A24’s released two new clips from the riveting Amy Winehouse documentary, Amy. One of the new clips from the documentary shows a 14-year-old Amy singing “Happy Birthday” to a friend in a surprisingly mature voice. The second clip features Winehouse discussing her depression and how it was handled when she was growing up.
Directed by Asif Kapadia (Senna), Amy will open in New York and LA on July 3, 2015. An expanded release is planned for July 10, 2015.
The Details:
Amy tells the incredible story of six-time Grammy-winner Amy Winehouse – in her own words. Featuring extensive unseen archival footage and previously unheard tracks, this strikingly modern, moving and vital film shines a light on our culture and the world we live in today.
A once-in-a-generation talent, Amy Winehouse was a musician who captured the world’s attention with her unforgettable voice and charisma. A pure jazz artist in the most authentic sense, Amy poured her heart and soul into her music, expressing personal struggles and pain through her intimate lyrics. The combination of her raw honesty and virtuosity resulted in some of the most unique and adored songs of our time.
Amy became an international sensation, experiencing a meteoric rise to fame she had never sought nor expected. The relentless and invasive media attention, coupled with Amy’s troubled relationships and addictions, led her into a tragic cycle of self-destruction, resulting in her untimely death at age 27. Four years later, Asif Kapadia’s powerful documentary invites audiences to remember and celebrate Amy as a brilliant artist while asking ourselves how it was that we watched her disappear in front of our eyes.
Once again, the bags given to San Diego Comic-Con attendees will feature TV shows from Warner Bros. Entertainment. This year’s Con runs July 8th through 12th and, as happens every year, the pop culture fanfest sold out immediately after tickets went up for sale. While the event used to be the hot spot for movie studios to show off their upcoming slate of films, it’s transitioned into the place for TV networks to create buzz over their new and returning primetime shows. Warner Bros. Entertainment is going to have a huge presence this year, and the Comic-Con bags will showcase 10 WB shows, Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, and the new digital series Vixen.
Represented on the bags are:
Arrow
The Flash
Gotham Heroes
Gotham Villains
Supergirl
The 100
The Originals
Vampire Diaries
Lucifer
Supernatural
Teen Titans Go!
Vixen
130,000 bags that can be used as backpacks will be distributed this year.
AMC’s just released a teaser poster for the upcoming The Walking Dead prequel, Fear the Walking Dead. The new poster is in support of the show’s first season and its first appearance at the San Diego Comic Con. AMC’s scheduled to bring cast members from Fear the Walking Dead to the San Diego convention on Friday, July 10, 2015 where they will be participating in a panel in Hall H from 1-2pm PT. Cast members Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Frank Dillane, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Lorenzo James Henrie, Ruben Blades and Mercedes Mason are expected to attend along with executive producer and showrunner David Erickson. Executive producers Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Greg Nicotero and Dave Alpert are also making the trek to San Diego for the sold-out event.
Rachel McAdams and Colin Farrell in ‘True Detective’ (Photo by Lacey Terrell / HBO)
“Just one question. Am I actually supposed to solve this?” asks detective Ray Velcoro (Colin Farrell) to the Vinci City bigwigs manipulating the strings behind the scenes. They tell him that even though he is second in command in the investigation into the brutal murder of Vinci City Manager Ben Casper, they want him to get the information to them with no surprises in season two episode two of HBO’s crime drama True Detective.
Velcoro is working with Ventura Sheriff’s detective Ani Bezzerides (Rachel McAdams) who’s leading the investigation after the City Manager’s dead body was found in her jurisdiction. They investigate Casper’s home and find a weekly planner with dates and numbers that gives them a starting point for their investigation. The two cops then talk to one of the associates of the City Manager, the Mayor of Vinci, who does reveal that although he didn’t know Casper well or socialize with him outside of work, Casper had a history of hiring escorts for pleasure.
Meanwhile, Frank Semyon (Vince Vaughn) is desperate to find out who killed his former business partner who it turns out never invested Frank’s $5 million in the upcoming land deal. Frank has mortgaged all of his holdings in order to be a part of the land deal and now with Casper’s death it’s all missing. Believing whoever killed Casper has his money, Semyon begins his own investigation using his own means of deception and force, and by calling in a few favors. His search takes him to an old associate who now runs the strip club/escort service Frank used to manage back in the day. After talking to one of the dancers at the club who “escorted” Casper one night, Frank finds out about a second house Casper owned.
Having discovered by going through Casper’s planner that he was seeing a psychiatrist, Ani and Ray interview the doctor to see what he knows. It turns out Casper was being treated for his interest in young women and self-loathing. On the drive back to town, Ray and Ani talk about the case and discuss looking into checking out escort services. Ray also decides to open up to Ani and tell her a few things about himself that she may or may not have heard. Ray tells her that she will most likely hear rumors that he got rid of a scumbag who hurt his ex-wife, that he has a son, and, most importantly, that he may be compromised. He also tells Ani that he believes their investigation is not supposed to work. When she asks why he says it’s because the State’s attorney has an investigation going on in Vinci and a land deal. They seem to be underplaying the investigation instead of using the press and bringing in special investigators to help solve the case.
Taylor Kitsch in ‘True Detective’ (Photo: Lacey Terrell)
Back in Ventura, CHP officer Woodrugh (Taylor Kitsch) is also working on the case since he discovered the body but he’s been relegated to doing follow-up work and making a few calls for Ani and Ray. He’s also spending time trying to explain to his girlfriend why he’s going to be gone on a special assignment for at least a week, but all she wants to talk about is why he won’t tell her about his time serving in the desert and why he doesn’t want to meet her family. “I can’t do this anymore. It hurts me to see you, don’t come back here,” she says to Paul as he heads to the door to go. “I’m not doing this; you are. This isn’t me, this isn’t me,” is his reply as he leaves.
Frank meets Ray in their usual place, a club/bar, and tells Ray about Casper’s second house. Ray asks if Frank checked it out and Frank, a bit annoyed, answers, “What are you, crazy? I’m not going near the place.” Frank makes it clear that’s what he wants Ray to do but Ray tries to tell Frank he’s tired of their working relationship and is thinking about making a change. Frank tells Ray he has plans for him and to never talk like this again.
Later that night, Ray goes to investigate Casper’s second house and is surprised to find water running in a sink and music playing inside. As he searches the house, he discovers a big pool of blood on the floor in one of the main rooms, sex equipment, and a closet with a video recorder set up. He realizes too late that someone is behind him. Ray turns and fires his pistol but misses the mysterious figure wearing a bird (possibly a crow) mask and instead gets hit full-on in the chest by a shotgun blast. As Ray lies on the ground in shock, the gunman walks over and stands directly above him, firing one final round into his chest.
Dark, gritty, and with a shocking ending, True Detective season two episode two titled “Night Finds You” continues the investigation into the brutal murder of Vinci’s city manager with Ray and Ani working uneasily together and Semyon desperate to find his life savings. The episode also kicked this second season of the crime series into high gear with the possible death and exit of the show’s most haunted character.
Vince Vaughn and Colin Farrell in ‘True Detective’ (Photo: Lacey Terrell / HBO)
Colin Farrell delivers an even stronger performance in what could be his final portrayal of detective Ray Velcoro. Ray is a corrupted soul who wants to try to find a way back but doesn’t seem to know how. The scene where Ray’s ex-wife tells him she’s filing for sole custody of their son and that he’s a bad person with Ray cursing, begging, and pleading for her not to take his son away from him is truly heart-wrenching. Even though his son – if he really is his son – is most likely better off away from the corrupt Ray, Farrell’s performance in the scene is sure to have the viewers feeling nothing but sympathy for his character despite his obvious flaws.
Vince Vaughn delivers the stand-out performance in this episode as Frank Semyon, a man who has risked everything he spent years building on this upcoming land deal only to discover it’s been taken most likely by whoever murdered his partner. Episode one found Vaughn barely emoting, but in season two episode two he’s allowed to display a fuller range and the audience is given much more insight into what makes Frank tick: Semyon is a determined semi-ruthless businessman who won’t go down quietly.
Rachel McAdams is also solid in this episode leading the investigation and slowly beginning to wonder if she can trust Ray as a partner. Her best scene is where she is driving Ray back to his home and the two are talking about the case which leads to each detective revealing something about themselves to the other. She answers his question about why she carries so many knives, that the only real difference between the sexes is that one can kill the other with his bare hands and that any man who puts his unwanted hands on her will bleed out in less than a minute. It’s a revealing look at how she sees men, herself, and the world she lives in.
The writing and dialogue are still crisp, curt, and direct. Again, it’s more in what the actors say with their eyes and facial expressions to one another and the camera than what they say to each other that gives the viewer a glimpse into what they are thinking or feeling. With the possible death of Vecoro and the murder investigation leading to a cop getting shot, it’s going to be tough to wait until next Sunday night to see what happens next.
Universal Studio’s Jurassic Park continues to draw in big crowds, earning more than $54 million in theaters and moving it over the $500 million mark (domestically). It also snagged the top spot at the box office for the third weekend in a row. Only Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out gave it a run for its money, with newcomers Ted 2 and Max having to settle for third and fourth place finishes. Max‘s fourth place was about what was expected, however Ted 2 underperformed and didn’t come close to bringing in what Seth MacFarlane’s first trash-talking teddy bear film made over its first weekend in release. Ted opened the same weekend in 2012, ringing up $54.4 million while Ted 2 could only manage a $33 million weekend.
The second season of Outlander new cast member announcements continues to roll in. Here are the newest cast members to join this exceptional show.
Okay, ladies first… We have a new real-life Claire coming into the Outlander cast. Claire Sermonne is cast as Louise de Rohan, the new friend of Claire Fraser while she’s in France. Louise de Rohan is unwise in her behaviors, especially given her status in French society. Sermonne’s an actor of French and Russian ancestry.
The French Connection to Jamie’s heart is now cast. Margaux Chatelier is cast as Annalise de Marillac, Jamie’s infatuation while he was in France before returning to Scotland. Chatelier’s acting credits include Belle and Sebastian, Tenderness, and Paris-Manhattan.
The little brother to the man we love to hate has been revealed. Laurence Dobiesz will play the much milder Randall brother, Alex Randall. And by milder I mean nice and compassionate. He does also have a Duke of Sandringham connection and meets our fair couple for the first time in France.
Dobiesz took to Twitter after news of his involvement in season two broke, saying, “Thrilled to be joining the second @Outlander_Starz adventure!” His acting credits include Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Testament of Youth.
Marc Duret will portray the Minister of France to Louis XV, Monsieur Joseph Duverney… wow that is a mouthful. He’s such a handsome French actor to be the chess competitor for our Jamie. Duret’s acting credits date back to 1981 and include La Femme Nikita and Borgia.
Thus ends the second installment of new additions to the Outlander world. We are overjoyed to have them all in the FANmily. More new cast to come…
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 322 actors, directors, editors, and other artists and executives to join the Academy this year. Those who accept the invitation will officially become Academy members in September 2015.
“It’s gratifying to acknowledge the extraordinary range of talent in our industry,” stated Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “This year, our branches have recognized a more diverse and inclusive list of filmmakers and artists than ever before, and we look forward to adding their creativity, ideas and experience to our organization.”
2015 Invitees:
Actors
Elizabeth Banks – “Love & Mercy,” “The Hunger Games”
Choi Min-sik– “Lucy,” “Oldboy”
Benedict Cumberbatch – “The Imitation Game,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”
Martin Freeman – “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “Hot Fuzz”
Heather Graham – “The Hangover,” “Boogie Nights”
Tom Hardy – “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Inception”
Kevin Hart – “The Wedding Ringer,” “Ride Along”
Felicity Jones – “The Theory of Everything,” “Like Crazy”
Stephen Lang – “Avatar,” “The Men Who Stare at Goats”
Jodi Long – “A Picture of You,” “Beginners”
John Carroll Lynch – “Shutter Island,” “Zodiac”
Gugu Mbatha-Raw – “Beyond the Lights,” “Belle”
Denis O’Hare – “Milk,” “Michael Clayton”
Michael O’Neill – “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Transformers”
David Oyelowo – “Selma,” “A Most Violent Year”
Dev Patel – “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Slumdog Millionaire”
Rosamund Pike – “Gone Girl,” “Pride & Prejudice”
Chris Pine – “Into the Woods,” “Star Trek”
Daniel Radcliffe – “Kill Your Darlings,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
Eddie Redmayne – “The Theory of Everything,” “Les Misérables”
Jason Segel – “The Five-Year Engagement,” “The Muppets”
J.K. Simmons – “Whiplash,” “Juno”
Sonny Skyhawk – “Geronimo: An American Legend,” “Young Guns II”
Song Kang-ho – “Snowpiercer,” “The Host”
Emma Stone – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “The Help”
Casting Directors
Lucy Bevan – “Cinderella,” “The Hundred-Foot Journey”
Victoria Burrows – “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” “King Kong”
Aisha Coley – “Selma,” “Beyond the Lights”
Patricia DiCerto – “Blue Jasmine,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Mary Hidalgo – “The Lego Movie,” “The Incredibles”
Roger Mussenden – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Get Smart”
Lucie Robitaille – “Incendies,” “The Barbarian Invasions”
Luis San Narciso – “The Skin I Live In,” “The Sea Inside”
April Webster – “Tomorrowland,” “Star Trek”
Tricia Wood – “Woman in Gold,” “The Lincoln Lawyer”
Cinematographers
Christopher Blauvelt – “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” “The Bling Ring”
Adriano Goldman – “August: Osage County,” “Jane Eyre”
Ben Kasulke – “Laggies,” “Safety Not Guaranteed”
Ryszard Lenczewski – “Ida,” “Margaret”
Jody Lee Lipes – “Ballet 422,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Sharone Meir – “Whiplash,” “Mean Creek”
Rachel Morrison – “Cake,” “Fruitvale Station”
Tristan Oliver – “ParaNorman,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox”
Hoyte Van Hoytema – “Interstellar,” “Her”
Roman Vasyanov – “Fury,” “End of Watch”
Łukasz Żal – “Ida,” “Joanna”
Costume Designers
Kasia Walicka Maimone – “Foxcatcher,” “Moonrise Kingdom”
Francesca Livia Sartori – “Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy,” “When the Night”
Jany Temime – “Gravity,” “Skyfall”
Designers
Ramsey Avery – “Tomorrowland,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”
Gae Buckley – “The Book of Eli,” “He’s Just Not That into You”
Keith Brian Burns – “The Best Man Holiday,” “2 Fast 2 Furious”
Lester W. Cohen – “Fading Gigolo,” “Cop Land”
Suzie Davies – “Mr. Turner,” “The Children”
John F. Fenner – “The Phantom of the Opera,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley”
Darren Gilford – “Oblivion,” “Tron: Legacy”
Derek R. Hill – “Southpaw,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”
Bryn Imagire – “Cars 2,” “Up”
Dina Lipton – “Baggage Claim,” “Love Hurts”
Tatiana Macdonald – “The Imitation Game,” “The Invisible Woman”
Dominic Masters – “Woman in Gold,” “Casino Royale”
Doug Meerdink – “Jurassic World,” “Ocean’s Thirteen”
Chris Spellman – “Paper Towns,” “This Is the End”
Patrick Tatopoulos – “300: Rise of an Empire,” “Total Recall”
Charlotte Watts – “Mr. Holmes,” “Mr. Turner”
Directors
Michael Binder – “Black or White,” “Reign over Me”
Bong Joon-ho – “Snowpiercer,” “Mother”
Niki Caro – “North Country,” “Whale Rider”
Damien Chazelle* – “Whiplash,” “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench”
Simon Curtis – “Woman in Gold,” “My Week with Marilyn”
François Girard – “Silk,” “The Red Violin”
F. Gary Gray – “The Italian Job,” “Friday”
James Gunn – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Super”
Im Kwon-taek – “Chi-Hwa-Seon (Painted Fire),” “Chunhyang”
Stan Lathan – “Beat Street,” “Amazing Grace”
Malcolm D. Lee* – “The Best Man Holiday,” “The Best Man”
Justin Lin – “Fast & Furious 6,” “Better Luck Tomorrow”
François Ozon – “Young & Beautiful,” “Swimming Pool”
Paweł Pawlikowski* – “Ida,” “My Summer of Love”
Kelly Reichardt – “Meek’s Cutoff,” “Wendy and Lucy”
Ira Sachs – “Love Is Strange,” “Keep the Lights On”
Lynn Shelton – “Laggies,” “Your Sister’s Sister”
Abderrahmane Sissako* – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako”
Damián Szifron* – “Wild Tales,” “On Probation”
Fernando Trueba – “Chico & Rita,” “Belle Epoque”
Morten Tyldum – “The Imitation Game,” “Headhunters”
Zaza Urushadze – “Tangerines,” “The Guardian”
Wayne Wang – “Anywhere but Here,” “The Joy Luck Club”
Edgar Wright – “The World’s End,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”
Joe Wright – “Anna Karenina,” “Atonement”
Andrey Zvyagintsev* – “Leviathan,” “Elena”
Documentary
Richard Berge – “The Island President,” “The Rape of Europa”
Mathilde Bonnefoy* – “CitizenFour,” “The Invisibles”
Emad Burnat – “5 Broken Cameras”
Guy Davidi – “5 Broken Cameras,” “Interrupted Streams”
Geralyn Dreyfous – “The Square,” “The Invisible War”
Lewis Erskine – “Free Angela: And All Political Prisoners,” “Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple”
Shana Hagan – “Misconception,” “This Film Is Not Yet Rated”
Tony Hardmon – “Detropia,” “Semper Fi: Always Faithful”
Leonard Retel Helmrich – “Position among the Stars,” “Shape of the Moon”
Pirjo Honkasalo – “The 3 Rooms of Melancholia,” “Atman”
Judy Irving – “Pelican Dreams,” “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill”
Robert Kenner – “Merchants of Doubt,” “Food, Inc.”
Marc Levin – “Mr. Untouchable,” “The Last Party”
Jesse Moss – “The Overnighters,” “Full Battle Rattle”
Pratibha Parmar – “Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth,” “A Place of Rage”
Paula DuPre’ Pesmen – “Keep On Keepin’ On,” “The Cove”
Gordon Quinn – “Life Itself,” “Hoop Dreams”
Kim Roberts – “Waiting for ‘Superman’,” “Lost Boys of Sudan”
Richard Rowley – “Dirty Wars,” “The Fourth World War”
João Moreira Salles – “Santiago,” “Entreatos (Intermissions)”
Ondi Timoner – “We Live in Public,” “Dig!”
Executives
Carolyn Blackwood
Robbie Brenner
Lia Buman
Steve Burke
David Fenkel
Mellody Hobson
Brian Keane
Steven Paul O’Dell
Jim Orr
Mark Rachesky
Ted Sarandos
Jeff Shell
Film Editors
Craig Alpert – “Pitch Perfect 2,” “Pineapple Express”
Mick Audsley – “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” “Dirty Pretty Things”
Pablo Barbieri – “Wild Tales,” “La Antena (The Aerial)”
Nadia Ben Rachid – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako”
Kristina Boden – “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” “Cake”
Mathilde Bonnefoy* – “CitizenFour,” “Run Lola Run”
Julian Clarke – “Chappie,” “District 9”
Douglas Crise – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Babel”
Tom Cross – “Whiplash,” “Any Day Now”
Jinx Godfrey – “The Theory of Everything,” “Man on Wire”
Robert Grahamjones – “Brave,” “Ratatouille”
Masahiro Hirakubo – “Virunga,” “The Duchess”
Jarosław Kamiński – “Ida,” “Aftermath (Pokłosie)”
William Kerr – “Bridesmaids,” “I Love You, Man”
Nico Leunen – “Lost River,” “The Broken Circle Breakdown”
Mike McCusker – “Get On Up,” “3:10 to Yuma”
Tim Mertens – “Big Hero 6,” “Wreck-It Ralph”
Barney Pilling – “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “An Education”
David Rennie – “22 Jump Street,” “Office Space”
Gary D. Roach – “American Sniper,” “Prisoners”
Michael L. Sale – “We’re the Millers,” “Bridesmaids”
Stephen Schaffer – “Cars 2,” “WALL-E”
Job ter Burg – “Borgman,” “Winter in Wartime”
Peter Teschner – “St. Vincent,” “Horrible Bosses”
Tara Timpone – “Friends with Kids,” “Bad Teacher”
Makeup Artists and Hairstylists
Frida S. Aradottir – “August: Osage County,” “A Serious Man”
Victoria Down – “Big Eyes,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
Frances Hannon – “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The King’s Speech”
Todd Kleitsch – “Run All Night,” “Black Swan”
Dennis Liddiard – “Foxcatcher,” “Jobs”
Jerry Popolis – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Noah”
Janine Rath-Thompson – “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Bridesmaids”
Johnny Villanueva – “The Gambler,” “The Fighter”
David White – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “La Vie en Rose”
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “An Education”
Members-at-Large
Andy Armstrong
Wayne Billheimer
Kevin Brownlow
Simon Crane
Debbie Denise
Jeff Habberstad
Andy Hendrickson
Elissa M. Rashkin Loparco
Guido Quaroni
Nicole Scalise
Steven J. Scott
Leon D. Silverman
Gregg Smrz
Lynda Ellenshaw Thompson
Steve Venezia
Music
Tyler Bates – “John Wick,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Alex Gibson – “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight”
Jonny Greenwood – “Inherent Vice,” “The Master”
Dave Grusin – “Skating to New York,” “The Firm”
Alex Heffes – “Love and Honor,” “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Lisa Jaime – “Annie,” “Rock of Ages”
Jóhann Jóhannsson – “The Theory of Everything,” “Prisoners”
Laura Karpman – “States of Grace,” “Black Nativity”
Christopher Lennertz – “The Wedding Ringer,” “Horrible Bosses”
Lonnie Lynn – “Selma,” “Freedom Writers”
Chris McGeary – “Jersey Boys,” “RoboCop”
Sergio Mendes – “Rio 2,” “Rio”
Daniel Pinder – “Big Hero 6,” “Captain Phillips”
Trent Reznor – “Gone Girl,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Atticus Ross – “Love & Mercy,” “The Social Network”
John Stephens – “Selma,” “Django Unchained”
Marc Streitenfeld – “Poltergeist,” “Prometheus”
Erica Weis – “Spy,” “The Heat”
Gary Yershon – “Mr. Turner,” “Another Year”
Producers
Caroline Baron – “Capote,” “Monsoon Wedding”
Effie T. Brown – “Dear White People,” “Real Women Have Curves”
Terence Chang – “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale,” “Face/Off”
Wyck Godfrey – “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Twilight”
Jeremy Kleiner – “Selma,” “12 Years a Slave”
Pamela Koffler – “Still Alice,” “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Gina Kwon – “Camp X-Ray,” “Me and You and Everyone We Know”
Dan Lin – “The Lego Movie,” “Sherlock Holmes”
Eric Newman – “RoboCop,” “Children of Men”
Bruna Papandrea – “Wild,” “All Good Things”
Lydia Dean Pilcher – “Cutie and the Boxer,” “The Darjeeling Limited”
Rebecca Yeldham – “On the Road,” “The Kite Runner”
Public Relations
Jennifer Allen
Asad Ayaz
Dawn Baillie
Andrew Bernstein
Liz Biber
Mara Buxbaum
Lee Ginsberg
R. Jeff Hill
Michelle Hooper
Chris Libby
Susan Norget
Lewis Oberlander
Gordon Paddison
Elias Plishner
David Pollick
Weiman Seid
LeeAnne Stables
Ryan Stankevich
Bonnie Voland
Short Films and Feature Animation
Alan Barillaro – “Brave,” “WALL-E”
Kristine Belson – “The Croods,” “How to Train Your Dragon”
Darlie Brewster – “Curious George,” “The Prince of Egypt”
Roy Conli – “Big Hero 6,” “Tangled”
Ronnie Del Carmen – “Up,” “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”
Paul A. Felix – “Big Hero 6,” “Lilo & Stitch”
Michael Fukushima – “Me and My Moulton,” “Dimanche/Sunday”
Don Hall – “Big Hero 6,” “Winnie the Pooh”
Talkhon Hamzavi – “Parvaneh,” “Taub”
Hu Wei – “Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak),” “Le Propriétaire”
Jin Kim – “Big Hero 6,” “Bolt”
Mat Kirkby – “The Phone Call,” “Hard to Swallow”
David Kneupper – “Alex and Sylvia,” “The Civil War in 4 Minutes”
Michael Lennox – “Boogaloo and Graham,” “The Back of Beyond”
Fabio Lignini – “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Puss in Boots”
James Lucas – “The Phone Call”
Patrick Osborne – “Feast,” “Paperman”
Jerome Ranft – “Toy Story 3,” “Ratatouille”
Jim Reardon – “Wreck-It Ralph,” “WALL-E”
Kristina Reed – “Feast,” “Paperman”
Jason Reisig – “Home,” “Shrek Forever After”
Nicolas Schmerkin – “Habana,” “Logorama”
Anthony Stacchi – “The Boxtrolls,” “Open Season”
Isao Takahata – “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya,” “Grave of the Fireflies”
Michael Thurmeier – “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” “No Time for Nuts”
Marlon West – “Frozen,” “The Princess and the Frog”
Sound
Ray Beckett – “Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Hurt Locker”
Odin Benitez – “Frozen,” “Silver Linings Playbook”
Ron Bochar – “Mortdecai,” “Moneyball”
Jason Canovas – “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” “World War Z”
Thomas Curley – “Whiplash,” “The Spectacular Now”
Michael Dressel – “American Sniper,” “Interstellar”
Mary H. Ellis – “Vacation,” “Prisoners”
Stephanie Flack – “Jupiter Ascending,” “Ender’s Game”
Martín Hernández – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful”
Dean Humphreys – “Taken 3,” “The Pianist”
William Johnston – Vice President of Engineering, Formosa Group
Shawn Jones – “Iron Man 3,” “Drive”
Daniel Laurie – “Inside Out,” “Big Hero 6”
David Lee – “Unbroken,” “The Matrix”
Craig Mann – “Dope,” “Whiplash”
Kyrsten Mate – “Tomorrowland,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Shannon J. Mills – “Inside Out,” “Big Hero 6”
Bryan K. Pennington – “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” “Promised Land”
Juan P. Peralta – “Tomorrowland,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”
John Ross – “Danny Collins,” “American Hustle”
Peter Staubli – “San Andreas,” “Skyfall”
Mark Taylor – “Edge of Tomorrow,” “Captain Phillips”
Addison Teague – “Big Hero 6,” “The Amazing Spider-Man”
Jon Title – “San Andreas,” “The Divergent Series: Insurgent”
Thomas Varga – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “The Immigrant”
Ben Wilkins – “Whiplash,” “Star Trek”
Visual Effects
Nicolas Aithadi – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “X-Men: First Class”
Daniel Barrett – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”
Stephane Ceretti – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Cloud Atlas”
Paul Corbould – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Tim Crosbie – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “The Wolverine”
Dan DeLeeuw – “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Iron Man 3”
Sean Faden – “Fast & Furious 6,” “Let Me In”
Joe Farrell – “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Hereafter”
Scott R. Fisher – “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight Rises”
Chris Harvey – “Chappie,” “Fast & Furious 6”
Alex Jaeger – “Tomorrowland,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Matt Kutcher – “Focus,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
Andrew Lockley – “Interstellar,” “Inception”
Gray Marshall – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Carl Miller – “Jurassic World,” “Elysium”
David Nakabayashi – “Tomorrowland,” “Avatar”
Rocco Passionino – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Spider-Man 2”
Lou Pecora – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
Cary Phillips – “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
Ellen Poon – “Frozen,” “Inception”
Edwin Rivera – “22 Jump Street,” “Moneyball”
Cameron Waldbauer – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Elysium”
Erik Winquist – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “Avatar”
Writers
Armando Bo – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful”
Damien Chazelle* – “Whiplash,” “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench”
Álex de la Iglesia – “El Crimen Perfecto,” “The Day of the Beast”
Rick Famuyiwa – “Dope,” “The Wood”
Maya Forbes – “Infinitely Polar Bear,” “Monsters vs Aliens”
E. Max Frye – “Foxcatcher,” “Something Wild”
Nicolás Giacobone – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful”
Dan Gilroy – “Nightcrawler,” “The Bourne Legacy”
Jorge Guerricaechevarría – “Cell 211,” “The Day of the Beast”
Rita Hsiao – “Toy Story 2,” “Mulan”
Simon Kinberg – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Sherlock Holmes”
Malcolm D. Lee* – “The Best Man Holiday,” “The Best Man”
Christopher Markus – “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Stephen McFeely – “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Graham Moore – “The Imitation Game”
Paweł Pawlikowski* – “Ida,” “My Summer of Love”
Abderrahmane Sissako* – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako”
Damián Szifron* – “Wild Tales,” “On Probation”
Kessen Tall – “Timbuktu”
Tyger Williams – “The Perfect Guy,” “Menace II Society”
Andrey Zvyagintsev* – “Leviathan,” “Elena”
Associates
Victoria Belfrage
Josh Braun
Wayne Fitterman
Sharon Jackson
Patricia Keighley
Cliff Roberts
Elyse Scherz
James Toth
Bart Walker
Seven individuals (noted above by an asterisk) have been invited to join the Academy by multiple branches. These individuals must select one branch upon accepting membership.
Michael Crichton’s Micro has been picked up by DreamWorks Studios with Frank Marshall producing and Sherri Crichton and Laurent Bouzereau executive producing. The novel was actually completed by Richard Preston following Crichton’s death in 2008 and has spent 20+ weeks on the New York Times’ bestseller list.
“We are so pleased to have this opportunity to develop Micro,” said Steven Spielberg. “For Michael, size did matter whether it was for Jurassic’s huge dinosaurs or Micro‘s infinitely tiny humans.”
Commenting on the acquisition, Sherri Crichton said, “Michael was exhilarated, passionate and invested in Micro, a story he spent years researching and developing. It was yet another opportunity for him to explore the clash between science and nature, as seen through the eyes of relatable characters. Michael also wrote in cinematic terms and would be so pleased to see Micro come to life on the big screen at DreamWorks.”
“Michael Crichton’s vast body of work has thrilled audiences around the world for decades, and it feels particularly poignant to be bringing his last published novel to DreamWorks,” said CEO of DreamWorks Studios Michael Wright. “This is the perfect place to unite these two dynamic brands.”
The Plot: The high-concept thriller follows a group of graduate students lured to Hawaii to work for a mysterious biotech company—only to find themselves miniaturized and cast out into the rain forest, with nothing but their scientific expertise and wits to protect them.
15 of Michael Crichton’s novels have been made or are in the process of being made into feature films including Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, The Great Train Robbery, Disclosure, Timeline, Next, State of Fear, and Pirate Latitudes.
Amadeus Serafini and Willa Fitzgerald in MTV’s ‘Scream’
Not only will MTV once again be hosting the MTV Fandom Fest and taping the Fandom Awards during the 2015 San Diego Comic Con, the network will also be presenting panels for Teen Wolf, Scream: The TV Series, and The Shannara Chronicles. This year marks the sixth year in a row Teen Wolf cast members will be making the trek to San Diego for the convention. Scream: The TV Series and The Shannara Chronicles will be making their first trips to promote their upcoming first seasons.
Thursday, July 9
Teen Wolf – 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Famed Director/Writer and Actor Kevin Smith will moderate the panel discussion and fan Q & A with cast members Tyler Posey, Dylan O’Brien, Holland Roden, Shelley Hennig, Dylan Sprayberry, Cody Christian and Executive Producer Jeff Davis as they discuss the current season and share an all new Comic-Con exclusive trailer. Kevin Smith is moderating.
Location: Ballroom 20
“MTV Fandom Fest” and “Fandom Awards” 7:00 – 10:45 PM
Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf) and Bella Thorne (Scream) will host the second annual “MTV Fandom Awards,” which honors diehard fans whose excitement has pushed movies, TV shows, books and comics from subculture to mainstream worldwide success in the past year. All Comic-Con badge holders are welcome to join the “MTV Fandom Fest” party at Petco Park, featuring food, drinks, games and giveaways, on Thursday, July 9 beginning at 7:00pm PT and leading into the 8:00 p.m. PT taping of the “MTV Fandom Awards Special,” which premieres Sunday, July 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. Fans can vote at FandomAwards.MTV.com through July 8 at 6 p.m. ET.
Location: Petco Park
Friday, July 10
The Shannara Chronicles – 12:30-1:30 PM
MTV will introduce fans to the world of Shannara when author and series Executive Producer, Terry Brooks, joins stars Poppy Drayton, Austin Butler, Ivana Baquero, John Rhys Davies and Manu Bennett along with Executive Producers Al Gough and Miles Millar. Attendees will bear first witness to a first look trailer of the highly anticipated new series and be able to participate in a Q & A with the panelists. Damian Holbrook, Senior Writer from TV Guide Magazine will moderate.
Location: Room 6DE
Scream: The TV Series – 4:30 – 5:30 PM
MTV’s latest series will “Scream” into San Diego when cast members Bella Thorne, Willa Fitzgerald, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Carlson Young, Amadeus Serafini, John Karna, Connor Weil, Tracy Middendorf and Jason Wiles, along with series Executive Producers Jaime Paglia and Jill Blotevogel, debut an all new mid-season trailer, followed by discussion and Q&A moderated by Buzzfeed Senior Editor, Jarett Weiselman.
Location: Room 5AB
The MTV Booth – Booth Number 3729:
MTV will also make a splash on the convention center floor this year with the network’s first-ever branded booth featuring top series Teen Wolf, Scream and The Shannara Chronicles. Throughout the weekend fans can participate in an interactive slo-mo Scream themed photo booth where enthusiasts can experience their own bloody death. Devotees will also be treated to casts from all three series as they stop by for signings throughout the weekend. Swag will be handed out all weekend including Scream t-shirts and a special San Diego Comic-Con exclusive edition of The Elfstones of Shannara book (in which the series is based) plus posters for all three series, and more!
Jack Black stars in ‘The Brink’ (Photo by Merie W. Wallace / HBO)
HBO’s new comedy series The Brink continues its first season run in July 2015 with four new episodes starring Jack Black, Tim Robbins, Aasif Mandvi, and Pablo Schreiber. The network’s just released details on the July episodes including the basic plots and air dates:
Episode #3: “Baghdad My Ass”
Debut date: SUNDAY, JULY 5 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: July 5 (12:30 a.m., 3:30 a.m.), 6 (12:15 a.m.), 7 (10:30 p.m., 3:40 a.m.), 8 (7:30 p.m.), 9 (8:30 p.m.) and 10 (12:30 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 6 (9:00 p.m.), 10 (2:30 a.m.), 11 (12:30 p.m.) and 12 (6:00 p.m.)
Alex (Jack Black) is tasked by Zaman’s (Iqbal Theba) half-brother, Raja (Bernard White), to get a message to Walter (Tim Robbins) – a mission Alex hopes will save him from being sent to Baghdad. Walter is greeted with personal and professional surprises at home before taking off for New Delhi. On the aircraft carrier, Zeke (Pablo Schreiber) and Glenn (Eric Ladin) await their inquiry into the downed drone.
Written by Roberto Benabib & Kim Benabib; directed by Jon Poll.
Episode #4: “I’ll Never Be Batman”
Debut date: SUNDAY, JULY 12 (10:30-11:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: July 12 (12:30 a.m., 3:30 a.m.), 13 (12:30 a.m.), 14 (11:15 p.m., 2:45 a.m.), 15 (7:30 p.m.), 16 (8:00 p.m.) and 17 (12:15 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 13 (9:00 p.m.), 17 (4:00 a.m.), 18 (10:30 a.m.) and 19 (7:00 p.m.), and Aug. 2 (6:00 p.m.)
In New Delhi, Walter defies doctor’s orders and meets with the Indian foreign minister (Ajay Mehta) to urge him to withdraw his troops. Zeke contemplates the merits and perils of leading a double life before he and Glenn take off on a recon mission. In Islamabad, Alex encounters resistance as he tries to deliver a package to Raja.
Written by Dave Holstein; directed by Michael Lehmann.
Episode #5: “Swim, Shmuley, Swim”
Debut date: SUNDAY, JULY 19 (10:30-11:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: July 19 (12:30 a.m., 3:30 a.m.), 20 (11:30 p.m.), 21 (11:30 p.m., 2:50 a.m.), 22 (7:30 p.m.), 23 (8:00 p.m.) and 24 (12:45 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 20 (9:00 p.m.), 24 (2:30 a.m.), 25 (2:45 p.m.) and 26 (7:00 p.m.), and Aug. 2 (6:30 p.m.)
Zeke and Glenn narrowly escape two armed men in a tribal region before being picked up by Martin (Rob Brydon) and Vanessa (Michelle Gomez), an eccentric British couple. With Fareeda (Melanie Kannokada) missing, Alex and Rafiq (Aasif Mandvi) head to her school and encounter a group of girls with nowhere to go. Against the president’s orders, Walter pays an unscheduled visit to the Israeli foreign minister (Iris Bahr).
Written by Jack Kukoda; directed by James Muro.
Episode #6: “Tweet Tweet Tweet”
Debut date: SUNDAY, JULY 26 (10:30-11:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: July 26 (12:30 a.m., 3:30 a.m.), 27 (2:30 a.m.), 28 (10:30 p.m., 3:20 a.m.), 29 (7:30 p.m.), 30 (8:00 p.m.) and 31 (11:50 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 27 (9:00 p.m.) and 31 (2:30 a.m.), and Aug. 1 (12:30 p.m.) and 2 (7:00 p.m.)
Ordered to return to DC, Walter runs into Joanne (Carla Gugino) in Tel Aviv, and angles to use her new position to his advantage. Held hostage by Martin and Vanessa, Zeke and Glenn agree to participate in role-playing games in hopes of release. Later, Alex meets with Kittredge (John Larroquette), who shares a revelatory dream.
Written by Sam Forman; directed by Michael Lehmann.
