Recovery Road, a teen drama revolving around one girl’s struggle to overcome addiction, will not be coming back for a second season at Freeform.
The newly rebranded network, formerly ABC Family, aired the 10-episode first season earlier this year, finishing it out in March. Unlike network brethren Pretty Little Liars, Switched at Birth, and The Fosters, the scarcely promoted show didn’t catch on with viewers and – despite mixed-to-positive reviews – barely registered with the mainstream.
Writer Holly Sorenson broke the bad news over Twitter earlier today.
i am as proud of @RecoveryRoad as anything ive done and i didn’t create it. im heartbroken it ends after ten amazing episodes.
— Holly Sorensen (@HollyBSorensen) May 14, 2016
Freeform’s silence about a future for the series seemed to indicate that a renewal was unlikely, but the network is an odd duck in the same vein as The CW, targeting a very specific...
The newly rebranded network, formerly ABC Family, aired the 10-episode first season earlier this year, finishing it out in March. Unlike network brethren Pretty Little Liars, Switched at Birth, and The Fosters, the scarcely promoted show didn’t catch on with viewers and – despite mixed-to-positive reviews – barely registered with the mainstream.
Writer Holly Sorenson broke the bad news over Twitter earlier today.
i am as proud of @RecoveryRoad as anything ive done and i didn’t create it. im heartbroken it ends after ten amazing episodes.
— Holly Sorensen (@HollyBSorensen) May 14, 2016
Freeform’s silence about a future for the series seemed to indicate that a renewal was unlikely, but the network is an odd duck in the same vein as The CW, targeting a very specific...
- 5/14/2016
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
Six episodes were provided prior to broadcast.
I stand by my praise of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt‘s peerlessly bizarre freshman season. Co-creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock created a world that not only felt weirdly truthful as its characters ran rampant through satisfying emotional beats, but was just plain weird. Robot maids were killed off, Don Draper was a maniacal cult leader, and ATMs gave out negative dollar bills. To put it plainly, Netflix saved a show that undoubtedly would never have seen its due on NBC. The cherry on top was a central theme of individuality, polished to a shine thanks to some welcomely diverse personalities that could have veered into grating stereotypes in lesser hands.
Now that Fey and Carlock have the canvas to run rampant with Netflix’s nebulous time restraints, not to mention a newly devout fanbase that knows the ins and outs of every Peeno...
I stand by my praise of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt‘s peerlessly bizarre freshman season. Co-creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock created a world that not only felt weirdly truthful as its characters ran rampant through satisfying emotional beats, but was just plain weird. Robot maids were killed off, Don Draper was a maniacal cult leader, and ATMs gave out negative dollar bills. To put it plainly, Netflix saved a show that undoubtedly would never have seen its due on NBC. The cherry on top was a central theme of individuality, polished to a shine thanks to some welcomely diverse personalities that could have veered into grating stereotypes in lesser hands.
Now that Fey and Carlock have the canvas to run rampant with Netflix’s nebulous time restraints, not to mention a newly devout fanbase that knows the ins and outs of every Peeno...
- 4/13/2016
- by Mitchel Broussard
- We Got This Covered
ABC Family has a new name -- Freeform -- and the executives are hoping their new programming will attract lots of new viewers. Will Recovery Road be a hit or a miss for the cable channel? Will it be cancelled or renewed for a second season? Stay tuned.
Based on a young adult novel by Blake Nelson, Recovery Road focuses on Maddie Graham (Jessica Sula), a teenage girl who's dealing with addiction. Maddie has a reputation as a party girl who doesn’t think she has a problem -- until she’s confronted one day by her school guidance counselor. Maddie's forced to choose between expulsion and going to rehab for 90 days. She decides to live with other recovering addicts at a sober living facility while facing the daily pressures of her teenage life at school. The rest of the cast includes Sebastian de Souza, Alexis Carra, Daniel...
Based on a young adult novel by Blake Nelson, Recovery Road focuses on Maddie Graham (Jessica Sula), a teenage girl who's dealing with addiction. Maddie has a reputation as a party girl who doesn’t think she has a problem -- until she’s confronted one day by her school guidance counselor. Maddie's forced to choose between expulsion and going to rehab for 90 days. She decides to live with other recovering addicts at a sober living facility while facing the daily pressures of her teenage life at school. The rest of the cast includes Sebastian de Souza, Alexis Carra, Daniel...
- 1/27/2016
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
[caption id="attachment_43158" align="aligncenter" width="590"] ABC Family/Bob D'Amico/caption]Network: Freeform
Episodes: Ongoing (hour)
Seasons: Ongoing
TV show dates: January 25, 2016 -- present
Series status: Has not been cancelled
Performers include: Jessica Sula, Sebastian de Souza, Alexis Carra, Daniel Franzese, Kyla Pratt, David Witts, Caroline Sunshine, and Sharon Leal.
TV show description:
A teen drama, this TV show is based on the young adult novel by Blake Nelson.
The series focuses on Maddie Graham (Jessica Sula), a teenage girl dealing with addiction. Maddie has a reputation as a party girl who doesn’t think she has a problem -- until she’s confronted one day by her school guidance counselor, Cynthia Molina (Alexis Carra). Maddie's then forced to choose between expulsion and going to rehab for 90 days.
Read More…...
Episodes: Ongoing (hour)
Seasons: Ongoing
TV show dates: January 25, 2016 -- present
Series status: Has not been cancelled
Performers include: Jessica Sula, Sebastian de Souza, Alexis Carra, Daniel Franzese, Kyla Pratt, David Witts, Caroline Sunshine, and Sharon Leal.
TV show description:
A teen drama, this TV show is based on the young adult novel by Blake Nelson.
The series focuses on Maddie Graham (Jessica Sula), a teenage girl dealing with addiction. Maddie has a reputation as a party girl who doesn’t think she has a problem -- until she’s confronted one day by her school guidance counselor, Cynthia Molina (Alexis Carra). Maddie's then forced to choose between expulsion and going to rehab for 90 days.
Read More…...
- 1/26/2016
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Three episodes were provided prior to broadcast.
When a teen show takes on subject matter a shade darker than the average high school politics or love triangles, it can often be a recipe for disaster. Overacting and melodramatic music can plague even the best of shows, leaving teen audiences with a warped view of what it actually means to go through struggles such as the death of a loved one or, in this case, addiction.
Well, don’t judge Freeform’s Recovery Road, which premieres Monday, Jan. 25 and is adapted from the book by Blake Nelson, by its synopsis. Yes, the series focuses on addiction, particularly that of a party girl named Maddie (Jessica Shula), but it manages to save itself from becoming overtly cheesy or preachy by focusing on its protagonist and taking a more realist approach to the behavior of its teen players.
When we first meet her,...
When a teen show takes on subject matter a shade darker than the average high school politics or love triangles, it can often be a recipe for disaster. Overacting and melodramatic music can plague even the best of shows, leaving teen audiences with a warped view of what it actually means to go through struggles such as the death of a loved one or, in this case, addiction.
Well, don’t judge Freeform’s Recovery Road, which premieres Monday, Jan. 25 and is adapted from the book by Blake Nelson, by its synopsis. Yes, the series focuses on addiction, particularly that of a party girl named Maddie (Jessica Shula), but it manages to save itself from becoming overtly cheesy or preachy by focusing on its protagonist and taking a more realist approach to the behavior of its teen players.
When we first meet her,...
- 1/22/2016
- by Samantha White
- We Got This Covered
[caption id="attachment_41364" align="aligncenter" width="590"] (ABC Family/Eric McCandless)Sharon Leal, Jessica Sula, Alexis Carra/caption]
ABC Family (which rebrands as Freeform January 12) announced the first three episodes of new drama Recovery Road are now available on Watch ABC Family app, Hulu, and Video on Demand, until the series premiere. The first episode, “Blackout,” will also be available as a free digital download on iTunes, Amazon Video, and Google Play. Watch two new previews, below.
Based on the Ya novel by Blake Nelson, Recovery Road focuses on a teenage girl, Maddie (Jessica Sula), living with addiction. In addition to Sula, the cast includes Sebastian De Souza, Sharon Leal, Alexis Carra, Kyla Pratt, Daniel Franzese, and David Witts. The show debuts Monday, January 25, at 9:00pm Et/Pt on Freeform.
Read More…...
ABC Family (which rebrands as Freeform January 12) announced the first three episodes of new drama Recovery Road are now available on Watch ABC Family app, Hulu, and Video on Demand, until the series premiere. The first episode, “Blackout,” will also be available as a free digital download on iTunes, Amazon Video, and Google Play. Watch two new previews, below.
Based on the Ya novel by Blake Nelson, Recovery Road focuses on a teenage girl, Maddie (Jessica Sula), living with addiction. In addition to Sula, the cast includes Sebastian De Souza, Sharon Leal, Alexis Carra, Kyla Pratt, Daniel Franzese, and David Witts. The show debuts Monday, January 25, at 9:00pm Et/Pt on Freeform.
Read More…...
- 12/19/2015
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Arrow is bringing one of DC Comics’ most animated characters to life.
Megalyn Echikunwoke will appear on the CW drama as the live-action version of Mari McCabe, the protagonist of CW Seed’s cartoon web series Vixen that she also voices.
PhotosRevisiting Arrow‘s Killer Mystery: The Latest Survival Odds for Felicity, Lance, Oliver’s Baby Mama and 9 Others
According to TVInsider, Mari — who has the power to mimic any animal — will make her Arrow debut in Episode 15, tentatively scheduled for Feb. 24.
Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…
* Originally scheduled for Jan. 29, Banshee‘s fourth and final...
Megalyn Echikunwoke will appear on the CW drama as the live-action version of Mari McCabe, the protagonist of CW Seed’s cartoon web series Vixen that she also voices.
PhotosRevisiting Arrow‘s Killer Mystery: The Latest Survival Odds for Felicity, Lance, Oliver’s Baby Mama and 9 Others
According to TVInsider, Mari — who has the power to mimic any animal — will make her Arrow debut in Episode 15, tentatively scheduled for Feb. 24.
Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…
* Originally scheduled for Jan. 29, Banshee‘s fourth and final...
- 12/18/2015
- TVLine.com
Tim Blake Nelson’s last film, Leaves of Grass, was released five years ago. Since then, the award-winning actor, writer and director has been busy acting in indies such as James Franco’s take on As I Lay Dying, big-budget films such as Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln and on Netflix with an ongoing role in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Anesthesia, Blake Nelson’s latest film as writer-director, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year and was later picked up by IFC Films. The drama, starring Kristen Stewart and Sam Waterston, alongside Blake Nelson, Glenn Close, Gretchen Mol, Corey Stoll and Michael K. Williams, will hit theaters and on demand on January […]...
- 12/14/2015
- by Paula Bernstein
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Tim Blake Nelson’s last film, Leaves of Grass, was released five years ago. Since then, the award-winning actor, writer and director has been busy acting in indies such as James Franco’s take on As I Lay Dying, big-budget films such as Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln and on Netflix with an ongoing role in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Anesthesia, Blake Nelson’s latest film as writer-director, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year and was later picked up by IFC Films. The drama, starring Kristen Stewart and Sam Waterston, alongside Blake Nelson, Glenn Close, Gretchen Mol, Corey Stoll and Michael K. Williams, will hit theaters and on demand on January […]...
- 12/14/2015
- by Paula Bernstein
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
As ABC Family prepares for the January name change to Freeform, the network has unveiled its winter premiere dates, among them the new series Recovery Road, which bows Monday, January 25. Based on the young-adult novel by Blake Nelson, it follows a teenage girl’s struggle with addiction. After being confronted by her school guidance counselor, Maddie (Jessica Sula) is forced to choose between rehab and being expelled, and she subsequently moves into a sober-living…...
- 11/24/2015
- Deadline TV
Netflix sure knows how to pick them…maybe? With Beasts of No Nation premiering two weeks ago in theaters and on the streaming site to substantial praise, the world most likely forgot that Netflix’s next film that they produced and will distribute is anything but their first project. Well, it’s time to be reminded. The first trailer for the Adam Sandler comedy The Ridiculous 6 dropped today, and it may serve as a huge disappointment to viewers who expected Netflix’s next film to not be this most likely offensive comedy western. Here’s the synopsis:
An outlaw who was raised by Native Americans discovers that he has five half-brothers; together the men go on a mission to find their wayward, deadbeat dad.
The cast is as absurd as the content the trailer provides, with Rob Schneider, Terry Crews, Luke Wilson, Taylor Lautner, and Jorge Garcia playing Sandler...
An outlaw who was raised by Native Americans discovers that he has five half-brothers; together the men go on a mission to find their wayward, deadbeat dad.
The cast is as absurd as the content the trailer provides, with Rob Schneider, Terry Crews, Luke Wilson, Taylor Lautner, and Jorge Garcia playing Sandler...
- 10/27/2015
- by Sarah Pearce Lord
- SoundOnSight
Here's one of those 'This'll make you feel old' factoids - it's two years since the last ever episode of Skins aired.
E4's groundbreaking hormone-fest wrapped up on August 5, 2013 - with an older Cook (Jack O'Connell) heading off into an uncertain future at the close of 'Rise (Part Two)'.
Cook was but one of 27 major characters featured on Skins across three 'Generations' - in a total of 61 episodes, split into seven series. But where are the teen tearaways of Roundview College now?
Generation One
1. Nicholas Hoult
Hoult played Tony Stonem - the pre-eminent bad boy of Skins - across its first two series. Later badly hurt in a traffic accident and forced to rely on others, Tony had mellowed by his final episodes.
Now aged 25, Hoult has become a bona-fide Hollywood star with roles in this year's Mad Max: Fury Road and the much-anticipated book adaptations Dark Places and Kill Your Friends.
E4's groundbreaking hormone-fest wrapped up on August 5, 2013 - with an older Cook (Jack O'Connell) heading off into an uncertain future at the close of 'Rise (Part Two)'.
Cook was but one of 27 major characters featured on Skins across three 'Generations' - in a total of 61 episodes, split into seven series. But where are the teen tearaways of Roundview College now?
Generation One
1. Nicholas Hoult
Hoult played Tony Stonem - the pre-eminent bad boy of Skins - across its first two series. Later badly hurt in a traffic accident and forced to rely on others, Tony had mellowed by his final episodes.
Now aged 25, Hoult has become a bona-fide Hollywood star with roles in this year's Mad Max: Fury Road and the much-anticipated book adaptations Dark Places and Kill Your Friends.
- 8/4/2015
- Digital Spy
Mischa Barton is back.
The O.C. actress is returning to the small screen to guest-star in ABC Family's new drama Recovery Road, the network tells People exclusively.
The show is based on the Y.A. novels by Blake Nelson and follows a group of teens recovering from addiction at a rehab center, Springtime Meadows.
Jessica Sula (Skins), Kyla Pratt (One on One), Sebastian de Souza (The Borgias), Sharon Leal (Dreamgirls), David Witts (Eastenders), Lindsay Pearce (The Glee Project) and Daniel Franzese (Looking, but most importantly, Damian "I Want My Pink Shirt Back" in Mean Girls) lead the cast.
The O.C. actress is returning to the small screen to guest-star in ABC Family's new drama Recovery Road, the network tells People exclusively.
The show is based on the Y.A. novels by Blake Nelson and follows a group of teens recovering from addiction at a rehab center, Springtime Meadows.
Jessica Sula (Skins), Kyla Pratt (One on One), Sebastian de Souza (The Borgias), Sharon Leal (Dreamgirls), David Witts (Eastenders), Lindsay Pearce (The Glee Project) and Daniel Franzese (Looking, but most importantly, Damian "I Want My Pink Shirt Back" in Mean Girls) lead the cast.
- 5/18/2015
- by Michele Corriston, @mcorriston
- People.com - TV Watch
ABC Family reports that production has begun on their new dramatic series Recovery Road. Based on the popular young adult novel by Blake Nelson, the show will star Jessica Sula, Sharon Leal, Alexis Carra, Kyla Pratt, Daniel Franzese, and David Witts.
Here's the press release:
ABC Family Starts Production On New Drama Series "Recovery Road"
Burbank, CA (April 24, 2015) - Production began this week in Los Angeles for the new ABC Family original drama series "Recovery Road," the compelling story of a teenage girl's struggle with addiction. Lawrence Trilling ("Parenthood") is directing the episode, which will debut in 2016.
(more…)...
Here's the press release:
ABC Family Starts Production On New Drama Series "Recovery Road"
Burbank, CA (April 24, 2015) - Production began this week in Los Angeles for the new ABC Family original drama series "Recovery Road," the compelling story of a teenage girl's struggle with addiction. Lawrence Trilling ("Parenthood") is directing the episode, which will debut in 2016.
(more…)...
- 4/24/2015
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
The Fantastic Four reboot lands this August - and here's some new footage from it...
A new trailer for director Josh Trank's upcoming reboot of Fantastic Four has landed. This one's been released in Japan, and repeats some of the material from the maiden trailer that was premiered earlier in the year.
However, there is new footage to be found here. So we'd best let you get on and watch it...
The details, then. Fantastic Four stars Michael B Jordan, Miles teller, Kate Mara, Toby Kebbell, Jamie Bell and Tim Blake Nelson. The screenplay has come from Simon Kinberg, and the movie is due to land in cinemas at the start of August. More on it in due course...
Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
Movies Trailer Simon Brew Fantastic Four 4 Apr 2015 - 23:25 Josh TrankMichael B...
A new trailer for director Josh Trank's upcoming reboot of Fantastic Four has landed. This one's been released in Japan, and repeats some of the material from the maiden trailer that was premiered earlier in the year.
However, there is new footage to be found here. So we'd best let you get on and watch it...
The details, then. Fantastic Four stars Michael B Jordan, Miles teller, Kate Mara, Toby Kebbell, Jamie Bell and Tim Blake Nelson. The screenplay has come from Simon Kinberg, and the movie is due to land in cinemas at the start of August. More on it in due course...
Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
Movies Trailer Simon Brew Fantastic Four 4 Apr 2015 - 23:25 Josh TrankMichael B...
- 4/4/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
ABC Family has rounded out the cast for its drama Recovery Road, which was picked up to series in December. British actor David Witts (EastEnders) has joined as a series regular, and Lindsay Pearce (The Wedding Ringer) has been tapped for a recurring role. Written by Bert V. Royal and Karen Diconcetto based on the popular young-adult novel by Blake Nelson, Recovery Road centers on Maddie (Jessica Sula), a party girl and a highly functioning addict who doesn't think she…...
- 3/7/2015
- Deadline TV
ABC Family has ordered another original TV series -- Recovery Road. Based on the young adult novel by Blake Nelson, the series will follow a teenage girl who's dealing with addiction. The cast will be announced at a later date.
Here's their press release:
ABC Family Adds To Its Ever-growing Slate Of Original Programming With A New Scripted Drama "Recovery Road"
Burbank, CA (December 16, 2014) - ABC Family has picked up a new scripted drama to series "Recovery Road," announced today by Karey Burke, Executive Vice President, Programming and Development, ABC Family. This announcement comes on the heels of the recently announced pick-up of the docu-series "My Transparent Life," as the network continues to grow its impressive slate of original programming.
Based on the popular young adult novel by Blake Nelson, "Recovery Road" focuses on a teenage girl...
Here's their press release:
ABC Family Adds To Its Ever-growing Slate Of Original Programming With A New Scripted Drama "Recovery Road"
Burbank, CA (December 16, 2014) - ABC Family has picked up a new scripted drama to series "Recovery Road," announced today by Karey Burke, Executive Vice President, Programming and Development, ABC Family. This announcement comes on the heels of the recently announced pick-up of the docu-series "My Transparent Life," as the network continues to grow its impressive slate of original programming.
Based on the popular young adult novel by Blake Nelson, "Recovery Road" focuses on a teenage girl...
- 12/17/2014
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
ABC Family junkies, prepare for your next major addiction — wildly inappropriate puns intended.
The network on Tuesday announced a series order for Recovery Road, an hour-long drama about Maddie, a teen party girl who’s suddenly faced with a life-changing ultimatum: rehab or expulsion. But how long can she keep her new digs — a rehab facility amongst other addicts — a secret from the other kids at school?
Written by Bert V. Royal (Easy A) and Karen Diconcetto (Ruby & the Rockits), Recovery Road is based on Blake Nelson’s novel of the same title.
No casting or scheduling information is available at this time.
The network on Tuesday announced a series order for Recovery Road, an hour-long drama about Maddie, a teen party girl who’s suddenly faced with a life-changing ultimatum: rehab or expulsion. But how long can she keep her new digs — a rehab facility amongst other addicts — a secret from the other kids at school?
Written by Bert V. Royal (Easy A) and Karen Diconcetto (Ruby & the Rockits), Recovery Road is based on Blake Nelson’s novel of the same title.
No casting or scheduling information is available at this time.
- 12/16/2014
- TVLine.com
ABC Family is moving forward with Recovery Road. The drama, originally picked up to pilot in March and redeveloped in September, has been picked up to series, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Based on the popular young-adult novel by Blake Nelson, Recovery Road focuses on a teenage girl dealing with addiction. Maddie has a reputation as a party girl who doesn’t think she has a problem, until she’s confronted one day by her school guidance counselor and forced to choose between expulsion and rehab. Maddie ultimately makes the decision to live with other recovering addicts at a rehab facility while facing
read more...
read more...
- 12/16/2014
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Sebastian De Souza (UK’s Skins, Showtime’s The Borgias) has been cast as the male lead opposite Samantha Logan, and Mixology‘s Alexis Carra is set to co-star in ABC Family’s drama pilot Recovery Road, based on Blake Nelson’s novel about a teenage girl dealing with addiction. Written by Bert V. Royal and Karen Diconcetto, the project centers on party girl high school student Maddie Graham (Logan) who spends her nights at a rehab facility. Related: 2014 ABC Family Pilots De Souza plays the mysterious, bad-boy type Wes Stewart, another patient in rehab to whom Maddie is immediately attracted. Carra, repped by SMS Talent and J.C. Robbins, plays Cynthia McDermott, the high school guidance counselor who discovers Maddie’s problem and sends her to rehab. For obvious reasons, she and Maddie have a contentious relationship. Brit De Souza, repped by Magnolia Entertainment, ICM Partners and Waring and McKenna in London,...
- 6/4/2014
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
The Headless Horseman will be back. British actor Neil Jackson, who guest starred in Episode 7 of the first season of the drama Sleepy Hollow, is set to heavily recur on the Fox series in Season 2. He will reprise his role as Abraham Von Brunt aka the Headless Horseman. Jackson is repped by Evolution Entertainment Partners, Paradigm, Troika, and attorney Steve Younger. Related: Fox 2014 Schedule Shake It Up alumna Caroline Sunshine has landed a series regular role opposite Samantha Logan in ABC Family’s drama pilot Recovery Road, based on Blake Nelson’s novel about a teenage girl dealing with addiction. Written by Bert V. Royal and Karen Diconcetto, the project centers on party girl high school student Maddie Graham (Logan), who spends her nights at a rehab facility. Sunshine, repped by Innovative Artists and Hirsch Wallerstein, will play Emily Owenby, Maddie’s best friend since childhood who’s becoming increasingly concerned about Maddie’s partying.
- 5/22/2014
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Kyla Pratt (Dr. Doolittle) and Justin Prentice (Malibu Country) have been cast as series regulars opposite Samantha Logan on ABC Family’s drama pilot Recovery Road, based on Blake Nelson’s novel about a teenage girl dealing with addiction. Written by Bert V. Royal and Karen Diconcetto, the project centers on Maddie Graham (Logan) who has a reputation as a party girl and doesn’t think she has a problem, until she’s confronted by her school guidance counselor and forced to choose between expulsion and rehab. Maddie opts to spend her nights living with other recovering addicts at a rehab facility, and her days pretending everything is perfectly normal among her high school classmates and her closest friend. Pratt, repped by Stone Manners Salners, will play Trish Collins, Maddie’s roommate at the rehab facility. Prentice will play Dallas, the uber-popular, devious and Machiavellian yet sentimental high school bad boy.
- 5/8/2014
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Exclusive: Samantha Logan, who has been recurring on ABC Family series Melissa & Joey, has been cast as the lead of the network’s drama pilot Recovery Road, based on Blake Nelson’s novel about a teenage girl dealing with addiction. Written by Bert V. Royal and Karen Diconcetto, the project centers on Maddie Graham (Logan). She has a reputation as a party girl who doesn’t think she has a problem, until she’s confronted by her school guidance counselor and forced to choose between expulsion and rehab. Maddie opts to spend her nights living with other recovering addicts at a rehab facility, and her days pretending everything is perfectly normal among her high school classmates and her closest friends. Larry Trilling is directing the pilot, which is executive produced by Beth Miller, Craig Piligian and Danielle Von Zerneck. 666 Park Ave alumna Logan, repped by Innovative Artists, recently wrapped Disney’s Alexander And The Terrible.
- 5/6/2014
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
ABC Family has given a pilot order to the paranormal procedural drama pilot Stitchers. Written by Jeffrey A. Schecter (Overruled!), the drama “follows a young woman recruited into a covert government agency to be “stitched” into the minds of the recently deceased, using their memories to investigate murders and decipher mysteries that otherwise would have gone to the grave.”
The order comes a month after the family cable network axed the drama pilot Alice in Arabia when it received significant backlash from Muslim civil liberties organizations for its plotlines and portrayals of the community.
Stitchers joins previously announced drama pilots Recovery Road,...
The order comes a month after the family cable network axed the drama pilot Alice in Arabia when it received significant backlash from Muslim civil liberties organizations for its plotlines and portrayals of the community.
Stitchers joins previously announced drama pilots Recovery Road,...
- 4/18/2014
- by Stephanie Robbins
- EW - Inside TV
ABC Family has handed out a pilot order to drama Stitchers. Written by Jeffrey A. Schechter (Overruled), Stitchers follows a young woman recruited into a covert government agency to be “stitched” into the minds of the recently deceased, using their memories to investigate murders and decipher mysteries that otherwise would have gone to the grave. Schechter executive produces alongside Jonathan Baruch and Rob Wolken. Production is slated to begin in June. ABC Family got a vacancy on its drama pilot slate when the network pulled the plug on Saudi Arabia-set Alice In Arabia four days after greenlighting it to pilot after pressure from a Muslim advocacy group. Stitchers joins two other recently picked up ABC Family drama pilots: Recovery Road, based on Blake Nelson’s novel about a teenage girl dealing with addiction, and Unstrung, about a brother-sister tennis player duo. Schechteris with Resolution.
- 4/18/2014
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
ABC Family is growing its original programming slate. In addition to renewing sitcoms "Melissa & Joey" and "Baby Daddy" for fourth seasons, the network has given the greenlight to three new drama pilots: “Alice in Arabia,” “Recovery Road” and “Unstrung.” “These three powerful new dramas are a great fit with ABC Family’s brand of original programming known for diverse stories that challenge as well as entertain our viewers,” commented ABC Family President Tom Ascheim. “We’re also delighted to produce more episodes of ‘Melissa & Joey’ and ‘Baby Daddy,’ two series that together have helped ABC Family establish a strong comedy block that continues to make our audience laugh out loud.” Following is a brief roundup of the three new dramas: - "Alice in Arabia": After being kidnapped by her extended family in Saudi Arabia and forced to live in her grandfather's royal compound there, a rebellious American teenage girl...
- 3/17/2014
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
ABC Family has renewed its comedies Melissa & Joey and Baby Daddy for fourth seasons, and also announced it has ordered three drama pilots.
The new dramas include: Alice in Arabia, which follows an American teenage girl who gets kidnapped by Saudi Arabian relatives after a family tragedy and has to learn how to adapt to a new place and life; Recovery Road, based on Blake Nelson’s young-adult novel about a teenager struggling with addiction, and Unstrung, a look at the world of competitive tennis through the eyes of a brother-sister duo.
“These three powerful new dramas are a great...
The new dramas include: Alice in Arabia, which follows an American teenage girl who gets kidnapped by Saudi Arabian relatives after a family tragedy and has to learn how to adapt to a new place and life; Recovery Road, based on Blake Nelson’s young-adult novel about a teenager struggling with addiction, and Unstrung, a look at the world of competitive tennis through the eyes of a brother-sister duo.
“These three powerful new dramas are a great...
- 3/17/2014
- by Ariana Bacle
- EW - Inside TV
ABC Family has renewed its comedies "Melissa & Joey" and "Baby Daddy" for fourth seasons, the network announced Monday (March 17), and ordered pilots for three new dramas.
"We're delighted to produce more episodes of 'Melissa & Joey' and 'Baby Daddy,' two series that together have helped ABC Family establish a strong comedy block that continues to make our audience laugh out loud," says ABC Family president Tom Ascheim in a press release.
Additionally, the network has ordered three new drama pilots: "Alice in Arabia," "Recovery Road" and "Unstrung."
"Alice in Arabia" is about an American teenage girl who is unknowingly kidnapped by her extended Saudi Arabian family after her parents die. She finds herself a stranger in a new world, a prisoner in her grandfather's royal compound, but is intrigued by the country's offerings and diverse people.
"Recovery Road" is based on the Ya novel by Blake Nelson, about a teenage girl dealing with addiction,...
"We're delighted to produce more episodes of 'Melissa & Joey' and 'Baby Daddy,' two series that together have helped ABC Family establish a strong comedy block that continues to make our audience laugh out loud," says ABC Family president Tom Ascheim in a press release.
Additionally, the network has ordered three new drama pilots: "Alice in Arabia," "Recovery Road" and "Unstrung."
"Alice in Arabia" is about an American teenage girl who is unknowingly kidnapped by her extended Saudi Arabian family after her parents die. She finds herself a stranger in a new world, a prisoner in her grandfather's royal compound, but is intrigued by the country's offerings and diverse people.
"Recovery Road" is based on the Ya novel by Blake Nelson, about a teenage girl dealing with addiction,...
- 3/17/2014
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Updated: In one of ABC Family‘s first major greenlight/renewal decisions under new president Tom Ascheim, the network has picked up three drama pilots: Alice In Arabia, about an American teen girl kidnapped by her extended royal Saudi Arabian family and forced to live with them; Recovery Road, based on Blake Nelson’s novel about a teen girl dealing with additiction; and Unstrung, about a brother-sister duo of tennis players. Additionally, the network has ordered a fourth season of comedy Baby Daddy. ABC Family also announced today a fourth season renewal of fellow comedy Melissa & Joey though that 20-episode pickup was originally unveiled in May. Alice In Arabia comes from a novice TV writer, Brooke Eikmeier, who wrote the script while serving as Cryptologic Linguist in the Arabic language to the Us Army stationed at Fort Carson, Co where she supported Nsa missions in the Middle East. ABC Family...
- 3/17/2014
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Shedding a slightly uncharacteristic smile, Kristen Stewart grabbed cup of coffee with a group of friends in Echo Park, CA last weekend.
Although it wasn't a full-fledged, beaming grin, Kristen has more than a few things to be happy about. As previously reported, the 23-year-old is officially the new face of Chanel's Paris-Dallas 2013 Métiers d'Art Collection, set for release in May 2014.
In related news, the "Twilight" is also working on an impressive list of movies, and awaits the release of her upcoming drama flick, "Anethesia," coming at us from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "Lincoln" director, Time Blake Nelson.
Set for release in 2014, the movie's synopsis states, "Multiple lives intersect in the aftermath of the violent mugging of a Columbia University philosophy professor."...
Although it wasn't a full-fledged, beaming grin, Kristen has more than a few things to be happy about. As previously reported, the 23-year-old is officially the new face of Chanel's Paris-Dallas 2013 Métiers d'Art Collection, set for release in May 2014.
In related news, the "Twilight" is also working on an impressive list of movies, and awaits the release of her upcoming drama flick, "Anethesia," coming at us from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "Lincoln" director, Time Blake Nelson.
Set for release in 2014, the movie's synopsis states, "Multiple lives intersect in the aftermath of the violent mugging of a Columbia University philosophy professor."...
- 12/27/2013
- GossipCenter
• Melissa McCarthy can basically do whatever she wants these days, especially alongside her Bridesmaids and The Heat director Paul Feig. Her latest awesome endeavor? Potentially starring in Susan Cooper, a spy comedy about a James Bond-esque character. McCarthy, of course, would play the female Bond spinoff. According to the report, the project is being developed as a potential franchise and Feig would direct. Scheduling could be an issue, though. McCarthy has multiple projects with her production company On the Day as well as her Mike & Molly commitments. Still, McCarthy as a James Bond-type sounds delightfully promising. [The Wrap]
• James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class...
• James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class...
- 7/26/2013
- by Lindsey Bahr
- EW - Inside Movies
The Kitchen
Nicholas Hoult, Gemma Arterton and Stephen Fry are lending their voices to the family-adventure animated feature "Once Upon a Time in the Kitchen" at Kaleidoscope. Shooting kicks off this September.
The story deals with a feud between the everyday utensils and the best silver, cutlery from opposite sides of the table. Alexander Williams directs from a script by Chris Brown. [Source: Screen Daily]
Kill the Messenger
Oliver Platt, Andy Garcia and Tim Blake Nelson are set to join Jeremy Renner, Barry Pepper, Paz Vega, Michael Sheen, Josh Close, Rosemarie DeWitt, Robert Patrick, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Michael Kenneth Williams in the drama thriller "Kill the Messenger" at Focus Features.
Production on the film has begun in Georgia which deals with the true story of a journalist who uncovered the CIA's role in importing cocaine into California that was sold to raise money for the Nicaraguan Contras rebel army. [Source: Deadline]
Gone Girl
Neil Patrick Harris...
Nicholas Hoult, Gemma Arterton and Stephen Fry are lending their voices to the family-adventure animated feature "Once Upon a Time in the Kitchen" at Kaleidoscope. Shooting kicks off this September.
The story deals with a feud between the everyday utensils and the best silver, cutlery from opposite sides of the table. Alexander Williams directs from a script by Chris Brown. [Source: Screen Daily]
Kill the Messenger
Oliver Platt, Andy Garcia and Tim Blake Nelson are set to join Jeremy Renner, Barry Pepper, Paz Vega, Michael Sheen, Josh Close, Rosemarie DeWitt, Robert Patrick, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Michael Kenneth Williams in the drama thriller "Kill the Messenger" at Focus Features.
Production on the film has begun in Georgia which deals with the true story of a journalist who uncovered the CIA's role in importing cocaine into California that was sold to raise money for the Nicaraguan Contras rebel army. [Source: Deadline]
Gone Girl
Neil Patrick Harris...
- 7/25/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
ABC Family is developing a new series based on Romeo and Juliet. Juliet Immortal - adapted from the 2012 book by Stacey Jay - is a paranormal update of William Shakespeare's tale. In the novel, Romeo kills Juliet to ensure his own immortality, but she is later revived to battle her former beloved and preserve true love. ABC Family is developing adaptations of both Juliet Immortal and another romantic novel - Blake Nelson's 2011 work Recovery Road - according (more)...
- 12/12/2012
- by By Morgan Jeffery
- Digital Spy
ABC Family is looking for a story about star-crossed lovers. The youth-skewing network has put a pair of Romeo and Juliet-themed projects into development based on two young-adult novels. Recovery Road, based on the 2011 book by Blake Nelson, centers on a high school girl who finds love at rehab, where she's seeking treatment for a drinking and temper problem, and what happens to the couple once they leave recovery. Story: 'Pretty Little Liars' Boss Developing New Project for ABC Family The project hails from Pilgrim Studios (Lifetime's Whisper of Fear), and a search is underway
read more...
read more...
- 12/11/2012
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Adaptations of young adult literature illustrate the divide between what we feel comfortable letting young audiences read about and what we feel comfortable letting them watch. Gus Van Sant’s excellent adaptation of Blake Nelson’s young adult novel, for instance, received an R rating due to a violent image, shutting out a lot of potential viewers before they even got a chance to see it. Suzanne Collins’ grisly, dystopian Hunger Games trilogy was always going to be a tough squeeze into the restrictions of the PG-13 rating, but it looks like Gary Ross found a way. U.K. viewers ...
- 3/15/2012
- avclub.com
In a story headlined 'Nelson Reteams With Soggy Bottom Boys For O Brother Video', published in the 2nd feed on 20 October, WENN suggested that actor Tim Blake Nelson mimed the words to bluegrass band the Soggy Bottom Boys' song In The Jailhouse Now in the film O Brother Where Art Thou? Blake Nelson actually recorded the tune for the movie's soundtrack and won a Grammy Award for his performance. He has made a video with the band to promote a new two-disc deluxe edition of the film's soundtrack. Please amend your website/database and accept our apologies for any inconvenience...... WENN Editor.
- 10/26/2011
- WENN
The East End Film Festival opens this evening with Roger Sargent's doc, The Libertines: There Are No Innocent Bystanders. The festival then kind of goes berserk on Sunday with Movie Mayday, "a free day of cinema, live music, cinema trails, virtual tours, filmmaking competitions, quizzes and talks blanketing the whole of London's East End," and a screening of Ken Russell's The Devils (1971) at the Barbican that Electric Sheep's pretty excited about. They also urge readers not to miss Friday's screening of Jerzy Kawalerowicz's Mother Joan of Angels (1961) "in the beautiful church of St John on Bethnal Green."
Update, 4/29: "As part of the East End Film Festival, legendary Portishead Adrian Utley was approached to select a film to screen and introduce; he chose the new digitally restored Taxi Driver — cleaned up by Martin Scorsese himself." Simon Jablonski: "The Quietus spoke to Adrian Utley to find out the details...
Update, 4/29: "As part of the East End Film Festival, legendary Portishead Adrian Utley was approached to select a film to screen and introduce; he chose the new digitally restored Taxi Driver — cleaned up by Martin Scorsese himself." Simon Jablonski: "The Quietus spoke to Adrian Utley to find out the details...
- 4/29/2011
- MUBI
Edward Norton does the identical twin routine in Tim Blake Nelson’s comedy about a pair of brothers whose divergent lives reconnect when news of the death of one draws the other back home.
One brother is a pot growing entrepreneur with a crippling lack of smarts and a talent for trouble while the other brother is an Ivy League professor on the verge of a huge promotion and keen to maintain the distance he has travelled from his humble beginnings.
When the learned sibling realises that reports of his brother’s death are not only greatly exaggerated, but are part of a plot to take down a domineering local crime boss, the Slackerdemic double act get to work at rebuilding bridges and sorting their lives out. Which is nowhere near as trite as it sounds. It’s a keenly felt, visually interesting and surprisingly nuanced comedy.
Edward Norton takes...
One brother is a pot growing entrepreneur with a crippling lack of smarts and a talent for trouble while the other brother is an Ivy League professor on the verge of a huge promotion and keen to maintain the distance he has travelled from his humble beginnings.
When the learned sibling realises that reports of his brother’s death are not only greatly exaggerated, but are part of a plot to take down a domineering local crime boss, the Slackerdemic double act get to work at rebuilding bridges and sorting their lives out. Which is nowhere near as trite as it sounds. It’s a keenly felt, visually interesting and surprisingly nuanced comedy.
Edward Norton takes...
- 3/24/2011
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Get ready to set your DVR, tweeners: On Sept. 3, the Disney Channel will premiere the Jonas Brothers-Demi Lovato movie Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. As long as it's not grape-flavored, I'm in. [MTV] Ice Cube and Woody Harrelson are set to star in Rampart, a movie written by James Ellroy that's centered on police corruption. Cube will play a detective, while Harrelson has bagged the role of a dirty cop. Not to be confused with dirty pop. (Early 2000s flashback!) Sarah Silverman is in talks to star alongside Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams in the dramedy Take This Waltz.
- 4/28/2010
- by Kate Ward
- EW.com - PopWatch
The 2010 SXSW Film Festival and Conference has announced its initial slate of titles. The list is rife with hot world premieres (Kick-Ass), films fresh from Sundance (The Runaways, Cyrus), hot titles from the 2009 editions of Tiff and Cannes that haven't had much U.S. play (Enter the Void, Dogtooth, Trash Humpers), interesting documentaries (Lemmy, The People v. George Lucas) and much, much more. Simon Rumley's Red, White & Blue, which has received much praise on Twitch based on its Iffr screenings, will have its North American premiere.
Midnight programming courtesy of Fantastic Fest is also back with titles like Higanjima, Monsters, Serbian Film, Outcast, and a yet to be announced special film. Keep eye out for SXSW coverage at Twitch, but for now, pursue the massive list below (descriptions courtesy of SXSW).
Headliners
Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film...
Midnight programming courtesy of Fantastic Fest is also back with titles like Higanjima, Monsters, Serbian Film, Outcast, and a yet to be announced special film. Keep eye out for SXSW coverage at Twitch, but for now, pursue the massive list below (descriptions courtesy of SXSW).
Headliners
Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film...
- 2/4/2010
- Screen Anarchy
As promised, we're wrapping up the Tiff coverage with two more roundups from my friend txt critic. Here's four more capsules and late tonight, he'll be back with the ranking of everything he saw there, with eyes gleefully propped open for days on end.
On PreciousDeserving of the hype that’s been building since Sundance, Lee Daniels’ overwhelming emotional powerhouse was the one film I saw at the festival that earned a standing ovation (all the more notable when you take into consideration it was a public screening, not a gala). All you’ve been hearing is how “tough” and disturbing this movie is, and it is, but none of these descriptions quite prepare you for how humanistic and absorbing it is. The proceedings never turn into a film that needs to be “endured” or unbearable to watch. In other words, it’s rough going emotionally, but it’s not...
On PreciousDeserving of the hype that’s been building since Sundance, Lee Daniels’ overwhelming emotional powerhouse was the one film I saw at the festival that earned a standing ovation (all the more notable when you take into consideration it was a public screening, not a gala). All you’ve been hearing is how “tough” and disturbing this movie is, and it is, but none of these descriptions quite prepare you for how humanistic and absorbing it is. The proceedings never turn into a film that needs to be “endured” or unbearable to watch. In other words, it’s rough going emotionally, but it’s not...
- 9/21/2009
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
It was my last film of the festival, on the morning of the day I was flying home, and it turns out to have been my favorite one. Tim Blake Nelson's "Leaves of Grass" is some kind of sweet, wacky masterpiece. It takes all sorts of risks, including a dual role with Edward Norton playing twin brothers, and it pulls them off. It is certainly the most intelligent, philosophical and poetic film I can imagine that involves five murders in the marijuana-dealing community of Oklahoma and includes John Prine singing "Illegal Smile."
Tim Blake Nelson
Sometimes you cannot believe your luck as a movie unfolds. There is a mind behind it, joyful invention, obvious ambition. As is often the case, I had studiously avoiding reading anything at all about "Leaves of Grass" before going to see the movie, although I rather doubted it would be about Walt Whitman. What...
Tim Blake Nelson
Sometimes you cannot believe your luck as a movie unfolds. There is a mind behind it, joyful invention, obvious ambition. As is often the case, I had studiously avoiding reading anything at all about "Leaves of Grass" before going to see the movie, although I rather doubted it would be about Walt Whitman. What...
- 9/17/2009
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
New York -- Last year, as the indie-sales market was cratering, acquisition execs walked into the Toronto International Film Festival and found two dramas for which they were willing to pay seven figures.
A year later, those buys have proved savvy: "The Wrestler" was one of the dramatic breakouts of 2008 for Fox Searchlight, while "The Hurt Locker" is on its way to becoming that for Summit.
Industryites' mood is generally brighter entering Toronto this year, or at least more accepting of the dark realities. But a seven-figure deal may be even harder to find at this year's fest, which begins Thursday.
"I tell filmmakers that in this climate, don't count on a studio buying your movie. If they do, it's like winning the lottery," said one publicist who works on high-profile acquisition targets.
Toronto is a festival known for serious movies, but many distributors who typically release those types of...
A year later, those buys have proved savvy: "The Wrestler" was one of the dramatic breakouts of 2008 for Fox Searchlight, while "The Hurt Locker" is on its way to becoming that for Summit.
Industryites' mood is generally brighter entering Toronto this year, or at least more accepting of the dark realities. But a seven-figure deal may be even harder to find at this year's fest, which begins Thursday.
"I tell filmmakers that in this climate, don't count on a studio buying your movie. If they do, it's like winning the lottery," said one publicist who works on high-profile acquisition targets.
Toronto is a festival known for serious movies, but many distributors who typically release those types of...
- 9/8/2009
- by By Steven Zeitchik
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spoiler Warning: Book Vs. Film is a column comparing books to the film adaptations they spawn, often discussing them on a plot-point-by-plot-point basis. This column is meant largely for people who’ve already been through one version, and want to know how the other compares. As a result, major, specific spoilers for both versions abound, often including dissection of how they end. Proceed with appropriate caution. • Book: Paranoid Park, Blake Nelson, 2006 • Film: Paranoid Park, adapted and directed by Gus Van Sant, 2007 Given how often books get turned into films for the wrong reasons—say, because the book is popular enough to guarantee an audience, even if the adaptation is crap, or because a filmmaker can see a couple of elements worth strip-mining out of the book while rendering the rest of the story unrecognizable—adaptations like Paranoid...
- 4/19/2008
- avclub.com
- Blake Nelson grew up in Portland, Oregon and much like the main character of Gus Van Sant’s latest film, Paranoid Park, of which Nelson wrote the source novel, he spent most of his teenage years skateboarding and performing in various bands. But (hopefully) where the two differ is that the main character of Paranoid Park, Alex, accidentally killed a security guard at an underground skate park.The film’s structure, although seemingly non-linear, flows smoothly through Alex’s struggles with guilt and adolescence. Paranoid Park mixes sound and film in a way that departs from Van Sant’s previous efforts and finally lands the audience in a world that belongs to teenagers and cinephiles.Blake Nelson’s novel is more linear but both works complement each other perfectly. The film almost acts as an existential interpretation of the novel which resides under the misrepresented umbrella term of “Young Adult” literature.
- 3/7/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
- #48. Paranoid Park Director/Writer: Gus Van SantProducers: David Allen Cress, Charles Gilibert, Nathanaël Karmitz and Neil Kopp (Old Joy) Distributor: IFC First Take The Gist: Based on the novel by Blake Nelson, this is set in the world of Portland's skateboarders, it's about a teenage kid "who accidentally kills a security guard and has to figure out what to do when police start to investigate the death". Fact: Van Sant and Christopher Doyle reunite after having last worked on Psycho. See It: Continues in the same excellent wave as his past three films: Gerry, Elephant and Last Days (Read review here). Release Date/Status?: Picked up at Cannes - this is almost one year to the date since it received its premiere. Van Sant fans circle the date of March 7th. ...
- 1/30/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
NEW YORK -- Sony Pictures Classics' animated coming-of-age film Persepolis will close the 45th annual New York Film Festival, which announced Wednesday an eclectic lineup featuring new works from Sidney Lumet, Gus Van Sant and, in his NYFF debut, Brian De Palma.
"There really was an unusually high number of high-quality American films," said Film Society of Lincoln Center program director Richard Pena, who celebrates his 20th year heading the NYFF selection committee. "I've often wondered why directors didn't make a more creative use of genre, and this year they have. It's also been an incredibly strong year for directors who've delivered the best films they've done in a while."
Pena singled out Lumet's ThinkFilm thriller Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and De Palma's Redacted, an Iraq War drama from Magnolia Pictures. He said the latter film "will really be a bombshell. People will be upset and offended by (its depiction of) how some U.S. soldiers are treated and what some U.S. soldiers have done."
The committee chose Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's Persepolis -- a French adaptation of Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novels about growing up in Iran -- because the Festival de Cannes winner is "a truly expressive work of art," Pena said. "You feel the writer is baring her soul."
IFC Films has four projects in the lineup, all from its VOD/theatrical simultaneous releasing program IFC First Take. They include two more Cannes winners -- Van Sant's adaptation of Blake Nelson's novel, Paranoid Park, about a skateboarding teen involved in a murder, and Cristian Mungiu's Romanian abortion drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. Two of its other entries also screened at Cannes: Hou Hsiao-hsien's French family drama The Flight of the Red Balloon and Catherine Breillat's adaptation of Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly's The Last Mistress.
Film geeks will relish the North American premiere of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner: The Definitive Cut, a 25th anniversary edition of the sci-fi classic with some further tweaks made to the 1992 director's cut.
"There really was an unusually high number of high-quality American films," said Film Society of Lincoln Center program director Richard Pena, who celebrates his 20th year heading the NYFF selection committee. "I've often wondered why directors didn't make a more creative use of genre, and this year they have. It's also been an incredibly strong year for directors who've delivered the best films they've done in a while."
Pena singled out Lumet's ThinkFilm thriller Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and De Palma's Redacted, an Iraq War drama from Magnolia Pictures. He said the latter film "will really be a bombshell. People will be upset and offended by (its depiction of) how some U.S. soldiers are treated and what some U.S. soldiers have done."
The committee chose Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's Persepolis -- a French adaptation of Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novels about growing up in Iran -- because the Festival de Cannes winner is "a truly expressive work of art," Pena said. "You feel the writer is baring her soul."
IFC Films has four projects in the lineup, all from its VOD/theatrical simultaneous releasing program IFC First Take. They include two more Cannes winners -- Van Sant's adaptation of Blake Nelson's novel, Paranoid Park, about a skateboarding teen involved in a murder, and Cristian Mungiu's Romanian abortion drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. Two of its other entries also screened at Cannes: Hou Hsiao-hsien's French family drama The Flight of the Red Balloon and Catherine Breillat's adaptation of Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly's The Last Mistress.
Film geeks will relish the North American premiere of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner: The Definitive Cut, a 25th anniversary edition of the sci-fi classic with some further tweaks made to the 1992 director's cut.
- 8/16/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- Today’s Tiff Vanguard section add-ons are primarily comprised of Cannes selections, directorial debuts (girls watch out for a certain Mexican actor turned director) and international fair that defy easy categorization and have reaped some awards along the way. Also added to the Midnight Madness section are the highly awaited films from Dario Argento and Takashi Miike – both titles will be high up on the Ioncinema coverage list. Here are the added titles along with descriptions. Vanguard Titlesparanoid Park Gus Van Sant, FranceAlex (Gabe Nevins), a teenaged skateboarder, is at the centre of a criminal investigation after a security guard is killed near a skate park. Through non-linear fragments of action, voiced memories, skating scenes and Alex's inner conflict, his connection to the case is made clear. Like Van Sant's recent trilogy (Gerry, Elephant and Last Days) the sophisticated Paranoid Park, based on the novel by Blake Nelson, is
- 7/31/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
Posted by Eugene Hernandez / indieWIRE on May 24, 2007 Impressively distinctive is the collaboration between director and actor in Gus Van Sant's latest, "Paranoid Park." Adapted from Blake Nelson's young adult novel of the same name, the film is the story of a kid who hangs out at a popular Portland, Or, skate park where he accidentally kills a local security guard and tries to keep the death a...
- 5/24/2007
- AMC News: Film Festivals
CANNES -- In Paranoid Park, Gus Van Sant enters the world of high school kids just as he did in Elephant, achieving this time a much sharper, more focused portrait of how these rapidly maturing young people act, think, speak and behave. Of course, Elephant had a socio-political agenda about gun violence in schools, which divided viewers and critics. But with the Competition entry Paranoid Park, his latest independent, low-budget experiment, he is more open to what he finds, keen to absorbing the quotidian details of one particular boy's life and of the crisis suddenly thrust upon him. So he has made one of his best movies yet, recapturing the magic of his fine earlier works such as Mala Noche and Drugstore Cowboy.
Van Sant uses a cast of mostly nonprofessionals and lets his brilliant cinematographer, Christopher Doyle, shoot in a loose style, in both Super 8 and 35mm, so as to catch the moods and sensations of school kids and skateboarders. This film can go to any festival its producers so desire and should do extremely well in theatrical release both in Europe and North America.
In his script, based on a novel by fellow Portland, Ore., resident Blake Nelson, Van Sant smartly tells the story in a nonlinear form, the way a frightened kid remembers an incident that will haunt him the rest of his life. As he thinks back and tries to put things down on paper so he can make sense of the whole mess, the story tumbles out in images, evasive conversations and interrupted scenes. It is always coherent, though: The story comes to the audience almost in a stream of consciousness that makes more sense than if Van Sant had told the story in a straightforward manner.
You sense something going on inside Alex (Gabe Nevins) right away. The product of a broken home, he is going through all the conflicted emotions of any kid trying to figure out where he fits in with his peers and how he feels about his somewhat aggressive girlfriend. Yet even he says these problems don't amount to much compared with the war in Iraq or kids starving in Africa.
Yet, something else is going on, and when he is twice pulled out of class by police along with other skateboarders for questioning about a possible homicide, you know it's very bad.
It gives little away to say that Alex accidentally caused the death of an older security guard down by the railway tracks. Perhaps if his mom and dad were together, he would have had someone to talk to. As it is, he suddenly feels enormous estrangement from his buddy Jared (Jake Miller) and girlfriend Jennifer (Taylor Momsen).
He even breaks up with Jennifer abruptly, just after the two have had sex for the first time. He is then startled to find himself drawing closer to Macy (Lauren McKinney), the only person to sense something has happened to Alex. She is the one who suggests writing the experience down, as he remembers it, to help relieve the stress that is tearing him up.
Van Sant eschews wide screen to shoot the film in the so-called Academy ratio of 1:33, which of course means a much more claustrophobic frame for today's audiences. And indeed Alex's world is closing in on him as he pushes through each new day with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
In recent films, Van Sant has scrupulously -- and for some of us maddeningly -- avoided passing any judgment whether he shows a manic-depressive, drugged-up rock star stumbling through his final days before his suicide or a couple of high school boys shooting up a school. In this instance though, it makes sense to withhold judgment. You easily empathize with Alex's confusion: You see how the adult world has unwittingly closed itself off to him and how hopeless his buddies would be if he shared his dilemma.
Van Sant and Doyle use Super 8 for the skateboarding sequences that capture the reckless fluidity of that inner-city sport, often in slow motion and sometimes in wide angle. Even the 35mm sequences, while more stable, are a little more free flowing than you expect from Doyle.
As his own editor, Van Sant has composed an emotional mosaic that brings you inside Alex. As with most non-pro actors, Nevins isn't very expressive. But this plays right into his director's hands. He wants a kid who is so scared and confused he can only stare back at the world.
PARANOID PARK
MK2 in association with Memo Film Co.
Credits:
Screenwriter-director-editor: Gus Van Sant
Based on the novel by: Blake Nelson
Producers: Marin Karmitz, Nathanael Karmitz, David Cress, Neil Kopp
Director of photography: Christopher Doyle, Rain Kathy Li
Production designer: John Pearson-Denning
Costume designer: Chapin Simpson
Cast: Alex: Gabe Nevins
Jennifer: Taylor Momsen
Jared: Jake Miller
Detective Richard Lu: Dan Liu
Macy: Lauren McKinney
Cal: Olivier Garnier
Scratch: Scott Green
Running time -- 85 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Van Sant uses a cast of mostly nonprofessionals and lets his brilliant cinematographer, Christopher Doyle, shoot in a loose style, in both Super 8 and 35mm, so as to catch the moods and sensations of school kids and skateboarders. This film can go to any festival its producers so desire and should do extremely well in theatrical release both in Europe and North America.
In his script, based on a novel by fellow Portland, Ore., resident Blake Nelson, Van Sant smartly tells the story in a nonlinear form, the way a frightened kid remembers an incident that will haunt him the rest of his life. As he thinks back and tries to put things down on paper so he can make sense of the whole mess, the story tumbles out in images, evasive conversations and interrupted scenes. It is always coherent, though: The story comes to the audience almost in a stream of consciousness that makes more sense than if Van Sant had told the story in a straightforward manner.
You sense something going on inside Alex (Gabe Nevins) right away. The product of a broken home, he is going through all the conflicted emotions of any kid trying to figure out where he fits in with his peers and how he feels about his somewhat aggressive girlfriend. Yet even he says these problems don't amount to much compared with the war in Iraq or kids starving in Africa.
Yet, something else is going on, and when he is twice pulled out of class by police along with other skateboarders for questioning about a possible homicide, you know it's very bad.
It gives little away to say that Alex accidentally caused the death of an older security guard down by the railway tracks. Perhaps if his mom and dad were together, he would have had someone to talk to. As it is, he suddenly feels enormous estrangement from his buddy Jared (Jake Miller) and girlfriend Jennifer (Taylor Momsen).
He even breaks up with Jennifer abruptly, just after the two have had sex for the first time. He is then startled to find himself drawing closer to Macy (Lauren McKinney), the only person to sense something has happened to Alex. She is the one who suggests writing the experience down, as he remembers it, to help relieve the stress that is tearing him up.
Van Sant eschews wide screen to shoot the film in the so-called Academy ratio of 1:33, which of course means a much more claustrophobic frame for today's audiences. And indeed Alex's world is closing in on him as he pushes through each new day with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
In recent films, Van Sant has scrupulously -- and for some of us maddeningly -- avoided passing any judgment whether he shows a manic-depressive, drugged-up rock star stumbling through his final days before his suicide or a couple of high school boys shooting up a school. In this instance though, it makes sense to withhold judgment. You easily empathize with Alex's confusion: You see how the adult world has unwittingly closed itself off to him and how hopeless his buddies would be if he shared his dilemma.
Van Sant and Doyle use Super 8 for the skateboarding sequences that capture the reckless fluidity of that inner-city sport, often in slow motion and sometimes in wide angle. Even the 35mm sequences, while more stable, are a little more free flowing than you expect from Doyle.
As his own editor, Van Sant has composed an emotional mosaic that brings you inside Alex. As with most non-pro actors, Nevins isn't very expressive. But this plays right into his director's hands. He wants a kid who is so scared and confused he can only stare back at the world.
PARANOID PARK
MK2 in association with Memo Film Co.
Credits:
Screenwriter-director-editor: Gus Van Sant
Based on the novel by: Blake Nelson
Producers: Marin Karmitz, Nathanael Karmitz, David Cress, Neil Kopp
Director of photography: Christopher Doyle, Rain Kathy Li
Production designer: John Pearson-Denning
Costume designer: Chapin Simpson
Cast: Alex: Gabe Nevins
Jennifer: Taylor Momsen
Jared: Jake Miller
Detective Richard Lu: Dan Liu
Macy: Lauren McKinney
Cal: Olivier Garnier
Scratch: Scott Green
Running time -- 85 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 5/22/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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