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Director Matthew Mishory and producer-financier Bradford L. Schlei have acquired rights to the L.A.-set punk novel “What We Do Is Secret” by Thorn Kief Hillsberry.

Mishory, director of “Mosolov’s Suitcase” and “Fioretta,” will direct the film adaptation, which will enter development immediately, and produce with Schlei through their Rubber Ring Films. Schlei’s credits include “Swingers,” “Spun” and “Some Folks Call It a Slingblade.” Author and screenwriter Tony O’Neill will adapt the book.

The film adaptation will have a different title than the book, since there was already a 2007 film named “What We Do Is Secret,” which starred Shane West as Darby Crash of the Germs.

The tragic story of acclaimed punk band the Germs, whose lead singer Crash overdosed and died in 1980, also provides inspiration for this new project, which has the working title “Under the Big Black Sun” (not to be confused with the X...

How much does personal history humanize world history? Genealogist Randy Schoenberg sets out to answer that existential question in Matthew Mishory’s documentary “Fioretta,” which captures his quest to share his centuries-long family history as a prime example of the persecution and murders of Jews in Austria during a horrific time in history.

Randy leads the Schoenberg family affair, which brings together various generations on a trek to Vienna to revisit the graves of and memorials to his ancestors. Randy himself was previously portrayed by Ryan Reynolds in the narrative feature “Woman in Gold” after he sued the Austrian government in 2005 on behalf of Holocaust survivor Maria Altmann (played by Helen Mirren) to return five Gustav Klimt paintings that were stolen from her family by the Nazis.

Now, Randy wants to reclaim the city of Vienna itself for his own family, as well as seek out the gravestone of his oldest known ancestor,...

Director Matthew Mishory and producer and financier Bradford L. Schlei announced the start of production for Rubber Ring Films’ and Schlei’s Stone Canyon Entertainment’s “Finding Fioretta,” which will start early next year.

The feature documentary chronicles the life of genealogist Randol Schoenberg who is on a quest to find the centuries-old gravestone of his oldest known ancestor — a woman who died in the 1600s in the Jewish ghetto of Venice, Italy. In 2005, Schoenberg successfully sued the Austrian government on behalf of Holocaust survivor Maria Altmann, recovering the five Gustav Klimt paintings stolen from her family by the Nazis. That case inspired the movie “Woman in Gold” starring Ryan Reynolds and Helen Mirren.

Mishory spoke about the project, saying, “America’s obsession with genealogy is really an obsession with storytelling.” He added, “Randy has made it his life’s work to tell a 500-year story about his family, and...

Exclusive: Bradford L. Schlei’s Stone Canyon Entertainment has acquired Daniel Gordis’ prize-winning nonfiction book Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn, to adapt into a television docuseries. Director Matthew Mishory (Artur Schnabel: No Place of Exile) will serve as creator and direct all six episodes. Production is expected to begin in 2022.

Winner of the 2016 National Jewish Book Award, A Concise History of a Nation Reborn is described as “the first comprehensive yet accessible history of the state of Israel from its inception to present day.” In the book, Gordis relays the drama of the Jewish people’s story and the creation of the state, illustrating how Israel became a cultural, economic and military powerhouse—but also explains where Israel made grave mistakes.

The producers will film additional material for the series’ final episode to cover the period since the book’s publication,...

Chicago – What do Robert Duvall and Melissa Leo have in common? They both have won an Oscar and they both cashed a paycheck for the fake virtuous hack job called “Seven Days in Utopia.” For Duvall especially, maybe the mortgage payment is due on the vacation home.

Rating: 1.5/5.0

Utopia takes a unholy sport, golf, and tries to bless it with some sort of come-to-Jesus importance that ends up being embarrassing for all involved (again, especially Duvall). In a story that only could be invented in the mind of a feverish Christian golf addict, Utopia can only exist within that segment of the United States population who long for something this country has never had.

Luke Chisholm (Lucas Black) is a rising Texas golf pro who flakes out on the final hole of a Lone Star State golf tournament that he has well in hand. He takes some bad advice from his caddie,...

Sports movies can be tricky beasts, and none moreso than the valiant, but generally in vain, effort that is the golf-related movie. Another shot at it comes your way September 2nd, and this one may have what it takes. The trailer looks solid at any rate, and the fact that it's based on David L. Cook's book, "Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia," isn't going to hurt either.

Lucas Black and Robert Duvall are joined by a very solid cast, including Melissa Leo, to bring you a quirky golf film about one man's effort to "find his game," after he parts ways with his father. It may appear a little more syrupy than necessary, but I think it may be onto something, not least because it seems to be both more and less about golf than most of the, admittedly few, efforts in the genre.

Check...

Today we have a new trailer, 15 hi-res photos and poster for “Seven Days In Utopia”, starring Academy Award winners Robert Duvall and Melissa Leo, and produced by Academy Award winner Mark Mathis (Precious).

The inspirational film is based on David L. Cook’s best-selling book Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia.

Seven Days in Utopia follows the story of Luke Chisolm (Lucas Black), a talented young golfer set on making the pro tour. When his first big shot turns out to be a very public disaster, Luke escapes the pressures of the game and finds himself unexpectedly stranded in Utopia, Texas, home to eccentric rancher Johnny Crawford (Duvall). But Johnny’s more than meets the eye, and his profound ways of looking at life force Luke to question not only his past choices, but his direction for the future.

Here’s the official plot synopsis...