Essential Entertainment News (RSS)

Essential, Gigapix team up on children's film slate

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Essential Entertainment has signed a multi-picture deal with Gigapix Studios for five G and PG-rated live-action children’s films through its subsidiary Recess Films.

Essential’s president of worldwide distribution John Fremes will handle international sales on the slate and Anchor Bay has entered into a first-look deal to handle US distribution on the slate.

Under the domestic deal Anchor Bay will distribute across theatrical, home entertainment and television platforms with a commitment from Gigapix to fund a minimum P&A outlay of $6m and 600 screens per film.

Depending on how well titles test in advance screenings, each release may go up to $20m P&A spend and 2,000 screens.

Gigapix will produce the five live-action films ranging from $8-10m each and a single $20m CG-animated film over the next three years. Financial consultant Dominic Ianno played an integral role in structuring the distribution relationships and will serve as executive producer on the slate.

First to go will be The Return Of Captain Kidd, which Kern Konwiser will direct from a script he co-wrote with Jymn Magon and had been on the verge of production when it was caught in the temporary suspension of Iowa’s tax credit programme.

The parties said Gigapix, whose first production Captain Abu Raed is currently in domestic release through NeoClassics, had since been assured by Iowa State representatives that their film has an agreement in place and production is scheduled to begin in early 2010.

Gigapix said it expected to announce the next two live-action titles and the animated project within weeks.

Gigapix recently closed a P&A funding agreement with Geno Taylor, David Williams and Tony Chopelas’ new LA-based fund advisor and production company Main Stream Pictures and secured a lending facility with Capitoline Global Finance of Newport Beach, California.

“This is an exciting slate of films that are in the framework of classic kids action comedies like Home Alone and Goonies,” Fremes said. “These are films that have strong international appeal, universal themes, and broad comedic elements that we believe will work across all international platforms.”

“We are excited to be in business with the production team assembled at Gigapix and to have a worldwide distribution partner in Essential Entertainment,” Kevin Kasha, senior vice president of Anchor Bay Entertainment, said. “Quality kids’ films are going to continue to be a staple of family entertainment spending as they always have been.”

Love and Other Impossible Pursuits to preem at Toronto

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The world preems of Natalie Portman starrer "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits" and Demi Moore starrer "The Joneses" are among seven galas and 12 special presentations announced by the Toronto Film Festival on Thursday. "Love," helmed by Don Roos, who also adapted Ayelet Waldman's novel, tells the story of a newlywed Harvard Law School grad's attempt to connect with her new stepson. Scott Cohen and Lisa Kudrow costar.

Joining "Love" on the gala slate are the world preems of writer-director Rodrigo Garcia's family drama "Mother and Child," starring Annette Bening, Naomi Watts and Kerry Washington; and Carlos Saura's period pic "I, Don Giovanni," charting the dramatic twists behind the creation of Mozart's renowned opera.

Gala lineup also includes the international preem of Matthias Emcke's "Phantom Pain"; the North American preems of Grant Hezlov's dark comedy "Men Who Stare at Goats" (Overture), starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor and Jeff Bridges; Jan Kounen's "Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky" (Sony Classics); and Alejandro Amenabar's fourth-century thriller "Agora," starring Rachel Weisz.

Suburban dark comedy "Joneses," helmed by Derrick Borte and co-starring David Duchovny, unspools in special presentations, which also screens the world preems of Christian Carion's Soviet fin de siecle drama "L'Affaire Farewell," Dev Benegal's traveling cinema ensemble pic "Road, Movie," and Claire McCarthy's India-set adoption drama "The Waiting City."

The international preems of Giuseppe Tornatore's small-town family epic "Baaria" and He Ping's war fable "Wheat" are also special presentations.

The program also includes the North American preems of helmer John Hillcoat's adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel "The Road" (starring Viggo Mortensen), the feature helming bow of designer Tom Ford "A Single Man" (Colin Firth, Julianne Moore), Miguel Arteta's adaptation of C.D. Payne's cult novel "Youth in Revolt" (Michael Cera), Arnaud Larrieu and Jean-Marie Larrieu's "Les Derniers jours du monde," and Ahmed Maher's "The Traveler" (Omar Sharif).

Werner Herzog's mystery of myth and madness "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done" receives its Canadian preem in special presentations.

Bassett sells Essential-repped 'Kane' to unfamiliar audience

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

There's a balance of power at every panel at Comic-Con, one between those presenting and those in attendance. And Saturday morning in Hall H featured a sharp shift between the two sides.

After "Lost" creators Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof teased the crowd with an hour's worth of hints about the upcoming season, the next panel assempled the producer, director and star of the upcoming "Solomon Kane" to sell the violent fantasy epic (one that currently doesn’t have a domestic distributor) to the relatively unengaged crowd, most of whom weren't at all familiar with the name.

But director Michael J. Bassett ("Deathwatch") came armed with at least 15 minutes of footage ("If I had my way I'd show you the whole movie, but they won't let me.") featuring star James Purefoy hacking and slashing his way through a 16th century Europe full of dark magic. Essentially a redemption tale, the titular Kane, from "Conan" creator Robert E. Howard, is a warrior seeking to make up for his violent past... with more violence, provided largely by swords and knives.

The panel worked hard to sell the film as a return to classic, old-school ‘80s fantasy. Said Bassett, "It's not a gimmicky picture, it's really a classic throwback -- people get hurt and the violence has a consequence." And they had a great time talking about the physical trials of the shoot, which included facial wounds from the sword-fighting and the freezing cold of the Czech Republic.

At the start of the panel, there weren't many cheers when moderator Quint of Ain't It Cool News asked who knew anything about the character. But the trailer got a strong reaction from the post-"Lost" crowd, even though wardrobe and styling choices meant that Solomon Kane bears an unfortunate resemblance to Hugh Jackman in "Van Helsing." And toward the end, they did get the crowd screaming for more clips -- but it’s unclear if the Comic-Con echo chamber will be in operation by the time this film gets a release.

Bassett beseeched the audience for support: "We need to make sure that there is a perception that this sort of movie will be seen." But while he cited "Lord of the Rings" as proof that there is an audience for adult-themed fantasy, he failed to note that people had heard of "Lord of the Rings" for more than 50 years beforehand.

Anchor Bay to release 'Stan Helsing' Comedy

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Anchor Bay battles 'Stan Helsing' comedy

Film will receive late 2009 release

By Gregg Kilday

July 24, 2009, 08:29 PM ET

Anchor Bay Entertainment has acquired North American distribution rights to the horror comedy "Stan Helsing," written and directed by Bo Zenga.

The movie will receive a targeted theatrical release during the fourth quarter of 2009 through the Anchor Bay Films label and will then be released on DVD in late October.

The spoof centers around a video store clerk named Stan Helsing, played by Steve Howey, who learns that he is a descendant of the monster hunter Van Helsing on Halloween night while making a routine video delivery. He finds himself in a battle with parodies of such movie monsters as Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, Pinhead, Michael Myers and Chucky.

Zenga, one of the exec producers of "Scary Movie," produced "Helsing" with Kirk Shaw and Scott Steindorff.

He joined the film's stars and creative team for a panel at Comic-Con on Friday to help launch the movie.

Solomon Kane to Premiere at Toronto Film Festival

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

'Jennifer's Body' to bow at Toronto

Diablo Cody pic to screen at Midnight Madness

By JENNIE PUNTER

The Toronto Film Festival has snagged the world preem of "Jennifer's Body," starring Megan Fox and helmed by Karyn Kusama ("Girlfight"), to open its popular genre program Midnight Madness Sept. 10. Script, about a murderous high-school cheerleader, was penned by Diablo Cody. Twentieth Century Fox opens the pic wide Sept. 18. The fest announced Midnight Madness' 10-strong lineup, a slate of 17 docs, the experimental Wavelength program and two new People's Choice awards -- for docus and Midnight Madness pics -- Tuesday morning. Midnight world preems include: "George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead" (released by E1 in Canada), which programmer Colin Geddes calls "a social parable that happens to have zombies"; helmer Rick Jacobson's campy "Bitch Slap," with action orchestrated by Kiwi stunt legend Zoe Bell ("Xena"); and Michael J. Bassett's 16th-century swashbuckling "Solomon Kane," based on a story by Robert E. Howard ("Conan"). Co-helmers Michael and Peter Spierig's "Daybreakers" (Lionsgate), a sci-fi vampire actioner starring Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill, also world preems at midnight. International preems include Sean Byrne's Aussie prom horror "The Loved Ones" and Japanese comedy superstar Hitoshi Matsumoto's "Symbol," while Stephane Aubier and Vincent Patar's "A Town Called Panic" (the first stop-motion pic to preem at Cannes) and Spanish virus horror "[REC] 2" get their North American preems. Martial arts epic "Ong Bak 2" receives its Canuck preem. Hot docs include the world preems of "Collapse," a portrait of radical futurist Michael Ruppert from helmer Chris Smith ("American Movie"); Carter Gunn and Ross McDonnell's debut "Colony," about U.S. beekeepers coping with colony collapse disorder; Andrew James and Joshua Ligairi's "Cleanflix" (scandals erupt when Utah entrepreneurs clean up Hollywood pics for Mormon audiences); Don Argott's art-world whodunit "The Art of the Steal"; and Emmett Malloy's intimate rock docu "The White Stripes Under the Great White Northern Lights." This year's box-office success of "Earth" may turn eyes toward Nick Stringer's underwater odyssey "Turtle: The Incredible Journey," while Erik Gandini's look at Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's media empire, "Videocracy," should entice buyers. "More than any previous year, this year's documentaries play off the headlines," said programmer Thom Powers, who cites "Bassidji," Mehran Tamadon's immersive three-year journey to understand Iranian extremists, as just one of several docus "ahead of the curve." Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein's (" Gunner Palace ") "How to Fold a Flag," Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith's "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers," Mark Levin's garment town saga "Schmatta: Rags to Riches" and Mexican legal thriller "Presumed Guilty," co-directed by attorneys Roberto Hernandez and Geoffrey Smith, also world preem in Toronto. The remaining doc slate includes: Jeff Stilson's HBO-produced Chris Rock-starrer "Good Hair" (Roadside), Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medtra's "Inferno," Zippi Brand Frank's "Google Baby," Vikram Jayanti's "Snowblind" and Leanne Pooley's "The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls." Canuck and additional high profile U.S. and international docs will be announced later this summer. Wavelengths' six programs of 25 avant-garde films and video includes new works by Jean-Luc Godard, Michael Snow, Jean-Marie Straub and Lisandro Alonso, and the world preem of celebrated Chicago-based helmer Ben Russell's feature bow "Let Each One Go Where He May." The Toronto Film Festival runs Sept. 10-19.

Afterdark Films Acquires Dread, Sets U.S. Release Date

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

CLIVE BARKER CREATES A SENSE OF “DREAD” FOR
AFTER DARK FILMS’ HORRORFEST 4® LATEST ACQUISITION

–Directorial debut of Anthony DiBlasi in the
“8 Films To Die For”® Festival set for January 29, 2010–

Los Angeles, CA (July 21, 2009) — After Dark Films CEO Courtney Solomon announces the latest addition to After Dark Films’ Horrorfest®4 lineup today in Hollywood. Anthony DiBlasi directs his own script of the eagerly anticipated Clive Barker tale, “DREAD,” which goes out to theatres January 29, 2010 as part of After Dark Films Horrorfest®4 “8 Films To Die For”.

DREAD is the second film in the Book of Blood franchise. The action follows three college students who set out to produce a documentary about fear, only to find themselves the subjects of an experiment in terror. DiBlasi, a producing partner of Barker’s on such films as Book of Blood and Midnight Meat Train, makes his directorial debut with DREAD, working from his own screenplay. Jackson Rathbone (Twilight Saga and The Last Airbender) stars alongside Shaun Evans (Boy A), Hanne Steen and Laura Donnelly.

Clive Barker is a versatile artist and pop culture icon who hardly needs introduction to legions of fans worldwide. An author, director and producer, the English born Barker is renowned for his horror fiction and fantasy writings. The creator of the Hellraiser and Candyman series, Barker is also an acclaimed visual artist and distinguished playwright.

After Dark Films CEO Courtney Solomon calls the production “relentlessly disturbing and truly scary,” adding, “We are thrilled to have beaten the competition on this film as we just HAD to have it for Horrorfest!”
"Anthony, Clive, Joe and I couldn’t be more excited about After Dark featuring DREAD in this year’s festival, and handling its national release,” said Jorge Saralegui of Midnight Picture Show. “Their legendary, provocative marketing campaigns make them the perfect partners for a sexy and intense psycho-thriller like DREAD.”

Nigel Thomas of Matador Pictures added, “We’re delighted to be involved with After Dark. DREAD is a real crowd-pleaser and there’s nobody better to showcase it to our audience.”

Dread was produced by Clive Barker, Joe Daley and Jorge Saralegui of Midnight Picture Show, Nigel Thomas and Charlotte Walls of Matador Pictures and Lauri Apelian of Ocean Sky Entertainment. Essential Entertainment CEO Jere Hausfater and Director of Sales and Distribution, Mark Padilla, negotiated the deal on behalf of the producers with Dana Lambert, VP of Acquisitions at After Dark Films.

Both Barker and DiBlasi are repped by APA and Evolution Management.

After Dark Horrorfest® 4 runs for one week in theatres across the United States, from January 29nd through February 5th, making it the largest film festival in the nation.

Essential Represents "Gross National Happiness"

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

"Happiness" in Bhutan

Peter Cattaneo ("The Rocker") will direct "Gross National Happiness," an exploration of golfing in Bhutan, for National Geographic Films.

National Geographic is financing the movie through its partnership with Imagenation Abu Dhabi. The banner's aiming to begin production early next year. Lloyd Segan and Shawn Piller ("The Dead Zone") will produce for Piller/Segan/Shepherd, along with Adam Fratto. National Geographic Films prexy Adam Leipzig will produce, and Laura Lodin will also have a producing role; in addition, Matt Wool, who originated the project, will produce with Scott Goldman ("My Sister's Keeper"). Story, penned by Yuri Zeltser and Grace Cary Bickley ("Spinning Boris"), centers on Carl Marinello, who tutored Bhutan's golf team for the 1986 Asian Games, at which Bhutan finished ahead of China. "Gross National Happiness" refers to Bhutan's efforts -- launched in the early 1970s -- to officially measure happiness in terms of Buddhist spiritual values. Essential Entertainment, led by Jere Hausfater, is handling international sales as part of an overall deal with National Geographic. Imagenation's $100 million deal with National Georgraphic calls for producing 10-15 features in the $5 million-$60 million budget range over five years. Cattaneo's also directed "The Full Monty" and "Opal Dream."

Anticipated Clive Barker adaptations premiere at Fantasia.

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

FANTASIA is proud to present director John Harrison in person for the North American premiere of BOOK OF BLOOD. Frequent Romero collaborator, film composer and Tales From the Darkside director John Harrison takes on some of the most daunting tales from Clive Barker's much-beloved Books of Blood collection to fashion a startling horror film with the blackest of hearts.

Taking the affecting and grotesque Clive Barker stories "Book of Blood" and "On Jerusalem Street" and meshing them into a single narrative, BOOK OF BLOOD is about a paranormal specialist bent on unlocking the mysteries of a notorious murder site, and her exploitation of a reluctantly clairvoyant boy who has a horrifying (and somewhat poignant) means of communicating with the dead.

BOOK OF BLOOD was produced by Anthony DiBlasi (who also produced last year's relentless MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN), who makes his own directorial debut at Fantasia with the World Premiere of DREAD, the story of a thesis project gone horribly awry - also hailing from the Books of Blood collection. A young student of philosophy (Shaun Evans)is determined to exorcise his own demons - left over from witnessing the murder of his parents as a child - by studying people's deepest, darkest fears.

Both films screen only once at Fantasia so be sure to see them on the big screen and participate in the post-screening Q&A with the directors while you have the opportunity!

Fantasia Film Fest Schedule Coming, First Titles Announced

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

On Friday, July 3, the folks at Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival will announce the schedule for the 13th edition of their international event, which takes place July 9-29 at Concordia’s Hall and J.A. de Séve theaters. The fest will screen nearly 200 new genre feature films and shorts, a number of which we can share with you now.

The impressive lineup includes ORPHAN, the new effort by HOUSE OF WAX helmer Jaume Collet-Serra; Michael Dougherty’s eagerly awaited anthology TRICK ’R TREAT; the Clive Barker adaptations DREAD (world premiere) and BOOK OF BLOOD; England’s LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS and THE CHILDREN; Park Chan-wook’s New Age vampire movie THIRST; the disturbing pregnancy chiller GRACE; the twisted zombie thriller DEADGIRL; Glenn McQuaid’s period body-snatcher romp I SELL THE DEAD; Coffin Joe’s comeback vehicle EMBODIMENT OF EVIL (hosted by the Brazilian horror star, who will receive a Fantasia Lifetime Achievement Award); the subtle Irish ghost story THE ECLIPSE, a hit at the recent Tribeca Film Festival; Norway’s zombie opus DEAD SNOW; the David Hess-starrer SMASH CUT; Adam Mason’s new shocker BLOOD RIVER; and tons of Asian actioners (too many to mention), anime (ditto!) and Japanese flicks like NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE 2, OROCHI: BLOOD, VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL, SUICIDE CLUB director Sion Sono’s LOVE EXPOSURE and Takashi Miike’s YATTERMAN. Plus, there will be many surprise guests, events and visiting filmmakers. See the site linked above for more details.

Freestyle to release 'My One and Only'

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Freestyle to release 'My One and Only'

Richard Loncraine film based on George Hamilton's early life

By Gregg Kilday

June 17, 2009, 09:36 AM ET

Freestyle Releasing will distribute Herrick Entertainment's "My One and Only."

Richard Loncraine's feature, starring Renee Zellweger, Kevin Bacon and Logan Lerman, will open with an exclusive release on Aug. 21 in New York and Los Angeles before expanding to the top 20 markets on Sept. 4.

Written by Charlie Peters and loosely based on the early life of George Hamilton, the film stars Zellweger as Anne Devereaux, a woman who leaves her philandering bandleader husband in New York and takes her two teenage sons across the country as she searches for a new, and wealthy, mate.

The cast also includes Eric McCormack, Chris Noth, Mark Rendall, Nick Stahl and Steven Weber.

The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, where it was awarded Special Mention by the independent jury. Zellweger was also been named best actress at the Milan International Film Festival.

"One" is a Herrick Entertainment presentation of a Raygun Prod., in association with Merv Griffin Entertainment and George Hamilton Prods. Aaron Ryder and Norton Herrick produced. Exec producers are George Hamilton, Elayne Herrick and Michael Herrick.