Conor Byrne has joined the directorial roster of bicoastal m ss ng p eces.
Byrne has directed international campaigns and branded films for clients like Skittles, Kit Kat, Microsoft, Ikea, Pepsi, McDonald’s and JetBlue. His work has won Cannes Lions, ADC honors, and Effies, among many other honors. Byrne was previously represented by Hungry Man. He’s an alum of SHOOT’s 2014 New Directors Showcase. Byrne's comedic work is marked by a cinematic style with equal parts with, heart and meticulous visual detail.
Byrne’s short films have played all over the world and online, garnering widespread acclaim. Porzingod, his cinematic ode to the New York Knicks, starring John Leguizamo, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, was selected by Vimeo Staff Picks, and featured on ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Filmmaker Magazine, and on the jumbotron at Madison Square Garden. His short Loudini, starring Henry Zebrowski and featuring indie rocker Car Seat Headrest, was featured on Pitchfork and Indiewire. His coming-of-age comedy Foureyes, starring Jake Ryan, won a Cannes Young Director Award, was featured by Short of The Week and Vimeo Staff Picks, and profiled on The Huffington Post.
“The hilarity and humanity in Conor’s comedy is what stood out most to me. He combines impeccable timing and casting with great visual style. He’s a rare talent,” said Brian Latt, managing partner at m ss ng p eces.
Review: Director-Writer Megan Park’s “My Old Ass”
They say tripping on psychedelic mushrooms triggers hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia and nervousness. In the case of Elliott, an 18-year-old restless Canadian, they prompt a visitor.
"Dude, I'm you," says the guest, as she nonchalantly burns a 'smores on a campfire next to a very high and stunned Elliott. "Well, I'm a 39-year-old you. What's up?"
What's up, indeed: Director-writer Megan Park has crafted a wistful coming-of-age tale using this comedic device for "My Old Ass" and the results are uneven even though she nails the landing.
After the older Elliott proves who she is — they share a particular scar, childhood memories and a smaller left boob — the time-travel advice begins: Be nice to your brothers and mom, and stay away from a guy named Chad.
"Can we hug?" asks the older Elliott. They do. "This is so weird," says the younger Elliott, who then makes things even weirder when she asks for a kiss — to know what it's like kissing yourself. The older Elliott soon puts her number into the younger's phone under the name "My Old Ass." Then they keep in touch, long after the effects of the 'shrooms have gone.
Part of the movie's problem that can't be ignored is that the two Elliotts look nothing alike. Maisy Stella plays the coltish young version and a wry Aubrey Plaza the older. Both turn in fine performances but the visuals are slowly grating.
The arrival of the older Elliott coincides with her younger self counting down the days until she can flee from her small town of 300 in the Muskoka Lakes region to college in Toronto, where "my life is about to start." She's sick of life on a cranberry farm.
Park's scenes and dialogue are unrushed and honest as Elliott takes her older self's advice and tries to repair... Read More