Men of Massachusetts

Who?

Produced and written by Prometheus through his Atlas Productions company. It will be screening a full 6-episode season on DRTV in the soon to arrive TV Session 6.

It has a large cast of both regular and recurring guest stars with Sean Astin as the lead character James Otis. Other noteworthy regulars are Peter Sarsgaard (Sam Adams), Hugh Laurie (William Pitt), Keith Allen (George Grenville), John Slattery (Thomas Hutchinson) and Paul Dano (Joseph Warren).

What?

It’s a period drama that uses historical figures as characters. However, it is not a biopic in the vein of John Adams (who is in fact a character in the show) or even a piece of historical fiction. The show is based around real life events and people, but any similarities stop there.

Where?

It is set in primarily Boston, Massachusetts but this is paralleled with scenes in London, England that depict the inner-workings of the key men of the British Parliament and Monarchy.

When?

The period being explored is Colonial America just prior to the widespread outbreak of discontent towards England. The season spans a number of years with a few jumps forward in time. The pilot begins in 1760 but the season is primarily based around 1763-1764.

Why?

I studied both the American and Russian Revolutions last year and when thinking of things I could write about, this idea came to me. It has grown from there and I have pretty much bastardized any semblance of real history from the story, but I think it’s far better for it.

and... How?

Quantum approached me to have the show appear on DRTV for this upcoming session and I struggle to write regularly. I felt that doing a TV show with a distinct timeline and a required amount of writing would ensure I actually did some writing. Luckily for Quantum and me it’s worked, I’ve written the episodes and I like them. Hopefully you will too.

Fear Itself

Who?

JD, Costa, Lucian, and Myself are the producers of the horror shorts in Fear Itself. JD is the producer of Bump in the Night, Costa is the producer of The Bellview Asylum Haunting, Lucian is the producer of Zombie Zoo, and I'm the producer of DNA. The shorts star Ryan Reynolds (DNA), Dominic Monaghan (The Bellview Asylum Haunting), Christopher Plummer (Zombie Zoo), and Nathan Gamble (Bump in the Night) as well as a slew of others that include Camilla Belle (Bump in the Night), Forest Whitaker (DNA), Eva Mendes (The Bellview Asylum Haunting), and Thomas Dekker (Zombie Zoo). John Carpenter is the director of Fear Itself and helmed each short.

What?

The shorts themselves tell a variety of stories, and the following summaries are SPOILER FREE. DNA deals with a man who has to make the toughest decision of his life. The Bellview Asylum Haunting follows a man haunted by a ghost in the Insanitarium he is being held in. Bump in the Night deals with a young boy and his babysitter who go on a quest when he hears a "bump in the night" and Zombie Zoo deals with the discovery that a certain eatery eating away the competition.

Where?

The shorts take place in a variety of places.

When?

Again, the shorts take place in a variety of time periods. Although, the majority of them are set in modern times. The shorts themselves were recently shot by John Carpenter.

Why?

I've wanted to do a horror anthology movie in the vein of Creepshow for a long time. I personally considered purchasing the Masters of Horror franchise several times but thought that the title Masters of Horror wasn't appropriate here because nobody here is a true Master of Horror. So when the Fear Itself franchise presented itself I decided to purchase. I ended up fast-tracking the project when I realized that there was going to be a Friday the 13th in March and decided that it was a great date for a horror anthology movie. I ended up contacting Bishop and his Checkmate Pictures studio and they agreed to release it.

and... How?

It was really all about timing. Everything just fell into place. I was lucky enough to find three great producers to put there shorts in these project and a great date. JD did a great job with the posters and Czartim did a great job with the website. Everybody put in good time to make this project what it is today. If all goes well, we could see a Fear Itself 2 in June. If it weren't for Bishop accepting the project I doubt it would have been released. The project has luckily come about and I hope everybody enjoys this film, its been fun to work on.

Dog Gone Shorts

Who?

Pedro of Baseball Mogul Productions is producing the film and writing the script. The Flip Bros. Studio will be releasing the film. The cast of characters are cast.

Parker Posey plays Amy the dog. She has played the role in several other films before. Amy is Pedro’s real life dog. Amy is a foul mouthed dog who has many short stories in here in where she does many bad things.

Amy Adams plays Sunshine, a cocker-spaniel who loves to debate issues and is a hippie in a modern day world. She also is foul mouthed and doesn’t take shit from anybody.

Robert Downey Jr. plays Jeff, a homosexual Chihuahua, who loves to drink margaritas, but also enjoys killing celebrities for fun.

Ice Cube is Bradley, a Rottweiler who is intent on bringing down ‘the man.’ He likes his family though as they rescued him from the pound. Hates racist people and dogs.

The director is John Waters who has worked with Pedro before.

What?

It’s hard to say what the ‘what’ is. Dog Gone Shorts basically is a bunch of short stories developed into a movie about four dogs who live in the same neighborhood and our friends and the stories are about them and the adventures they go on and the trouble they get into. The stories are mostly about their bonds as friends.

Where?

The films takes place in Laguna Beach and was shot here. The dogs were very cooperative, and loved being in the film, but they ate a lot. John loved filming the movie in Laguna because he particularly loved in this town, and I live here, so it was easy for me to be here.

When?

The film is set in modern times and it was recently shot.

Why?

Why am I making this film? I had this idea a while ago, and I love to make films about dogs and write about them. I’ve always been fascinated by a dog’s mind and fascinated about what dogs may do when the humans aren’t watching. The stories show how dogs may react to certain situations if this was a dog world.

and... How?

I had the idea in my head for a while, but only really began to write it in the fall. It came together pretty quickly and the ideas were flowing and it was shot soon afterward, and John has just finished up editing. I took the film to RS of Flip Bros and he liked it, so the film was set up pretty quickly. I loved working with Amy Adams, Richard Jenkins, Judy Greer, Elle Fanning again, and I especially loved working with my dog, Amy, Parker Posey and John Waters again. It was good fun!

Peaches and Cream

Who?

Peaches and Cream is the first movie I've done outside my own studio since 2007's Square Deal. Having had success working with Marlowe in the past I gave him first look at Peaches, the first tale of the two in the film and he was happy to pick it up.

As always I looked to work with actors who I had met at various hotspots around the town. Allison Janney and Beyonce Knowles turned out to have surprisingly good chemistry together and the age difference played well in what we were trying to do. Scott Thompson, of Kids in The Hall fame, was originally set to have a bit part in Peaches but when I wrote Cream I continued his role into the second piece to tie the two together. For the final lead role I decided I couldn't ask any actor to take on the risque and personal role except for myself. We do have one other role in the piece and we have filled it with a TV legend.

What?

Both stories push the envelope of the term "Romance". These are not shiny, happy stories. They are about people with real problems and, as with life, not all problems can be overcome.

Where?

We keep the location generic. We shot on set to utilize some discounts from my car collection. One location is based on a real life Toronto location.

When?

I wrote both pieces surprisingly quickly. It's amazing where inspiration can strike. This is a thoroughly modern piece, set the moment you see it. Twenty years ago this film would have had trouble getting made. Now we have "Brokeback Mountain" as a mainstream piece. It just goes to show how acceptance of same sex storylines has come.

Why?

I like to release films in less popular genres. There have only been 8 Romance films in HTG history. And with a 40 million dollar ad budget I'm hoping to claim a space on the top 5 Romances of all time list.Surprisingly, we've already had several gay themed romances but trust me this is very different from those.

and... How?

With Marlowe on board to handle creative we're hoping for a solid buzz score. Late January box office is not always the best but we've kept the budget low and expect to turn a profit. And who knows? I'll be eligible for Best Short film. Maybe I'll get a nomination.

But I must point out, if this were a real film it would likely be rated NC-17 in the US. So if you're under 17 or easily offended think carefully before setting out to the virtual cinemas to view this film.

To The Edge

Who?

I was the sole writer. Kaven Productions and Flip Brothers studio are releasing the film. The movie focuses mainly on Arlen Blain, a rebellious teenager, Chad, a quiet guy who knows how to survive, Emory, a man who loses something very important to him in the movie and seeks revenge, Frankie, an African-American man who is trying to survive, and Sam, a woman with a ton of mystery surrounding her.

What?

After free taxing on trades and imports is denied to Russia, Russia 'apologizes' with a new shipment of their finest beer. The U.S. gladly accepts, but inside the alcohol is a deadly virus that causes the drinker to become unreasonable, violent, out of control, and deadly. The film follows a select handful of survivors on their attempt at reaching saftey.

Where?

The film takes place in an un-named small city in Colorado, and was filmed on-location for the majority of the movie, only exceptions would be the in-house shots, filmed in NYC.

When?

The film was written as a story just for myself in mid-to-late 2008, something I would show my friends. I got the idea to produce it into a film on here, and I tweaked it, made it a bit longer to have some detail, and pitched it. The film would be set in modern time, 2009.

Why?

I think it puts enough twist on the whole outbreak-survival aspect, which is all too familiar at this point in time. I figured it was worth releasing because I've gotten some positive feedback, but on the other hand, so far, all the feedback has been from close friends, so we'll see. The characters in the film are naturally trying to find saftey, but mid-to-late in the film, our main character Arlen sets that goal aside for a more personal one.

and... How?

Well, it's simply the result of a short story-turned movie. When I first pitched it, there wasn't much I was hoping for, but with the ad campaign, and the trailer, and the hype, I think it will do better than I expected. Flipbrothers studio has been more than helpful with trailers, banners, and advertising, and the actors were wonderful to work with. We are up against some stiff competition on opening weekend, with Peaches & Cream, and Print, so I don't see To The Edge opening at # 1, but hopefully in the top 3.

Print

Who?

21st Century Cat Pictures is the studio. I'm pleased to work with them, and it's been going super smooth. They have provided me with everything I've asked for, and I hope to work with them more in the future.

Steven Soderbergh directed the film. Anyone familiar with his work will realize that he is the perfect man to helm the project.

As for the cast:

Richard Schiff will be playing the lead as the Editor-In-Chief of this fictional newspaper, The New York Gazette. The always lovely Julia Stiles is playing a Washington Correspondent. James Franco is playing a colorful reporter in the vain of Hunter S. Thompson.

There's a great ensemble here. John C McGinley, AJ Cook, and Harold Perrineau Jr just to name a few. It was very hard to choose who would be labeled as leads as every part is close to even in terms of screen time and importance. Alan Alda, for instance, has only one scene, but it's a show stopper. Over half the cast are making their HTG debuts and many of them are relatively unknown.

What?

Print follows the staff of The New York Gazette, a powerhouse in the American press.

The movie only spans one day, but it shows the reporters as they cover stories such as a teacher's strike in D.C., the uncovering of a corrupt Senator, and a massive drug ring unveiled. Meanwhile, there are rumors around the offices that the paper will suffer layoffs and downsizing.

Where?

The movie takes place in New York City as well as Washington D.C.

When?

This is a story I've been cooking for a while. I'd never written anything about it on paper, though. In fact I had originally wanted it to be a television series, but in the end I felt that it would be more focused as a movie.

On a Friday night I wrote down the character names and went to work. The final story materialized as I was writing it. In three days I completed it; 40 pages. I did research when needed, but for the most part I didn't stop writing until I felt the story was done.

In a few days the movie was picked up, and the date was set (January 30th.) Everything is moving fast, but I'm extremely proud of the script. I think it's the best thing I've ever written, and I'm excited that it will be my HTG debut.

The movie takes place during modern day. It actually spans one day and in chronological order; the story jumps between characters as the puzzle pieces are revealed.

Why?

I started watching The West Wing at the age of ten. As I look back, it surprises me, but this event is easily in the top three most influential moments of my entire life. This seems sad for some reason, or perhaps arrogant, but it's true.

This is a world filled with one tracked entertainment. How many books, movies, or TV shows offer complexity? I was surrounded by sitcoms and Nickelodeon; a type of entertainment meant for a mass audience. The top 40 is always right, and as long as you listen to it, you will find friends.

I started to drift away from my friends. Aaron Sorkin had truly stuck gold. He taught me not just about politics (whether sugar-coated or not,) but more importantly about how story telling should be done. There will always be shows like Friends, CSI, and American Idol that provide entertainment to a majority of consumers, and that's fine. But we mustn't let that be the only choice. There should always be an option out there for people who want more than garbage shovled down their throat.

Complexity in media requires a patient audience who is willing to pay attention to smaller details and think about what they've seen/read. Perhaps it may require multiple viewings to understand the complexity of a story. The writer cannot spoon feed the audience.

Call Print an homage to that idea.

The newspaper industry is at a strange impasse, much like network television. Where do you draw the line between the financially viable and a worthy service to an audience that may not be as willing as it use to be? When The New York Times is no longer making money, is it worth keeping open? It may be easy for you to say yes, but you're not the one potentially loosing millions.

Where do journalist go next? There will always be a select group of people committed to exposing the wrongs of this world, but at some point you have to pay the bills. There's no money to be made online, and TV news has blurred the line between news and entertainment. Where do you go to report the news in a world not interested in it?

I think you will find the characters of Print passionate about their profession. It's easy to root for them seeing as you get a chance to know them, but take a step back and you may realize that there's complete apathy for what they are doing. In the grand scheme of things what they report doesn't matter. Most people will read it on Yahoo or while watching 24 hour news channels. In a week the country will move on (after Jon Stewart has said his peace) and there will be a story to replace it. Anybody who has an actual problem with what's going on will grumble to their co-workers before moving on to Idol talk.

and... How?

Print certainly comes from me trying to find a voice in my writing. I think all 'artists' go through this as they start to take their craft seriously. At first, you take what you know and love from people you aspire to, and over time you mold it into your own.

It's a daunting thing, but necessary to find what your good at. Experimentation will likely come next for me. I'm looking forward to the feedback for Print so I can start to hone in on what I excel at, and hopefully begin to capitalize on it.

This story is very much original, but I don't think this will become my style in the long run. Either way, this film is a great jumping off point for me. I just need to figure out which way the tide will take me before I move on.

Artistra

Who?

Well, it's a documentary released by Lake Hope Features and is directed by Werner Herzog. I am the host/interviewer and the film contains interviews from media artists, high school students, Larry King, and even Sean Penn.

Just as a special note, I would like to take this opportunity to say that all of Sean Penn's claims are completely ludicrous. If you aren't aware, he has filed a lawsuit against Nitro Cheese Productions and Lake Hope Features that attempts to block its release. All I have to say is that he KNEW what he was getting into when he signed on and shouldn't be whining like he is right now. The film WILL be released this Friday as scheduled and there is nothing he can do about that.

What?

I come from the art world in real life which, although it contains a lot of good people doing honorable work, it also contains people who think they are much higher than others on the plateau of life simply because they create. This movie was pretty much inspired when I heard a guy say that "I honestly believe that artists have the capabilities within them to change the world."

Where?

Oh man, we went everywhere. There are scenes in Texas, at Harvard, at the Louvre. We even went to the f**king Fuji Rock Festival in Japan and got interviews there.

When?

This was shot and edited in the fall of last year. It was really a challenge to myself to write, produce, and star in a high-quality film in a short time span.

Why?

On one level, I'm sort of trying to make this a completely satirical comedy about how pretentious artistic types can be, but on the other level, I'm actually kind of trying to raise concern about how dangerous said pretentiousness can be. I believe that we are all equal in this world and no one is above another. Money, status, career. All those are superficial entities. We are truly one race.

and... How?

I had been wanting to work on a documentary for a long time and definitely wanted to work with Werner Herzog for a long time and so it just sort of was born out of those needs.. So I called him up and we agreed on a basic outline and pretty much just went from there.

Sean Penn's scenes were done because he actually called us when he heard about the project. He was a huge fan of Bucket of Smiles and really wanted to be in this film. That, I guess, was something that he forgot to mention in his "open letter" to me or in his lawsuit. HE sought US.

But I really don't want to dwell on the negative aspects. Artistra was one of the most fun things I have ever worked on and I was completely stoked that it won top honors at Malibu. That seriously blew me away. That just was the cap on a completely amazing experience.

White Noise

Who?

Pedro of Baseball Mogul Productions is producing the film and adapting the script. The original was a book released in 1985 written by Don DeLillo. The Flip Bros. Studio will be releasing the film. The cast of characters are cast.
Richard Jenkins will play the main lead in the film as Jack, a man who teaches Hitler studies at a college. He seems to do this because all around him people are looking for some kind of authority figure to listen to, and so is Jack. Hitler seems to be the one of the biggest authority figures that ever lived. Jack also doesn't know how to speak German, so he tries to learn it, one of the most authority ridden languages ever spoken. Jack is constantly looking for answers to questions he doesn't even know. Jack has a great fear of death.

Naomi Watts plays Jack's wife, Babette, who is an avid smoker, although her children encourage her not to do it. She often forgets things, the simplest of things. Like Jack, Babette has a great fear of death. She takes a pill called Dylar to help rid her fear of death, it doesn't work.

Steve Buscemi plays Murray, who has a few sexual things he likes to get off too, mot of which are deeply dark. He often is the voice of wisdom in the film and offers various theories of the state of the world and who or what caused it.

Josh Zuckerman plays Jack's son, Heinrich. Named because Jack likes ther German language, but is not German. Heinrich becomes the voice of authority during a disastrous event, and he seems to be the one with all the answers, so everyone seems to gather around him and listen to him even though he is just a high school student.

Dakota Fanning plays Denise. Denise is the one who thinks that her mother, Babette is up to something with the Dylar. She often knows what is best for her mother. She often has to play the motherly type as she knows what is right from wrong and knows most of the answers, like her brother.

Elle Fanning plays Steffie, another one of the kids, who also knows most of the answers and seems to be smarter than her elders.

Amy Adams plays Winnie, who is a science student who tests out to see what Dylar is used for.

Barry Levinson is the director of the film for satiric reasons. He has previously directed such films as "Wag the Dog," and "What Just Happened?"

What?

The story is about a family who is obsessed with death and authority. They constantly buy things so they can stay alive. They think that buying things won't have them die because they need to be alive to use their new products. Jack and Babette also think they need to stay alive to take care of their children, butt their children seem more in tune to the things of life than the parents. If the children were to live on their own, they would survive. This only signifies that Jack and Babette will die. The family also gets invovled in a disasterous event called the Airborne Toxic Event where the kids know more about what is going on than Jack does. Babette tries to get rid of her fear of death by taking Dylar. It doesn't work. Jack is mad at Babette not because of her fear of death, but because he too wants the drug. Jack tries to become an authority figure by teaching German, so he can leave his mark on the world. In the end though, the family realizes that nothing in the world can stop them from dying.

Where?

The film takes place called Blacksmith. It never really states the state it is in because it could be anywhere and happen to any town. These are characters that pay more attention to things they can buy and less about the nature they are in. Barry shot it with his DP where he wanted. I didn't ask where he shot it, maybe the studio should have. Barry didn't want me on set, he said I'd screw it up as the writer and producer.

When?

The film was shot about four months ago. Barry finished editing about a couple of weeks ago. The film is set when the book was written, in 1985, however, the film still rings true today, so I don't set a specific time in the script, because it might as well been made today.

Why?

Why am I making this film? I love to see how people react to all the things they can buy in the world and why they do it. This family has the most realistic view of why, they do it so they can live to enjoy the things they buy. I think everyone has a fear of death, and I found it odd and darkly humorous to see how Jack and Babette deal with their fear of death. The characters do what they do to survive, pure and simple. Murray seems to be the one who understands what is happening in the world. He is the outsider who seems to be the crazy one, but isn't. He's the one who offers most of the answers as to why the other characters act the way they do.

and... How?

This film came together when I read it a few years ago. I had begun to write it even then, but as a pet project that I told no one about. Then I began to see the economic downfall of our country and decided this would be a good time to release this film, as the economy seems to run the world and characters of this novel and in real life as well. After reading it, I knew immediately that I wanted Steve Bucemi and Naomi Watts to play Murray and Babette. I then saw "The Visitor" at the Sundance film festival last January and knew I wanted Richard Jenkins to play Jack. The resf ot the cast seemed to fall together into place. Although I wanted to work with Amy Adams, and I thought she would be great as Winnie. I also wanted to work with Dakota and cast her and I've worked with Elle in the past and wanted to work with her again, so I cast her as the younger sister. Josh, simply was cast because he was the right age for the role, and I've liked some of his work in the past.

Originally I had Barry Sonnenfeld to direct, because it turned out he was working on a 'White Noise' film that was supposed to release in 2006, but the film fell through. I then thought that Levinson would be a better fit for director, so I went with him instead. I then contacted studios about White Noise and Ritchie and PJ of the Flip Bros. contacted me, and I had worked with them before and wanted to work with them again, so I went with them. Now, I hope everyone enjoys the film!

Goose of TLM Productions is easily one of the hardest working producers in Hollywood. Currently in theaters he has "Oildale" with Lake Hope Features and "Someone to Play With" with Miracle Pictures. In the coming months he will also be releasing "The Homecoming Dance", an "Untitled Action Film", and "Wonder Woman". In addition to his large slate of releases, Goose is an active critic and has a large home in HTG Malibu.

This Friday, Goose's newest film, the well hyped "Taking Back the Day", hits theaters. Want to know more?

You might have seen a couple ads on the message board ("Simon", "HTG Awards Making You Hungry...", Press Release"), but how much do you really known about NitroC Production's "Bucket of Smiles"?

Keep on reading to get all the details you need to know before the film hits theaters in limited release this Friday, August 10th from Lake Hope Features...