MY FIRST SHORT FILM
When her young son goes missing, a mother has to face the possibility that their separation will not just be temporary.
Silent short film created for Film 40.1 at Brooklyn College, NY in Spring 2010.
Written and directed by Johanna Schoenfeld.
CAST:
Father - Erich Rausch
Son - Matteo Cacioppo
Extras - Daniel Shabasson, Adriana Cacioppo, Samantha Kalontarov, Eric Ruffin, Mark Thomas, Danny Cruz
Crew - Alexis Arias, Asia Boostani, Daniel Shabasson
Special Thanks to - Susanne Shabasson
Dienstag, 29. Juni 2010
Excelsior: Hello and Goodbye - Shows That Leave Us, Shows That Come Up
It’s finals season – for students as well as for TV executives; season finale time, that is. And while we are still in a limbo of uncertainty about our grades, many TV shows already know they failed, and that no new season will premiere in fall. TV audiences have to say goodbye to some of their favorites – and it isn’t going to be easy.
On the other hand, the summer has become TV’s “second year”: Long gone are the times when you would turn on the TV in July and all you’d see was a rerun from six months earlier. Quite a few shows will premiere or return this summer, and they are anything but second-rate.
The Excelsior presents five shows that will be (more or less) sorely missed, and five that will console us during the summer months.
Goodbyes…
1. LOST (ABC)
Probably the only show that is leaving us voluntarily: Three years ago, it was announced that this saga about the 48 survivors of a plane crash would end in 2010 so as to tell a well-rounded story. Now, the dreaded time is here: On May 23, all questions will be answered in a two-and-a-half hour series finale. Allegedly.
Ends May 23.
2. Scrubs (ABC)
After a somewhat weird resuscitation of this medical comedy last year, Sacred Heart is now closed for good. The new concept, including a completely different main cast, just didn’t work – and should probably best be forgotten.
Ended March 17.
3. 24 (FOX)
Finally, Jack Bauer will get some sleep: After eight days of real-time around-the-clock terrorist fighting, “24” is over. Maybe it’s for the best: America’s No. 1 badass was beginning to look exhausted – just like the show’s storylines.
Ends May 24.
4. Law and Order (NBC)
This one is the shocker of the year: Extremely long-running primetime show “Law and Order” has been cancelled after 20 (!) years. But no worries, the law will continue to rule: Besides the current spawn “SVU,” a new spin-off called “Law and Order: Los Angeles” is coming up next season.
Ends May 24.
5. As the World Turns (CBS)
This soap opera even beats out “Law and Order” – by a few decades, no less. After 54 years (!!!) and around 14,000 episodes, “As the World Turns” will end in September. 54 YEARS! Jack Bauer is a pussy.
…and Hellos:
1. 100 Questions (NBC)
This new show follows newly single Charlotte who signs up for an internet dating site. She has to answer a 100-question compatibility test – each of which leads her to reminisce about a specific adventure in her life. Promising – even if it sounds an awful lot like “How I Met Your Mother.”
Premieres May 27.
2. Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime)
Back for a second season: After a car accident, ditzy model Deb wakes up in the hospital in someone else’s body – she has become overweight lawyer Jane, of all people. Hilarity and a little bit of wisdom ensues.
Premieres June 6.
3. The Gates (ABC)
Big-city cop plus family move to a seemingly idyllic gated community. Soon, things begin to get weird and the supernatural comes a-knocking. Let’s bet there’s a vampire somewhere in there, shall we?
Premieres June 20.
4. Scoundrels (ABC)
A family of small-time criminals decides to go straight after their father is sent to prison. High hopes for former movie star and leading lady Virginia Madsen
Premieres June 20.
5. Lie to Me (FOX)
The show about a human lie detector (another former film star, Tim Roth) who uses his skills in analyzing facial expressions and vocal inconsistencies to expose crooks returns for a third season.
Premieres June 7.
Happy TV summer!
On the other hand, the summer has become TV’s “second year”: Long gone are the times when you would turn on the TV in July and all you’d see was a rerun from six months earlier. Quite a few shows will premiere or return this summer, and they are anything but second-rate.
The Excelsior presents five shows that will be (more or less) sorely missed, and five that will console us during the summer months.
Goodbyes…
1. LOST (ABC)
Probably the only show that is leaving us voluntarily: Three years ago, it was announced that this saga about the 48 survivors of a plane crash would end in 2010 so as to tell a well-rounded story. Now, the dreaded time is here: On May 23, all questions will be answered in a two-and-a-half hour series finale. Allegedly.
Ends May 23.
2. Scrubs (ABC)
After a somewhat weird resuscitation of this medical comedy last year, Sacred Heart is now closed for good. The new concept, including a completely different main cast, just didn’t work – and should probably best be forgotten.
Ended March 17.
3. 24 (FOX)
Finally, Jack Bauer will get some sleep: After eight days of real-time around-the-clock terrorist fighting, “24” is over. Maybe it’s for the best: America’s No. 1 badass was beginning to look exhausted – just like the show’s storylines.
Ends May 24.
4. Law and Order (NBC)
This one is the shocker of the year: Extremely long-running primetime show “Law and Order” has been cancelled after 20 (!) years. But no worries, the law will continue to rule: Besides the current spawn “SVU,” a new spin-off called “Law and Order: Los Angeles” is coming up next season.
Ends May 24.
5. As the World Turns (CBS)
This soap opera even beats out “Law and Order” – by a few decades, no less. After 54 years (!!!) and around 14,000 episodes, “As the World Turns” will end in September. 54 YEARS! Jack Bauer is a pussy.
…and Hellos:
1. 100 Questions (NBC)
This new show follows newly single Charlotte who signs up for an internet dating site. She has to answer a 100-question compatibility test – each of which leads her to reminisce about a specific adventure in her life. Promising – even if it sounds an awful lot like “How I Met Your Mother.”
Premieres May 27.
2. Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime)
Back for a second season: After a car accident, ditzy model Deb wakes up in the hospital in someone else’s body – she has become overweight lawyer Jane, of all people. Hilarity and a little bit of wisdom ensues.
Premieres June 6.
3. The Gates (ABC)
Big-city cop plus family move to a seemingly idyllic gated community. Soon, things begin to get weird and the supernatural comes a-knocking. Let’s bet there’s a vampire somewhere in there, shall we?
Premieres June 20.
4. Scoundrels (ABC)
A family of small-time criminals decides to go straight after their father is sent to prison. High hopes for former movie star and leading lady Virginia Madsen
Premieres June 20.
5. Lie to Me (FOX)
The show about a human lie detector (another former film star, Tim Roth) who uses his skills in analyzing facial expressions and vocal inconsistencies to expose crooks returns for a third season.
Premieres June 7.
Happy TV summer!
Excelsior: Really Good TV Actors Who Should Be More Famous
Isn’t it funny how people like Britney Spears or Paris Hilton receive lead roles in major Hollywood films without so much as a hint of acting experience or, say, talent? Or how some actors make a living doing essentially the same thing in every movie (cough, Keanu Reeves, cough)? At the same time, there are loads of actors and actresses out there that would more than deserve their big Hollywood break. The Excelsior is taking the opportunity to suggest five TV actors and actresses to all the casting directors out there for the next big blockbuster. Because, really, they’re good.
Lauren Graham
Let’s be honest: She was the real star on Gilmore Girls. Rory’s constant whining started getting tiresome around the third episode. And yes, we all had an opinion on the “Dean or Jess” question, but the real issue was when Lorelai and Luke would eventually get together.
In the course of the show Graham defined the character of Lorelai and revealed herself to be a radiant, gifted actress.
Which is probably why she got another main role in this season’s new show “Parenthood” as Sarah, a middle-aged woman who has to move back in with her parents after a divorce – probably the most interesting and sympathetic character on the show.
The big screen hasn’t embrace Graham as much as she would deserve it – she had notable supporting roles in “The Pacifier,” “Bad Santa” and “Evan Almighty,” but no real big break yet.
Michael Emerson
Don’t you just love a great villain? From Lady Macbeth to Dr. No, any story benefits from a compelling bad guy you just love to hate. So why Michael Emerson hasn’t been cast in more major films is a mystery. In his current engagement on TV’s “Lost,” he plays Ben Linus, the mysterious manipulator who lives on the island the protagonists land on. The role earned him a Golden Globe and two Emmy nominations as well as one Emmy win and made him a fixture on Best TV Villains lists on the internet.
His only big movie appearance was in “SAW,” where he once again played the bad guy – at least until Jigsaw showed up. He should really show his unique talent to be creepy to a wider audience. Speaking of Dr. No, why not make him a Bond villain? He’d probably be so good at it that James Bond might just lose that one.
Tom Amandes
On every good show, there is one supporting actor that grows on you and makes you love them. On “Everwood”, it was Tom Amandes a.k.a. Dr. Harold Abbott who started out as the somewhat goofy and cliché nemesis of main character Dr. Brown but developed into a multi-layered and interesting character. Tom Amandes made you cry and laugh, and was equally great at both.
He has also had guest appearances on seemingly every show on TV, from “ER” to “Big Love,” but Hollywood hasn’t noticed so far. Somebody write them a letter or something!
Tyne Daly
A supporting character on “Judging Amy”, Daly made Amy’s mother the secret star of the show. Her struggle with her often depressing job as a social worker, her striving to keep the family together, and her search for love at an age at which most people have given up made you root for her. Of course, Tyne Daly has been a TV fixture for much longer, ever since she starred in “Cagney and Lacey”, and hasn’t lost any of her charms. That’s pretty rare – so take advantage of it and cast her, producers!
Gregory Itzin
Remember the 5th season of “24”? Itzin played – spoiler alert! – the goofball-turned-terrorist associate President of the United States and made for one of the biggest cliff hangers of the season. You had to hate him, but you also felt a bit sorry for him because he seemed to have gotten himself into a really bad situation without meaning to. Okay, he was also an unbearable sleaze-ball – and Itzin pulled that one off perfectly. So can somebody cast him as Nixon already?
Lauren Graham
Let’s be honest: She was the real star on Gilmore Girls. Rory’s constant whining started getting tiresome around the third episode. And yes, we all had an opinion on the “Dean or Jess” question, but the real issue was when Lorelai and Luke would eventually get together.
In the course of the show Graham defined the character of Lorelai and revealed herself to be a radiant, gifted actress.
Which is probably why she got another main role in this season’s new show “Parenthood” as Sarah, a middle-aged woman who has to move back in with her parents after a divorce – probably the most interesting and sympathetic character on the show.
The big screen hasn’t embrace Graham as much as she would deserve it – she had notable supporting roles in “The Pacifier,” “Bad Santa” and “Evan Almighty,” but no real big break yet.
Michael Emerson
Don’t you just love a great villain? From Lady Macbeth to Dr. No, any story benefits from a compelling bad guy you just love to hate. So why Michael Emerson hasn’t been cast in more major films is a mystery. In his current engagement on TV’s “Lost,” he plays Ben Linus, the mysterious manipulator who lives on the island the protagonists land on. The role earned him a Golden Globe and two Emmy nominations as well as one Emmy win and made him a fixture on Best TV Villains lists on the internet.
His only big movie appearance was in “SAW,” where he once again played the bad guy – at least until Jigsaw showed up. He should really show his unique talent to be creepy to a wider audience. Speaking of Dr. No, why not make him a Bond villain? He’d probably be so good at it that James Bond might just lose that one.
Tom Amandes
On every good show, there is one supporting actor that grows on you and makes you love them. On “Everwood”, it was Tom Amandes a.k.a. Dr. Harold Abbott who started out as the somewhat goofy and cliché nemesis of main character Dr. Brown but developed into a multi-layered and interesting character. Tom Amandes made you cry and laugh, and was equally great at both.
He has also had guest appearances on seemingly every show on TV, from “ER” to “Big Love,” but Hollywood hasn’t noticed so far. Somebody write them a letter or something!
Tyne Daly
A supporting character on “Judging Amy”, Daly made Amy’s mother the secret star of the show. Her struggle with her often depressing job as a social worker, her striving to keep the family together, and her search for love at an age at which most people have given up made you root for her. Of course, Tyne Daly has been a TV fixture for much longer, ever since she starred in “Cagney and Lacey”, and hasn’t lost any of her charms. That’s pretty rare – so take advantage of it and cast her, producers!
Gregory Itzin
Remember the 5th season of “24”? Itzin played – spoiler alert! – the goofball-turned-terrorist associate President of the United States and made for one of the biggest cliff hangers of the season. You had to hate him, but you also felt a bit sorry for him because he seemed to have gotten himself into a really bad situation without meaning to. Okay, he was also an unbearable sleaze-ball – and Itzin pulled that one off perfectly. So can somebody cast him as Nixon already?
Starpulse: What's The Best Show On TV? Starpulse Writers Weigh In
Original Article with other writers' opinions
My Segment:
"LOST"
"A television phenomenon...that captivated millions," ABC recently boasted in the weeks leading up to the premiere of "Lost's" sixth and final season. And they have a point: audiences around the world anxiously awaited the date of the episode's broadcasting.
Throughout the last five years, "Lost" has given us a wide variety of stories and narrative strategies. At first, it was simply a story about the survivors of a plane crash who were stranded on a deserted island - interspersed with the characters' back stories. The flashbacks became flash-forwards in seasons three and four. And finally, both became literal by throwing time travel into the mix. And suddenly, the survivors weren't just stranded on a deserted island, they were stranded on a deserted island in the 1970s.
So one thing is sure when it comes to "Lost" - it's not going to be what you expect. The show is famous for its excruciatingly frustrating cliffhangers and astonishing WTF moments (polar bears on a tropical island?!) - a breath of fresh air in a world of formulaic and predictable shows. And yet, the plot twists aren't there for their own sake, but organically result from the story and the characters that populate it.
Character development is in fact one of the show's strongest suits. Over its run, the audience got to know the characters, their histories and motivations better than their own families - and maybe we even like them a little bit better.
The biggest question at the moment is how the writers will tie up the story in the remaining handful of episodes. But knowing "Lost," it is going to be surprising, satisfying, emotional and action-packed all in one.
My Segment:
"LOST"
"A television phenomenon...that captivated millions," ABC recently boasted in the weeks leading up to the premiere of "Lost's" sixth and final season. And they have a point: audiences around the world anxiously awaited the date of the episode's broadcasting.
Throughout the last five years, "Lost" has given us a wide variety of stories and narrative strategies. At first, it was simply a story about the survivors of a plane crash who were stranded on a deserted island - interspersed with the characters' back stories. The flashbacks became flash-forwards in seasons three and four. And finally, both became literal by throwing time travel into the mix. And suddenly, the survivors weren't just stranded on a deserted island, they were stranded on a deserted island in the 1970s.
So one thing is sure when it comes to "Lost" - it's not going to be what you expect. The show is famous for its excruciatingly frustrating cliffhangers and astonishing WTF moments (polar bears on a tropical island?!) - a breath of fresh air in a world of formulaic and predictable shows. And yet, the plot twists aren't there for their own sake, but organically result from the story and the characters that populate it.
Character development is in fact one of the show's strongest suits. Over its run, the audience got to know the characters, their histories and motivations better than their own families - and maybe we even like them a little bit better.
The biggest question at the moment is how the writers will tie up the story in the remaining handful of episodes. But knowing "Lost," it is going to be surprising, satisfying, emotional and action-packed all in one.
Abonnieren
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