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The Babadook: A Non-Nominee Worth Awarding

Image Credit: Matt Nettheim

The Babadook, a thrilling horror flick and debuting film of Australian writer-director Jennifer Kent, has gained much praise by scary movie fans and the industry alike (the film has won a bunch of awards including “Best First Film” award from New York Film Critics Circle). So when the Oscars chose to ignore its existence, it had many wondering what does it actually takes to be considered as a nominee? Are scary movies out of the running?

The film sees Essie Davies playing Amelia, a struggling mother, bring-up her son Samuel (impeccably played-by first-time actor Noah Wiseman) and a pop-up book. As Davies fights her psychological demons, the film gets darker, her son gets freakier and the pop-up book gets weirdly more intertwined into the family’s reality.

Ok, to be fair, the Academy has paid tribute to scary movies in the past including awarding horror films The Exorcist and Silence of the Lambs, but it’s been some time and we think The Babadook should have been one of those films to crack the Oscars this year. Maybe they just expect a little extra from the genre and if so, we see Kent coming back with something freakier and scarier, so much so that the Academy will just simply not be able ignore.

Check out The Babadook trailer and tell us what you think. Too weird? Should it have been a nominee consideration? Let us know your thoughts.

Simon Pegg to take on Franchise’s 50th Anniversary with Star Trek 3 Script

After playing musical chairs with the production team for Star Trek 3, it looks like all the key players are now in place.

When J.J. Abrams decided to leave Trek for Wars, Roberto Orci (who produced the first two Abrams films) was given both screenwriting and directing duties. That solution was not permanent, however, as Orci made like Abrams and departed the project.

A moment of limbo ensued. But now it seems that the film has not only found the people for the job, but also renewed excitement in the future of the franchise.

Taking the helm as director will be Justin Lin, a veteran of The Fast and Furious series. Simon Pegg and Doug Jung have been given the nod to create the script for the film.

Jung created the TNT series Dark Blue and has written for Banshee and Big Love. Pegg also has plenty of writing chops, having co-written the Cornetto trilogy and comedies such as Paul and Run Fatboy Run.

What makes this even more interesting is Pegg’s portrayal of one of the main characters in the film: Scotty. How this will affect the script is yet to be known, but there is certainly a lot of speculation.

The film is set to be released in July of 2016. This will mark the 50 year anniversary of the original Star Trek series. Pegg is saddled with creating something that not only lives up to the big anniversary, but must also overcome the (somewhat subjective) odd-numbered Trek movie curse – something he makes reference to in his own series, Spaced.

There’s no telling how this will turn out until the film is actually released. But, at least for now, this seems to be the right decision (or at least an exciting one).

Netflix Plans to Launch 20 Original Series a Year

Never the type of company to shy away from ambitious projects, Netflix announced this week they plan to launch up to twenty original scripted series a year, in a bid to acquire and attain subscribers. The show has so far had mixed but generally positive reception to their original content, including House of Cards, Bojack Horseman, and Orange is the New Black.

Netflix has previously announced plans to produce feature-length films for theatrical release and has made a niche for itself in bringing back fan favorite cult shows like Wet Hot American Summer and Arrested Development. Launching twenty new scripted series is stepping up their game to a whole other level, however.

Currently, cable networks like HBO and FX typically release only a small handful of new shows each year. Twenty is even a high number for the broadcast networks. The announcement was made during a Q&A at NATPE, the National Association of Television Program Executives, by Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos, with the aim of reaching as broad as demographic as possible, providing something for everyone.

It remains to be seen whether the popular netcaster can live up to such a lofty goal. Even if they do pull it off, it’s hard to imagine any network creating consistent quality over such a large number of projects, but Netflix has defied expectations before. One of their next projects to stream will be a new late-night show with Chelsea Handler, who has promised something new and different from her previous effort with E!.

Leo DiCaprio to Star in Iñárritu’s ‘The Revenant’

If Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman was your cup of tea, as it was with the Golden Globes and Oscars, start preparing for his next film The Revenant. The film stars heart-throb Leonardo DiCaprio and is currently filming in a frigid Calgary with Oscar winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity) behind the photogenic tundra.

In the film, Iñárritu tells the true story of Hugh Glass (DiCaprio), an American fur trapper and frontiersman in the early 1800s. After being mauled by a grizzly bear and left for dead, Glass made a heroic 200-mile trek back to civilization to find the men who abandoned him in his time of need, played by Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, and Domnhall Gleeson.

“He’s a brave, incredible actor. I’m so surprised about how good he is,” Iñárritu says of DiCaprio. “I think there’s a profound understanding of humanity that I can see through his eyes.”

The production, shot in extreme conditions, is scheduled to continue until April 2015, and further continues the director’s interest in pushing the boundaries of filmmaking.

“It’s a very experimental thing that we’re doing here,” says the Birdman director. “I’m now addicted to doing things that can fail horribly or maybe that can give us a surprise. We are all into it.”

The Revenant will be released by Twentieth Century Fox on Christmas Day 2015.

Damon Albarn to Bring Musical Adaptation of Alice in Wonderland to the Stage

Musician Damon Albarn has had a long and varied career and his latest project is another surprising turn from this rock n’ roll journeyman. Albarn has contributed music to the upcoming musical production Wonder.land, which is a reimagining of the 1865 Lewis Carroll novel Alice in Wonderland.

Before the story was immortalized on screen by Walt Disney Productions in the animated 1951 film or the 2010 Tim Burton live-action version, it was first adapted for musical theatre by Henry Savile Clark, Walter Slaughter, and Audrey Hopwood in 1886. While it was most recently seen on stage in the short-lived 2011 Broadway musical Wonderland: A New Alice, the new musical will premiere this July at the Palace Theatre in Manchester as part of the Manchester International Festival.

While this is not Albarn’s first time working in musical theatre—he composed two experimental operas, 2007’s Monkey: Journey to the West and 2011’s Dr Dee—this is his first time writing what he refers to as a “mainstream musical for families.” The musical is to be directed by Rufus Norris and features book and lyrics by Moira Buffini. It follows the tale of a twelve-year girl Aly who escapes from problems at home and school by entering an online world populated by Carroll’s classic creations, including Dum and Dee, the Cheshire Cat, and the Red Queen.

While many people will know Albarn for his over two decades fronting the popular Britpop band Blur, Albarn has dabbled in a variety of mediums including the multi-media electronic band Gorillaz, opera, and more recently, a 41-minute version of minimalist composer Terry Riley’s In C performed by his African Express collective. According to Albarn, “I’m fascinated by the idea of going down a rabbit hole, the otherworldliness and what that might mean.”

26th Annual GLAAD Awards Announced

On Wednesday January 20, the nominees for the 26^th Annual GLAAD Awards were announced with such films as The Imitation Game and The Skeleton Twins picking up nominations alongside such television series as Orange is the New Black and Transparent.

The Outstanding Film nominations are broken into two categories—Wide Release and Limited Release—with The Imitation Game, Love is Strange, Pride, The Skeleton Twins, and Tammy each earning a nom in the Wide Release category and Dear White People, Life Partners, Lilting, The Way He Looks, and Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow picking up noms in the Limited Release category.

In the television categories, ABC earned the most nominations for a broadcast network with six nominations while HBO led the other cable networks with five nominations. This year GLAAD increased both the Outstanding Drama Series and Comedy Series categories from five nominees to a maximum of ten, opening up the category substantially.

The 26^th Annual GLAAD Awards will take place March 21 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles and at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on May 9. To view the full list of nominees, please click here.

PBS to Air Historic Drama Set in the Civil War

Expanding its slate of original programming, PBS has announced an upcoming Civil War historic drama that will be executive produced by Ridley Scott. This will be the network’s first scripted show in well over a decade.

As is always the case with PBS, the goal will be to educate as much as entertain.

The series is based on three years of extensive historical research. After rummaging through memoirs and letter of doctors and nurses from the time, and consulting with historians and medical experts, the production team now feels that they can provide a historically accurate account of the Civil War era through the story.

The storyline itself is focused on two volunteer nurses on opposite sides of the conflict, as one’s family’s luxury hotel is taken over and transformed into a hospital for the other side.

Through all of the family and medical drama that is sure to ensue, viewers should also get a realistic glimpse into the issues facing those individuals involved in the war that weren’t on the frontlines.

Joining Scott in executive production roles are David Zucker (The Good Wife) and Lisa Wolfinger (Desperate Crossing). The series is written by David Zabel (ER).

The drama is yet to be named. The initial 6 episodes are set to premiere in 2016 and will air on Sundays.

Fairytales Come True for BFA Filmmaking Student

They say fairytales can come true. Well, for Fi Dieter, fairytales are opening major doors for a bright future in the entertainment industry. The New York Film Academy BFA Filmmaking student, of Prince of Arabia Entertainment and Stedica Film, won the prestigious Award of Excellence from The Best Shorts Film Competition, Best Student Film at the 2015 California Women’s Film Festival, Best Student Drama at the 2014 International Family Film Festival at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, and has been an Official Selection in more than 10 festivals including the prestigious LA Shots Fest, the Playhouse West Film Festival, and the Women’s Director’s International Film Festival in New Dehli, India! The award was given for Dieter’s exciting fairytale adaptation drama short Cinder Pumpkin, which was her Intermediate Thesis Project at NYFA Los Angeles.

Cinder Pumpkin features an exceptional storyline about a bright, socially-awkward girl named Cinder Ellen James (played by Jacquelynn Camden), who believes the only thing she needs for the gorgeous, unreachable Max (played by Travis Daniel Brown) to fall in love with her is one chance. With the help of her loyal friend Tom (played by Billy McCartney), Cinder is determined to take that chance herself. She trades glasses for a pair of high heels and experiences, for the first time, a world of teenage fantasies that makes her rediscover her value as a woman.

“This award [Award of Excellence] honors not only the great amount of hard work put into our production, but also the growing voice of female directors,” says Dieter. “Cinder Pumpkin is about staying true to who you are even when the odds are against you, a fundamental lesson for all women who fight for gender equality.”

Dieter is an award-winning Austrian filmmaker, actress and editor. Fi began acting in theater and commercials from an early age, always on a quest to find truth and depth in all she does.

“Through my work, I intend to raise the voice of female filmmakers,” says Dieter. “I believe that little specific ‘somethings’ allow for a story to become universal and have the power to touch people. I aim to go beyond what is expected of young women to achieve in filmmaking. There isn’t a feeling I enjoy more than the satisfaction I get from proving there is more to me than what meets the eye.”

Fi is currently in development on a three-part feature, based on a new take on the origins of Merlin the wizard, entitled Extraordinaire. It is a fantasy comedy with two endearing, magical characters whose major flaw is their inability to work together in times when their unity might make or break a kingdom. Extraordinaire Part One will be her thesis film.

BANKY W RELEASES UNBORN CHILD, CO-PRODUCED AND CO-DIRECTED BY NYFA

Back in November 2014, the New York Film Academy collaborated with Nigerian R&B sensation, Banky W, to film his largest music video production to date for his latest single, Unborn Child featuring hip hop artist, Lynxxx. Today, Banky W officially released the video on his Youtube channel, which has close to 38,000 subscribers.

Hailing from Lagos, Nigeria, Banky enrolled in NYFA’s 8-week Filmmaking course where he was able to develop his skills to co-produce and co-direct his music video alongside Jonathan Whittaker, Chair of Short-Term Filmmaking Program at NYFA.

With a NYFA crew comprised of former students, assistants and faculty, Unborn Child was shot in two days on the Red Epic at Gary’s Loft in Midtown and just off Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx. The video stars Banky, Lynxxx, and 8-week Acting for Film student Aminat Ayinde. “Til was absolutely phenomenal as well, and I can’t say enough about the alumni like Matthia Palombi and Philipp Pchelin, who I also worked with on the other films I shot, as well as the rest of the NYFA team. The videos I got to make wouldn’t be what they are without their invaluable help and expertise.”

In the video, Banky plays the role of an NYPD officer that finds out the exciting news of his girlfriend’s pregnancy. As he departs with his partner Lynxxx for what should be another day on the job, tragedy strikes.

“Being on set with Jonathan, Til Neumann [NYFA Instructor] and the NYFA team, provided me with a priceless learning experience,” added Banky W. “I was fortunate enough to have Jonathan as a teacher in my cinematography class, and then again as a collaborator when we co-directed my Unborn Child video. I feel blessed to have learned so much from him, in and outside of the classroom. I can’t thank NYFA enough for helping me begin to make this dream a reality.”