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by Karen Tortora-Lee on January 24, 2012
I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the new short film by Antonia Bogdanovich — MY LEFT HAND MAN — starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Nanny McPhee, Love Actually), Andrew Howard (Limitless, upcoming “Hatfields and McCoys”), Kevin Bigley (“The Chicago Code,” “CSI: Miami”) and Erich Wildpret, who is a Latin American star. The 18-minute dramatic short screens as part of the NJ Film Fest at Rutgers on January 28th. Although the film clocks in at under half an hour I was captivated by the beautiful mosaic of emotions Bogdanovich was able to create both as writer and director in this film. The story is told in a straightforward, simple manner however the situation is anything but conventional.
The Emersons are a theatrical family, of sorts – one son is a street performer who recites Shakespeare while his older brother picks pockets in the crowd. Their father, a has-been thespian, spends the take on booze and ponies. But Samuel wants to make like his comic book hero The Cardinal Comet and split; and a visit from a loan shark gives Samuel a chance at freedom.
Ms. Bogdanovich graciously allowed me to pepper her with questions, both about this amazing film and the process of making it, as well as how her impressive lineage played a part in making her who she is today. Read on as she tells me about the challenges of creating a short film, how her own rebellious youth helped her created the character of Samuel, and exactly what a “left hand man” means to her …
Antonia Bogdanovich
Antonia! I just saw your short film, MY LEFT HAND MAN, and found it incredibly compelling. In 18 minutes you manage to tell a story which provides so much back-story yet takes place in a very short span of time.
You not only directed MY LEFT HAND MAN, but wrote it as well. Where did this idea of the story come from?
Antonia Bogdanovich: The idea came from a few places. I love Shakespeare – as an actor, I studied it a bit at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London (summer program). And I have seen quite a few very good productions on stage, as well as some of or most of the films. I really relate to his work, it has such depth yet it is so accessible. The crime elements are from my own experiences….ahem… I was a bit of a juvenile delinquent – rebelling pretty hard against my upbringing. So I basically hung out with kids that stole cause they had to (their parents didn’t have enough to finance their extracurricular activities) or because they just liked the thrill of getting away with it or both.
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by The Happiest Medium on December 6, 2011
The Happiest Medium Review by guest contributor Anjali Koppal .
I’ll admit it — knowing nothing about horses and not being an animal lover, the only reason I initially jumped at the prospect of watching ‘War Horse’ was the fact that it is directed by Steven Spielberg. Not ‘Executive Produced’, not ‘Presented By’, but directed. A sensitive story of friendship set against the backdrop of war torn Western Europe sounded like the kind of familiar territory Spielberg has explored and indeed mastered in the past, so I was ready for the return of the magic. I’m happy to report that the sparkle still exists, though it doesn’t quite shine as brightly as vintage Spielberg.
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by Michelle Augello-Page on October 1, 2011
Today The Happiest Medium shines the spotlight Somewhere in The Dark, in this interview with Danish filmmaker Mads Jeppesen.
“Somewhere in the Dark is an insightful cinema verite documentary that encompasses the raw undiscovered talents within a plethora of individuals and their hunt for somewhere to create and express their art through the dark and underground of New York City. This documentary depicts the essence as to why people are drawn to this capital of the world and conveys a deep, rich and compelling insight into the people that work to realise their dreams and their passions. To strive for a destiny, or find fulfillment in the dark, this piece captures the journey and the struggle it takes to find a way when you’re somewhere in the dark.” ~ Mads Jeppesen
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on September 14, 2011
The Thornhills of Park Avenue (L-R: Bill Connington, Anthony Haden-Guest, Juliette Bennett)
We recently wrote about Bill Connington’s success with his award winning play, Zombie (based on the novella by Joyce Carol Oates). The short film based on the play- winner of “Best Short Film (Horror)” at the Washington D.C. International Film Festival will be shown as part of The Williamsburg International Film Festival — Knitting Factory | 9/23/2011 | 12 AM – and (if you’re down that way) at The Atlanta Horror Film Festival in a few days on September 16.
In Zombie Connington plays a mild-mannered “normal-seeming” serial killer who abducts innocent victims and attempts to turn them into his zombie slaves.
But if that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea the versatile Connington will flex his comic muscles for you as an upscale Society investment banker trying to discover the meaning of life in the short film The Thornhills of Park Avenue. Written by Connington the film co-stars Juliette Bennett and Anthony Haden-Guest.
“A young Park Avenue couple invites a British writer and cartoonist for cocktails. Quips and satire ensue. The story is: what is more important: money or happiness? The answer? Cocktails, apparently…”
The Thornhills of Park Avenue will be screened at the Somewhat North of Boston Film Festival (Sept 15 – 18 / Concord New Hampsire) on September 17th.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on August 21, 2011
Bill Connington Long Island Film Fest
The short film ZOMBIE will be screened on Monday, August 22 at the New York City International Film Festival. The program of shorts is at 11:35 am – 1 pm at the Abingdon Theater, 312 West 36th Street, 2nd floor. ZOMBIE is the last film on that morning’s program. Tickets are $5.
ZOMBIE tells the story of a mild-mannered “normal-seeming” serial killer, who abducts innocent victims, and attempts to turn them into his “zombie” slaves. The stage play was presented at the New York International Fringe Festival, Off-Broadway at Theater Row for an extended run, and at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater in New York. It was also recently performed in Seattle, and a production is planned for Mexico City. Continue Reading…
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on February 27, 2011
By now we’ve all heard the tale of how that little statue came to be known as “Oscar” (“He looks just like my uncle Oscar!”) and whether it’s true or not it’s just yet another testament to the fact that we love to make comparisons.
Today, in honor of the 83rd Academy Awards we bring you Cindy Murphy’s Oscar Doppleganger Diptychs starting with the most nominated of the bunch . . .
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by Anne Jordanova on December 17, 2010
After leaving a screening of Black Swan, I, undoubtedly along with the rest of the audience, felt moved and disturbed by Darren Aronofsky’s new ballet thriller BLACK SWAN. A creative masterpiece yet again from the mastermind who brought us heart wrenching reality films like Requiem for a Dream and 2008′s The Wrestler. However, this is Aronofsky at his absolute best.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on November 30, 2010
One of the very cool things about this series is that each month they randomly pick an audience member to star in a film to be shown the following month at Iron Mule. So if you’ve been sitting around waiting for your star turn, your odds will be significantly increased just by sitting in this audience. What else do you have to do on December 4th?
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on October 7, 2010
Things are really buzzing at The Happiest Medium. We can hardly believe it, but we’re about to celebrate our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Was it only yesterday that we swung wide the virtual doors and hung out our THM shingle?
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by The Happiest Medium on October 6, 2010
The Happiest Medium welcomes our friends, fellow reviewers tinseltownspeople “Lazy weekend adventures in the land of make-believe… ”
Today they give us their take on Johnnie To’s 2007 film Mad Detective . . .
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Crazy, Awesome, and Crazy Awesome…
Few films delve into the human psyche with the incisive wit and stylistic panache on display in veteran Hong Kong crime auteur Johnny To’s ‘Mad Detective’. The film is a perfect example of that characteristic mix of dark humor and sublime beauty that Asian directors like To, and his other overseas counterparts like Chan Wook Park and Takeshi Miike, bring to the business of film-making.
To read the rest of their review, click on over to their site . . .
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