The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) have announced nominations for this year’s television categories, including Drama Series, Comedy Series, and Long Form Original. Reigning Emmy winners “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Veep” are nominated in their respective categories, as is HBO’s acclaimed “Big Little Lies” limited series.
Winners will be honored at the 2018 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 11, 2018. Ceremonies will take place in New York City and Los Angeles. The full list of 2018 nominations are below.
Drama Series
“The Americans”
“Better Call Saul”
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Stranger Things”
Comedy Series
“Curb Your Enthusiasm”
“Glow”
“Master of None
Silicon Valley”
“Veep”
Long Form Original
“American Horror Story: Cult”
“Feud: Bette and Joan”
“Flint”
“Godless”
“Manhunt: Unabomber”
Long Form Adapted
“Big Little Lies”
“Fargo...
Winners will be honored at the 2018 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 11, 2018. Ceremonies will take place in New York City and Los Angeles. The full list of 2018 nominations are below.
Drama Series
“The Americans”
“Better Call Saul”
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Stranger Things”
Comedy Series
“Curb Your Enthusiasm”
“Glow”
“Master of None
Silicon Valley”
“Veep”
Long Form Original
“American Horror Story: Cult”
“Feud: Bette and Joan”
“Flint”
“Godless”
“Manhunt: Unabomber”
Long Form Adapted
“Big Little Lies”
“Fargo...
- 12/7/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Wendell B. Harris, Jr's woefully under-seen and under-appreciated feature film debut "Chameleon Street" is a title that has been written about numerous times on this blog since it was created in 2009. I've read and watched several interviews with the man, so much that I could probably recite his struggles in getting that film made and released, from memory. I actually interviewed Wendell myself for the very first time in 2009, via the S&A livecast (embedded below), during the very early days of the site when we had a podcast; it was maybe one of the most interesting and memorable interviews I'd done. This was around the time when there was some...
- 4/5/2016
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Ambassador Theatre Group (Atg) has announced it will reopen New York City’s Hudson Theatre as Broadway’s 41st playhouse. In partnership with Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Plc (M&C), one of the world’s number foremost live theater companies will invest millions to restore the iconic landmark to its former glory as a venue of fabulous NYC theater. The 112-year-old Hudson Theatre, located on 44th street between the Millennium Broadway Hotel and the Premier Hotel, opened with a production of “Cousin Kate,” starring Ethel Barrymore, on October 19, 1903. Built by theatrical producer Henry B. Harris (whose wife managed the space after his death on the Titanic), its lobby was the largest ever seen at the time. The theater will have its curtain rise on the state-of-the-art relaunch in the 2016–17 Broadway season. Chairman of M&C Kwek Leng Beng said in a statement, “The Hudson Theatre is one of the great historic...
- 12/23/2015
- backstage.com
Roaming over the weekend, I stumbled onto a sidewalk sale in my neighborhood (common this time of the year), and, as I often do, I stopped to take a look at what the seller had to offer. Books, CDs, DVDs, VHS cassettes, clothing, shoes, etc, etc, etc. I immediately settled on the VHS tapes, because, as I've been lucky enough to experience in the past (in recent years, with the death of that specific medium certain at this point), I sometimes find *forgotten* or relatively obscure films and TV shows that aren't available in any current format (DVD, Blu-ray, streaming or available for download online, etc). It was how I first learned about Wendell B. Harris' woefully under-seen and...
- 11/9/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Read More: 20th Stony Brook Film Festival Welcomes 'Best of Enemies,' 'Wildlike' and More Brooklyn's BAMcinématek revealed plans for a six-week-long retrospective screening series that is scheduled to begin in mid-July. Focused exclusively on independent American cinema from the 1980s, the program will feature over sixty films, along with special guests such as directors Ross McElwee and Rob Nilsson. Robert Townsend's "Hollywood Shuffle" (1987), a comedy about an African American actor (Townsend) struggling with the limitations of racial representation in Hollywood, will open "Indie 80s" on July 17. The series will conclude on August 27 with a screening of "Chameleon Street" (1989), which follows actor-director Wendall B. Harris, Jr. as he camouflages himself at hospitals, newspapers and court, faking as an expert in a wide range of professions in order to escape his tedious life. Other notable titles include Rob Reiner's classic...
- 6/12/2015
- by Sara Itkis
- Indiewire
Kickstart This: Wendell B. Harris Jr ('Chameleon Street') Returns w/ 'Yeshua vs. Frankenstein in 3D'
Wendell B. Harris Jr is a name that I hope most of you are already familiar with, given how much it's been mentioned on this blog over the last 5 years. The brainchild behind one of the most impressive feature film debuts of the last 25 years (aka "Chameleon Street," a film that, sadly, many still have yet to see), who struggled to get other film projects financed after that, despite the acclaim his feature debut attracted, is back, after over 2 decades, with another feature film. I'll save the lengthy formal intro (google-search "Shadow and Act" and "Wendell B. Harris Jr." together for all our previous posts on him to catch up), and just get right to the...
- 9/4/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
"Chameleon Street" is one of the most slept on films to come out since the late eighties. Wendell B. Harris wrote and directed this film and he based it on the life of a con man named Douglas Street. He took the film to Sundance in 1990 and won the Grand Jury Prize, but ended up leaving without a major distribution deal. If you haven't seen it, buy it, don't rent it. Like "Killer of Sheep," you will have to see it more than once to fully appreciate it. If you've never heard of the film, maybe you've heard of Mos Def and Talib Kweli. On their first album together, the self-titled "Black Star" album, they sampled "Chameleon Street" for the intro...
- 7/29/2014
- by Qadree
- ShadowAndAct
Roaming over the weekend, I stumbled onto a sidewalk sale in my neighborhood (common this time of the year), and, as I often do, I stopped to take a look at what the seller had to offer. Books, CDs, DVDs, VHS cassettes, clothing, shoes, etc, etc, etc. I immediately settled on the VHS tapes, because, as I've been lucky enough to experience in the past (in recent years, with the death of that specific medium certain at this point), I sometimes find *forgotten* or relatively obscure films and TV shows that aren't available in any current format (DVD, Blu-ray, streaming or available for download online, etc). It was how I first learned about Wendell B. Harris' woefully under-seen and...
- 4/23/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
As Tambay said three weeks ago here in his item about the recent London BFI screening of Wendell B. Harris' 1989 film Chameleon Street...you haven't seen it yet? I agree with him 100%. Seriously? You claim to be so serious about black films and Harris' film is one of the most fascinating and unique independent black films ever made. And yet you have't seen it? Why sir! You are a fraud! But seriously, it's a truly incredible film and if you're in the Chicago area, you'll have an opportunity to see it soon when the Black Cinema House in Chicago will screen the film on Saturday March 9th starting at 7Pm. The film will be introduced...
- 2/22/2013
- by Sergio
- ShadowAndAct
So you still haven't seen Wendell B. Harris' Chameleon Street, despite all the yapping we've done about it on this blog over the last 3 years? No? Why not? It's on DVD. It should also be on iTunes. Oh, I see... you're one of those purists, and you refuse to see it if it's not in a theatrical setting, on a nice large screen, and won't see it in any other format? Well, alright. I've got some great news for you then... if you live in London anyway. I know... there always has to be a catch! Brit film critic Ashley Clark is presenting a special screening of Chameleon Street at the BFI Southbank in London, on February 16. But...
- 2/1/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
On Monday, Jan. 14, PBS' "Independent Lens" presents "Soul Food Junkies," a documentary from filmmaker, writer, activist and lecturer Byron Hurt ("Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes").
Hurt grew up eating "soul food" from the African-American Southern tradition: grits and cheese-covered scrambled eggs, buttered biscuits with gravy, bacon, collard greens with ham hocks, fried pork chops, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, fried fish, barbecued chicken and ribs, and candied yams.
While all these dishes are delicious and come from recipes passed down for generations in families, they also can contain large amounts of fat, sugar and salt.
Hurt grew up concerned about the health of his overweight father, who eventually succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 63. One of the risk factors for developing this kind of cancer is a high-fat diet centered on meat.
Worried this same fate was befalling others in the African-American community, Hurt set out to...
Hurt grew up eating "soul food" from the African-American Southern tradition: grits and cheese-covered scrambled eggs, buttered biscuits with gravy, bacon, collard greens with ham hocks, fried pork chops, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, fried fish, barbecued chicken and ribs, and candied yams.
While all these dishes are delicious and come from recipes passed down for generations in families, they also can contain large amounts of fat, sugar and salt.
Hurt grew up concerned about the health of his overweight father, who eventually succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 63. One of the risk factors for developing this kind of cancer is a high-fat diet centered on meat.
Worried this same fate was befalling others in the African-American community, Hurt set out to...
- 1/14/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Living up to his promise to infuse his struggling network with more original programming, the CW Network has picked up five new pilots to series. The Sex And The City prequel The Carrie Diaries, the Green Arrow reboot Arrow, a Beaty And The Beast re-imagination that shares the same name, a mystery thriller called Cult and a medical drama First Cut. Full series synopsis of which can be found after the jump.
The Carrie Diaries
It’s 1984, and life isn’t easy for 16-year-old Carrie Bradshaw. Since their mother passed away, Carrie’s younger sister Dorritt is more rebellious than ever, and their father Tom is overwhelmed with the responsibility of suddenly having to care for two teenage girls on his own. Carrie’s friends – sweet, geeky Mouse, sarcastic and self-assured Maggie and sensitive Walt – make life bearable, but a suburban life in Connecticut isn’t doing much to take her mind off her troubles.
The Carrie Diaries
It’s 1984, and life isn’t easy for 16-year-old Carrie Bradshaw. Since their mother passed away, Carrie’s younger sister Dorritt is more rebellious than ever, and their father Tom is overwhelmed with the responsibility of suddenly having to care for two teenage girls on his own. Carrie’s friends – sweet, geeky Mouse, sarcastic and self-assured Maggie and sensitive Walt – make life bearable, but a suburban life in Connecticut isn’t doing much to take her mind off her troubles.
- 5/11/2012
- by theTVaddict
- The TV Addict
Today is the day. I’ve been working to finish this movie since 2006. There were moments in the six years since putting pen to page during which I couldn’t make this day out in my future. Not that I considered quitting, that isn’t my style, but I did at times feel like the journey of making this film would stretch into eternity. This is not unprecedented, check out Ellison’s second book or Wendell B. Harris’ second movie.
To avoid that fate I had to take an extreme measure and commit myself to working 12 hours a day 7 days a week until the movie was finished. This change was sparked from a conversation I had with the Orisha through a priestess. The Orisha had a simple message that I took to heart.
Go fast.
I accelerated my pace. I have yet to pump the brakes. I rolled into Park...
To avoid that fate I had to take an extreme measure and commit myself to working 12 hours a day 7 days a week until the movie was finished. This change was sparked from a conversation I had with the Orisha through a priestess. The Orisha had a simple message that I took to heart.
Go fast.
I accelerated my pace. I have yet to pump the brakes. I rolled into Park...
- 1/22/2012
- by Terence Nance
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Thanks to Criterion, Stanley Kubrick's The Seafarers is now the only film from the iconic director not available on Blu-ray. Criterion recently brought Kubrick's Paths of Glory to beautiful high-definition and now the director's 1956 heist feature, The Killing, arrives with a special inclusion, the helmer's 1955 feature Killer's Kiss. Releasing The Killing is one thing and should be enough to get you to buy this title, but the fact it also includes Killer's Kiss pretty much means any Kubrick fan simply has to buy it. I'm sorry, but those are the rules.
The screenplay was co-written by Kubrick with dialogue by pulp novelist Jim Thompson (though Thompson would later claim he wrote most of the film, a spat that almost ended their relationship), The Killing is based on "Clean Break" by Lionel White. The story is told using a fractured narrative, following the planning of a racetrack robbery. Throughout the film's brisk,...
The screenplay was co-written by Kubrick with dialogue by pulp novelist Jim Thompson (though Thompson would later claim he wrote most of the film, a spat that almost ended their relationship), The Killing is based on "Clean Break" by Lionel White. The story is told using a fractured narrative, following the planning of a racetrack robbery. Throughout the film's brisk,...
- 9/27/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Chameleon Street is one of the most slept on films to come out since the late eighties.
Wendell B. Harris wrote and directed this film and he based it on the life of a con man named William Douglas Street Jr. Wendell took the film to Sundance in 1990 and won the Grand Jury Prize, but ended up leaving without a major distribution deal. If you haven’t seen it, buy it, don’t rent it.
Like Killer of Sheep, you will have to see it more than once to fully appreciate it.
If you’ve never heard of the film, maybe you’ve heard of Mos Def and Talib Kweli. On their first album together, the self-titled Black Star album, they sampled Chameleon Street for the intro to the song Brown Skin Lady.
Chameleon Street (Brown Skin Lady Sample)
Chameleon Street makes references to quite a few other films, but...
Wendell B. Harris wrote and directed this film and he based it on the life of a con man named William Douglas Street Jr. Wendell took the film to Sundance in 1990 and won the Grand Jury Prize, but ended up leaving without a major distribution deal. If you haven’t seen it, buy it, don’t rent it.
Like Killer of Sheep, you will have to see it more than once to fully appreciate it.
If you’ve never heard of the film, maybe you’ve heard of Mos Def and Talib Kweli. On their first album together, the self-titled Black Star album, they sampled Chameleon Street for the intro to the song Brown Skin Lady.
Chameleon Street (Brown Skin Lady Sample)
Chameleon Street makes references to quite a few other films, but...
- 3/18/2011
- by Qadree
- ShadowAndAct
And so it all comes to an end… the inaugural Act Now: New Voices In Black Cinema Film Festival. An auspicious start for the Act Now Foundation family, enabled by the hard work of its eclectic staff.
The challenge – putting together a worthwhile 5-day film festival, with virtually no budget, and little time – was met with aplomb. Aaron Ingram and his team came through triumphantly. The programming, like the ActNow staff, was diverse, bold, demanding, and showed good aesthetic judgment – leaving the chaff out of the festival.
5 days in the cold and frigid temperatures of a New York winter, snow and crowded ice-covered streets and sidewalks, didn’t seem to prevent friends, family, neighbors, collaborators and more from the Act Now Film Festival experience. Sold-out or near sold-out screenings weren’t uncommon. We all reveled in the excitement of the moment; the movies of the moment.
The reason why this...
The challenge – putting together a worthwhile 5-day film festival, with virtually no budget, and little time – was met with aplomb. Aaron Ingram and his team came through triumphantly. The programming, like the ActNow staff, was diverse, bold, demanding, and showed good aesthetic judgment – leaving the chaff out of the festival.
5 days in the cold and frigid temperatures of a New York winter, snow and crowded ice-covered streets and sidewalks, didn’t seem to prevent friends, family, neighbors, collaborators and more from the Act Now Film Festival experience. Sold-out or near sold-out screenings weren’t uncommon. We all reveled in the excitement of the moment; the movies of the moment.
The reason why this...
- 2/11/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Must-See Screening Tonight At Bam In Brooklyn, NYC Of “Chameleon Street” + Clips, Interviews , More…
Screening Tonight at 9:30Pm, as part of the ActNow New Voices In Black Cinema Film Festival, at BAMCinematek here in Brooklyn, NY, is the little-seen, must-see riveting drama, Chameleon Street, written, directed by and starring Wendell B. Harris Jr.
It’s our closing night film, as well as what you could call our throwback, retro selection. Though, as I implied, it still feels fresh, since it just hasn’t been seen as widely as I (and other fans of the film) think it should have.
Tickets are $12 and can be purchased in advance Here.
So, if you’re in the NYC area, and are free to attend tonight’s 9:30Pm screening, you’re all Strongly encouraged to do so. You won’t be disappointed!
We’ve talked about the film many times on this blog. I’m certainly a big fan, and I’ve included some of the...
It’s our closing night film, as well as what you could call our throwback, retro selection. Though, as I implied, it still feels fresh, since it just hasn’t been seen as widely as I (and other fans of the film) think it should have.
Tickets are $12 and can be purchased in advance Here.
So, if you’re in the NYC area, and are free to attend tonight’s 9:30Pm screening, you’re all Strongly encouraged to do so. You won’t be disappointed!
We’ve talked about the film many times on this blog. I’m certainly a big fan, and I’ve included some of the...
- 2/9/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Well, here we go… ActNow New Voices In Black Cinema (which I and Curtis are co-curators of) will debut its inaugural film festival from February 4th (this Friday) through the 9th (next week Wednesday), with all screenings held at BAMcinèmatek, here in Brooklyn, NY, and I’ll obviously most certainly be there!
The five-day festival celebrates up-and-coming Back filmmakers with new narrative features and documentaries programmed alongside classics like Wendell B. Harris, Jr.’s lauded Chameleon Street.
The full lineup of 8 feature films and a shorts program follows below (just about all of these titles – except Heart Of Stone and Money Matters – have been previously profiled and/or reviewed on this blog, and I make note of that where necessary; “Q&A” should be self-explanatory; for tickets info, go to our page on Bam’s website, which you can access Here):
Friday, February 4
2pm: Heart of Stone – Q & A...
The five-day festival celebrates up-and-coming Back filmmakers with new narrative features and documentaries programmed alongside classics like Wendell B. Harris, Jr.’s lauded Chameleon Street.
The full lineup of 8 feature films and a shorts program follows below (just about all of these titles – except Heart Of Stone and Money Matters – have been previously profiled and/or reviewed on this blog, and I make note of that where necessary; “Q&A” should be self-explanatory; for tickets info, go to our page on Bam’s website, which you can access Here):
Friday, February 4
2pm: Heart of Stone – Q & A...
- 1/31/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Well, here we go… ActNow New Voices In Black Cinema (which I’m a co-curator of) will debut its inaugural film festival from February 4th through the 9th, with all screenings held at BAMcinèmatek, here in Brooklyn, NY, and I’ll obviously most certainly be there!
The five-day festival celebrates up-and-coming Back filmmakers with new narrative features and documentaries programmed alongside classics like Wendell B. Harris, Jr.’s lauded Chameleon Street.
The full lineup of 8 feature films and a shorts program follows below (just about all of these titles – except Heart Of Stone and Money Matters – have been previously profiled and/or reviewed on this blog, and I make note of that where necessary; “Q&A” should be self-explanatory; for tickets info, go to our page on Bam’s website, which you can access Here):
Friday, February 4
2pm: Heart of Stone – Q & A
4:30pm: Sus (my review w...
The five-day festival celebrates up-and-coming Back filmmakers with new narrative features and documentaries programmed alongside classics like Wendell B. Harris, Jr.’s lauded Chameleon Street.
The full lineup of 8 feature films and a shorts program follows below (just about all of these titles – except Heart Of Stone and Money Matters – have been previously profiled and/or reviewed on this blog, and I make note of that where necessary; “Q&A” should be self-explanatory; for tickets info, go to our page on Bam’s website, which you can access Here):
Friday, February 4
2pm: Heart of Stone – Q & A
4:30pm: Sus (my review w...
- 1/15/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
It’s Armond White day here on Shadow And Act… but this was too interesting to pass up.
A few days ago I received an email from Wendell B. Harris Jr, writer/director/star of Chameleon Street, referencing last year’s kerfuffle between White and the publicity team for Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg, which we covered on this blog. In case you missed it, in a nutshell, Armond White was barred from press screenings of Greenberg, by publicist Leslee Dart, who rejected White’s invitation to a screening of the movie, thanks to Armond’s alleged bias against and hostility towards not just Baumbach’s films, but Baumbach himself, essentially suggesting a personal vendetta on White’s part.
In Armond’s review of Baumbach’s 1997 film Mr. Jealousy, some interpreted his words to mean that he wished the filmmaker’s mother had aborted him!
And who is Noah Baumbach’s mother?...
A few days ago I received an email from Wendell B. Harris Jr, writer/director/star of Chameleon Street, referencing last year’s kerfuffle between White and the publicity team for Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg, which we covered on this blog. In case you missed it, in a nutshell, Armond White was barred from press screenings of Greenberg, by publicist Leslee Dart, who rejected White’s invitation to a screening of the movie, thanks to Armond’s alleged bias against and hostility towards not just Baumbach’s films, but Baumbach himself, essentially suggesting a personal vendetta on White’s part.
In Armond’s review of Baumbach’s 1997 film Mr. Jealousy, some interpreted his words to mean that he wished the filmmaker’s mother had aborted him!
And who is Noah Baumbach’s mother?...
- 1/12/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Two of our favorite people – Wendell B. Harris Jr, and Armond White This took place last month, after the screening of Chameleon Street at Bam Cinemateque in Brooklyn, NY. Unfortunately, the entire conversation wasn’t captured, and the camera/sound work is shaky (Bam doesn’t allow recording inside its theaters, apparently), but what’s there is still worth watching (thanks FoxBrownFox for the tip):...
- 8/17/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
So you still haven’t seen Wendell B. Harris’ Chameleon Street, despite all the yapping we’ve done about it on this blog over the last year? No? Why not? It’s on DVD. Oh, I see… you’re one of those purists, and you refuse to see it if it’s not in a theatrical setting, on a nice large screen, and won’t see it in any other format?
Well, alright. I’ve got some great news for you then… if you live in New York anyway
Bam Cinemateque in Brooklyn will be hosting a special screening of Chameleon Street, tomorrow, Tuesday July 6th, at 9:30Pm. But wait, that’s not all… Wendell B. Harris, Jr. himself will be present for a Q&A chat after the screening!
So, get your asses over there tomorrow night, because, if you listened to my podcast interview with Wendell early last year,...
Well, alright. I’ve got some great news for you then… if you live in New York anyway
Bam Cinemateque in Brooklyn will be hosting a special screening of Chameleon Street, tomorrow, Tuesday July 6th, at 9:30Pm. But wait, that’s not all… Wendell B. Harris, Jr. himself will be present for a Q&A chat after the screening!
So, get your asses over there tomorrow night, because, if you listened to my podcast interview with Wendell early last year,...
- 7/6/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
CALIFORNIALa Jolla PlayhouseP.O. Box 12039La Jolla, CA 92039(858) 550-1070, fax (858) 550-1075information@ljp.orgwww.lajollaplayhouse.orgChristopher Ashley, artistic directorEquity Lort B contractNon-EquityCasting: Casts productions in-house and through independent casting directors by invitation only. Send pix and resumes to above address, attn: Casting. See website for more information. Internships availableSeason: June - September. Shows: "Surf Report" (June); "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" (September); "Ruined" (November); "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (July); "Notes From the Underground" (September)Marin Shakespeare CompanyP.O. Box 4053San Rafael, CA 94913(415) 499-4485, fax (415) 499-1492management@marinshakespeare.orgwww.marinshakespeare.orgRobert S. Currier, artistic director; Lesley Currier, managing directorEquity Loa referenced to Lort contractNon-EquityCasting: Casts productions in-house. Send pix and resumes to Robert Currier. Please see website for specific audition dates and information.Internships and/or apprenticeships available.Season: July - September. Shows: "Travesties" (July 2-Aug. 15); "The Taming of the Shrew" (July 16-Sep. 26); "Antony and Cleopatra" (Aug. 20-Sep. 25)Pcpa Theaterfest800 S.
- 2/25/2010
- backstage.com
I doubt Wendell B. Harris Jr and his film, Chameleon Street, are in need of an intro on this blog.
Here’s the press release:
Actor/Writer/Director Wendell B. Harris, Jr. continues efforts to keep his award-winning film, Chameleon Street, among the not-forgotten gems of cinematic history by kicking off 2010 with a launch of his critically-acclaimed film among new releases on iTunes. Chameleon Street is debuting in the iTunes catalog and joins an elite group of films negotiated through aggregate firm TuneCore, as it celebrates twenty years since its’ winning entry at the 1990 Sundance Film Festival.
Chameleon Street is a psychological comedy that uses the real-life story of Douglas Street, an infamous Michigan-born imposter, to explore the myth of the American Dream, the paradox of African-American male identity, and the movie medium’s uncanny ability to get under the skin of American Society. It is the quintessential story of...
Here’s the press release:
Actor/Writer/Director Wendell B. Harris, Jr. continues efforts to keep his award-winning film, Chameleon Street, among the not-forgotten gems of cinematic history by kicking off 2010 with a launch of his critically-acclaimed film among new releases on iTunes. Chameleon Street is debuting in the iTunes catalog and joins an elite group of films negotiated through aggregate firm TuneCore, as it celebrates twenty years since its’ winning entry at the 1990 Sundance Film Festival.
Chameleon Street is a psychological comedy that uses the real-life story of Douglas Street, an infamous Michigan-born imposter, to explore the myth of the American Dream, the paradox of African-American male identity, and the movie medium’s uncanny ability to get under the skin of American Society. It is the quintessential story of...
- 2/11/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Black Dahlia
"Black Dahlia" has the looks, smarts and attitude of a classic Brian De Palma/film noir thriller. During the first hour, the hope that the director has tapped into something really great mounts with each passing minute. Then, gradually, the feverish pulp imagination of James Ellroy, on whose novel Josh Friedman based his screenplay, feeds into De Palma's dark side. The violence grows absurd, emotions get overplayed, and the film revels once too often in its gleeful depiction of corrupt, decadent old Los Angeles. Disappointingly, the film edges dangerously into camp.
No, "Black Dahlia" never quite falls into that black hole. The actors in the major roles cling firmly, even lovingly, to their boisterous characters. The sordidness and madness never seem completely wrong given the rancid world the movie surveys. Nevertheless, the second half feels heavy and unfulfilled, potential greatness reduced to a good movie plagued with problems.
Because the want-to-see factor for this anticipated film is equal to your want-to-like desire, the film's domestic distributor, Universal, could enjoy potent boxoffice. But it might skew older, to fans of De Palma and crime fiction as well as those who recall one of Los Angeles' most infamous murders.
On Jan. 15, 1947, the city -- in its postwar frenzy of growth, development, racial tensions and unbridled ambition -- awoke to an unimaginable crime: The torture-ravished body of a beautiful young woman named Elizabeth Short was found in a vacant lot off Crenshaw. The body was cut in half at the waist, disemboweled, drained of all blood and cruelly marked with grotesque taunts by her killer. The discovery sparked the city's greatest manhunt, but the killer was never found.
Which hasn't prevented continual articles, books, novels and documentaries from speculating on possible motives and suspects. Ellroy took a fictional crack at the case in arguably his best Los Angeles crime novel. It was typical Ellroy, who blamed the ghastly murder not on a deranged psychopath with a score to settle but rather police corruption, political chicanery, ruthless gangsters and various businessmen. In other words, the city killed Elizabeth.
Like any of his crackling crime tales, Ellroy surrounds historical events with fiendishly dark fictional characters. The cops on the case are Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) and Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart), ex-boxers who become partners on the beat and off. Bucky finds himself in an unconsummated menage with Lee and his live-in lover, Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson). Each has troubling secrets.
Lee, hopped up on Benzedrine, grows obsessed with The Black Dahlia, as the newspapers named Elizabeth, driven to know everything about her. Bucky, too, is drawn to her fatal charm, especially when his lone-wolf investigation into lesbian bars brings him under the sway of an AC/DC hottie named Madeleine Linscott (Hilary Swank), whose daddy is the richest developer in the city.
Characters, subplots and twists come fast and thick -- albeit abridged from an even greater onslaught in the novel. It is with the introduction of the Linscott family, though, that the story develops a noticeable wobble. Predictably, the Linscotts' involvement with the Dahlia proves extensive. Yet it is really so far-fetched. The family is one of those fictional creations where dementia, delusion and depravity run silent and deep, only to erupt in grotesque outbursts that border on the comic.
And speaking of comic, you should see De Palma and production designer Dante Ferretti's idea of a Los Angeles lesbian bar circa 1947. Instead of an underground hideaway, the place is a veritable Follies Bergere with half-naked chorines writhing and smooching on a towering stairway to the strains of a big band belting out Cole Porter.
But the film does many things right. The rapid dialogue is sharp throughout, as it should be because much of it is lifted from Ellroy's novel. Hartnett delivers an intriguing mix of tenderness, self-righteousness and self-incrimination -- Ellroy cops are never clean. Eckhart plays scenes at full throttle yet never feels out of control. As the good vamp, Johansson uses an angelic pout and faux innocence to have her way with men. As the bad vamp, Swank goes for such unrestrained sexuality that she makes the actual Dahlia -- Mia Kirshner seen in screen tests and one rather tame stag film -- seem almost demure.
Then there are the De Palma touches that pull you out of the movie: the black bird swooping down symbolically on the Dahlia's corpse, an earthquake thrown in for no good reason, Fiona Shaw's over-the-top performance as Madeleine's drug-addled mom, the rush of revelations in the final reel that feels more like footnotes than climactic moments.
Mark Isham's music is lush whether in a romantic or an overheated mood. Vilmos Zsigmond's graceful camera is a tad self-conscious as are sets and costumes, all a little too eager to flout their period trappings.
THE BLACK DAHLIA
Universal Pictures
Universal in association with Millennnium Films presents a Signature Pictures production for Equity Pictures Medienfonds and Nu-Image Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Brian De Palma
Screenwriter: Josh Friedman
Based on the novel by: James Ellroy
Producers: Art Linson, Avi Lerner, Moshe Diamant, Ruby Cohen
Executive producers: James B. Harris, Danny Dimbort, Boaz Davidson, Trevor Short, John Thompson, Andreas Thiesmeyer, Josef Lautenschlager, Henrik Huydts, Rolf Deyhle
Director of photography: Vilmos Zsigmond
Production designer: Dante Ferretti
Music: Mark Isham
Costume designer: Jenny Beavan
Editor: Bill Pankow
Cast:
Bucky Bleichert: Josh Hartnett
Lee Blanchard: Aaron Eckhart
Kay Lake: Scarlett Johansson
Madeleine Linscott: Hilary Swank
Elizabeth Short: Mia Kirshner
Russ Millard: Mike Starr
Ramona: Fiona Shaw
Martha: Rachel Miner
Bill Koenig: Victor McGuire
MPAA rating: R
Running time -- 121 minutes...
No, "Black Dahlia" never quite falls into that black hole. The actors in the major roles cling firmly, even lovingly, to their boisterous characters. The sordidness and madness never seem completely wrong given the rancid world the movie surveys. Nevertheless, the second half feels heavy and unfulfilled, potential greatness reduced to a good movie plagued with problems.
Because the want-to-see factor for this anticipated film is equal to your want-to-like desire, the film's domestic distributor, Universal, could enjoy potent boxoffice. But it might skew older, to fans of De Palma and crime fiction as well as those who recall one of Los Angeles' most infamous murders.
On Jan. 15, 1947, the city -- in its postwar frenzy of growth, development, racial tensions and unbridled ambition -- awoke to an unimaginable crime: The torture-ravished body of a beautiful young woman named Elizabeth Short was found in a vacant lot off Crenshaw. The body was cut in half at the waist, disemboweled, drained of all blood and cruelly marked with grotesque taunts by her killer. The discovery sparked the city's greatest manhunt, but the killer was never found.
Which hasn't prevented continual articles, books, novels and documentaries from speculating on possible motives and suspects. Ellroy took a fictional crack at the case in arguably his best Los Angeles crime novel. It was typical Ellroy, who blamed the ghastly murder not on a deranged psychopath with a score to settle but rather police corruption, political chicanery, ruthless gangsters and various businessmen. In other words, the city killed Elizabeth.
Like any of his crackling crime tales, Ellroy surrounds historical events with fiendishly dark fictional characters. The cops on the case are Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) and Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart), ex-boxers who become partners on the beat and off. Bucky finds himself in an unconsummated menage with Lee and his live-in lover, Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson). Each has troubling secrets.
Lee, hopped up on Benzedrine, grows obsessed with The Black Dahlia, as the newspapers named Elizabeth, driven to know everything about her. Bucky, too, is drawn to her fatal charm, especially when his lone-wolf investigation into lesbian bars brings him under the sway of an AC/DC hottie named Madeleine Linscott (Hilary Swank), whose daddy is the richest developer in the city.
Characters, subplots and twists come fast and thick -- albeit abridged from an even greater onslaught in the novel. It is with the introduction of the Linscott family, though, that the story develops a noticeable wobble. Predictably, the Linscotts' involvement with the Dahlia proves extensive. Yet it is really so far-fetched. The family is one of those fictional creations where dementia, delusion and depravity run silent and deep, only to erupt in grotesque outbursts that border on the comic.
And speaking of comic, you should see De Palma and production designer Dante Ferretti's idea of a Los Angeles lesbian bar circa 1947. Instead of an underground hideaway, the place is a veritable Follies Bergere with half-naked chorines writhing and smooching on a towering stairway to the strains of a big band belting out Cole Porter.
But the film does many things right. The rapid dialogue is sharp throughout, as it should be because much of it is lifted from Ellroy's novel. Hartnett delivers an intriguing mix of tenderness, self-righteousness and self-incrimination -- Ellroy cops are never clean. Eckhart plays scenes at full throttle yet never feels out of control. As the good vamp, Johansson uses an angelic pout and faux innocence to have her way with men. As the bad vamp, Swank goes for such unrestrained sexuality that she makes the actual Dahlia -- Mia Kirshner seen in screen tests and one rather tame stag film -- seem almost demure.
Then there are the De Palma touches that pull you out of the movie: the black bird swooping down symbolically on the Dahlia's corpse, an earthquake thrown in for no good reason, Fiona Shaw's over-the-top performance as Madeleine's drug-addled mom, the rush of revelations in the final reel that feels more like footnotes than climactic moments.
Mark Isham's music is lush whether in a romantic or an overheated mood. Vilmos Zsigmond's graceful camera is a tad self-conscious as are sets and costumes, all a little too eager to flout their period trappings.
THE BLACK DAHLIA
Universal Pictures
Universal in association with Millennnium Films presents a Signature Pictures production for Equity Pictures Medienfonds and Nu-Image Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Brian De Palma
Screenwriter: Josh Friedman
Based on the novel by: James Ellroy
Producers: Art Linson, Avi Lerner, Moshe Diamant, Ruby Cohen
Executive producers: James B. Harris, Danny Dimbort, Boaz Davidson, Trevor Short, John Thompson, Andreas Thiesmeyer, Josef Lautenschlager, Henrik Huydts, Rolf Deyhle
Director of photography: Vilmos Zsigmond
Production designer: Dante Ferretti
Music: Mark Isham
Costume designer: Jenny Beavan
Editor: Bill Pankow
Cast:
Bucky Bleichert: Josh Hartnett
Lee Blanchard: Aaron Eckhart
Kay Lake: Scarlett Johansson
Madeleine Linscott: Hilary Swank
Elizabeth Short: Mia Kirshner
Russ Millard: Mike Starr
Ramona: Fiona Shaw
Martha: Rachel Miner
Bill Koenig: Victor McGuire
MPAA rating: R
Running time -- 121 minutes...
- 8/31/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Just My Luck
A pop-froth spin on Cinderella, the Manhattan-set "Just My Luck" has the feel of a contemporary screwball romance, if not the crackling one-liners of classic screwball. But Lindsay Lohan and Chris Pine make a charming star-crossed couple, and tweens and teens will find enough plot reversals to keep them hooked. Upping the ante for the MySpace crowd is the involvement of boy band McFly.
The zingy script by I. Marlene King and Amy B. Harris adds a gender twist to its fairy tale: She's a princess, he cleans toilets. The aptly named Ashley Albright (Lohan), an impossibly poised employee of a high-powered PR firm, has the Midas touch; She's used to the world falling at her feet. For bowling alley janitor Jake Hardin (Pine), on the other hand, everything he touches turns to crap. In other words, they're destined to meet and fall in love.
Their paths cross at -- where else? -- a masked ball. It's a party that Ashley has put together for a client, Downtown Masquerade Records impresario Damon Phillips (the underused Faizon Love), to the career-boosting approval of her "dragon lady" boss (the equally underused Missi Pyle). But just as Ashley's extraordinary good luck is enjoying a megadose of B12, she dances with a stranger and everything changes. Her mystery dream date, Jake, has sneaked into the bash posing as a dancer to get to label honcho Phillips, a last-ditch effort for the aspiring Brit pop-rock quartet he manages (McFly, playing themselves). Jake gets his chance, and the city's closed doors start swinging open.
Ashley, meanwhile, goes from perfectly coiffed fast-track cutie to unemployed, homeless mess with an arrest record, having inadvertently procured a male escort (Carlos Ponce) for her boss. With the help of a fortune teller (Tovah Feldshuh), Ashley figures out that she and her dance partner exchanged luck -- her good fortune for his lack thereof -- when they kissed. Thus ensues a breezy sequence in which she scoots around town, with friends Maggie (Samaire Armstrong) and Dana (Bree Turner) in tow, kissing a bunch of professional dancers to find the guy who stole her luck.
When she and Jake do meet again, not recognizing each other, she's a wreck and he's living the good life, his band preparing for its first proper New York gig. With the compassion of someone who used to be a hapless klutz, too, he gets her his old job at the lanes and eagerly shares his hard-earned safety tips.
In this transition role from high school to working-world romantic lead, Lohan, at only 19, convincingly plays a young woman beginning her career. With her comic flair, she brings off Ashley's indomitable cosmopolitan polish and her profound dishevelment, while Pine lends her love interest a real-guy likability.
Journeyman direction by Donald Petrie lets the twists of fate unwind at a fair clip, but with certain stretches lacking the necessary punch, the proceedings could be trimmer. Production designer Ray Kluga and costumer Gary Jones contribute exuberant work to the production, shot by vet DP Dean Semler in Manhattan and pre-Katrina New Orleans.
JUST MY LUCK
20th Century Fox
Regency Enterprises presents a New Regency/Cheyenne Enterprises production
Credits:
Director: Donald Petrie
Screenwriters: I. Marlene King, Amy B. Harris
Story by: Jonathan Bernstein, Mark Blackwell, James Greer
Producers: Arnon Milchan, Arnold Rifkin, Donald Petrie
Executive producer: Joe Caracciolo Jr.
Director of photography: Dean Semler
Production designer: Ray Kluga
Music: Teddy Castellucci
Co-producers: Ellen H. Schwartz, Marjorie Shik
Costume designer: Gary Jones
Editor: Debra Neil-Fisher
Cast:
Ashley Albright: Lindsay Lohan
Jake Hardin: Chris Pine
Maggie: Samaire Armstrong
Dana: Bree Turner
Damon Phillips: Faizon Love
Peggy Braden: Missi Pyle
Katy: Makenzie Vega
Antonio: Carlos Ponce
Themselves: McFly (Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Harry Judd, Dougie Poynter)
Madame Z: Tovah Feldshuh
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 102 minutes...
The zingy script by I. Marlene King and Amy B. Harris adds a gender twist to its fairy tale: She's a princess, he cleans toilets. The aptly named Ashley Albright (Lohan), an impossibly poised employee of a high-powered PR firm, has the Midas touch; She's used to the world falling at her feet. For bowling alley janitor Jake Hardin (Pine), on the other hand, everything he touches turns to crap. In other words, they're destined to meet and fall in love.
Their paths cross at -- where else? -- a masked ball. It's a party that Ashley has put together for a client, Downtown Masquerade Records impresario Damon Phillips (the underused Faizon Love), to the career-boosting approval of her "dragon lady" boss (the equally underused Missi Pyle). But just as Ashley's extraordinary good luck is enjoying a megadose of B12, she dances with a stranger and everything changes. Her mystery dream date, Jake, has sneaked into the bash posing as a dancer to get to label honcho Phillips, a last-ditch effort for the aspiring Brit pop-rock quartet he manages (McFly, playing themselves). Jake gets his chance, and the city's closed doors start swinging open.
Ashley, meanwhile, goes from perfectly coiffed fast-track cutie to unemployed, homeless mess with an arrest record, having inadvertently procured a male escort (Carlos Ponce) for her boss. With the help of a fortune teller (Tovah Feldshuh), Ashley figures out that she and her dance partner exchanged luck -- her good fortune for his lack thereof -- when they kissed. Thus ensues a breezy sequence in which she scoots around town, with friends Maggie (Samaire Armstrong) and Dana (Bree Turner) in tow, kissing a bunch of professional dancers to find the guy who stole her luck.
When she and Jake do meet again, not recognizing each other, she's a wreck and he's living the good life, his band preparing for its first proper New York gig. With the compassion of someone who used to be a hapless klutz, too, he gets her his old job at the lanes and eagerly shares his hard-earned safety tips.
In this transition role from high school to working-world romantic lead, Lohan, at only 19, convincingly plays a young woman beginning her career. With her comic flair, she brings off Ashley's indomitable cosmopolitan polish and her profound dishevelment, while Pine lends her love interest a real-guy likability.
Journeyman direction by Donald Petrie lets the twists of fate unwind at a fair clip, but with certain stretches lacking the necessary punch, the proceedings could be trimmer. Production designer Ray Kluga and costumer Gary Jones contribute exuberant work to the production, shot by vet DP Dean Semler in Manhattan and pre-Katrina New Orleans.
JUST MY LUCK
20th Century Fox
Regency Enterprises presents a New Regency/Cheyenne Enterprises production
Credits:
Director: Donald Petrie
Screenwriters: I. Marlene King, Amy B. Harris
Story by: Jonathan Bernstein, Mark Blackwell, James Greer
Producers: Arnon Milchan, Arnold Rifkin, Donald Petrie
Executive producer: Joe Caracciolo Jr.
Director of photography: Dean Semler
Production designer: Ray Kluga
Music: Teddy Castellucci
Co-producers: Ellen H. Schwartz, Marjorie Shik
Costume designer: Gary Jones
Editor: Debra Neil-Fisher
Cast:
Ashley Albright: Lindsay Lohan
Jake Hardin: Chris Pine
Maggie: Samaire Armstrong
Dana: Bree Turner
Damon Phillips: Faizon Love
Peggy Braden: Missi Pyle
Katy: Makenzie Vega
Antonio: Carlos Ponce
Themselves: McFly (Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Harry Judd, Dougie Poynter)
Madame Z: Tovah Feldshuh
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 102 minutes...
- 5/12/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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