News

Selma Blair is back.

The “Cruel Intentions” star is returning with three new movies, including the Israel-Hamas war drama “Stay Forte” with Judd Hirsch and the brothers Mark and Michael Polish’s “There There.” She will also star in supernatural thriller “Silent” from filmmaking duo Doron and Yoaz Paz.

Blair, who went public with her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2018, hinted she had projects in the works when I spoke with her at the Elle Women in Hollywood dinner in November: “I started feeling really better this last year and I’m back at work and doing things so I will have things to announce.

“Stay Forte,” directed by Israeli filmmaker Doron Eran, tells the story of Alon Shamiriz, Yotam Haim and Samer Tallaka, three Israelis taken hostage by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel.

“This film is not just a narrative; it’s a testament to the resilience...

The action movie Alarum combines explosive scenes with spy elements, following Joe (Scott Eastwood) and Lara (Willa Fitzgerald), two former agents seeking to abandon their secret lives. Their peaceful snow-covered honeymoon location turns into a war zone after accusations link them to Alarum, a splinter spy group, making them targets for both hired guns and old colleagues.

The story’s base elements show promise—married agents dealing with treachery while fighting to stay alive—yet fails to meet expectations, as the organization Alarum stays too abstract rather than emerging as a real threat. The constant shooting and explosions lack connection to meaningful plot elements or compelling character development.

The movie tries to mix the polished excitement of Mr. & Mrs. Smith with the raw style of Bourne, yet becomes standard action movie material. The actors, including Stallone playing a tired killer and Fitzgerald as a skilled fighter, could excel, but receive...

There are some types of screen narratives that probably shouldn’t be attempted on limited means, and “international espionage thriller” may well be one of them. That notion is illustrated by “Alarum,” which features Scott Eastwood and Willa Fitzgerald as a budget “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” ex-spies united in an under-radar domesticity interrupted by heavily armed reminders of their past. Michael Polish’s film gamely tries to compensate for unspectacular production values with a lot of action — but its staging is pedestrian at best. Alexander Vesha’s script never convinces, and the competent actors fail to spark, despite Sylvester Stallone’s presence as a reluctantly reunited former colleague.

A prologue in 2019 Prague finds Joe (Eastwood) shot through a window, then overcoming further mano-a-mano assailants who include Lara (Fitzgerald). But rather confusingly, this fracas appears to have been staged so that duo can exit their top-secret careers as globe-trotting clandestine agents, disappearing together into civilian life.

Exclusive: Out at the Cannes market, LA-based production company Convergence Entertainment Group is launching There There, which is being written and directed by the Polish brothers in their first collaboration in more than a decade.

The film has begun principal photography and the duo are hopeful it will premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. This would be the sixth Polish Brothers film to premiere at the festival.

On There There, each of the twin brothers will write and direct one half of the movie without the other knowing anything about the other, resulting in two separate storylines that will be interwoven into a single feature-length film. This approach will enable each brother to explore the nature of the twin relationship from their own unique perspective without being influenced or constrained by the other’s vision.

The cast includes Gretchen Mol (Yellowstone), Shannon Sossamon (The Rules of Attraction), Corbin Bernsen (Major...

MidWest WeirdFest has announced its first programming wave for 2023 today. The cinematic celebration of all things fantastic, frightening, paranormal, and just plain weird, is now in its 7th year. The festival takes place March 3-5, 2023 at the Micon Downtown Cinema in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Says MidWest WeirdFest founder and programming director Dean Bertram:

The weirdest festival of the season is less than two months away, and I’m delighted to announce some of the genre, underground and esoteric gems we’re offering audiences this year. From brand new UFO and Bigfoot documentaries, through offbeat and ultra-violent comedies, to nightmare inducing films featuring an assortment of witches, cyber terrors, and gore-splattered serial killers… and that’s just in the fest’s first programming wave!

Discounted festival passes are now on sale here: https://filmfreeway.com/MidWestWeirdFest/tickets

Individual tickets to each film will go on sale closer to the festival...

Colson Whitehead’s 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Nickel Boys” is getting a big-screen adaptation from MGM’s Orion Pictures, starring Oscar and Emmy-nominee Aunjanue Ellis.

Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker RaMell Ross, Ellis will star alongside Ethan Herisse (“When They See Us”) and Brandon Wilson (“The Way Back”), who will lead the young cast, as well as Hamish Linklater (“The Big Short”) and Fred Hechinger.

“It is an honor to be working with such talented people and trusted with such an incredibly written story, with historical roots,” Ross said in a statement announcing the feature adaptation. “I’m constantly impressed by the passion and creativity of the collection of people moving this project forward.”

Ross adapted the screenplay alongside two-time Academy Award-nominee Joslyn Barnes of Louverture Films, which is producing the movie with Plan B Entertainment and Anonymous Content. Whitehead serves as executive producer.

Added Alana Mayo, president of Orion Pictures:...

Click here to read the full article.

Oscar nominee Aunjanue L. Ellis (King Richard) is set to star in The Nickel Boys, an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s novel of the same name, to be directed by RaMell Ross.

The Nickel Boys is set in Jim Crow-era Florida and focuses on two boys unjustly sentenced to a brutal reform school. MGM’s Orion Pictures, Plan B Entertainment and Anonymous Content will produce the movie adaptation, which will also star Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Hamish Linklater and Fred Hechinger.

Oscar nominee Joslyn Barnes of Louverture Films, who will pen the screenplay for the movie version along with Ross, is also set to produce, while Whitehead will executive produce.

“It is an honor to be working with such talented people and trusted with such an incredibly written story, with historical roots. I’m constantly impressed by the passion and creativity of the...

Click here to read the full article.

Mark Polish, the less prolific filmmaking twin of Michael Polish, has little nice to say about today’s youngsters in Murmur, which aims to be a Blair Witch for digital natives. Throwing a half-dozen annoying social-media producers into the forest with only their cell phones and a deeply dubious game they won’t stop playing, it might’ve looked like a cautionary fable if only it maintained any sort of distance from its protagonists. Instead, it’s wholly on board for screens-based storytelling and TikTok attention spans, the result being that most viewers not addicted to such stuff will find it insufferable from its first moments. Even setting such opinions aside, its value as an unscary horror pic is next to nil, and as screens-based mayhem goes, it ranks far below peers like Spree.

Murmur is the name of a new app that,...

In just a few weeks, we’ll be getting a new entry in the Hellraiser franchise. A reboot directed by David Bruckner, starring Jamie Clayton as Pinhead, that’s set to be released through the Hulu streaming service on October 7th. In anticipation of the new film, we’re looking back at one of the previous Hellraiser movies. One that could be considered The Black Sheep – or one of the black sheep in a franchise that has several of them. The one we’re looking at today is Hellraiser: Bloodine (watch it Here). To find out what we had to say about it, check out the video embedded above.

Hellraiser: Bloodline was initially directed by Kevin Yagher, then Joe Chappelle came in to handle the reshoots. The film is credited to the non-existent Alan Smithee. Scripted by Peter Atkins, it has the following synopsis:

Three generations of the same family...

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As the Oldenburg Film Festival kicks off its 29th year, Germany’s leading indie film fest still prides itself on its ability to discover overlooked gems that fit in the Oldenburg sweet spot between arthouse and genre cinema.

For the 2022 event, The Hollywood Reporter has picked out five Oldenburg world premieres that look likely to set the Northern German city alight.

The Black Guelph by John Conners

‘The Black Guelph’

Life on the Mean Streets of Dublin. The narrative feature debut of actor/screenwriter/documentarian John Connors takes inspiration from real life, including the systematic clerical sexual abuse of generations of Irish Travellers, for this tale of crime, love and struggle on the fringes of society. Featuring a potentially star-making performance by Graham Earley as Canto, a small-time drug dealer determined to break the cycle of trauma and neglect to prove himself a worthy family man.

Click here to read the full article.

Murmur, the new horror movie from indie filmmaker Mark Polish, will have its world premiere at the Oldenburg Film Festival, the fall event known as “Germany’s Sundance.”

Polish is best known as one half, with brother Michael, of the writing/directing team The Polish brothers, whose credits include Sundance hit Twin Falls, Idaho (1999), Jackpot (2001), The Astronaut Farmer (2006) and The Smell of Success. Michael Polish has typically taken over directing duties on Polish brothers films, with Mark playing a lead role and both siblings sharing screenwriting credits.

Mark Polish first stepped behind the camera for Headlock (2019), his feature debut starring Andy Garcia, Dianna Agron and James Frain.

Murmur, which he wrote and directed, follows a group of social media stars who become guinea pigs for a new app that breaks down the boundaries between reality and fantasy. Polish’s daughter Logan Polish, of...

Given all the noise around Force of Nature, it’s hard to get at the movie itself, which on the surface is no more than a routine crime thriller set in San Juan, Puerto Rico during a Category 5 hurricane. What’s not routine is the tweetstorm of controversy ignited by the casting of Mel Gibson and Emile Hirsch, both actors with assault charges on their records, as white cops battling “Rican” villains against the carnage of Hurricane Maria. To say that a real-life tragedy deserves more respect than simply being...

CAA represents Us rights; deal expected soon.

International Film Trust (Ift) has boarded sales rights to Sundance selection To The Stars and will kick off talks with buyers in Cannes.

CAA represents Us rights and a Us deal is expected soon. Ift head of international Todd Olsson will present colour and black-and-white versions of the film to international buyers on the Croisette.

Martha Stephens (Land Ho!) directed the coming-of-age story about a shy farmer’s daughter in 1960s Oklahoma who strikes up a friendship with a lively city transplant that will change their lives forever.

Kara Hayward (Moonrise Kingdom) and...

More/Medavoy Management has sign Mark Polish, who first stepped on the scene with the 1999 Sundance film Twin Falls Idaho, which he starred in and co-wrote with his twin brother and frequent collaborator Michael Polish.

Following the release of Twin Falls Idaho (via Sony Pictures Classics), Polish co-wrote and co-produced the comedy Jackpot (2001), which received the Indie Spirit John Cassavetes Award, and Northfork, also co-starring alongside James Woods, Nick Nolte, and Daryl Hannah.

Polish branched off on his own with Headlock, which is slated to be released later this year, and recently directed an episode on season two of the Showtime series, I’m Dying Up Here, as well as an episode of USA’s forthcoming Suits spin-off series, Pearson.

He’ll continue to be repped by Kaplan Stahler.

In today’s film news roundup, Andy Garcia’s spy thriller is sold, “Battlestar Galactica” gets a screenwriter, and Brooklyn Decker gets an award.

Acquisition

Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to spy thriller “Against the Clock,” starring Andy Garcia, Dianna Agron (“Glee”), and Justin Bartha, Variety has learned exclusively.

The film, formerly titled “Headlock,” is written and directed by Mark Polish and produced by Benaroya Pictures. “Against the Clock” will be available in theaters and on demand Jan. 11, 2019.

Polish plays a CIA agent who is seriously injured during a mission, and Agron portrays his wife, a former CIA operative who becomes determined to find out what happened — a truth the CIA director, played by Garcia, wants concealed at all costs.

“Mark has fused a mind-bending premise with stylish visuals and a strong female protagonist, delivering an experience that is both ahead of its time and of the moment,...

Exclusive: Mark Polish, the writer-director-actor who is just wrapping up postproduction on his directorial debut Headlock, has signed with Apa. Headlock stars Dianna Agron, Andy Garcia and James Frain and centers on a severely injured intelligence trafficker, played by Polish, whose former operative-wife (Agron) finds out more than she bargained for when investigating her husband's last mission. Polish arrived on the indie film scene at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival…...

Exclusive: Mark Polish, the writer-director-actor who is just wrapping up postproduction on his directorial debut Headlock, has signed with Apa. Headlock stars Dianna Agron, Andy Garcia and James Frain and centers on a severely injured intelligence trafficker, played by Polish, whose former operative-wife (Agron) finds out more than she bargained for when investigating her husband's last mission. Polish arrived on the indie film scene at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival…...

The Metrograph will open in New York on March 4 with the series Surrender to the Screen: Watching the Moviegoing Experience featuring Terence Davies's The Long Day Closes (1992), Jean-Luc Godard's Vivre sa Vie (1962) and much more before presenting its Jean Eustache retrospective, three films by Frederick Wiseman, Johnnie To's Office and on and on. More goings on: Babak Anvari's Under the Shadow will open and Kirsten Johnson's Cameraperson will close the 45th edition of New Directors/New Films. Ebertfest will screen Brian De Palma's Blow Out (1981), Oscar Micheaux's Body and Soul (1925) featuring Paul Robeson's onscreen debut, Paul Cox's new Force of Destiny, Mark Polish and Michael Polish's Northfork (2003) and Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949) with Orson Welles. And more. » - David Hudson...

The Metrograph will open in New York on March 4 with the series Surrender to the Screen: Watching the Moviegoing Experience featuring Terence Davies's The Long Day Closes (1992), Jean-Luc Godard's Vivre sa Vie (1962) and much more before presenting its Jean Eustache retrospective, three films by Frederick Wiseman, Johnnie To's Office and on and on. More goings on: Babak Anvari's Under the Shadow will open and Kirsten Johnson's Cameraperson will close the 45th edition of New Directors/New Films. Ebertfest will screen Brian De Palma's Blow Out (1981), Oscar Micheaux's Body and Soul (1925) featuring Paul Robeson's onscreen debut, Paul Cox's new Force of Destiny, Mark Polish and Michael Polish's Northfork (2003) and Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949) with Orson Welles. And more. » - David Hudson...

Whether you are a filmmaker, or one of the Sundance programmers whose task it is to identify the films that make up a line-up, it is indeed the most wonderful time of the year. The 32nd edition of the Sundance Film Festival kicks off on January 21st with Park City and Salt Lake City. Two decades back, Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan’s Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern was the Grand Jury Prize winner in the Documentary section while Todd Solondz’s Welcome to the Dollhouse beat out the likes of Nicole Holofcener’s Walking and Talking, Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott’s Big Night, Mary Harron’s I Shot Andy Warhol and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth for the Grand Jury Prize dramatic.

As per our tradition here on the site and as we all get ready for the festival, we like to propose an overview of the films we...

Twin filmmakers Michael and Mark Polish occupy a special spot in the American indie landscape. Since their strong debut Twin Falls Idaho, a weird little movie about conjoined twins, the brothers have been chugging along surviving in Hollywood, acting and directing series of independent films since the late 90s. They have a very distinctive visual style with a narrative steeped in magic realism while invoking the American West of yesteryears - men in dark suits and fedoras, expansive vistas, etc - my favorite film of theirs being Northfork.Amnesiac, a small film not written by and not starring either Polish, is another unusual solo outing, after Big Sur, a Jack Keruac adaptation in 2013, by Michael Polish as a director. This stylish, slow burn psychological thriller...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Get ready stateside filmgoers, because the “phoners” (aka “crazies”) are coming to the Us. Stephen King fans know that the master of macabre doesn’t like using cell phones. His 2006 novel, Cell, is a cautionary tale about what can go wrong by pressing portable phones to our ears and keeping them close at hand in our pockets, and its unflinching subject matter contains flocks of murderous lunatics that would be right at home in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, George A. Romero’s The Crazies, or Simon Clark’s Blood Crazy.

We knew this unique King novel was getting the adaptation treatment, with King co-writing the screenplay and John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson in the lead roles, but we’re now one big step closer to seeing it on the silver screen, as Clarius Entertainment has acquired the Us rights to the movie.

Slated to hit theaters this year,...

Coverage of ISAs (international sales agents) resumed for the American Film Market. This segment follows leaders, innovation and successful new startups in the world of international film sales and distribution.

The Beverly Hills based International Film Trust (Ift) was started in April 2013 by co-founders Michael Benaroya of Benaroya Pictures and Miscellaneous Entertainment principals D. Todd Shepherd and George Waud.

Since its inception at Cannes in 2013, Ift has acquired 12 films with another set for Berlin 2015. The first titles were successfully presold last year and have since been scheduled for theatrical release.

Ift President Christian De Gallegos brings a wealth of wisdom and experience from his background in the talent agencies and as a sales agent for Voltage Pictures, working on Oscar winners like “The Hurt Locker” and “Dallas Buyers Club”.

De Gallegos talks about the progress of this fairly new sales agency and shares some of Ift’s upcoming films:

How did Ift start?

Michael Benaroya had been an active producer and financier for years, outsourcing international sales to the leading independent companies. His slate was growing and international distribution remained crucial to his business model, so he knew that starting an international sales agency would be financially efficient and would give him a more thorough market awareness which is invaluable when packaging.

Mb: I worked with the top international distributors at Voltage who have thankfully supported Ift since day one and we’ve been lucky to partner with powerhouse companies like Sony, eOne and Universal who are currently scheduled to release half our slate, having come on board in pre-production.

The majority of our lineup to date has been within the Us$ 10 million dollar range, shot with soft money and internationally viable casts, keeping budgets to a reasonable level so presales without confirmed U.S. theatrical distribution are realistic. We comfortably retain production value which validates theatrical upside.

We’re excited to step up to the next level this year. We have two films in which we’re involved with financing and distribution: one at Us$ 33 million and another at Us$ 35 million.

What are some new projects that you’re excited about?

“You Shall Know Our Velocity”, based off Dave Eggers best-selling novel, will start shooting April 2015 with Daniel Radcliffe. Also, we have a film called “Cymbeline” with Dakota Johnson as the lead (from “Fifty Shades of Grey”), which premiered at Venice this year. Grindstone will theatrically release it in early 2015.

What do you look for when considering a film?

Interesting concepts and relevant topics with the right financing structure. I’ve been involved with the passion projects of A-list actors which can be exciting as they attract great ensembles, cameos, crew and their enthusiasm usually leads to a better movie.

How did you enter the business?

I started in the talent agency world, working at Paradigm in film, music and TV. The agencies are the epicenter of the entertainment industry; there you’re exposed to all sides of the business, so it was just a matter of time before I learned about international sales and figured it would suit me best. I found an opportunity at Voltage Pictures working as Nicolas Chartier’s assistant in 2007. After a few months he promoted me to sell on his behalf. I worked there for six years, sold about 100 movies and was lucky enough to be part of great films like “The Hurt Locker”, which won eight Oscars, “Don Jon”, and “Dallas Buyer’s Club”. The founders of Ift approached me early 2013 and I’ve been thrilled to be a part of our growing company ever since.

What do you love the most about your work?

I love deal making and the satisfaction it brings me, whether it’s a quick handshake or a challenging spin on a tough topic. I love the partnerships I’ve formed and friendships I’ve developed, with both clients and competitors. I love the markets but prefer visiting what is a very nice network of people on their home turf, traveling the world to see firsthand where our influence reaches.

More about International Film Trust:

International Film Trust (Ift) is an international sales and distribution company launched by co-founders Michael Benaroya of Benaroya Pictures and Miscellaneous Entertainment principals D. Todd Shepherd and George Waud to represent the theatrical feature film productions from the founding company’s own banners as well as titles from other producers and third party productions. With over twenty years experience in producing, finance, international sales and distribution, Ift has the knowledge and relationships to cultivate strategic partnerships with A-list producers and filmmakers. Transparent by design in their business practices, Ift is a company that understands and honors the four pillars that sustain the global film marketplace: Creativity, Finance, Sales and Distribution.

Making its debut at Cannes 2013, Ift’s slate includes You Shall Know Our Velocity based on Dave Egger's best-selling novel and starring Daniel Radcliffe; Mark Polish's Headlock starring Polish, Andy Garcia, Dianna Agron and Justin Bartha; Michael Almereyda’s Cymbeline starring Ethan Hawke, Ed Harris, Dakota Johnson and Milla Jovovich; the action thriller Cell starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson, and to be directed by Tod Williams (Paranormal Activity 2); The King Of The Kastle starring Clive Owen, Academy Award Nominee Jacki Weaver and Asa Butterfield; Your Voice In My Head based on Emma Forrest's best-selling novel; and the horror thriller Exists directed by Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project) and which was released by Lionsgate in October.

Exclusive: La-based Night Fox Entertainment has pacted with Playing With The Enemy author Gary W. Moore to finance and produce his upcoming 2015 novel The Final Service. The story follows Sandy Richards, a 40-year-old music teacher burdened by her damaged relationship with her father and her unfulfilled dreams, who gets an unexpected visit from an unfathomable source that shakes her belief system and changes her life forever. Moore will adapt his own book with author James Riordan (Break On Through, Stone). Night Fox is fully financing the feature film, which will likely shoot next summer, and is also eyeing additional projects based on Moore’s books.

“I am delighted to work with Night Fox Entertainment and look forward to a relationship that possibly moves beyond The Final Service,” said Moore, whose baseball-themed Playing With The Enemy is in its 17th printing with Penguin. “We are completely in sync artistically and feel...

Here’s a first look at Dianna Agron (‘Glee’) in writer/director Mark Polish’s Headlock starring Oscar Nominee Andy Garcia, Justin Bartha (The Hangover Trilogy) and Mark Polish (For Lovers Only).

After new CIA recruit, Kelley Chandler (Polish) is seriously injured during a mission, surviving only on life support, his wife Tess (Agron), a former CIA operative, becomes determined to find out what happened to her husband. As the details of Kelley’s last mission unravel, showing that his accident was an inside job, Tess puts everything on the line to keep Kelley out of harm’s way, even if that comes with dangerous consequences.

The film is produced by Michael Benaroya (Margin Call, Kill Your Darlings) for Benaroya Pictures and Janet Du Bois (Stay Cool), with Tim Christian, Ryan Johnson and Ben Sachs executive producing.

International Film Trust is handing international rights.

The post First Look Photo Of...

Glee star Dianna Agron is transformed into a gun-toting wife in the first official photo from her upcoming movie Headlock, which doesn't have a release date in place.

Writer-director Mark Polish co-stars as Kelley Chandler, a CIA recruit surviving on life support after a tragic accident. Dianna Agron plays his wife Tess, a former CIA agent herself, who goes on her own secret mission to find out what happened to her husband. Take a look at Dianna Agron like you've never seen her before in this image from Headlock, which doesn't have a release date in place yet.

Love Is A Gun... pic.twitter.com/XgR82pxsQo

— Headlock (@Headlock_MOVIE) September 6, 2014

After new CIA recruit, Kelley Chandler (Mark Polish) is seriously injured during a mission, surviving only on life support, his wife Tess (Dianna Agron), a former CIA operative, becomes determined to find out what happened to her husband. As...

Outside of the success of the musical comedy series "Glee," Dianna Agron hasn't really had much success on the big screen. The Family and I Am Number Four were both misfires and weren't loved by audiences or critics. So now she's doing something completely different than her previous big screen or small screen efforts with Headlock, an action thriller that marks the directorial debut of The Astronaut Farmer scribe Mark Polish. And now we have a first look photo that features Agron with her hair blown back, a sly smile on her face and a gun in her hand. Could this turn the actress into another female action star? Look below! Here's the first photo from Mark Polish's Headlock from International Film Trust: Headlock is written and directed by Mark Polish (writer of The Astronaut Farmer, Twin Falls Idaho, Stay Cool). After new CIA recruit, Kelley Chandler (Polish) is seriously injured during a mission,...

International Film Trust is handling sales in Toronto on Mark Polish’s solo directorial debut Headlock, the first of two from the director that Benaroya Pictures will fully finance.

Andy Garcia, Dianna Agron, Justin Bartha and Polish star in the story of a former CIA operative who attempts to rescue her husband, an injured Agency recruit, from internal enemies.

CAA and Xyz Films represent Us rights to Headlock, which is currently shooting in a number of countries.

Michael Benaroya produces with Janet Du Bois, Tim Christian, Ryan Johnson and Ben Sachs serving as executive producers.

She’s been a busy lady as of late, and on Tuesday afternoon (July 29) Dianna Agron was hard at work on her new movie “Headlock.”

The “Family” female took a break from the indie spy-fi flick, written and directed by Mark Polish, and strolled around the Beverly Hills set while photographers snapped up pictures.

In career news, Ms. Agron’s next project is called “Bare” and she’ll get to work alongside hotties like Riley Keough and Imogen Poots.

Per the synopsis, “Bare” is about “a young girl living in Nevada who starts a complicated relationship with a female drifter who introduces her to a darker world and forces her to grow.”...

Broadway veterans will perform in a new pilot reading of Hollywood And Vine, a one-hour television series, on Tuesday Nov 13th at AFI. Mark Polish will direct the reading with a cast featuring Jason Alexander, Michael Urie, Jack Noseworthy, Heather Tom, Liz Larsen, David Furr, Nick Blaemire and Anthony Heald. They will be joined by Dan Gauthier and James Frances Gint.

Michael Polish, one half of the sibling duo behind “Twin Falls Idaho” and “The Astronaut Farmer,” has attached himself to the road movie “18 Wheel Butterfly” with Evan Rachel Wood in talks to star as a female trucker. Nice. Described as a throwback to films like “Smokey & The Bandit” and Steven Spielberg’s “Sugarland Express,” the film follows the interestingly named Rainbeaux (Wood), who is “accussed of a crime that she did not commit and must outrace the law, brother truckers, feds and bounty hunters in the Texas bubble gum, redneck chic summer of 1977.” Slap on an appropriately rockin' soundtrack, and this thing seems to write itself. Polish -- working here without frequent collaborator and twin brother Mark Polish -- will be making his second period piece after the upcoming Jack Kerouac adaptation “Big Sur,” which still has no release date. We don’t imagine...

A high school movie with a difference, Stay Cool offers both a contemporary and nostalgic glimpse into those formative years when a best-selling author Henry (Mark Polish) is invited back to his old school to deliver a speech at the upcoming senior graduation.

Now in his mid-thirties, his latest book is based around his own school experiences decades back where he attempted (unsuccessfully) to fit in with the popular crowd and win the affections of the girl of his dreams. Hooking up with best friends from that era, a gay hairdresser (Sean Ashton) and tattooist (Josh Holloway), he decides to sample life back in the classroom and encouraged by his old principal (Chevy Chase), attends some lessons. He soon discovers that school is still as daunting a place as it ever was when he finds himself having to fend off the romantic advances of an overly-mature student (Hilary Duff) and...

Stay Cool

Stars: Mark Polish, Sean Astin, Josh Lucas, Winona Ryder, Chevy Chase, Hilary Duff, Dee Wallace, Michael Gross | Written by Mark Polish | Directed by Michael Polish

Henry, a 30-something author of a popular novel, returns to his hometown to deliver a speech at his former high school. Despite his success Henry’s return home has sparked all of the youthful dreams, desires and disappointments he’s never quite gotten over. Between run-ins with the principal, the friends he left behind, the former girl of his dreams and a seductive senior (Duff) who clearly has the hots for him, Henry is sent spinning through a time warp that incites all the old emotions and challenges of the world he grew up in.

When I was sent the press release for Stay Cool I was torn – much was made of HIlary Duff’s role in the film, but at the same...

Hitting movie theaters this weekend:

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn - Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig

Black Gold (limited) - Tahar Rahim, Mark Strong, Antonio Banderas

The Darkest Hour - Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer

War Horse - Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, David Thewlis

We Bought a Zoo - Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church

Movie of the Week

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn

The Stars: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig

The Plot: Tintin and Captain Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock’s ancestor. But someone else is in search of the ship.

The Buzz: One of two Spielberg films in release this weekend (War Horse being the other). I’m not too crazy about the animation,...

Film Independent Fellow Jonathan Sheldon

In the spirit of Griffin Mill’s question in The Player – “Can we talk about something other than Hollywood for a change?” – this interview is one in an occasional series in which Film Independent talks with filmmakers about their non-filmic creative pursuits. Making an independent film can take years, of course, and many filmmakers have creative energies that have to come out in other avenues. Sometimes those other creative pursuits supplant filmmaking altogether; at other times, they exist alongside the pursuit of filmmaking.

I recently talked with Film Independent Fellow Jonathan Sheldon about his work as a musician and his band American Bloomers, as well as about his work as a producer. A Film Independent Fellow, Jonathan is currently participating in Film Independent’s Producers Lab, with his project Televisionaries, the true story of Philo Farnsworth, a farmer’s son with a gift for science,...

London, Sep 29: Singer Joe Jonas has been accused of stealing ideas for his new video 'Just in Love' from a 2010 indie film.

Writer-actor Mark Polish and his director brother Michael says that 'Just in Love', directed by Jaci Judelson, includes scenes which are nearly identical to shots from their film 'For Lovers Only'.

'It's very disheartening that a fellow director would go to those lengths to copy 'For Lovers Only' and not credit us. If they had said our film was their inspiration, we would have been flattered.

'But.

In the grand tradition of Alan Smithee, Ted Smith directs the upcoming comedy Stay Cool, which follows author Henry McCarthy (Mark Polish) as he returns to his suburban hometown of Sacramento to deliver the commencement speech at his former high school. Despite his success as an author, Henry's comeback sparks all of the youthful dreams, desires and particularly disappointments he's never quite gotten over, specifically his unrequited affection for the girl who is now the local pharmacist: The elusive Scarlet Smith (Winona Ryder). In anticipation of Stay Cool's release this Friday, September 16th, we have an exclusive clip from the coming-of-middle-age adventure, which you can check out below.

Click to watch Exclusive: Are You Not Happy?!

Stay Cool comes to theaters September 16th, 2011 and stars Winona Ryder, Mark Polish, Sean Astin, Hilary Duff, Josh Holloway, Jon Cryer, Chevy Chase, Jessica St. Clair. The film is directed by Michael Polish.

What is it with hometown reunions and high school sweethearts this week? Already, we've seen Hilary Duff try to hijack Mark Polish before he can rekindle the flames with his teen crush (Winona Ryder) in Stay Cool. We've seen artwork for Diablo Cody's Young Adult, which features a teen lit novelist (Charlize Theron) who tries to reclaim her happily-married high school honey (Patrick Wilson). And now, we get a clip of Channing Tatum zeroing in on his love interest of yester-decade (Rosario Dawson) in a snippet from the star-packed Ten Year.

Hilary Duff may have seen her planned screen turn as Bonnie Parker nixed due to pregnancy, but the erstwhile Lizzie Maguire will soon appear in the Polish brothers ensemble comedy Stay Cool. The 2009 Tribeca entry concerns a thirtysomething novelist (Mark Polish) who returns to his Sacramento hometown only to be confronted with the colorful ex-flames and friends still living there and the hot-to-trot high school senior (Duff) trying to jump his bones. Get a first look at Duff's would-be teen seductress (and her failed attempt at seduction) in Movieline's exclusive clip.

[1] Back in 2009, the Polish Brothers, Mark and Michael, released two films on the festival circuit: The Smell of Success premiered at Sundance, while Stay Cool opened at Tribeca. Now, two years later, both films are finally getting released in theaters. The Smell of Success just got a very limited opening [2] this month, and Stay Cool will be hitting theaters September 16. A new trailer's just been released for the latter, and... well, I can see why no one was in a hurry to rush this out. Stay Cool follows a successful writer named Henry McCarthy (Mark Polish) who returns to his high school as a commencement speaker at the request of Principal Marshall (Chevy Chase). Once Henry arrives, Marshall encourages him to "connect" with the graduating class, which apparently means sitting in on classes and passing notes with students. (I don't know about you, but I have never had a commencement speaker that did this.

High School will always have a certain cache; it is the place of dashed hopes, awkward stages and first kisses. It is also a comic gold mine.

With a premise that harkens back to "Never Been Kissed," comes a new adults-in-high-school movie, "Stay Cool."

The comedy is about a writer (Mark Polish) who returns to his alma mater as commencement speaker and is urged to "connect" with the class.

He ends up catching the eye of a sexy student (Hilary Duff), a situation which is made worse once his high school crush (Winona Ryder) comes back on the scene.

What a gas!

Watch:...

As East coasters brace for Hurricane Irene, Texas Killing Fields teases its October release with a tempestuous promotional poster. The Debt’s Sam Worthington and Jessica Chastain (who is having a big year with featured roles in Tree of Life and The Help) star in this gritty crime thriller about a murder investigation that pairs a local cop from the Texas bayou with a big city cop from New York. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Chloe Grace Moretz co-star. Opens October 7, 2011. View the trailer here.

Source: Fandango

Paramount’s Footloose is also slated to dance into theaters this October — though on the 14th. And surprisingly, early word on this remake has been positive! Kenny Wormald takes on the role originated by Kevin Bacon in the 1984 toe-tapping musical, which centers on a teen who rebels against his conservative town’s no-dancing policies by cutting loose…Footloose. Below these posters seem to revel...

The first trailer and poster have arrived for director Michael Polish's upcoming comedy Stay Cool, starring Mark Polish as a successful author who returns to his hometown high school to deliver the commencement speech only to fall for the town's elusive pharmacist (Winona Ryder). To get your first taste of Stay Cool, check out the image and video below.

Click to watch Stay Cool Trailer!

Stay Cool comes to theaters September 16th, 2011 and stars Mark Polish, Winona Ryder, Hilary Duff, Sean Astin, Josh Holloway, Ashley Bell, Catherine Black, Marc Blucas. The film is directed by Michael Polish.

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For Lovers Only is a story of a Man and a Woman in love. After seeing each other for the first time in years while on separate work assignments in Paris, the Lovers flee together and travel by train, car and motorcycle, as their love affair takes them across France.from Normandy to St. Tropez. Throughout their trip, both characters experience long periods of carefree bliss and unrepentant joy punctuated by brief moments of guilt and confusion. The final outcome of the affair is left open to interpretation.

This picture is a study and meditation on two Lovers. A picture that practices restraint and embraces limitation.that allows the viewer to hold no judgement on the Lovers behavior, but to accept these two and their passion for one another as something beautiful and rare.

Snippets of information begin to reveal who these two are,...

This comedy is made back in 2009 but recently got a release date for the Us market and that is September 20, 2011. It stars Mark Polish, Winona Ryder, Hilary Duff, Sean Astin, and Josh Holloway. The film tells the story of an author who returns to his hometown to deliver a commencement address to a class of graduating high school students has to deal with his feelings for an old flame as well as the advances of a student who has the hots for him. Watch the trailer after the jump.<center><embed src="http://cdn.springboard.gorillanation.com/storage/xplayer/yo033.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="460" height="300" swliveconnect="true" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" flashvars="file=http://www.filmsnmovies.com/media/sconfig.php?id=21287&width=518&height=457&siteId=329&pid=fsnm002&autostart=false&allowscriptaccess=always&usefullscreen=true"></embed></center>...

You guys! I found Hilary Duff! I found her! Turns out that she's been hiding out in this movie called Stay Cool. Stay Cool is about a writer who goes back to his old high school for research/ to bone a bunch of people. The cast list is "impressive" depending on what your translation for impressive is (I'd say the cast is generally half and half); Winona Ryder, Jon Cryer, Josh Holloway, Chevy Chase, Mark Polish, Sean Astin, and the aforementioned Duff.

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Kate Bosworth seems to have found herself a new man shortly after splitting from "True Blood" hunk Alexander Skarsgard. The Lois Lane of "Superman Returns" was photographed going out with her "Big Sur" director, Michael Polish, on Wednesday night, August 3.

The 28-year-old beauty and the twin brother of Mark Polish stepped out together to catch Coldplay's Samsung At&T Summer Krush concert at the Los Angeles Tennis Center at UCLA. Dishing that the twosome are more than just friends, eyewitness claimed that they packed on the Pda throughout the concert.

One source told Us Weekly, "She kept hanging all over him, kissing him, coming up behind him and squeezing him while kissing the back of his neck and biting his ear. She couldn't keep her hands or mouth off him throughout the show!" E! Online's source dished on similar report, "During the show, they were very cuddly. She even introduced him to Lindsay Lohan.

Exclusive "For Lovers Only," an intimate romance made in luminous black-and-white by twin auteur filmmakers Michael and Mark Polish, is a wildly successful experiment in New Hollywood Math. Production budget: $0 Marketing and advertising budget: $0 Profits that begin at dollar one: priceless. As of Monday afternoon, the film, which stars Mark Polish with "Castle's" Stana Katic, sat at the No. 2 spot on the iTunes romance chart, the four-spot on its independent films chart and the Top 100 in all movie rental and downloads. (Find it here.) That's for a movie that they self-released on...

As the technology to make films becomes ever cheaper, and avenues of distribution for indie projects expands, it seems likely that movie fans will encounter an increasing number of movies made well outside the Hollywood system. We’ve seen under-the-radar hits in recent years – from Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi to The Blair Witch Project on to recent sensation Paranormal Activity – but those films still eventually had studio involvement before they hit it big. Such is not the case with For Lovers Only. The film, which was helmed by twin filmmakers Michael and Mark Polish, had a production budget of $0 and an advertising budget to match. The title, which is a black- and-white tale of old lovers reconnecting in Paris, was shot with two actors (one was...

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As the technology to make films becomes ever cheaper, and avenues of distribution for indie projects expands, it seems likely that movie fans will encounter an increasing number of movies made well outside the Hollywood system. We’ve seen under-the-radar hits in recent years – from Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi to The Blair Witch Project on to recent sensation Paranormal Activity – but those films still eventually had studio involvement before they hit it big. Such is not the case with For Lovers Only. The film, which was helmed by twin filmmakers Michael and Mark Polish, had a production budget of $0 and an advertising budget to match. The title, which is a black- and-white tale of old lovers reconnecting in Paris, was shot with two actors (one was...

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