Christian & Patrick Direct "Forever Five"
Directing duo Christian & Patrick of bicoastal Park Pictures takes superstition to a new level in the new :60 “Forever 5” for the California Lottery’s Power 5 Scratchers game, out of David&Goliath.
The spot features a man who obsessively maneuvers every aspect of his life to revolve around the number five. He wakes each day at 5:55a.m., counts his daily actions in units of five, takes five shots of espresso in his coffee, designs a road trip around measurements of five—all because of a lottery win on the number from years ago that he continues to worship and revere.
ASIFA-Hollywood Funds Community Programs
ASIFA-Hollywood, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the art of animation and celebrating the people who create it, has earmarked nearly $150,000 for animation-based programs and events, including: community assistance, $15,000; film and art preservation, $29,000; education, $58,000; outside events and sponsorships, $23,000; worldwide outreach, $6,000; and floating funds where needed, $19,000.
“Just two or three years ago, we could not have done any of this,” remarked Frank Gladstone, ASIFA-Hollywood executive director. “But, over time, our finances have become much more stable and now we can do what non-profits are supposed to do, return funds to benefit the community.“
Today, ASIFA-Hollywood is the largest chapter of the international organization ASIFA, and supports a wide range of animation activities and preservation efforts through its membership. Current initiatives include the Animation Archive, Animation Aid Foundation, film preservation, the Animation Educators Forum, the Animation Center building initiative, special events, screenings and animation festival support. ASIFA-Hollywood also produces the annual Annie Awards, honoring the best in animation. The 44th Annual Annie Awards gala is set for Saturday, February 4, 2017.
People On The Move…
Oscar-winning creative studio Framestore is expanding its design department with the appointment of Anthony Gibbs and Duncan Elms as design directors in the L.A. office. Gibbs and Elms will continue to grow the skillset of Framestore’s design department while offering greater integrated opportunities for both Framestore’s West Coast and global clients. Gibbs has been an integral part of Framestore’s design department since joining the U.K. office in 2007, working on a wide range of projects from online films for Mulberry to graphics sequences for BBC Comic Relief. He recently directed projects for Nokia, The National Television Awards, iRobot, The Financial Times and Cosmos, a sequel to the 1980s’ science documentary series. Elms is a lauded motion designer and director, having created content for film, TV and online. While working across a broad range of design styles, he specializes in infographics and the visualization of increasingly big data in engaging ways. Duncan has been shortlisted for the Information is Beautiful Awards for three straight years. His “Bitcoin Explained” video struck a chord on Vimeo, where it has been played over 900,000 times. Elms, who was freelancing prior to joining Framestore, started his career in Australia before moving to the U.S. His portfolio includes work for BMW, Google X, Samsung, Nike and Greenpeace. He has worked on numerous films and TV series including Insurgent, Deep Web, and Hungry Beast.
Review: Director James Watkins’ “Speak No Evil”
Quick. Has there ever been a horror film set in a country home with a decent cell signal?
Nope, and there's no signal at Paddy and Ciara's house, either, deep in the English countryside. Soon, that land line will be cut, too, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Paddy and Ciara are that fun-but-somewhat-odd British couple whom Louise and Ben, early in "Speak No Evil," meet on their idyllic Tuscan family holiday. Americans based in London, Louise and Ben are at loose ends, with both job and relationship issues. And so, when the new acquaintances write to invite them for a country weekend, they decide to go.
After all, how bad could it be?
Don't answer that. There are many such moments in the first two-thirds of "Speak No Evil," a Hollywood remake of the 2022 Danish film, here starring a deeply menacing James McAvoy. Moments where Louise and Ben, out of mere politeness and social convention, act against their instincts, which tell them something is wrong – very wrong.
Director James Watkins and especially his excellent troupe of actors, adult and children alike, do a nice job of building the tension, slowly but surely. Until all bloody hell breaks loose, of course. And then, in its third act, "Speak No Evil" becomes an entertaining but routine horror flick, with predictable results.
But for a while, it's a way more intelligent film. And the jumpy moments work — I'll confess to literally springing out of my seat when someone uneventfully turned on a power drill.
We begin in stunning Tuscany, where Louise (Mackenzie Davis, in the film's most accessible and empathetic performance) and Ben (Scoot McNairy, all nerves and insecurity) are vacationing with 11-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler). At the pool, they... Read More