The mobster comedy is by now such familiar terrain that it ought to have its own nickname, and that familiarity does not make breathing new life into the subgenre easier. Alas, there isn’t much fresh air to be had in “Clover,”
Despite a capable cast and reasonably energetic execution from director Jon Abrahams, this violent caper lacks any real wit or novelty (beyond congratulating itself a bit too much for including a lesbian couple as “hitmen”), ultimately leaning on tired stereotypes rather than doing anything particularly clever with them. Launching on various cable and digital platforms April 3, it’s a just-passable entertainment that may seem better to those who think “Boondock Saints” is an enduring classic.
You can certainly sense that lowbrow cult favorite’s influence in the dynamic between the brothers Callahan, two orphaned “micks” in an unnamed East Coast city running their family’s corner bar. Or at least they were,...
Despite a capable cast and reasonably energetic execution from director Jon Abrahams, this violent caper lacks any real wit or novelty (beyond congratulating itself a bit too much for including a lesbian couple as “hitmen”), ultimately leaning on tired stereotypes rather than doing anything particularly clever with them. Launching on various cable and digital platforms April 3, it’s a just-passable entertainment that may seem better to those who think “Boondock Saints” is an enduring classic.
You can certainly sense that lowbrow cult favorite’s influence in the dynamic between the brothers Callahan, two orphaned “micks” in an unnamed East Coast city running their family’s corner bar. Or at least they were,...
- 4/1/2020
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Directed by Max Bartoli and Fabiola Lopez Batoli, "The Secret of Joy" is a $500K short project created to support the cause of pediatric cancer. Their noble endeavor inspired a great number of talented industry people to get on board as part of the production, and after lots of passionate work they are finally ready to share with audiences in hopes that it will not only raise awareness, but also tangible funds to be donated to the Kids’ Cancer Research Foundation.
Director Max Bartoli talks more in depth about this project below:
Cancer has unfortunately already touched my family too many times, and more recently two couple of friends lost their 4 y.o and 5 y.o. children to neuroblastoma a few months apart, thus motivating me to do something to raise awareness and funds to support the battle against this terrible disease. It is with this in mind that my wife and I decided to invest all our savings to produce "The Secret of Joy," a project made of a 12-minute short, a book and a song, three products which will be donated non-exclusively to the Kids’ Cancer Research Foundation (www.endkidscancer.org) and to three European hospitals as extra tools to raise the awareness over this topic and fundraise during their future campaigns.
When we talked about this project to our friends in Hollywood we received enthusiastic reactions. A 35-people-cast, led by 4 times Emmy winner Doris Roberts ("Everybody Loves Raymond," "Remington Steele," "Christmas Vacation"), Maria Conchita Alonso ("The Running Man," "Saints & Sinners," "The House of the Spirits") and Sofia Milos ("CSI Miami"), and a 65-people-crew from 3 continents led by super talented Production Designer Giles Masters ("Angels and Demons," "The Mummy," "The Da Vinci Code") accepted to bring our story to life for free.
Shot last December in Los Angeles, "The Secret of Joy" has become in 6 months the Act Of Love of over 150 entertainment professionals and several companies (Technicolor, Red, Cameras, Hammerhead Productions., Tirelli Costumes and many others) whose contribution amounted to over $450,000 (four hundred and fifty thousand dollars), all united by the desire to support a cause which involves our children, our future and still seems to have been forgotten by the media and the audience.
This to demonstrate, if it was needed, that Hollywood often gives more than what it takes. My wife and I embarked in this project hoping to bring hope and a smile into the lives of the children battling cancer and of their families. Having two of them, Casey and Chloe, on set and seeing the joy on their faces as we were filming would be already enough to repay us of our endeavors. But we want more. We want to reach out and touch many more.
That’s why from August 28th until September 3rd "The Secret of Joy" will be screened at the Laemmle 7 theater in North Hollywood and the whole Box Office will be donated to the Kids’ Cancer Research Foundation. It’ll be an important first step to achieve our goal.
We would love for it to be successful. We know we can make the difference, touching one person’s heart at the time.
Further information can be found online at:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4152748/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
https://www.facebook.com/TheSecretofJoy
www.thesecretofjoy.org...
Director Max Bartoli talks more in depth about this project below:
Cancer has unfortunately already touched my family too many times, and more recently two couple of friends lost their 4 y.o and 5 y.o. children to neuroblastoma a few months apart, thus motivating me to do something to raise awareness and funds to support the battle against this terrible disease. It is with this in mind that my wife and I decided to invest all our savings to produce "The Secret of Joy," a project made of a 12-minute short, a book and a song, three products which will be donated non-exclusively to the Kids’ Cancer Research Foundation (www.endkidscancer.org) and to three European hospitals as extra tools to raise the awareness over this topic and fundraise during their future campaigns.
When we talked about this project to our friends in Hollywood we received enthusiastic reactions. A 35-people-cast, led by 4 times Emmy winner Doris Roberts ("Everybody Loves Raymond," "Remington Steele," "Christmas Vacation"), Maria Conchita Alonso ("The Running Man," "Saints & Sinners," "The House of the Spirits") and Sofia Milos ("CSI Miami"), and a 65-people-crew from 3 continents led by super talented Production Designer Giles Masters ("Angels and Demons," "The Mummy," "The Da Vinci Code") accepted to bring our story to life for free.
Shot last December in Los Angeles, "The Secret of Joy" has become in 6 months the Act Of Love of over 150 entertainment professionals and several companies (Technicolor, Red, Cameras, Hammerhead Productions., Tirelli Costumes and many others) whose contribution amounted to over $450,000 (four hundred and fifty thousand dollars), all united by the desire to support a cause which involves our children, our future and still seems to have been forgotten by the media and the audience.
This to demonstrate, if it was needed, that Hollywood often gives more than what it takes. My wife and I embarked in this project hoping to bring hope and a smile into the lives of the children battling cancer and of their families. Having two of them, Casey and Chloe, on set and seeing the joy on their faces as we were filming would be already enough to repay us of our endeavors. But we want more. We want to reach out and touch many more.
That’s why from August 28th until September 3rd "The Secret of Joy" will be screened at the Laemmle 7 theater in North Hollywood and the whole Box Office will be donated to the Kids’ Cancer Research Foundation. It’ll be an important first step to achieve our goal.
We would love for it to be successful. We know we can make the difference, touching one person’s heart at the time.
Further information can be found online at:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4152748/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
https://www.facebook.com/TheSecretofJoy
www.thesecretofjoy.org...
- 6/15/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Getty Tom Hooper
With the large number of English nominees this year, the Academy Awards are experiencing a British invasion. Leading the pack is “The King’s Speech,” which is nominated for 12 awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. But there’s also Mike Leigh, whose screenplay for “Another Year” is nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category, Roger Deakins, nominated for Best Cinematography for “True Grit,” and many others.
Even the weather in Los Angeles – cold and rainy — has a British feel.
With the large number of English nominees this year, the Academy Awards are experiencing a British invasion. Leading the pack is “The King’s Speech,” which is nominated for 12 awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. But there’s also Mike Leigh, whose screenplay for “Another Year” is nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category, Roger Deakins, nominated for Best Cinematography for “True Grit,” and many others.
Even the weather in Los Angeles – cold and rainy — has a British feel.
- 2/27/2011
- by Steven Kurutz
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
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