PRODUCTION
NOTES
A
Richard Kelly Film
Dwayne
Johnson Seann William Scott Sarah Michelle Gellar
The
Internet is the future
www.southlandtales.com
The
future is just like you imagined
US Publicity Contact:
I.H.O.P.
Cannes
2006
Jeff
Hill, cell: 06 07 14 1593
email:
[email protected]
Jessica
Uzzan, cell: 06 07 14 2290
email:
[email protected]
US Representation Contact:
Rich Klubeck
[email protected]
cell: +33 (6) 10 28 35 57
Hotel
Carlton
58
hotel
phone: +33 (4) 9306 4006
CREDITS
CAST
Boxer Santaros…………………………..……………………………….DWAYNE JOHNSON
Roland Taverner/Ronald Taverner………..………………………..SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT
Krysta Kapowski/Krysta Now……………………………….....SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR
Zora Charmichaels………………………………………………………..……...CHERI OTERI
Fortunio Balducci………………………………………………………………....WILL SASSO
Vaughn Smallhouse……………………………………………………JOHN LARROQUETTE
Bart Bookman……………………………………………………………..………JON LOVITZ
Bing Zinneman…………………………………………………………............TODD BERGER
Dion Werner/Dion Element……………………………………………………WOOD HARRIS
Dr. Inga Von Westphalen/Marion Card……………………………………...…..BETH GRANT
Cyndi Pinziki…………………………………………………………………..…NORA DUNN
Baron Von Westphalen…………………………………………………....WALLACE SHAWN
Teri Riley………………………………………………………………..…….LISA K. WYATT
Veronica Mung/Dream…………………………………………………...........AMY POEHLER
Private Pilot Abilene……………………………………………….......JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
Serpentine………………………………………………………………......................BAI LING
Nana
Mae Frost…………………………………………………….MIRANDA
Simon Theory…………………………………………………………..………..KEVIN SMITH
Madeline
Frost Santaros………………………………………...……………MANDY
Martin
Kefauver………………………………………...……………….LOU TAYLOR PUCCI
CREW
WRITER/DIRECTOR………………………………………………..…….. RICHARD KELLY
PRODUCERS…………………………………………………………..... SEAN McKITTRICK
BO HYDE
MATTHEW RHODES
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS…………………………………………………. BILL JOHNSON
JIM SEIBEL
KATARINA K. HYDE
OLIVER HENGST
JUDD PAYNE
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY…………………………..……….STEVEN POSTER, ASC
PRODUCTION
DESIGNER…………………………………..….ALEXANDER
EDITED BY……………………………………………………………..………..SAM BAUER
COSTUMER DESIGNER…………………………………………………..…..APRIL FERRY
MUSIC
BY……………..…………………………………………………………….....MOBY
SYNOPSIS
The city stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental disaster.
SOUTHLAND TALES is an epic story set over the course of three days that
culminate in a massive 4th of July celebration.
A large ensemble cast of characters
includes Boxer Santaros (Dwayne
Johnson), an action star stricken with amnesia, Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar), an adult film star developing
her own reality television project, and Roland
Taverner (Seann William Scott), a
WE SAW THE SHADOW OF THE
MORNING LIGHT
THE SHADOWS OF THE EVENING
SUN
‘TIL THE SHADOWS AND LIGHT
WERE ONE
-Perry Farrell
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
This is the way the world
ends.
This is the way the world
ends.
This is the way the world
ends.
Not with a bang but a
whimper.
--T.S. Eliot
The conclusion of T.S. Eliot’s 1925 poem “The Hollow Men” has been
altered for satirical effect in SOUTHLAND TALES, a comedic spin on the
apocalypse, as it should occur in the great city of
I have always been obsessed with this whole apocalypse thing… and
trying to decipher the encrypted symbolism in the book of Revelations is enough to give anyone a headache. A friend once
remarked that there is a legitimate debate among religious scholars that the
book of Revelations was written while
the Apostle John was under the influence of hallucinatory mushrooms. Go figure.
Another friend sent me a very disturbing link to a story about
something called “American Hiroshima”. Apparently this is one of many planned
terrorist attacks that Al-Quaeda has in the works. This is the one where they
smuggle nuclear weapons (purchased by Osama bin Laden from the Russian mafia)
over the Mexican border into
Sounds like the apocalypse to me. Where would we go from here?
These are the sordid tales of what happens next… how it all comes
crashing down. In the alternate future of SOUTHLAND TALES, the war machine is
running out of gas, and there is no alternative. Alternative fuel, that
is.
Global warming may indeed be the “whimper” that T.S. Eliot foretold.
Perhaps our destiny is to slowly drown ourselves into oblivion.
Southland Tales will take you
down that other road. The one that ends with a “bang”. What if there is a path
to end all suffering, and hidden somewhere along the way there exists a primer?
A primer that could help us extinguish this great big mess of a planet once and
for all. Quick and painless.
Well, I shouldn’t say “quick”. According to me it takes 2 hours and 31
minutes to explain how the world ends. I’m sorry that it isn’t shorter, but it
had to be this way.
There is no alternative. Alternative fuel, that is.
Until one day… when a mysterious German corporation arrives in the
Southland with a kick-ass new formula. A cure for our sickness…
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
“It’s a comedy about the end of the world,” states writer/director Richard Kelly. But summing up SOUTHLAND TALES as merely a comedy is a bit of a simplification. Like Kelly’s debut feature, the critically acclaimed 2001 cult favorite DONNIE DARKO, the film defies categorization. SOUTHLAND TALES might be part comedy, part action satire, part thriller, part drama and even part musical, but it is definitely all one thing: the singular vision of Richard Kelly. “It’s a Richard Kelly film. I think that’s the best way to describe it,” explains Seann William Scott, who plays twins Ronald and Roland Taverner in the film. “With DONNIE DARKO, I think everyone has their own interpretation of what it’s about. And I think the same will go for this movie.”
The origins of SOUTHLAND TALES
Kelly first began writing this apocalyptic
ensemble piece, set against the backdrop of a 2008 Fourth of July celebration
in LA, in 2001, shortly after DONNIE DARKO
premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and had left without a domestic
distributor (Newmarket Films would eventually release the film that fall). “We
were re-cutting and going through this struggle and pressure and I was really
frustrated and angry. And I felt like my career was probably over, or ending,
or in the process of ending because our movie didn’t get picked up and it
didn’t seem like it was going to,” recalls Kelly. “And I wanted to write
something about
Kelly wrote the initial draft of SOUTHLAND
TALES in about three weeks before showing it to his producing partner Sean
McKittrick. “I gave it to Sean and he immediately called me and said, ‘We have
to go get drunk,’” remembers Kelly. “And we went and got drunk at Hinano, this
bar in
The original draft of the script featured
several characters who would make it into the final incarnation, including
Boxer Santoros, the action star stricken with amnesia played by Dwayne “The
Rock” Johnson; Ronald and Roland, a cop and his twin brother, played by Scott;
and Zora Carmichaels, the steroid-induced neo-marxist played by Cheri Oteri.
What began as a futuristic satire of
“In subsequent years, 9/11 happened and
then the Patriot Act and the war in
New characters were added to the ensemble
including the key role of Krysta Now, an adult film star developing her own
reality project. Sarah Michelle Gellar was cast, against type, as Krysta, and
believes that the film ultimately became “a love letter and a hate letter to
“But I think that any movie about
Production of the film
While LEBOWSKI and DEADLY took place in the present, however, SOUTHLAND TALES needed to create a futuristic world on an independent budget. “I always hoped that this would be in the league of something like BRAZIL or BLADE RUNNER, not that it’s as futuristic as BLADE RUNNER or as design-heavy as BRAZIL, in the attention to detail, and what, I hope, is a really great visual accomplishment in terms of the production design and cinematography,” says Kelly. “But, to do all that stuff with 30 days and not too much money is a real challenge.”
To face the challenge, Kelly assembled a skilled below-the-line team including cinematographer Steven Poster, costume designer April Ferry, and production designer Alexander Hammond, all of whom the director worked with on DONNIE DARKO. To compose the film’s score, Kelly turned to award-winning contemporary music artist Moby.
Despite the month-long shooting schedule and budgetary constraints, Gellar believes there was a genuine camaraderie on set. “Everyone was so enthused to be here,” the actress believes. “Obviously people were not, including crew members, making what they’re used to making. It was a very, very tight schedule. But we had some of the best people in the business. All of these people were here because they loved it.” One of the real challenges for the SOUTHLAND TALES crew and cast was that many of the scenes and visual concepts imagined by Kelly weren’t necessarily in the script. “I hope that visually and with the editing and the music, when audiences see the film all put together, that it will make a lot more sense on screen than it does on the page. Because of some of the ways in which we’ve had to physically make this film, the script got pared down to 90 pages. But the movie we made is not 90 pages long.”
The editing of the script and Kelly’s desire to re-insert scenes during shooting was often a daunting experience for the actors. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson jokes that he even began to give up on fully comprehending the final product. “I’ve been close to this project now and close to Richard for over a year, and I stopped trying to completely understand everything that’s happening in the movie because there’s so many stories that are taking place, all which, by the way, wind up being connected. So I thought the best thing for me to do is to completely understand and have my interpretation of Boxer Santaros—where he comes from, where he wants to go, what he believes in and things like that. Because there are a lot of things that only Richard Kelly could tell you.” “I think that it is probably overwhelming,” Kelly agrees, “in the sense that the script, to the actors, is probably a little confusing and, what is it all about in the end? I think it’s about where our country is going, our current dilemma when you’re talking about alternative fuel, terrorism, our civil liberties being taken away from us, and the potential effects of environmental degradation on human behavior, neurological responses, global warming. You know, there’s a lot going on here.”
Casting SOUTHLAND TALES
For a movie that deals with so many current, hot-button issues, it might seem surprising that Kelly has cast the film with actors known primarily for their roles in television and film comedies, and the lighter side of pop culture in general. In addition to Johnson and Scott, who previously starred together in the 2002 action comedy THE RUNDOWN, Kelly also cast pop superstar Justin Timberlake, actress/singer Mandy Moore, “Night Court” star John Larroquette, CLERKS director Kevin Smith, and well-known “Saturday Night Live” alumni Cheri Oteri, Jon Lovitz, Amy Poehler and Nora Dunn in pivotal roles.
“It just so happens that ‘Saturday Night Live’ has cultivated, in my opinion, some of the funniest people ever in the entertainment business. And I think if you can do improv and sketch comedy, and you can do it really, really well, I’m convinced you can do anything else. I think if you have that ability, you can be an extraordinary dramatic actor.”
“Richard’s a free-thinker who thinks outside
the box,” says Gellar. “And I think, unfortunately now,
“I feel like there’s a real pop art value to what we’re doing in the sense that we’ve cast a lot of actors who are usually associated with pop culture,” explains Kelly. “With ‘The Rock’ and Sarah and Seann and a lot of the supporting cast coming from either ‘Saturday Night Live’ or sketch comedy or improv, and having started in action films or teen comedies or horror films, we have people who have muscles that they haven’t flexed yet and maybe haven’t had the opportunities to really show what extraordinary actors they are. It’s great for me to take people from that environment and put them into a new one, and yet I get the benefit of their charisma and their pop value. This is a very big, dense tapestry of ideas. And it’s a very political film, I think. And these are all tremendous actors.”
The shit hits the fan
The variety of acting backgrounds and
techniques that Kelly employs in SOUTHLAND TALES might be unconventional but is
ultimately appropriate for a film commenting on the unnerving political mood of
a current and futuristic
And that, Kelly says with a smile, is the best way to sum up this Richard Kelly vision that just about no one else involved with the film can seem to sum up: “It’s about the shit hitting the fan on the Fourth of July weekend.”
The Prequel Saga Begins
The prequel to SOUTHLAND TALES unfolds in a series of THREE GRAPHIC NOVELS: SOUTHLAND TALES BOOK I: TWO ROADS DIVERGE, SOUTHLAND TALES BOOK II: FINGERPRINTS, and SOUTHLAND TALES BOOK III: THE MECHANICALS. Filmmaker Richard Kelly wrote each novel with the art designed by Brett Weldele (SURROGATES, JULIUS).
SOUTHLAND TALES, the film, tells the FINAL THREE CHAPTERS in this Kelly’s saga. The first graphic novel will be released this May 2006 by Graphitti Designs and Kevin Smith’s View Askew in conjunction with Kelly and Mckittrick’s Darko Entertainment.
These novels set the tone and portray the
events of the days prior to where the movie begins. Each 6”x
The SOUTHLAND TALES books can be purchased from Amazon.com or directly from Graphittidesigns.com. The books will also be available at comic specialty and traditional bookstores everywhere.
ABOUT THE CAST
BOXER SANTAROS – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Born in San Francisco and raised in Hawaii, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was a third-generation professional wrestler, following in the steps of his father, Rocky Johnson, and grandfather, Samoan High Chief Peter Maivia, and setting a record as the six-time WWF Champion. His autobiography “The Rock Says” was published in January 2000 and shot to number one on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Following his March 2000 appearance on “Saturday Night Live”, which revealed a considerable comic talent and garnered the show’s highest rating that year, Johnson was cast by director Stephen Sommers in THE MUMMY RETURNS. His character was so well received it prompted the hugely successful international box-office hit, Chuck Russell’s THE SCORPION KING.
Johnson was most recently seen in BE COOL, F. Gary Gray’s sequel to GET SHORTY. Opposite John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Vince Vaughn, and received rave reviews for his performance.
2006 will see him starring in Andrzej
Bartkowiak’s DOOM, based on the eponymous video game trilogy, and Phil Joanou’s
GRIDIRON GANG, in which he plays a correctional facility counselor who forms a
football team of young criminals. He is currently preparing to star in John
Woo’s SPY HUNTER, a role that will consolidate his premiere league status in
RONALD
TAVERNER / ROLAND TAVERNER – Seann William Scott
In 1999, Scott appeared as “Stifler’ in Paul’s Weitz’s AMERICAN PIE, a role that catapulted him to fame, and which he would reprise two years later in the smash hit sequel AMERICAN PIE 2. The latter film premiered to the largest box office opening ever for an R-rated film, eventually grossing over $300 million dollars worldwide.
An actor of remarkable versatility, other standout roles have included his appearances in BULLETPROOF MONK opposite Chow Yun-Fat, DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAR? opposite Ashton Kutcher, sci-fi comedy EVOLUTION, directed by Ivan Reitman and co-starring Julianne Moore and David Duchovny, a scene-stealing cameo in Todd Philipps’ OLD SCHOOL opposite Will Ferrell, Jay Chandrasekhar’s THE DUKES OF HAZZARD
and, of course, AMERICAN WEDDING (AMERICAN PIE 3). He was most recently seen in Peter Berg’s THE RUNDOWN, where he appeared opposite SOUTHLAND TALES star The Rock, as well as Rosario Dawson and Christopher Walken.
Scott also has an exclusive first-look deal with Universal, to produce films under his own Identity Films banner.
KRYSTA
NOW – Sarah Michelle Gellar
Born in 1977, Sarah Michelle Gellar began her career as a child model, aged 4. She made her cinema debut three years later, in OVER THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE.
Gellar is perhaps best known as ‘Buffy Summers’ in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, a role that established her as the heroine of millions of adolescents the world over.
Major film roles include her appearances in both SCOOBY blockbusters, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, SCREAM 2 and more recently, Takashi Shimizu’s THE GRUDGE. Her awards include the 1998 Blockbuster Best Supporting Actress Award for SUMMER, two MTV Awards for her performance in Roger Kumble ‘Liaisons Dangereuses’ update CRUEL INTENTIONS and an Emmy in 1994 for her role on the ABC daytime drama “All My Children”.
Geller is an active and indefatigable supporter of numerous charitable organizations.
PRIVATE
Justin Timberlake is one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. Beginning his show business career as a child on Disney’s “Mickey Mouse Club”, he progressed to membership of the biggest-selling boy bands of the nineties, NSYNC.
In 2002 he released his debut solo album, Justified, which was an immediate and unqualified success both commercially and critically, winning Timberlake numerous awards including two Grammys and two Brit Awards.
In 2005 he got engaged to actress Cameron
Diaz, and embarked upon an acting career with a role alongside Morgan Freeman
and Kevin Spacey in David Durke’s
ZORA
CHARMICHAELS - Cheri Oteri
Oteri appeared on “Saturday Night Live” for five seasons, and won many fans for her portrayal of Arianna, the female half of the Spartan Spirit Cheerleader Squad and Cass Van Ry, the dense and shallow co-host of the fictional talk show “Morning Latte”. Her impressions of Barbara Walters and Judge Judy have both been “Cheered” by TV Guide. Other memorable impersonations include Mariah Carey, Melissa Rivers, Jennifer Lopez and Ross Perot.
In addition to her acclaimed work on “Saturday Night Live” Oteri was Emmy-nominated for a memorable guest starring appearance on the hit NBC sitcom series, “Just Shoot Me”, and more recently guested opposite the inimitable Larry David on “Curb your Enthusiasm.”
Oteri was seen in SCARY MOVIE directed by Keenan Ivory Wayans. She also appeared in LIAR, LIAR opposite Jim Carrey, SMALL SOLDIERS and INSPECTOR GADGET.
FORTUNIO
BALDUCCI – Will Sasso
Born in
Sasso’s filmography includes roles in BEST
IN SHOW, directed by Christopher Guest, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, with Kirsten Dunst
and Denise Richards, and BEVERLY HILLS NINJA, starring the late Chris Farley.
More recently he completed work on A MIGHTY WIND, also directed by Guest, BAD
BOY and THE HOT CHICK, starring Rob Schneider.
.
VAUGHN
SMALLHOUSE – John Larroquette
Five-time Emmy winner Larroquette is perhaps best known to TV audiences as 'Assistant District Attorney Dan Fielding,' in “Night Court” during the show’s eight season run. He also starred in the NBC comedy series, “The John Larroquette Show” for which he was also Emmy-nominated, and Hallmark Channel’s mystery movie franchise,“McBride.”, in which he plays the title role.
Larroquette's film credits include Blake Edwards’ BLIND DATE, as well as SUMMER RENTAL, STRIPES, RICHIE RICH, CHOOSE ME, STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK, ALTERED STATES, CAT PEOPLE, and TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE.
INGA
VON WESTPHALEN – Beth Grant
Beth Grant has appeared in over 60 feature films including DONNIE DARKO, SORDID LIVES, SPEED, MATCHSTICK MEN, THE ROOKIE, RAIN MAN and TO WONG FOO.
In television, she has appeared in numerous series including “Friends,” “X-Files,” “Angel,” “CSI” and “Six Feet Under.”
Grant's many starring roles in theatre include world premieres by prominent playwrights Horton Foote, Romulus Linney and Maya Angelou. In 2004, Grant was the recipient of a Los Angeles Ovation award, the Drama Critics Circle Award and the Garland award for lead actress in a play for “The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife” by Del Shores.
CYNDI
PINZIKI – Nora Dunn
Accomplished stage and screen actress Nora Dunn played for five seasons on “Saturday Night Live,” where she created and wrote The Pat Steven’s Show. Her cinema career began with a role opposite Sigourney Weaver and Melanie Griffith in Mike Nichol’s hit comedy WORKING GIRL. Further credits include MIAMI BLUES, WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM?, BRUCE ALMIGHTY, HEARTBREAKERS, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, WHAT’S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN?, and BULLWORTH.
BARON
VON WESTPHALEN – Wallace Shawn
Wallace Shawn is one of the film industry’s most recognizable character actors with a long list of movie and television credits. He has appeared in over 50 films in a career that began, and continues, as a writer. His playwriting career began in 1967, when he translated Machiavelli’s “The Mandrake” for a Joseph Papp production in 1977, and was asked by the director to appear in it, marking his acting debut.
The National Theater in
Film appearances include Woody Allen’s MANHATTAN, RADIO DAYS; SHADOWS AND FOG AND THE CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION; Louis Malle’s VANYA ON 42ND STREET; MY DINNER WITH ANDRE and ATLANTIC CITY, Rob Reiner’s THE PRINCESS BRIDE; Stephen Frears’ PRICK UP YOUR EARS; James Ivory’s THE BOSTONIANS; Rebecca Miller’s PERSONAL VELOCITY and THE HAUNTED MANSION. Shawn also voiced Rex in TOY STORY and TOY STORY 2.
TERI
RILEY – Lisa K. Wyatt
Lisa K. Wyatt is a highly experienced actress with over one hundred fifty film, television and regional theatre credits. In addition to a series regular role in the Fox Family pilot “Favor and Family,” her numerous film and television credits include MR. WOODCOCK, AMERICAN DREAMZ, LEGALY BLONDE, DONNIE DARKO, “Six Feet Under,” “Frasier,” “Gilmore Girls,” and recurring principal roles on “Days of Our Lives” and “Passions.”
SERPENTINE
– Bai Ling
Born in the Szechwan
Relocating to the
Her role opposite Richard Gere in Jon Avnet's 1997 thriller, RED CORNER, won her great acclaim, and numerous accolades, including the prestigious 1997 Breakthrough Award from the National Board of Review. The same year she was selected as one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World.
She has continued to carve out a front rank international career: standout credits include STAR WARS: EPISODE 2, Spike Lee’s SHE HATE ME, Gerard Krawczyk’s TAXI 3 and Barry Sonnenfeld's WILD, WILD WEST.
NANA
VAN ADLER – Miranda
One of the UK’s most accomplished and celebrated stage and cinema actresses, Miranda trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theater School and subsequently performed in many plays, the highlights including Albee’s “Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf,” Terry Johnson’s “Insignificance,” Sam Shepard’s “A Lie Of The Mind,” and the one woman piece “Orlando” for Robert Wilson.
Miranda Richardson
first astonished cinema audiences in Mike Newell’s DANCE WITH A STRANGER, in
which she played Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in
Further stand out film
credits include HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA,
Stephen Daldry’s THE HOURS, David Cronenberg’s SPIDER, Tim Burton’s SLEEPY
HOLLOW, CHICKEN RUN and Steven Spielberg’s EMPIRE OF THE SUN.
Her television credits include Stephen Poliakoff’s “The Lost Prince,” BBC’s “Dance To The Music Of Time,” “Absolutely Fabulous” and “Blackadder”, and HBO’s “Fatherland,” for which she received a Golden Globe Award.
SIMON
THEORY – Kevin Smith
Since his entry into the indie film community, Kevin Smith has seen it all - from the surprise critical and commercial success for his debut film CLERKS, to the disappointing critical and commercial drubbing he took on his second outing MALLRATS. He caught a break on his third film, the critically-hailed CHASING AMY, and managed not to get killed by religious zealots over his fourth film, the comedic spiritual meditation DOGMA. With the aptly titled JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK, Smith wrapped up the five-film “Jersey Trilogy” and headed for more grown up territory with JERSEY GIRL.
Along the way, Smith has also found time to make himself a nuisance by smearing his name all over John Pierson’s Indie Film bible, Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes. He’s written numerous comic books for Marvel and DC. With View Askew partner Scott Mosier, he’s also executive-produced four low budget, first films (including Bryan Johnson’s VULGAR) and one large budget, multiple Academy Award winner (GOOD WILL HUNTING).
Besides MALLRATS, however, Smith has survived other humbling “creative” experiences - such as his ill-fated SUPERMAN LIVES screenplay for Warner Brothers, and his animated series version of CLERKS for ABC primetime, which the network unceremoniously aired only twice.
Hood ornaments in his collection include: the Filmmaker’s Trophy at Sundance for CLERKS; the Prix de la Jeunesse and the International Critic’s Week Award at the Cannes Film Festival, also for CLERKS: The Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay for CHASING AMY, and a Humanitas Award for GOOD WILL HUNTING. For his writing in the comic’s field, Smith has received a Harvey Award, a Wizard Fan Award, and an Eagle Award.
In 2002, the town of
ABOUT THE CREW
Writer/Director
- Richard Kelly
31 year-old Richard Kelly is the
screenwriter and director of his second feature film, SOUTHLAND TALES. A
graduate of the
Producer
- Sean McKittrick
After graduating from UCLA, Sean McKittrick
first paired with Richard Kelly to produce Kelly’s short film, VISCERAL MATTER
in 1997. McKittrick went on to join the development staff at New Line Cinema
where he worked for two years and then re-teamed with Kelly. In 2001, their partnership generated their
first feature length film, DONNIE DARKO, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone
and Drew Barrymore. Soon after
completing production on DARKO, McKittrick and Kelly formed Darko
Entertainment, which boasts several films in various stages of development.
Under the Darko Entertainment banner, McKittrick and Kelly’s next project will
be INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN, written and to be directed by Kelly from his
original script. Other projects in
development include THE BOX, an adaptation of a Richard Matheson short story in
collaboration with HOSTEL director Eli Roth.
Producer
- Bo Hyde
Holding a degree in economics from
Producer - Kendall Morgan
Co-founder
and president of Cherry Road Films, Kendall Morgan’s producer credits include
EULOGY (2004), MAIL ORDER WIFE, and THE L.A. RIOTS SPECTACULAR. Currently, she
is producing UNTITLED IRAQ CONVOY project with Joshua Marston (MARIA FULL OF
GRACE), DARK REACHES, a horror film with Jason Xenopolous, and MANHATTAN
LOVERBOY with Yann Samuel (LOVE ME IF YOU DARE). Prior to
Producer
- Matthew Rhodes
With his producing
partner, Judd Payne, Matthew Rhodes, Co-Founder of Persistent Entertainment,
has worked on over twenty films in varying
capacities: producer, co-producer and executive producer. Notable credits
include Lasse Hallstrom’s AN UNFINISHED LIFE with Robert Redford and Arthur Seidelman’s THE SISTERS, based on
Chekhov's play of the same name, with a terrific ensemble cast including Maria
Bello, Erika Christensen, Mary Stuart Masterson, Tony Goldwyn, Eric McCormack,
Alessandro Nivola, Elizabeth Banks, Rip Torn and Chris O'Donnell. Prior to
forming Persistent,
Executive
Producer - Bill Johnson
Bill Johnson, of Inferno Distribution, LLC
comes from a business background having successfully built a multi-million
dollar insurance company. He has written several screenplays and directed the
film, WITHIN THE LINE (1996). Bill now concentrates on producing and financing
films for Inferno and its strategic partners.
Executive
Producer - Katrina K. Hyde
Katarina was born in
Executive
Producer - Oliver Hengst
Born
Executive Producer - Judd Payne
Judd Payne, Co-Founder of Persistent Entertainment with producing partner Matthew Rhodes, was previously president of the independent production company Cardinal Entertainment before the two companies merged. Judd has worked as producer on films including Arthur Seidelman’s THE SISTERS, SEPTEMBER TAPES by Christian Johnston, and WALKER PAYNE, directed by Matt Williams, starring Jason Patric, Sam Shepard, Bruce Dern, Drea de Matteo and KaDee Strickland, which had its World Premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival.
Production
Designer - Alexander Hammond
Alexander Hammond most recently designed
Robert Schwenke’s FLIGHTPLAN, starring Jodie Foster, creating a next-generation
Jumbo Jet from nose to tail. His production design can also be seen the in THE
CONTENDER, Forrest Whitaker’s FIRST DAUGHER and the live action/animated
feature
Prior to embarking on a
film career,
Director of
Photography - Steven Poster
Born in
Editor
- Sam Bauer
Sam Bauer previously edited Richard Kelly's short film VISCERAL MATTER and was editor on DONNIE DARKO: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT. Recently, Sam edited a horror film called DARK RIDE, which is currently in post-production.
Make-Up Artist - Louis Lazzara
Louis Lazzara has
created make-up in over 60 feature films, including THE RUNDOWN, TERMINATOR 3,
THE SCORPION KING, COLLATERAL DAMAGE, PAY IT FORWARD, END OF DAYS, ERASER,
ADDAMS FAMILY, WILD AT HEART, BAT 21, TEEN WOLF 2 and JARHEAD. His extensive
work in the horror genre includes three of THE NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET films
and two FRIDAY THE 13TH films.
Music - Moby
Moby ‘s first solo
release, “Go” (voted one of Rolling Stone's top 200 records of all time), was
released in
He has DJ'd in clubs for 100 people and
headlined a
TIMELY NEWS
Al-Qaida Nukes Already in
Terrorists, bombs smuggled across
July 11, 2005
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
As London recovers
from the latest deadly al-Qaida attack that killed at least 50, top U.S.
government officials are contemplating what they consider to be an inevitable
and much bigger assault on America – one likely to kill millions, destroy the
economy and fundamentally alter the course of history, reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. According to captured Al-Qaida leaders and
documents, the plan is called the "American Hiroshima" and involves
the multiple detonation of nuclear weapons already smuggled into the
Al-Qaida has
obtained at least 40 nuclear weapons from the former
The plans for the
devastating nuclear attack on the
"Each
suitcase weighed between 50 and
"Terrorists
have carte blanche to carry practically anything they want across our national
line at this time," he said. "As ordinary citizens have warned this
government for years, the only surprising part about the new information
reported here is that nothing apocalyptic from Mexican-border weapons
trafficking has yet happened. Terrorism has reared its ugly head in
Small
Company Aims to Soar Above Lockheed to Win Blimp Contract
The firm is
confident the Pentagon will pick its design for a craft to move troops and
cargo.
By Peter Pae; Jan 17, 2006 © 2006 Los Angeles
Times
It's the blimp industry's version of David and
Goliath. An obscure Tarzana firm run by
Russian emigres is locked in competition with Lockheed Martin Corp., the
world's largest defense contractor, to win a Pentagon contract to build 900-foot-
long, blimp-like aircraft to move cargo and troops into combat zones.
Worldwide Aeros, which makes blimps used for flying
billboards, generated plenty of buzz in aerospace circles last summer when it
and Lockheed each landed $3-million contracts from the Pentagon to do
preliminary design work. The Pentagon's advanced research arm expects to pick
the winning design in September and award a $100-million contract for a
prototype airship. The winner then has a chance to bid on a blimp production
contract potentially worth $11 billion over 30 years. "In reality we don't
feel Lockheed is our technical competitor," said Igor Pasternak, 41,
Worldwide Aeros' founder. "There is only one solution, and we have that
one solution," the Russian-trained scientist insisted.
Pasternak's company "wrote a proposal that seemed
outstanding," said Norman J. Mayer, a veteran airship designer for
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and the Navy, who helped the Pentagon evaluate
the blimp proposals. "They were very serious about what they were trying
to do. Time will tell how well they do it." Winning will not be easy. Lockheed farmed out the blimp job to its
Skunkworks unit, the legendary aircraft design house in Palmdale that has
developed many of the nation's most advanced aircraft, including the SR-71 and
U-2 spy planes.
By contrast, Worldwide Aeros, with 40 employees,
expects $10 million in revenue this year from selling blimps for advertising,
including promoting MasterCard and Spalding sporting goods. Pasternak has built about 30 blimps in the
The Pentagon hopes that these new airships can help
move
"It can totally change how you conduct
warfare," Pasternak said of the concept.
He envisions the aircraft as not a blimp or an airplane but as a hybrid
of the two. The vehicle would rise into the air thanks to nonflammable helium,
much as a blimp does, but the bottom of its hull would act like a wing to give
it additional lift and control, he said. The craft would be powered by propellers. Pasternak contends that this new design would
be easier to handle and that it could land under a pilot's control, without
ground handlers having to pull on tethers as with conventional blimps. But the
concept still faces several hurdles, analysts said.
"You can have dinner, go to sleep and wake up in
the morning in
Endless
Cheap Alternate Energy
From
Under Ocean Earth’s Mantle and Below
April 3, 2005
© 2005 Indiadaily.com.
The quest is on
for the source of ultimate alternative fuels for the human civilization, as we
perceive that fossil fuels are being exhausted. Scientists and engineers are
busy finding that alternative fuel. The future human civilization needs a huge
amount of energy. The conventional alternatives are solar, hydrogen, wind, and
nuclear and biologically generated synthetic fuel. But all these alternatives
have limitation. As in Hydrogen, if you have to spend energy to create energy,
it is not an alternative. The solar and wind energy are not concentrated
enough.
So the researchers looked at alternatives. Soon they
realized the amount of energy that is used to move tectonic plates or
volcanoes, can feed our civilization for thousands of years. If the energy
below earth’s crust can be tapped, it can provide that magic word that we are
waiting to hear for years – “cheap unlimited energy forever”. The earths crust
is thinner in certain areas under the ocean. Earth’s mantle is less than 30 to
The problem lies
in the fact that we cannot drill any further than five miles in earth’s crust.
The drill bits deform due to the heat. The upper mantle
Police Boost
Anti-Terrorist Measures on Pier After Suspicious Videotaping
By Gathering
Marbet; August 11, 2005 © 2005 Surfsantamonica.com
Police are boosting anti-terrorist security
measures at the Santa Monica Pier after obtaining photographs of individuals
videotaping the prime tourist destination in a suspicious manner, police
officials said Wednesday. The added measures -- which include surveillance
cameras and bomb-sniffing dogs -- are being implemented after a concerned
citizen, whose identity is being withheld, turned over the photographs, police
officials said. The pictures, taken at
the Pier on July 3, were turned over to police on July 26, shortly after
The photographs
show three men videotaping around the pier, Butts said. The photographer
snapped the pictures after noticing that the men -- who were of “Middle Eastern
descent” -- were not posing in their own videos. “Ordinarily when you are
vacationing and videotaping to document a vacation you have one or more of the
subjects in the picture,” Butts said.
After receiving the photographs, police consulted with the FBI, the Los
Angeles Terrorism Early Warning Group and the Department of Homeland Security
for the State, Butts said. Authorities determined that the men in the
photographs had been “seen and detained in other local communities” and a
videotape that they had shot was seized, Butts said. The Department of Homeland
Security visited the pier at the request of police officials and advised them
about the physical security improvements that could be made, Butts said.
These measures --
which are currently underway -- include the following:
- Adding four uniformed officers
patrolling the Pier
- Improving security of venues and
observation posts
- Increasing inspection of underwater
pilings
- Randomly checking vehicles that park
and drive on to the Pier and surrounding lots
“These measures
are pre-emptive,” said Butts, “and are not to be considered connected to a
predestined event.” Long term security measures will include video surveillance
of the Pier and the Third Street Promenade -- with both hidden and visible
video cameras -- and acquiring two to four “bomb dogs” with canine handlers, he
said. Bomb dogs cost $5,000 a piece,
while hiring a canine handler costs approximately $100,000 a year, Butts said.
The installation of surveillance equipment will cost an estimated $1.1 million,
he said. “We envision a police monitor (on duty) at least some of the time,”
Butts said. “This equipment will also allow us to detect crimes in progress and
will provide a record of criminal activity,” he said. Other “physical
enhancements of security” are not being released to the public, Butts said.
Police presented
the safety measures Tuesday night during a closed City Council session. City
officials then met with Bayside District and Pier officials and representatives
of major hotels and others businesses located in the area. Butts said that the
changes “will make us different,” but that these differences will set the Pier
apart in a positive way, showing visitors that their safety is of utmost
importance. “In recognition of the way the world has changed, we owe it to our
visitors to give them the safest destination possible,” said Butts.
Bush:
Sing National Anthem In English
A Spanish-language version of the "Star-Spangled
Banner?"
"I think the national anthem ought to be sung in
English," President Bush told reporters Friday, "and I think people
who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English, and they ought
to learn to sing the national anthem in English," he said.
British music producer Adam Kidron said he just wanted
to honor the millions of immigrants seeking a better life in the
Kidron said his idea of "Nuestro Himno"
"has never been to discourage immigrants from learning English and
embracing American culture," but rather seeks to provide an outlet for
patriotism for those who have not yet learned English.
The initial version of "Nuestro Himno," or
"Our Anthem" comes out Friday and features artists such as Wyclef
Jean, hip-hop star Pitbull and Puerto Rican singers Carlos Ponce and Olga
Tanon.
But some Internet bloggers and others are infuriated
by the thought of "The Star-Spangled Banner" sung in a language other
than English, and the Spanish version of the song has already been the target
of a fierce backlash.
"It's kind of an odd way for illegal immigrants
to ask the American people to forgive them for their offenses — to appropriate
one of our symbols and make it suit them better,” Mark Krikorian of the Center
for Immigration Studies, a think tank that supports tighter immigration
controls, told CBS News correspondent Richard Schlesinger.
However,
On Friday, Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander
introduced a resolution to, in his words, "Remind the country why we sing
our National Anthem in English," reports Schlesinger.
"Nuestro Himno" uses lyrics based closely on
the English-language original, said Kidron, who heads the record label Urban
Box Office.
In the first verse, the references to bombs and
rockets have been changed to "fierce combat." However, the second
stanza is almost all new, with phrases that Francis Scott Key never wrote, such
as "we are equal, we are brothers."
There are four verses in the original poem.
"We hope that the President would listen to the
passionate and thoughtful rendition of the anthem presented by 'Nuestro Himno'
and embrace the opportunity to teach a wider audience about the American
Dream," Kidron said.
Pro-immigration protests are planned around the
country for Monday, and the record label is urging Hispanic radio stations
nationwide to play the cut at 7 p.m. EDT Friday in a sign of solidarity. It was
being distributed to stations via e-mail as an MP3 file.
A remix to be released in June will contain several
lines in English that condemn