Oren Brimer, a director and writer on HBO’s Crashing–starring Pete Holmes and executive-produced by Judd Apatow–has joined Convoy Content, an L.A.-based production company with work spanning commercials, branded content and films. Brimer has overseen the sketch side of TBS’ The Pete Holmes Show and worked as a field producer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. His other credits include Conan, CollegeHumor, and various Comedy Central projects–just to name a few–having collaborated with the likes of Patton Oswalt, Ray Romano, Kumail Nanjiani, Thomas Middleditch, and John Oliver….
Megan Murray has been named strategy director for the NY office of independent digital creative agency AnalogFolk (AF). The newly created position comes at a time of rapid growth for AF as it sees an increased need for strategic leadership across its roster of clients, which includes Blink Fitness, Guardian and Nike. Reporting to AF partner/managing director Kunal Muzumdar, Murray will be responsible for leading strategy efforts out of AF New York–while also collaborating with the team in Portland–and tasked with finding interesting insights that inspire great creative work, helping AF’s clients define their overall digital strategy, and growing the strategy team in New York. She joins AF from Oiselle, a Seattle-based running and athletic apparel company for women. As director of marketing, Murray was responsible for brand, business, creative and channel direction as well as creating a vision for sports marketing and managing the marketing team and supporting agencies. Prior to Oiselle, Murray was associate director of Strategy at POSSIBLE (Seattle). While there, her strategic vision led to award-winning and breakthrough work for brands including AT&T, Microsoft and Bacardi….
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