the end of the year.
Click to check out my other posts about Scott.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Scott Glosserman's (C'99, Friars) Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon" comes out on DVD today. This is a great take on the traditional horror film where Scott takes us in documentary style "Behind the Mask" of a serial killer. Fantastic premise. And to top that, the film features Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) and Zelda Rubinstein (Poltergeist)!
Click here to check out a clip from the film.
Click here to see Scott's interview about the film with a puppet.
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The detailed premise of the film (from Netflix):
"A self-promoting serial killer who dreams of being the most infamous slasher of all time hires a documentary film crew to follow him as he launches a reign of terror on a small town. Preparing tirelessly for his murderous debut, Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel) shares his bloody ambitions with director Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals) and her crew. Directed by Scott Glosserman, this quirky indie also stars Robert Englund and Scott Wilson."
"First-time director (and co-writer) Scott Glosserman gleefully hacks up horror cliches to deconstruct the genre with carnivorous, lip-smacking delight."
-- Michael Ordona, LOS ANGELES TIMES
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Own/rent your copy today!
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Director/Producer Jon Avnet (C'71) will direct Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in Righteous Kill. According to Entertainment Weekly, Jon only (barely) reveals "They're both cops, and they're buddies".
...While we're speaking of Jon, his show The Starter Wife debuted this week. For those of you who haven't seen this on the USA network, it's kind of Sex in the City meets a bit of Desperate Housewives. Debra Messing's performance is definitely stellar here showing her Grace-like humor combined with some nice touching/authentic moments we haven't seen from her before.
From youtube, "The Starter Wife is a sexy, savvy and wickedly funny tour de force about life after divorce and one woman's quest to redefine herself after years of marriage to a Hollywood studio head. After being blacklisted from premieres to pilates, Molly Kagan (Debra Messing) searches to rediscover life after divorce. A brief respite in Malibu and some oh-so-Hollywood friends prove to be the perfect cocktail for her transformation from "Starter Wife" to her new life."
Check out a preview of the show here!
...*On another Penn related note, Chris Diamantopoulos who plays "Rodney" in the series is married to Penn alum actress, Becky Newton, C'00 (Ugly Betty)
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Director/Producer Jon Avnet (C'71) will serve as 1 of 3 judges for the new Mark Burnett/Steven Spielberg moviemaking competition series On the Lot. He will serve as a judge for the series' two "audition" episodes airing Tuesday, May 22 9/8c and Thursday, May 24 9:30/8:30c on FOX. Judges for additional rounds will be announced at a later date.
Jon will be joined by actress, author and screenwriter Carrie Fisher ("Star Wars," "Postcards From The Edge"), as well as directors/producers Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour 3," "X-Men 3: The Last Stand") and Garry Marshall ("Georgia Rule," "Princess Diaries," "Pretty Woman").
...This also is a big week for Jon, as his TV series he has executive produced, The Starter Wife, starring Deborah Messing, debuts this Thursday, May 24.
Click here for a Gazette articles written about Jon.
Click here for a DP article written about Jon.
Update 5/22/07, 10:05pm:
Despite online reports, Jon was not featured on On the Lot tonight. Stay tuned for updates...
Update 5/30/07
I've been a bit behind, but I've been watching the show online and Jon is featured in Episode 2. You can watch the show online here.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Documentarian Loren Mendell (C'95, Friars) debuts his latest project, Bad Boys of Summer at the Newport Beach Film Festival next week. The film follows the inmate baseball team at San Quentin prison...where all games are played at home.
For more information about the film, click here
Loren has produced some great documentaries that have been featured in many of our Pennfest events, including Academy Award ® nominated live action short film Our Time Is Up. He is currently producing and directing a documentary for Frontline/World (PBS) about the recent oil spill in the Philippines. Loren’s work also includes series and specials for ABC, CBS, Discovery, CMT, VH1 and The History Channel.
Screening information below:
WHEN: Monday, April 23 @ 9:30pm
WHERE: Edwards Island Cinemas (Cox Screen)
999 Newport Center Dr
Newport Beach, California 92660
TICKETS: On sale for $10 at the box office or online
at:
http://newportbeach.bside.com/?_view=_filmdetails&filmId=16701864
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Gary Kaplan (SEAS '95) is currently producing:
The Fifth Beatle, based on the life of Beatles' manager Brian Epstein and written and directed by Vivek Tiwary (C'95, W '96)
"Down & Dirty Pictures, based on the best-selling Hollywood expose.
Read More......
Friday, March 16, 2007
Scott Glosserman's (C'99, Friars) BEHIND THE MASK: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon opens in theaters tomorrow.
From IMDB: "The next great psycho horror slasher has given a documentary crew exclusive access to his life as he plans his reign of terror over the sleepy town of Glen Echo, all the while deconstructing the conventions and archetypes of the horror genre for them."
More here
Being a fan of horror films, I'm very excited to see this creatively innovative film! Good luck on opening weekend, Scott!
James D. Scurlock's (Wharton), documentary, Maxed Out debuts across the country (in a limited theater release) to explain how the modern financial industry aggressively goes about its business, and why mounting debt is burdening more and more family budgets to the breaking point.
Judging from the trailer, this documentary is definitely one to see!
Read more below:
From the movie's official site:
"Maxed Out takes viewers on a journey deep inside the American style of debt, where things seem fine as long as the minimum monthly payment arrives on time. With coverage that spans from small American towns all the way to the White House, the film shows how the modern financial industry really works, explains the true definition of "preferred customer" and tells us why the poor are getting poorer while the rich keep getting richer. Hilarious, shocking and incisive, Maxed Out paints a picture of a national nightmare which is all too real for most of us."
Check out the official website here
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Type your summary here.
Featured in this month's gazette, here's a clip from from Marcin Ramocki's (GFA’98) film, 8 BIT.
More below about the film from 8bitmovie.com:
"8 BIT is a hybrid documentary examining the influence of video games on contemporary culture.
A mélange of a rocumentary, art expose and a culture-critical investigation, 8 BIT ties together seemingly disconnected phenomena like the 80’s demo scene, chiptune music and contemporary artists using machinima and modified games.
Produced in NYC, LA, Paris and Tokyo, 8 BIT brings a global perspective on the new artistic approaches of the DIY generation which grew up playing Atari and Commodore 64.
Some of the artists featured in 8 BIT include Cory Arcangel, Bit Shifter, Bodenstandig 2000, Bubblyfish, Mary Flanagan, Alex Galloway, Glomag, Paul Johnson, John Klima, Johan Kotlinski, Nullsleep, Joe McKay, Tom Moody, Akiko Sakaizumi, Eddo Stern, TEAMTENDO, Treewave and Carlo Zanni.
With the help of media critic Ed Halter and new media curator and writer Christiane Paul, these very recent artistic strategies are put in the historical context of modernist and postmodernist discourse and examined as potential examples of a transition into fresh, uncharted territory.
8 BIT insists that in the 21st century Game-Boy rock, machinima and game theory belong together and share a common root: the digital heritage of Generation X."
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