Category: New Releases

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Film New Releases

The Fabelmans

 

The Fabelmans – In Select Theaters November 11, everywhere November 23

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Directed by Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans is written by Spielberg and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner (Angels in America, Caroline, or Change), who has earned Oscar® nominations for his screenplays for Spielberg’s Lincoln and Munich. The film is produced by three-time Oscar® nominee Kristie Macosko Krieger p.g.a. (West Side Story, The Post), Steven Spielberg p.g.a. and Tony Kushner p.g.a. The film is executive produced by Carla Raij (Maestro, co-producer West Side Story) and Josh McLaglen (Free Guy, Logan).

The film stars Gabriel LaBelle (The Predator, American Gigolo series) as 16-year-old aspiring filmmaker Sammy Fabelman; four-time Academy Award® nominee Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea, My Week with Marilyn) as his artistic mother, Mitzi; Paul Dano (The Batman, There Will Be Blood) as his successful, scientific father, Burt; Seth Rogen (Steve Jobs, An American Pickle) as Bennie Loewy, Burt’s best friend and honorary “uncle” to the Fabelman children, and Academy Award® nominee Judd Hirsch (Uncut Gems, Ordinary People) as Mitzi’s Uncle Boris. 

The ensemble cast includes Oscar® nominee Jeannie Berlin (The Heartbreak Kid, Inherent Vice) as Sammy’s paternal grandmother, Hadassah Fabelman; Julia Butters (Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood, 13 Hours) as Sammy’s sister Reggie; Robin Bartlett (Moonstruck, Lean on Me) as Sammy’s maternal grandmother Tina Schildkraut and Keeley Karsten (Hunters, Evil Lives Here) as Sammy’s sister Natalie. 

The music is by five-time Academy Award® winner John Williams (Schindler’s List, Jaws), the costume designer is two-time Oscar® winner Mark Bridges (The Artist, Phantom Thread) and the production designer is two-time Oscar® winner Rick Carter (Lincoln, Avatar). The Fabelmans is edited by three-time Academy Award® winner Michael Kahn ace (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List) and Sarah Broshar (West Side Story, The Post). The film’s director of photography is two-time Academy Award® winner Janusz Kaminski (Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan). 

Genre: Drama

Cast: Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Gabriel LaBelle, Jeannie Berlin, Julia Butters, Robin Bartlett, Keeley Karsten and Judd Hirsch

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Screenplay by: Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner

Produced by: Kristie Macosko Krieger p.g.a., Steven Spielberg p.g.a., Tony Kushner p.g.a.

Executive Producers: Carla Raij, Josh McLaglen

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Film Miv Evans New Releases

DOWNFALL: THE CASE AGAINST BOEING – So Far

By Miv Evans

Downfall is a documentary about the two Boeing airplanes that crashed out of the sky four months apart. There was an investigation, but Big Air has Big Pockets and the cover-up was slick, or so they thought. Enter Rory Kennedy, veteran documentarian, looking for human injustice. Enter any US corporation. This time it’s Boeing.

Downfall.JPG
DOWNFALL: THE CASE AGAINST BOEING movie poster

The airline giant began life in 1916 Seattle. Over the next five decades, it became the gold standard for flying. Its unerring commitment to passengers’ safety paid off. A spectacular success story. That is, until 1997, when the airline was purchased by McDonnel Douglas. They decided to take their new acquisition in a different direction, promptly transferring Boeing’s commitment to the shareholders. Everyone and everything got swept up in the change.

Prototypes are expensive, so innovation no longer featured on Boeing’s To Do List. Execs preferred to spend their days in the Board Room, finding ways to cut staff benefits. Whilst they were preoccupied, Europe’s Airbus quietly doubled its order book, supplying the world with bigger, better and faster, at Boeing’s expense. Open-mouthed execs looked on in disbelief. But far from realizing the error of their ways, they doubled down.

THE DO-OVER

Try to imagine installing the engine from a 12-carriage train into a Honda hatchback. Adjustments would have to be made to, well, everything, including the actual body size, but it would still be a Honda hatchback. This means its launch wouldn’t be delayed by expensive testing and, God forbid, teaching people how to drive it. Boeing’s hatchback was the same model that made its debut in the 60s. They ‘redesigned’ it and called it the 737 Max.

THE TRAGEDY

A total of 346 people died in the Indonesian and Ethiopian crashes. With such a horrific body count, not even the lobbyists could bribe their way out of an inquiry. When the time came, some of the ‘crash families’ travelled to Washington, seeking answers. But when they got there, not only were answers sparse, but they got told they couldn’t bring their placards into the Hearing. The placards were photographs of their dead loved ones.

THE TABLEAUX

Clearly, Washington has no respect for the bereaved and doesn’t care who knows it. Why would they? People turning up in droves might have an effect in Europe, where governments fear the people, but in the US, the people fear the government. And that’s why the stench emanating from the Boeing execs drifted over to the Federal Aviation Administration staff, who certified the plane. Big Government and Big Air make quite a team.

Don’t get on a Boeing without watching this film!

Streaming on Netflix Feb. 18, 2022
Watch the trailer
Directed by Rory Kennedy
Produced by Moxie Films
Premiered at Sundance Film Festival Jan. 2022   

Posted by Entertainment Magazine

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Film Miv Evans New Releases

Free Chol Soo Lee

By Miv Evans

This documentary tells the story of a young Korean immigrant who is plucked off the lawless streets of Chinatown by a justice system that shows no justice.  It’s a David and Goliath tale but this time, David has no sling until the battle is over.  As well as shining a painful spotlight on the plight of child immigrants, it also highlights the searing inequities of life in America in general.  It’s definitely not pretty.

Free Chol Soo Lee.JPG

Chol Soo is born in the crossfire of the Korean war to a single mother.  When she marries an American, she abandons both her land and her child.  12 years later, and newly divorced, she swoops back in and takes Chol Soo to live in a country he’s never even heard of.   He’s isolated both in school and in his neighborhood.  His mother beats him daily, simply because she can.  Chol Soo often runs away and, as time goes by, he stops going back home at all, and drifts onto the streets that are ruled by violent gangs.

By association and a minor rap sheet, he comes to the attention of the local police.  And when they need a fall guy for a major crime, he’s their victim of choice.  Despite evidence to the contrary, 20 year-old Chol Soo is convicted of murder and handed a life sentence.  He undoubtedly would have stayed there had it not been for the fortitude of an intrepid investigate journalist.

K.W. Lee was a Korean reporter when he came across Chol Soo’s case.   He realized a grave injustice had been done, and in an attempt to highlight the young man’s plight, Lee turned to the Korean community for support.  And support him they did.  Not only did they fight for justice, but they inspired a whole generation of Pan Asian American activists.  They even wrote a song, ‘The Ballad of Chol Soo Lee’ that filled the airwaves for months.  The charismatic young Korean became the symbol of their cause.      

With so much publicity, Chol Soo’s murder conviction was eventually revisited.  It could be assumed that the result of this retrial is where the story ends but, in fact, this is not the case.  

Chol Soo’s saviors had done such a great job of alerting Chicago to his plight, by the time he returned to court, he had reached the status of an icon.  That’s a high bar for anyone to balance on, but if you’re a street urchin who’s only known hardship, it’s difficult to know where to start. In other words, when Chol Soo finally got handed a sling, he had absolutely no idea what to do with it.  

Premiered at Sundance 2022.

Released August 19, 2022 in UK and Ireland.

DIRECTED BY
Julie Ha & Eugene Yi

PRODUCED BY 
XTR
contact@xtr.com
www.xtr.com

DISTRIBUTED BY
MUBI
546 Bryant St
San Francisco
CA 94107
efe@mubi.com
www.mubi.com

Posted by Entertainment Magazine

Categories
Film New Releases

“My Policeman”

My Policeman Opens in Theaters on October 21, 2022
and Globally on Prime Video Starting November 4, 2022

**World premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11**

**European premiere at the 2022 London Film Festival on October 15**

A beautifully crafted storyof forbidden love and changing social conventions, My Policeman follows three young people—policeman Tom (Harry Styles), teacher Marion (Emma Corrin), and museum curator Patrick (David Dawson)—as they embark on an emotional journey in 1950s Britain.

Flashing forward to the 1990s, Tom (Linus Roache), Marion (Gina McKee), and Patrick (Rupert Everett) are still reeling with longing and regret, but now they have one last chance to repair the damage of the past.

Based on the book by Bethan Roberts, director Michael Grandage carves a visually transporting, heart-stopping portrait of three people caught up in the shifting tides of history, liberty, and forgiveness.

Directed by Michael Grandage

Written by Ron Nyswaner

Based on the book by Bethan Roberts

Produced by Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Robbie Rogers, Cora Palfrey, Philip Herd

Executive Produced by Michael Grandage, Michael Riley McGrath, Caroline Levy

Starring Harry Styles, Emma Corrin, Gina McKee, Linus Roache, David Dawson, and Rupert Everett

113 Minutes | Rated R

Posted by Entertainment Magazine
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Film Miv Evans New Releases

Americanish

By Miv Evans

Americanish is about three Muslim women negotiating the dating scene.  This is a rich vein to tap but, unfortunately, the film is so packed with clichés, and so bereft of conflict, predictability lurks on every corner.   The acting is superb but that’s never enough.  

Two sisters, Sameen (Aizzah Fatima) and Maryam (Salena Qureshi) live with their mother, Khala (Lillete Dubey) in Queens, New York.  Maryam is still in high school and has a crush on one of the other students.   Sameen works for a marketing company and is planning to get her own place to live.  Their cousin, Ameera (Shenaz Treasury), arrives from Pakistan in pursuit of a rich husband and Khala assists her niece with her quest.  She makes it clear to her two daughters that it’s time for them to start similar endeavors of their own.  

The first stumbling block this film crashes into is that, whenever one of the girls meet their ‘Mr. Right’, a neon light flashes This Is the One!  It really is that obvious.  It doesn’t help that all the ‘Mr. Rights’ are woefully undeveloped and they all simply go along with whatever is convenient for the plot.  This is particularly irritating when a hot American business owner agrees to marry a woman he’s never even been on a date with.  All things are possible, of course, but if the audience doesn’t get an explanation for something unlikely, it just seems silly.         

While Maryam and Ameera’s storylines stick to romance, Sameen’s goes off at a tangent.  New themes about race, careers and ethics emerge that have nothing to do with her own love interest or, in fact, anything else in the film.  This disconnect is a signature of the writing and the reason there are three separate endings.  Sitting the characters around the same table for the final scene is clunky and doesn’t solve anything.

This movie is being promoted as the ‘First Muslim RomCom Directed by an American Muslim Woman.’  With so many prolific American Muslim female directors around, this is a sweeping claim.  But what can’t be disputed is that RomComs, by definition, have to be about a romance between two main characters.  As Americanish is definitely not that, perhaps the filmmakers should redefine its genre as ‘RomCom-ish.’   

Directed by Iman Zawahry.

Written by Iman Zawahry and Aizzah Fatima. 

Produced by Roy Wol, Studio Autonomous
 http://www.autonomouspictures.com

New York, NY 10001

Posted by Entertainment Magazine

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Celebrities Film New Releases

Idris Elba has a lot to celebrate

 Idris Elba has a lot to celebrate — his new survival thriller “Beast” opens on Friday, and he has a milestone birthday next month.

“Extra’s” Terri Seymour caught up with the star, asking him about his upcoming 50th birthday in September.

“Yeah, that’s me. On my way,” he said, adding he doesn’t have plans for a huge party.

“I’m going to chill this year,” Idris said. “I’ve done parties. My wife, I know my wife threw a massive surprise birthday party for me, it was massive. So this year, I just feel like I might just relax, have some friends and family, my kids, just chill.”

Elba insisted, “I’ve done a lot of partying. I’m really just thankful, you know, that if I, you know, turned 50, I’m… just thankful for it, you know what I mean?”

Terri asked, “Now that you’re turning 50, Idris, what’s next?”

The actor said, “I just want to do more of the same. I’m sort of really having fun being able to spread my wings, if you like… I’ve done some directing, but I’d like to do more. I love making music and, you know, I’m playing a few more instruments now and I think I’m just going to just make albums for the fun of doing it. I love to write songs and listen.”

He went on, “Just live. You know, just try and live, and I think the last three years for all of us, just [made us] realize how precious life is.”

Being the next James Bond apparently is not on his bucket list. Idris reportedly walked away from years of talks with movies bosses to take over the 007 role, but is busier than ever with several movies and business projects.

First up is “Beast,” the new thriller about a father hell-bent on saving his two teenage daughters from a massive rogue lion stalking them on a South African reserve.

Idris said, “It really is a bit of an old-school thriller… What would you do to save your children? You would do anything, right?”

He added, “We really designed it to be seen in the theater… We want people to… be immersed in the whole thing. It’s terrifying what happens, but at the same time, you know, there’s a real sort of sense of triumph at the end, because of what the family has gone through with their lives and what they’ve gone through in this, you know, incredibly scary scenario.”

He told Terri about shooting the scenes in which he battles the lion, saying, “It was this poor guy and his name is Owen, but he’s great. He’s an incredible sort of animal impersonator and stunt man, and he wore this, like, quite silly-looking gray suit with a big lion’s head… I mean, he was anything but scary but, you know, he was there to provide an eyeline. And actually, in the fight sequences with me, you know, there’s a real veracity to how the human body will, you know, sort of react to a lion striking it… And so we really paid a lot of attention to that, but it was, you know, it was it was hard work — there’s lots of physicality, lots of attention to detail.”

Idris is also busy working on the “Coupledom” podcast and the S’able Labs skin care line with his wife Sabrina.

He said, “We talked about partnerships in our ‘Coupledom’ podcasts, which isn’t just about marriages or relationships, it’s about just partners — you know, your family, your mom, your dad. We had some really incredible guests on, but then that sort of leaked us into what we’re doing with skincare.”

Idris added, “We’ve been sort of developing skincare for a long time, but it’s based on being unisex, it’s based on you and your partner sharing it, natural ingredients and starch… I know there’s a massive trend around, you know, celebrities doing things like this, but actually for us, it’s really just part of an extension of who we are as people.”

“Beast” is in theaters Friday.

For more, visit: https://extratv.com/2022/08/17/idris-elba-on-turning-50-and-what-s-next-for-his-career/

Tune in to “Extra” Tonight

Check local listings for stations and time https://extratv.com/page/when-its-on/. 

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Film New Releases

FIRST LOOK AT THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES

IN THEATERS NOVEMBER 17, 2023

Lionsgate has revealed a first look image on behalf of THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES, featuring Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird.

Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Screenplay by: Michael Arndt and Michael Lesslie
Based on the Novel by: Suzanne Collins
Produced by: Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Francis Lawrence

This Film Is Not Yet Rated

page1image35228512 page1image35226848 page1image35229344 page1image35236416 page1image35235168Return to The Hunger Games, the landmark film franchise that has earned over $3 billion globally, with Lionsgate’s adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ #1 New York Times Bestseller The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Return to The Hunger Games, the landmark film franchise that has earned over $3 billion globally, with Lionsgate’s adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ #1 New York Times Bestseller The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. 

Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the girl tribute from impoverished District 12.

But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy Gray’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.

The reveal comes after the recent casting news of Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gaul. Additional cast includes Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, and Jason Schwartzman.

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Film New Releases

Road House a Go at Prime Video

Road House a Go at Prime Video Starring Jake Gyllenhaal in Doug Liman-Helmed Film Produced by Joel Silver  

Billy Magnussen, Daniela Melchior, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Lukas Gage, and others also set to join the Gyllenhaal-led action pic 

CULVER CITY, California— Prime Video announced today Academy Award-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal (The Guilty, Nightcrawler, Brokeback Mountain) is set to star in Road House, a reimagined take on the 1989 MGM movie, with Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) directing from a script written by Anthony Bagarozzi (The Nice Guys) & Charles Mondry. Joel Silver (The Matrix, Die Hard) is producing for his company, Silver Pictures. JJ Hook, Alison Winter, and Aaron Auch will serve as executive producers.

The cast also includes Billy Magnussen (No Time to Die), Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad), Gbemisola Ikumelo (A League of Their Own), Lukas Gage (The White Lotus), Hannah Love Lanier (A Black Lady Sketch Show), Travis Van Winkle (You), B.K. Cannon (Why Women Kill), Arturo Castro (Broad City), Dominique Columbus (Ray Donovan), Beau Knapp (Seven Seconds), and Bob Menery.

Since the 1989 debut of the beloved original starring Patrick Swayze, the film and its lead character, Dalton, have cemented themselves globally in modern entertainment ethos. The new take follows a former UFC fighter (Gyllenhaal) who takes a job as a bouncer at a rough-and-tumble roadhouse in the Florida Keys, but soon discovers that not everything is what it seems in this tropical paradise.

“Road House is a homerun for us. Not only is it a nod to fans of the original, but it is also a big, fun, broad audience movie,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Joel, Doug, and this great cast led by Jake Gyllenhaal, and for them to come together to reimagine the classic MGM film as an action-packed adventure for our global audience.”

“I’m thrilled to put my own spin on the beloved Road House legacy.  And I can’t wait to show audiences what Jake and I are going to do with this iconic role,” said director Doug Liman.

“The original Road House has a special place in my heart and I am so excited to bring this newly imagined version to audiences around the world. Doug and I have each made some big, boisterous action movies and are ready to bring everything we have to this one,” said producer Joel Silver.

The Amazon Original Movie is set to go into production in the Dominican Republic this month and will stream on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide at release.

An Academy Award and Tony Award-nominated actor, Gyllenhaal can next be seen in Guy Ritchie’s upcoming film The Interpreter. Gyllenhaal’s work as a producer is equally noteworthy and his production company Nine Stories has established itself as a force, most recently producing Antoine Fuqua’s The Guilty also starring Gyllenhaal, which was Netflix’s #1 film for over three weeks.

Liman is a film and television director and producer, best known for directing beloved and critically acclaimed films such as Swingers, The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, American Made, and Live Die Repeat (Edge Of Tomorrow). His television credits include Suits, The O.C., Covert Affairs, and the upcoming Netflix series The Recruit. He also serves on the board of the Legal Action Center and the Arthur Liman Center for Public Interest Law at Yale Law School.

Silver is returning to the beloved classic after serving as the producer on the original 1989 film. Silver has also produced or executive produced over 100 films and television shows including The Book of Eli, The Nice Guys, the Sherlock Holmes films, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the Lethal Weapon films, the first three Matrix films, Swordfish, Demolition Man, Predator andPredator 2, Die Hard and Die Hard 2, Speed Racer, V for Vendetta, House of Wax, RocknRolla, Project X, Brewster’s Millions and 48 Hrs. He also executive produced the original Veronica Mars series. 

Posted by Entertainment Magazine
Categories
Film Miv Evans New Releases

Free Chol Soo Lee

By Miv Evans

This documentary tells the story of a young Korean immigrant who is plucked off the lawless streets of Chinatown by a justice system that shows no justice.  It’s a David and Goliath tale but this time, David has no sling until the battle is over.  As well as shining a painful spotlight on the plight of child immigrants, it also highlights the searing inequities of life in America in general.  It’s definitely not pretty.

Chol Soo is born in the crossfire of the Korean war to a single mother.  When she marries an American, she abandons both her land and her child.  12 years later, and newly divorced, she swoops back in and takes Chol Soo to live in a country he’s never even heard of.   He’s isolated both in school and in his neighborhood.  His mother beats him daily, simply because she can.  Chol Soo often runs away and, as time goes by, he stops going back home at all, and drifts onto the streets that are ruled by violent gangs.

By association and a minor rap sheet, he comes to the attention of the local police.  And when they need a fall guy for a major crime, he’s their victim of choice.  Despite evidence to the contrary, 20 year-old Chol Soo is convicted of murder and handed a life sentence.  He undoubtedly would have stayed there had it not been for the fortitude of an intrepid investigate journalist.

K.W. Lee was a Korean reporter when he came across Chol Soo’s case.   He realized a grave injustice had been done, and in an attempt to highlight the young man’s plight, Lee turned to the Korean community for support.  And support him they did.  Not only did they fight for justice, but they inspired a whole generation of Pan Asian American activists.  They even wrote a song, ‘The Ballad of Chol Soo Lee’ that filled the airwaves for months.  The charismatic young Korean became the symbol of their cause.      

With so much publicity, Chol Soo’s murder conviction was eventually revisited.  It could be assumed that the result of this retrial is where the story ends but, in fact, this is not the case.  

Chol Soo’s saviors had done such a great job of alerting Chicago to his plight, by the time he returned to court, he had reached the status of an icon.  That’s a high bar for anyone to balance on, but if you’re a street urchin who’s only known hardship, it’s difficult to know where to start. In other words, when Chol Soo finally got handed a sling, he had absolutely no idea what to do with it.  

Premiered at Sundance 2022.

Released August 19, 2022 in UK and Ireland.

DIRECTED BY
Julie Ha & Eugene Yi

PRODUCED BY 
XTR
contact@xtr.com
www.xtr.com

DISTRIBUTED BY
MUBI
546 Bryant St
San Francisco
CA 94107
efe@mubi.com
www.mubi.com

Read more movie reviews by Miv Evans

Posted by Entertainment Magazine

Categories
Celebrities Film New Releases

Anthony Gaudette, An Actor Who Performs with a Pretty Broad Brush!

Interview by Fred M. Grandinetti

Anthony Gaudette is an all-around artist whether performing for the camera, directing or painting houses.  For several years he has worked on projects which require him to paint walls, ceilings, doors, windows, cabinets, deck and fences. I had the pleasure to interview Anthony about his artistic endeavors.   

Fred: Where were you born? What activities did you enjoy growing up?

Anthony: I was born in Methuen, MA but I was only there for my first two years of existence and later grew up in Derry New Hampshire.   

In school, I liked to play sports and do outdoor activities.  I was really into basketball, snowboarding and biking.    

When did you become involved with performing? 

I got involved during my final year of college while pursuing my bachelor’s in business communications. Halfway through my last year I decided to take some film/video production classes and acting lessons for fun.  I was always interested in how movies were made and wanted to get involved in that process firsthand.  James Dean was an early inspiration of mine, and I admired his story of how he became an actor. He built himself up from nothing with little support from his direct family.  Dean was an early influence in the method style of acting sending shockwaves through the youth culture in the 50s.   He was ahead of his time and then died tragically young.   

Was your family supportive of you wanting to become a professional actor?

Yes, I had a lot of support from my family.  They’re behind me in everything I do which means everything.   

What was your first performing experience like?

My first performing opportunity was acting on a production which we were making in film class. It was a horror short and a lot of fun. The film involved friends going to a cabin for the weekend.  A little cliche.  The experience was really cool because I got to direct a couple of scenes and witness the editing process. We screened the final product and when it was all said and done, I was hooked!  

You have appeared in several short films.  Any particular favorites?

A couple of my favorites I’ve done are “The Second Life” and “Love Without Loss”. “The Second Life” is a story about reincarnation, and I play a character who lives a full life and dies. I become reborn with all the knowledge and experience from the moment of birth that he had at the end of his first life.  The film shows the journey of the character during his second life through childhood towards young adulthood. The character I portray becomes terribly withdrawn because of his previous experiences.  Instead of choosing to learn and grow in this new life, from the pain experienced in his former life, he becomes incredibly reclusive and withdrawn. Eventually he crosses eyes with one woman who changes everything for him.  It was a period piece set in the late 1800’s and actually based on a real story by Machado de Assis. The film can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icw2sTXkRtE . “Love Without Loss” is about a guy who writes and pitches this great story to a bunch of producers.  He’s an unknown writer/director but is given a budget and green light to direct the film while given full creative control.  He casts his girlfriend and best friend in pivotal roles but becomes obsessed with the project. His actions lead to the point he becomes verbally abusive toward the girlfriend. He feels she is not getting from her what the film needs. While the production is commencing, he’s hurting his relationship more and more until it reaches a breaking point.  Although he creates the film so desired his relationship and friendships in the process are destroyed.  The film is very bittersweet.   

Any favorite genre you perform enjoying in?

I really like anything and performed in all sorts of genres.   I do like a good dramatic role.  It forces me to do a lot of homework on a character’s backstory/motivations and this process is always interesting.   

Your films have been shown in festivals. What were some of the festivals where your movies have been screened? Were you in attendance?

I had a film at the New Hampshire film festival in Portsmouth. For the Shawna Shea film festival, I was nominated for best actor in a feature.  I wasn’t able to make the New Hampshire film festival screening but did make the one in Shawna Shea. 

When you were offered the lead role of a gay superhero in the feature film comedy, “DynaStud” did you have to think about playing a role which may have in sighted controversy, positive or negative?  

I was offered the role of “Dynastud” back in 2018 and felt totally comfortable taking on this role.  I had worked with this director a few times in the past and he’s really a great guy.  If there was anything I was ever uncomfortable with or unsure about, I could always come to him about it. With that said, the role was very unique and a lot of fun.  The film is very campy and has a cheeky style of humor.  It’s different from the normal role for sure but in many ways that drew me to it.  Also, the crew/cast involved are really some of the best and most hard-working people in the New England indie film scene.  Working with them always seems like a no brainer decision for me.  Check out the hilarious trailer at Code Name: Dyna Stud – Watch Gay Romance Movies Online – GayBingeTV Trailer – YouTube

Where has the film been screened and what was the audience reaction?

“Dynastud” has played at the Rockbar in New York City.  It also screened at the Route One Cinema Pub in Attleboro Massachusetts. The film was also shown at the Shawna Shea film festival in Sturbridge Massachusetts. There have been several other screenings. The audience reaction has generally been a combination of utter shock and gut-wrenching laughter.   

When you’re performing in a role where the state of undress is required in several scenes do you get paid more money?

Yeah I’ve been in both cases where it does and doesn’t.  Particularly with this film, I wasn’t going to taking on extra pay for shirtless or anything like that   Like I mentioned before, these are people I’ve worked with.  We have a great relationship.  I’m comfortable with them and more than happy to be involved in whatever project they have going on no matter the circumstances. 

You’re also well- skilled behind the scenes as a director.

I’ve directed a couple films thus far and it’s something I’m interested in doing more of.  Early in my acting career I directed a feature “Clown Shank”.  It was a learning experience project for me both in acting and directing. It’s a whacky film about a man who loses everything and becomes a clown. Eventually he also becomes a killer.  The plot is a bit contrived and can be tough to follow at times.  I’m still proud of it.  It was the first thing I did and had a lot of fun.  Since then, I directed a short film a few years ago just before COVID.  It was a film which had won the script to screen contest at the Sanford film festival “Staring Down a Barrel”.   The film revolves around three buddies who come across this duffel bag of cash which had been stolen by another group of dangerous individuals.  They end up tracking the friends down and don’t expect to leave any witnesses. 

In addition to performing and directing you’re a professional painter. 

 I own a house painting business which I’ve been doing for about seven years. I originally took up painting to earn some extra money.  My stepdad had been flipping/renting out properties around my area which always needed work done. I took it upon myself to help with the painting and just naturally grew a good skill set.  I paint mostly interior—walls, ceiling, trim work.  I’ve also done exterior house painting and deck staining.  I enjoy it a lot—while hard work—it provides me a lot of flexibility to pursue acting.  As the owner, I make my schedule and can dip out of a job to go do a last second audition if I need to.  It works out nicely for me to support myself and still be able to have the time to do acting work!   

What future acting projects do you have coming up?

Presently I’ve been shooting commercials. One was for MaidPro and the other Hannifords grocery store.  I do have one film role lined up at the moment.  It’s a coming-of-age story involving a group of young adults at a summer camp. I’m playing the role of the bombastic and insecure jerk camp counselor.   It’s sure to be a lot of fun! 

Thank you for the interview, Anthony and best of luck in your artistic projects on and off camera. 

Read more articles and interviews by Fred M. Grandinetti