Movie Premiere in Pittsburgh

Jack Reacher was filmed in Pittsburgh this past summer with tons of support from the Pittsburgh area.  The movie has decided to come back to the area for a Hollywood premiere of the movie.  The SouthSide Works Cinema will host the event on December 15th with more than 1500 seats being used for the event.  No tickets will be sold, but there are opportunities to win tickets.

When Tom Cruise was in Pittsburgh filming "Jack Reacher" based on Lee Child's novel "One Shot" earlier this year, Paramount Pictures kept a very tight lid on production.

One scene involving Mr. Cruise was literally filmed at a parking lot across from the Post-Gazette, but on set visits were forbidden, even when the set came to us. That disappointment aside, Mr. Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie made full use of the city's diverse and scenic charms -- from Sewickley to the Strip District -- extending Pittsburgh's reputation as a great place to make movies in yet another high-profile film.

The director, cast and crew had such a great time here that they're returning to Pittsburgh for "Jack Reacher's" U.S. premiere on Dec. 15 at the SouthSide Works Cinema. All 10 of the theater's screens and all 1,659 seats will be devoted to the film. An ad in the Dec. 6 Post-Gazette will provide details on how to win seats, but no tickets will be sold for the event.

Because "Jack Reacher" was filmed at many more places in the region than the "Dark Knight Rises," a higher ratio of recognizable places will make it to the big screen. That will be great for the region's ego, especially after the star turn the Pittsburgh skyline received in the jail escape drama "The Next Three Days."

Having a Hollywood-style premiere in Pittsburgh featuring Mr. Cruise, Robert Duvall and other members of the cast and crew of "Jack Reacher" is a real coup for the region and testifies to the hard work of the Pittsburgh Film Office under Dawn Keezer. Pittsburgh isn't Hollywood yet, but it is quickly becoming more than a city with a pretty face.

For more information see the Post Gazette.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! Spend some time with your friends and family and remember everything in life that you are thankful for.

Columbia Pictures to Distribute Fox Catcher

 Foxcatcher has caught a lot of attention around the Western Pennsylvania area.  It has brought some big stars to the area.  Along with the big names, Channing Tatum has been successfully stalked by most Western PA women as he shoots the movie around the area. This film that has employed many locals, and it now has a distributor through Columbia Pictures.

 Columbia Pictures will distribute "Foxcatcher," the movie being shot in Western Pennsylvania with Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller, Vanessa Redgrave and Anthony Michael Hall.

Bennett Miller is directing a screenplay by Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye about a real-life chemical fortune heir who went to prison for killing an Olympic gold medalist and wrestler.
In January 1996, John du Pont shot and killed David Schultz, a 1984 gold medal winner who came to live and train at the state-of-the-art Foxcatcher National Training Center that Mr. du Pont had built on his 800-acre property in Newtown Square, Pa. The movie could be released in fall 2013.

Here is the official press release:

Columbia Pictures Acquires U.S Rights to Bennett Miller's FOXCATCHER

Culver City, CA (November 1, 2012) – Columbia Pictures has picked up the United States distribution rights to Bennett Miller's FOXCATCHER from Annapurna Pictures. In addition to the U.S. distribution rights, Columbia Pictures also joins the film as a co-financer. The deal reunites Miller with Columbia, having previously collaborated with the studio on last fall's release of the Academy Award®-nominated picture, MONEYBALL. Panorama Media is commencing International sales of the film at the upcoming American Film Market.

Starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller, Vanessa Redgrave and Anthony Michael Hall, FOXCATCHER was written by Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye. Producing the film are Megan Ellison, Anthony Bregman, and Miller. The film is currently in production.

Columbia's Andrew Gumpert and Michael Marshall negotiated the deal with Panorama Media. Rights were acquired from Panorama Media, which is serving as the film's sales agent. SPE will aim to release the film in the fall of 2013.

For more information see Post Gazette.

American Horror Story Actress Coming to Pittsburgh

 Chloe Sevigny's character on American Horror Story does not have it easy.  However, after getting tortured and probed in the FX series, Chloe will be coming to Pittsburgh to shoot a new pilot.  "Those to Kill" is a new pilot being shot in Pittsburgh for the A&E Network.

Last week was a bad one for actress Chloe Sevigny's character, Shelley, on "American Horror Story." Sanitarium doc and possible Nazi Arthur Arden (James Cromwell, "Babe") amputated Shelley's legs -- for no good reason.

Shelley was committed to New England's Briarcliff Manor mental hospital in the 1960s by her husband. Diagnosed as a nymphomaniac, Shelley was trying to help other inmates escape when Arden captured her and shackled her in his operating room.

And it doesn't look as if it's getting any better for Shelley in tonight's "AHS" episode at 10 on FX.

"Well, I don't know how much more dialogue I have," Ms. Sevigny said in a teleconference with reporters last week. "There's lots of gurgling."

Ms. Sevigny, who's probably best known for her role in HBO's "Big Love," said her first reaction to Shelley's turn for the worse was regret.

"Honestly, I wanted to have more to do," she said. "I called my agent and I said, 'I wish my part was bigger.' That's honestly what happened. That was my first response, but then I kind of let go of my ego and kind of accepted what was going to happen to me and tried to find the joy in that and the mystery."

Ms. Sevigny will undoubtedly have more to do in A&E's upcoming pilot "Those Who Kill," an American remake of a Danish crime drama that begins production in Pittsburgh the first week in December.

Ms. Sevigny stars as Catherine Jensen, a police detective who's a workaholic without much of a life besides her work. She partners with Thomas Schaffer (played by James D'Arcy, "Cloud Atlas"), a forensic profiler, to track down serial killers.

Sometimes actors object to filming outside production centers such as Los Angeles or New York, but it doesn't sound as if that will be an issue for Ms. Sevigny, who has never been to Pittsburgh.

"I'm cool with the fact that it's an hour from New York, but yes, I'm excited to be there," Ms. Sevigny said. "I love being on location, especially in a town like that. I have some of the most fun times like working in Sarasota, Fla., or Shreveport, La., and things like that. So I think it will be cool to discover a new city like that."

If "Those Who Kill" is picked up to series, it's expected to return to Pittsburgh to film additional episodes.

Prior to "AHS," Ms. Sevigny starred in DirecTV's "Hit and Miss," a British co-production where she played a transgendered assassin. She confirmed that show was canceled.

But in the space of a year she will have played multiple distinct characters. Ms. Sevigny said it's not difficult to transition among characters.

"I find it pretty easy," she said. "I've already wrapped 'American Horror Story' a couple of months ago. I think they might have me come back for something else. I'm not sure. So I'll have plenty of time and then of course delving into the scripts and research and with playing Catherine there'll probably be some training involved also.

"While we were shooting 'American Horror Story,' I was also shooting 'Portlandia.' So I was going from one set to the next, and I'd never really done that before," Ms. Sevigny said. "And 'Portlandia' was so new for me because it's all improvisation and trying to be funny and all that. So it was quite difficult when you're shooting two at the same time."

For the time being, "AHS" viewers will have to contend with Shelley's evolution, which requires four hours of prosthetic makeup.

"You see her transformed into something -- something not so pleasant to look at," Ms. Sevigny said. 

"I think it might be kind of one of the heaviest things that I've ever done as far as where she winds up."

That doesn't sound good for poor Shelley.

For more information see Pittsburgh Film Office.

Fall Back This Weekend

Do not show up an hour early for class on Monday.  This Saturday night to Sunday make sure to set your clocks back an hour for fall back time.  Enjoy your extra hour of sleep this weekend.

It's time once again for the annual ritual of resetting our clocks for a return to standard time. In fall, we turn daylight saving* time off, which means moving clocks back one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, November 4, 2012. This return to "normal" time (Pacific Standard Time) moves sunset back an hour with the corresponding effect of an earlier sunrise.

Unless you plan on being awake and functional at 2 a.m. Sunday morning, set your clocks back one hour before retiring on Saturday night. You'll then be on time for Sunday activities and refreshed from getting an extra hour of sleep. 

For more information see About.com
Cast and Crew Housing

Eva Marie Saint and Ben Mankiewicz To Appear In Pittsburgh

 Actress Eva Marie Saint and Ben Mankiewicz will be in town in two weeks for a free showing of "On the Waterfront" at the Byham theater.  This showing is part of Turner Classic Movie's Road to Hollywood tour.  These two actors are famous for their work in movies that have won them various awards.

Actress Eva Marie Saint and Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz are coming to Pittsburgh for a free showing of "On the Waterfront" at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Byham Theater, Downtown.
It's being presented by TCM and Verizon as part of TCM's 10-city "Road to Hollywood" tour.

 

 Ms. Saint won a best supporting actress Oscar for her screen debut in the 1954 film. "On the Waterfront" also won Academy Awards for best picture, actor Marlon Brando, director Elia Kazan, writer Budd Schulberg and for art direction, cinematography and film editing.



 Brando played a former boxer who goes to work on the docks and stands up against a corrupt union. It's the movie with a famous taxicab scene in which Brando's character, whose brother made him take a dive in a boxing match, laments, "I coulda been a contender."

Free tickets, needed for entry, will be available through tcm.com/roadtohollywood beginning Oct. 29.

Read more at the Post Gazette.

New Movie Being Shot in Pittsburgh

  The streets of Washington, PA are being transformed into a Hollywood sound stage thanks to the movie "The Umbrella Man".   This movie, which was originally performed at The Pittsburgh Playhouse, is being produced with the help of Point Park University. Keep reading to find out more about this local play becoming a major film.

 

 

The streets of downtown Washington will look like a scene out of a Hollywood screenplay when work on a feature film begins shooting this week.
“The Umbrella Man” is the story of Pete Brennan, a father who becomes engrossed with conspiracy theories after the death of his 8-year-old son. While trying to find out more about the person who ran over his child, Brendon stumbles onto the story of the umbrella man – a suspected shooter in the John F. Kennedy assassination.

“It’s the story of a couple who loses their young son,” said Michael Grasso, co-writer and co-director of the film. “The father goes deep into the Kennedy assassination as an escape.”
Set in 1983, “Umbrella Man” is the film adaptation of a play by the same name written by brothers Michael and Joseph Grasso. A successful advertising director, Michael Grasso is trying his hand at narrative filmmaking.

 
The play was originally performed at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, which is operated by Point Park University in Pittsburgh. When campus officials learned the play was being made into a screenplay, they thought it was a perfect way to get students enrolled in their cinematography program involved. 

“Point Park is really visionary,” Grasso said. “They want to be known as a university that’s a home to original work. Not only can they say that they staged it as an original play, but helped make it into a feature film.”

Grasso said the marriage worked perfectly. The Pittsburgh region’s recent emergence as a movie-making destination made it an ideal place to shoot. Point Park students and alumni offered talent and professional help. Although the movie takes place in the Southwest, buildings in this region provide ideal set locations.

“Washington is going to double as New Orleans,” said Cory Stoken, recent Point Park graduate and production office coordinator for the film. “We’re shooting at the George Washington Hotel for a number of days. The architecture of the hotel is from the same time period and has similar features as something you would find in New Orleans.

“This area gives a different feel than you can find in the downtown areas of Pittsburgh and feels a lot more Southern as opposed to other parts of Western Pennsylvania,” Stoken said.

In addition to using Washington’s buildings, producers hope to incorporate area residents into the filming of the movie. Organizers are looking for about 30 extras each day to work on the set during shooting at the hotel Oct. 22 through 25. Tuesday, a large conspiracy convention scene will be shot, requiring as many as 60 extras. Filming also will take place in various locations throughout Washington County Thursday through Oct. 23.

Although the independent film doesn’t have the budget to pay extras, Stoken said volunteers would be entered into drawings to win an iPad, Apple TV, Kindle Fire and other prizes.

Those interested in becoming extras should send a recent picture and contact information to UmbrellaManExtras@gmail.com.

Grasso said writing the screenplay gave him an opportunity to explore the Kennedy assassination, and he hopes the movie will be ready for the 50th anniversary of the president’s death next year.

“I’ve always been really interested in Kennedy’s assassination, while also intrigued with the men and women who spent lifetimes investigating conspiracy theories,” Grasso said. “We realized it would make a very interesting feature film to tell the bigger story of the assassination while using it as vehicle to tell the timeless story of two grieving parents who have been through the loss of a child. It 
explores their journey, both together and separately, through the trauma.” 

For more information see Observer Reporter.