Toronto-based Sparks Productions has brought director Tim Abshire aboard its roster for representation in Canada. Known for crafting comedic stories with engaging characters and genuine dialogue exchanges, Abshire has a body of work spanning more than 100 global brands including Google, Walmart, Jeep, Coca-Cola and ESPN….
Oscar-winning (Martin Scorsese’s Hugo) visual effects company Pixomondo (PXO) announced that construction on one of Canada’s first virtual production studios is well underway in Toronto. Scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020, the facility will be overseen by PXO Toronto/Montreal head of studio, Mahmoud Rahnama. The stages will be available for shoots, and equipped with on-set PXO personnel for productions using the company’s 3D environment creation services. Mayfair Equity Partners, which acquired a majority stake in PXO in 2018, is backing the new venture with a significant new financial commitment intended to support the company and accelerate growth in 2021 and beyond. PXO CEO Jonny Slow said the new virtual studio marks “a major milestone” for PXO….
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