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Countless ink has been spilled and millions of feet have been shot about living in Los Angeles, and how it feels like you’re always on the precipice of apocalypse. With what we’ve seen and lived through, this past week that feeling was all too real.

Almost everyone in LA knows someone who’s lost everything in the wildfires that cut through the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and elsewhere. Its heartening to see Angelenos come together to help each other through volunteering, mutual aid and donations, and heartbreaking to see the GoFundMe pages that have been created for family after family. Our hearts are with everyone who has been affected by the wildfires in LA and beyond.

Los Angeles is more than just our home; it is the heart of Film Independent. This community is a big part of who we are, and we stand by your side during these challenging times.

For those of us who have been here for a decade or two, it’s remarkable to consider both how much and how little the city of Los Angeles has changed over the years. There are still plenty of the old landmarks—the Hollywood Sign, Pink’s Hot Dogs, that dude who rollerblades around is white robes and plays guitar on the Venice boardwalk—while other, seemingly indestructible, institutions have tragically bitten the dust.

So! With local issues perpetually at the forefront of our mind this week, here now are ten films that remind us of life in Los Angeles during a very particular and only recently bygone era: the ’90s and early 2000s. These films are honest portrayals of what livin’ la vida loca LA-style is all about, whether they’re a glimpse into the lifestyles of the rich and famous, the realities of showbiz or struggles within SoCal’s toughest ‘hoods.

Success in the ’90s gave Robert Altman the opportunity to experiment once again. Several short stories by Raymond Carver interlock in a mosaic of Los Angeles populated by scores of actors in ensemble mode. Clocking in at three hours, Altman’s epic has all the time and space it needs.

Short Cuts

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 265

1993 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 187 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date October 18, 2016 / 39.95

Starring Andie MacDowell, Bruce Davison, Jack Lemmon, Julianne Moore,

Matthew Modine, Anne Archer, Fred Ward, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Chris Penn, Lili Taylor, Robert Downey Jr., Madeleine Stowe, Tim Robbins, Lily Tomlin, Tom Waits, Frances McDormand, Peter Gallagher, Annie Ross, Lori Singer, Lyle Lovett, Buck Henry, Huey Lewis, Margery Bond, Robert DoQui.

Cinematography Walt Lloyd

Production Designer Stephen Altman

Art Direction Jerry Fleming

Film Editors Suzy Elmiger, Geraldine Peroni

Original Music Gavin Friday, Mark Isham

Written by Robert Altman, Frank Barhydt from writings...

Fox has put in development High Wire, a drama series project from Kathleen “Bird” York (The West Wing) and producer Cary Brokaw (Angels in America). Written by York, High Wire centers on Nicole Mora, a 26-year-old fledgling aerialist who, after suffering the loss of both of her parents, decides to run off to join an innovative startup cirque. Working her way up from tent crew to trapeze artist (to eventually running an entire cirque franchise), Nicole will not only have…...

As Deadline reported late yesterday, Alec Baldwin has signed on as the star and executive producer of HBO's as-yet-untitled political drama. In the series, written by the award-winning Wells Tower, Baldwin plays Joe Byrne, an affluent real estate developer thrust into the spotlight when he becomes the mayor of New York City. Described by Deadline's Mike Fleming as an effort to "hit the tone of the lightest and most entertaining episodes of 'The Sopranos'," the series sounds like fresh competition for Netflix's "House of Cards," CBS' "The Good Wife," and ABC's "Scandal." For now, though, HBO, Baldwin, and Baldwin's co-executive producer, Cary Brokaw, have yet to decide on which director will helm the pilot. Toh! offers a few options for the premium network to consider: David Fincher David Fincher may have convinced himself that "The Girl Who Played with Fire," his follow up to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,...

30 Rock's Alec Baldwin is heading back to the small screen. Deadline is reporting that the actor will star in a new HBO series, and it is being written by Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned author Wells Tower. Baldwin is also executive producing the Universal Television project with Cary Brokaw. Baldwin will finally get to be the mayor of New York City on the currently untitled series as Joe Byrne, "a billionaire real estate developer philanthropist, and celebrated...

Alec Baldwin will play the mayor of New York City in a drama series that landed at HBO after a bidding war.

Baldwin will also executive-produce the project, which has a “put pilot” commitment at the pay cabler (meaning: it’d be expensive not to air it).

RelatedMarisa Tomei to Star as Gloria Steinem in HBO Miniseries From George Clooney

Per our sister site Deadline, Baldwin’s character, Joe Byrne, is a billionaire real estate developer and socialite/tabloid fixture who is he is enlisted to replace the incumbent mayor after tragedy strikes.

“He’s [Donald] Trump without the baggage,...

Alec Baldwin is headed back to TV. The 30 Rock veteran is set to star as a billionaire real estate developer, divorced father, philanthropist, society fixture and celebrated libertine who unexpectedly becomes mayor of New York City. After a heated bidding war, the hourlong entry has landed in development with a production commitment at HBO. Baldwin, who has been vocal about his own political ambitions in the past, will serve as an executive producer should it move forward. He'll be joined by writer/Ep Wells Tower (Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned) and Ep Cary Brokaw (The Player, Closer). The still-untitled project hails from

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Veteran TV executive and producer and writer J.J. Jamieson has been named head of production for South Shore Television, the U.S. joint venture of Grupo Televisa and Lionsgate. He will report to Televisa USA Chief Creative Officer Michael Garcia and Lionsgate Evp Television Chris Selak, who just re-upped her contract. Jamieson will focus on South Shore’s English-language drama, comedy, limited and alternative series projects and oversee the TV side of all overall talent production deals that include pacts with George Lopez’s Travieso Prods., Zoe Saldana’s Cinestar Prods. and Wilmer Valderrama’s Wv Enterprises. South Shore’s first series, a co-production with ABC Family, is drama series Chasing Life (pictured), based on a popular Televisa format, which premieres June 10. Most recently, Jamieson oversaw television for Bob Cooper’s Landscape Entertainment. He also ran the TV departments at Last Straw Prod., the Warner Bros.-based shingle he founded with actor-producer Anthony Lapaglia,...

Arc Entertainment has acquired all North American rights to Andrew Levitas’ ensemble drama.

Garrett Hedlund, Richard Jenkins, Amy Adams, Jessica Brown Findlay, Anne Archer, Terrence Howard, Jennifer Hudson and Jessica Barden star in the tale of a man who races to patch up differences with his dying, estranged father.

Cary Brokaw and Andrea Stone-Brokaw produced and Arc brokered the deal with Brokaw and CAA.

I participated in a Dreamago panel moderated by WGA-West VP and USC film writing prof and an artistic director at the Sundance Institute Wrting Labs, Howard Rodman.

Other panelists included Vince Fischer who, having been educated and working in Paris, Montreal, New York in business and advertising, event production, and creating the endorsement agency GlamCom which initiates deals between celebrities and products, such as he did with George Clooney and Nespresso, has gone on to create Artistic Alliance Eci which represents screenwriters, directors and actors with offices in Beijing, L.a. and Paris, to match people and projects abroad. Daniel Hsia, the writer/ director of Shanghai Calling, (Isa: Aldamisa) a U.S. - China co-production distributed in China by China Film Group and in So. Korea by Sookie and due to be released in Norht America in 2013 works with Janet Yang and is eager to do more co-productions in China though he admits to difficulties with censors, etc. You can see the trailer of Shanghai Calling here.

Neil Landau who wrote Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, the 3D animated feature Tad: The Lost Explores from Paramount which is the highest grossing animated film in Spain's history and the #1 Spanish box ofice movie of the year, is now working on its sequel and another animated feature by the same director. His latest screenplay is being produced by Cary Brokaw for Avenue Pictures (The Player, Closer, Angels in America). He is curretnly developing an original miniseries for HBO for the Russian Market and a crime drama for Sreda in Moscow.

Paula Manzanedo-Schmitt is VP of Film Finances Inc. the world leader in completion guarantees. She has been involved in more than 1,000 films and TV programs internationally and in U.S. She spoke of the various cross-cultural requisites in film production abroad.

The discussion centered around whether filmmakers could make a film without the notorioius interference of studios (they should all be so lucky as to have this problem). In other words, the panelists discussed their experiences making films with Russians and Chinese. All agreed that working abroad, and especially with international sales agents who also produce allows for greater freedom of vision (although in China the reward is writng so that China censorship does not interfere because one has written to their specifications). All agreed also that there is a certain cross-cultural divide one must discover in order to work effectively.

My suggestions for finding a way to create without corporate interferences are listed below:

** Coproduce with Canada who has the most coproduction treaties in the world, or go directly to producers or sales agents who do not rely on treaties.

** Work with international sales agents who produce international coproductions which include U.S., or with the producers of those films who now have established track records.

Take a look at Level K, Tine Klint's relatively new Danish company which is preselling films from U.K., Canada and Australia:

Not Another Happy Ending by Brit John McKay 33 Liberty Lane by Canadian Peter Hewitt The Turning by Australian Cate Blanchett and Robert Connelly starring Emily Watson The Last Ocean by New Zealander Peter Young

French sales agent Films Distribution is selling

Marina Zenovich's doc Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out which Showtime acquired for U.S. TV. Citadel from Ireland has sold to Cinedigm/ New Video for U.S. and Mongrel for Canada. 30 Beats from the U.S. sold to Roadside Attractions for U.S. and Codex Media And Advertising Corporation for Turkey.

Other French companies are doing likewise.

Studio Canal is selling

Liz Garbus' Love, Marilyn - though this was picked up complete at Tiff 12. Don Mazer's I Give It A Year from the U.K. and produced by Tim Bevan. It began presales in Cannes.

Celluloid Dreams is selling

Greetings From Tim Buckley--U.S.-Tiff 12 Special Presentations World Premiere - Director: Daniel Algrant The Comedian a U.K. comedy by Tom Shkolnik Francis Ha - U.S. - Tiff 12. by Noah Baumbach Satellite Boy - Australia The Conspiracy - U.K.

Snd is preselling The Love Punch an English language French comedy

Wild Bunch is selling

Blood Ties written by James Gray, directed by Guillaume Canet, Cast : Billy Crudup, Clive Owen, Marion Cottillard, Mila Kunis, Zoe Saldana, Producers: Alain Attal (Les Productions du Tresor), Hugo Selignac, John Lesher.

This very American sotry takes place in New York, 1974. Chris Pierzynski has just been released after years in prison for his part in a gangland murder. Waiting reluctantly outside the prison gates is his younger brother, Frank, a cop with a bright future. Chris and Frank have always been different, and their father, who raised them alone, has always favored Chris - despite all his troubles. Frank has known this since they were kids, and it eats at him like nothing else.

It has presold to Belgium-Lumière, Scandinvia -Scanbox Entertainment, Netherlands-Lumiere, Romania-Independenta Film, Switzerland-Frenetic Films, Turkey-Codex Media, Ukraine Top Film Distribution

Maniac by Franck Khalfoun U.S. English Horror, Writers : Alexandre Aja, Gregory Levasseur, Cast : Elijah Wood, Nora Arnezeder, America Olivo, Producers : Thomas Langmann (La Petite Reine), Alexandre Aja. It has presold to Germany -Ascot Elite, Japan - Comstock Only God Forbids by Nicolas Winding Refn from Denmark, in English has been selliing since Berlin 2012 and has sold to Bulgaria-A Plus Films Ltd., Germany-Tiberius Film Gmbh & Co. Kg, Hungary-Budapest Film (Distributor), Hungary-Mtva, Italy-Italian International Film, Korea (South)-Daisy & Cinergy Entertainment, Poland-Gutek Film Ltd, Romania-Independenta Film, Turkey-Calinos Films

Global Screen (Germany) has many English language films, some originating from U.S. and English speaking countries and others from non-English speaking countries.

• No Place on Earth (The Cave) by Emmy Award winning director Janet Tobias a U.S., U.K., German co-production. the doc tells the longest recorded underground survival story in human history, when 5 Jewish families descended into a pitch black cave to escape the Nazis for 511 days.

Hungaricom Ltd (Hungary) has the English language animated comedy feature The Secret of Moonacre and Immigrants - L.A. Dolce Vita both produced by Arlene Klasky, Gabor Csupo, and Gabor Kalomista, a Los Angeles based company with Hungarian born principals. The synopsis of Immigrants is worth repeating: More people immigrate to America than to all other countries in the whole world combined. Why? Is it because they love hot dogs and hamburgers? Or because they want to meet Snoop Dogg or have a close encounter with Pamela Anderson? Maybe. But the real reason is – immigrants go to the U.S. to chase the American dream. Immigrants is the story of Vladislav (a Russian), and Joska (a Hungarian). Both are immigrants and best friends, living and chasing the American dream together. Vlad has a daughter, Ana, who’s adapting to life in America at the speed of light, while her dad is in complete culture shock. They stay at the Vista del Mar, an apartment complex run by an old failed actress, Greta Knight, who is always after Vlad for sexual favors. The building is home to immigrants from all over the world: Flaco, a friend from Mexico; Mr. Chea, who runs a Chinese family restaurant; Nazim, a former Pakistani nuclear scientist who drives a tour bus; and Mr. Splits, an old black pimp. We follow Vlad and Joska in their adventures… through their encounter with the American capitalist company Glut-co, through their attempt to open a Russian/Hungarian restaurant, and as their friendship is put in jeopardy when they hit the L.A. night scene. All the while Vlad is looking for a way to make a life for himself and his daughter; and Joska… well, Joska is mainly looking for women.

If Niel Landau's adventures in Russia appeal to you, but you don't have the connections there, visit Rosskino and the L.A. based Eleonora Granata Russian Film Commissioner or produce in Russia through international sales agents which were founded by Russian-Americans who know both cultures such as Aldamisa (where longtime Disney acquisitons VP Jere Hausfater is now looking for projects), 108 Media who has Myn Bala the Kazahkistan submission for Best Foreign Language Academy Award nomination is Canadian owned, or Red Sea, all of whom are Russian – American and/ or Canadian owned.

Singapore is looking for Looking for copros and Icon has stepped up to the plate with James Wan Presents House of Horrors, an English language U.S. horror film now in pre-productions. In the aftermath of a horrific massacre, lead Detective, Mark Lewis, and the police department’s psychologist, Dr. Elizabeth Klein, question a suspect for the brutal murder of five college students. This has been preselling at Cannes 2012 (Line up), Afm 2011, Cannes 2011 and Berlin Efm 2012. Directed by Javier Guttierrez, written by James Wan and Max La Bella it will be distributed in Singapore by Cathay.

British companies are also packaging and preselling U.S. films:

Content is selling American indies 96 Minutes, Hick, Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence In The House Of God by Alex Gibney

Stealth Indie (Michael Cowan) is selling two U.S. indies, Crave and The Giant Mechanical Man

Bankside has a deal with New York based Killer Films for Innocence, now in post. This thriller is a modern-gothic vampire story where a recently bereaved teenage girl finds herself the focus of everyone’s attention at her elitist private school where life is steeped in tradition and ceremony.It has been preselling this at Afm 2011 and 2012, Toronto and Cannes 2011 and it has presold to Le Pacte for France, Videovision for So. Africa, Umut Sanat Filmcilik for Turkey, Shooting Stars for UAE.

Ealing Metro is preselling

Nina directed and written by Cynthia Mort, a U.S. production, a biopic about Nina Simone, a tormented genius who eventually finds love and peace. Produced by Barnaby Thompson, Stuart Parr, Mark Burton and Ben Latham Jones, it has presold since Toronto 2011 to Orlando for Israel, Entertainment One for Benelux, Cinesky has U.S. Better Living Through Chemistry directed and written by David Posamentier, a U.S. comedy now in post-production.A straight-laced pharmacist's uneventful life spirals out of control when he starts an affair with a dangerously seductive customer who takes him on a joyride with explosive consequenses involving sex, drugs and possibly murder. Starring Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Michelle Monaghan and Ray Liotta, produced by Felipe Marino, Joe Neurater and Keith Calder, it has presold to Metro Pictures of India. Bailout is being presold. One morning Matt Prior wakes up to find himself jobless, crippled with debt, convinced his wife is having an affair and six days away from losing his home. Bailout is a hysterical, heartfelt tale of how we can reach the edge of ruin and begin to make our way back.

Salt is preselling Welcome to the Jungle, a U.S. comedy directed by Rob Meltzer, written by Jeff Kauffman, produced by Justin Kanew and Luillo Ruiz and starring Adam Brody, Dennis Haysbert, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kristen Schaal, Megan Boone and Rob Huebel. A group of co-workers including Chris (Adam Brody) get stranded on a desert island when their nutty teambuilding coach (Jean Claude Van Damme) is mauled by a wild cougar. in the spirit of "lost in the wilderness" comedies such as Tropic Thunder and workplace comedies like The Office, Welcome to the Jungle is a rare beast in today's market: a comedy that delivers on the laughs - both the high and the lowbrow. It has already presold to Front Row for the Middle East.

Westend is preselling Joe which will start shooting this month be delivered in 2013. It is to be directed by David Gordon Green, produced by lisa Muskat and stars Nicholas Cage. Joe is the story of a man who becomes the unlikeliest of role models to 15-year-old Gary Jones, the oldest child of a family ruled by a worthless father. Together they try to find a path to redemption and the hope for a better life in the rugged, dirty world of a small Southern town. Joe is the story of the last hold-out of the cowboy age, when it was okay to shoot up a bar room or tell a lady what to do.

“Tracking Shot” is a monthly featurette here on Ioncinema.com that looks at a dozen or so projects that are moments away from lensing and with June being a major production month we’ve got a slew of projects that we feel are worth signaling out. Music appears to be a common narrative theme surrounding several items – we find it infused in Once‘s John Carney’s U.S. production debut – a 10 million dollar production about a dejected music business executive forms a bond with a young singer-songwriter new to Manhattan. Scarlett Johansson was formerly attached to Can a Song Save Your Life?, now Knightley appears to be on board. Rock documentary filmmaker Stephen Kijak (Stones in Exile) is looking to make his second fictional feature based on the true story of a The Smiths fans who lost his bearings when the group announced its break-up. Shoplifters of the World...

Cannes -- Acclaimed fine artist Andrew Levitas has found his cast for comedy-drama Lullaby. Garrett Hedlund, Richard Jenkins, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jennifer Hudson, Terrence Howard and Amy Adams are set to star in the film, which Mimi Steinbauer's Radiant Films International is shopping to foreign buyers at the Cannes film market. Photos: Cannes 2012: Competition Lineup Features 'Cosmopolis,' 'Moonrise Kingdom,' 'Killing Them Softly' The cast was announced by Steinbauer and Lullaby producers Andrea Stone-Brokaw of Ananta Productions and Cary Brokaw of Avenue Pictures. Media House Capital and Three Point Capital are co-financing Lullaby, with Aaron L.

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Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy, Country Strong, and the upcoming  On The Road and Inside Llewyn Davis), Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Jessica Brown Findlay (PBS. .Downton Abbey.), Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), Oscar nominee Terrence Howard and three-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams (The Fighter) will star in acclaimed fine artist Andrew Levitas. comedy/drama Lullaby. It was announced today by Mimi Steinbauer, President and CEO of Radiant Films International, and producers Andrea Stone-Brokaw of Ananta Productions and Cary Brokaw (The Player, Short Cuts, Angels In America, Closer) of Avenue Pictures. Radiant Films will be offering the film to international buyers of the Cannes Film Market.

Levitas will direct the feature film from his own script which is set to start shooting in June 2012 in New York City. The Producers are in discussion with several domestic distributors but the North American rights have not been licensed.

Filled with considerable comedic beats,...

Veteran sales agent Mimi Steinbauer is venturing out on her own, launching Radiant Films International. The company will make its debut next month at the European Film Market in Berlin. Steinbauer will shop two projects to foreign buyers, artist Andrew Levitas' feature directorial debut Lullaby and Tom Shadyac's documentary I Am. Story: 2012 European Film Market Already Sold Out Levitas, who also wrote the screenplay, is set to start shooting Lullaby in the spring. Andrea Stone-Brokaw and Cary Brokaw (The Player, Angels in America) are producing the movie, about a man who learns that his ill father, from whom

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TV bosses behind Jimmy Smits' canceled drama series "Outlaw" are facing legal action from an attorney who alleges he pitched a similar idea to executives at the NBC network in 2007. Lawyer Larry Klayman claims to have joined forces with producer Cary Brokaw, former "L.A. Law" writer John Romano and Fox Television Studios executive Dave Madden to meet with NBC bosses to discuss the idea of a show based on a crusading attorney.

Klayman alleges "Outlaw", which starred Smits as a Supreme Court Justice starting up his own law firm, was based on his concept and insists he even suggested the same name. He is now considering taking legal action over the allegations, telling the New York Daily News, "I'm going to try to negotiate first, (but) I wouldn't be Larry Klayman if I didn't bring a lawsuit."

Outlaw was axed earlier this month after just weeks on-air amid declining ratings.

TV bosses behind Jimmy Smits' cancelled drama series Outlaw are facing legal action from an attorney who alleges he pitched a similar idea to executives at the NBC network in 2007.

Lawyer Larry Klayman claims to have joined forces with producer Cary Brokaw, former L.A. Law writer John Romano and Fox Television Studios executive Dave Madden to meet with NBC bosses to discuss the idea of a show based on a crusading attorney.

Klayman alleges Outlaw, which starred Smits as a Supreme Court Justice starting up his own law firm, was based on his concept and insists he even suggested the same name.

He is now considering taking legal action over the allegations, telling the New York Daily News, "I'm going to try to negotiate first, (but) I wouldn't be Larry Klayman if I didn't bring a lawsuit."

Outlaw was axed earlier this month after just weeks on-air amid declining ratings.

Paradise Now director, Hany Abu-Assad is creating quite a cast. His next feature, The Courier, stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen) and boasts a supporting cast of Til Schwieger (Inglorious Basterds) and as of today – The Wrestler’s Mickey Rourke. [The Wrap].

Penned by Wanted screenwriters, Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, The Courier follows Morgan as he attempts to deliver a mysterious briefcase to an infamous crime boss while being chased by dirty cops, traitorous feds and a bevy of colorful characters from the criminal underworld.

Arclight Films is financing what’s sure to be a testosterone free-for-all, while Cary Brokaw (Closer) produces with Morgan taking on executive producer duties for the first time. The film is set to shoot in New Orleans later this month.

Are you pumped up for The Courier?

You can e-mail Kristy, follow her on Twitter or check out her production blog. And you can keep up with...

Previous: Fox TV Studios Prez Emiliano Calemzuk Named CEO Of Shine Group Americas Los Angeles – August 16, 2010 – David Madden has been named President of Fox Television Studios, it was announced today by Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Chairmen of Twentieth Century Fox Television, to whom Madden reports. Madden succeeds Emiliano Calemzuk who recently stepped down from his position. Formerly Evp at FtvS, Madden has overseen Creative Development and Production at the studio, and has been responsible for an array of successful series, including the USA hits Burn Notice and White Collar, A&E’s The Glades, Saving Grace for TNT and the long-running, Emmy-winning The Shield for FX. He also oversees the new series The Good Guys for Fox, The Gates for ABC, Persons Unknown for NBC, Lights Outs for FX, as well as FX’s pilot (a co-production with FX Productions) Outlaw Country, and the recently announced The Killing for AMC.

Watchmen’s Jeffrey Dean Morgan has committed to star in the title of The Courier, an action film directed by Paradise Now helmer Hany Abu-Assad. Production is set to start next month in New Orleans. Arclight Films is financing. Morgan will also be executive producer. Script’s by 3:10 to Yuma team Derek Haas and Michael Brandt, and Morgan plays a courier who has taken on improbable missions and never missed a drop. He’s hired to deliver a briefcase to a notorious underworld figure that can’t be found. The courier finds himself pursued by corrupt cops, double-crossing feds and rival crime bosses. Cary Brokaw is producing. Morgan moves to the action film after he completes the Bruce Beresford-directed Peace, Love and Misunderstanding with Catherine Keener and Jane Fonda. He recently wrapped the Ami Canaan Mann-directed The Fields with Sam Worthington, as well as Red Dawn and...

Keith Arem, talent director of the Activision Blizzard video game "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," which has now grossed a gargantuan $3 billion, is set to make his feature directing debut with the action-thriller "Frost Road" which he wrote. Additionally, Arem is developing a companion graphic novel to go alongside co-creator Brandon Humphreys as well as artist Christopher Shy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Frost Road" focuses on the survivors and victims of an invisible contagion in a small coastal Eastern town. Avenue Pictures' Cary Brokaw ("Angels in America") is producing with Steven L'Heureux of Solipsist Films, in association with Arem's Pcb Productions.

If there's one thing I love, it's good old fashioned conspiracy theories. Nothing like making a bunch of stuff up to make yourself feel better and give those around you a reason to think you're even more insane than they had imagined.Two stories broke today that have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Or do they?First up, is the so not news of a director not doing a movie he was never attached to direct in the first place. Huh? The trades has more:Paul Greengrass has opted out of helming another installment of Universal Pictures' successful Jason Bourne franchise, and Matt Damon's participation is not sealed. That's a blow for the studio looking to assemble another sequel to one of its most important franchises, but hardly a fatal one. Hollywood's top franchises, including the long-running James Bond series and Warner Bros.' Batman pics,...

The record-breaking success of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has elevated the video game's director to the ranks of film. Keith Arem will direct Frost Road, described as an action-thriller by Variety. Arem also wrote the screenplay for the movie and is developing the story as a graphic novel along with the property's co-creator, Brandon Humphreys.

"[I'm] thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the skills I've honed in the game industry to the big screen," said the game guy to Variety. "There's an incredible talent pool currently working in the game industry, and I hope that the success of Frost Road will give other creators the chance to show what they can do on a wider canvas." It's cool that he gave a shout out to the rest of the digital creative slogging it through the video game trenches.

Cary Brokaw (The Resident, Closer), Arem and Steven L'Heureux are producing.

Now here's a switch -- instead of turning a video game into a movie, a heralded video game director has been tapped to direct a feature film, and he's even written the script himself!

According to Variety Keith Arem, director of Activision Blizzard's blockbuster sequel 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2' will make his feature directing bow on 'Frost Road', an action thriller that Cary Brokaw (Hammer Films' The Resident) will produce along with Steven L'Heureux. Brokaw will produce through his Avenue Pictures shingle, while L'Heureux will work through his Solipsist Films.

Arem (whose gaming credits also include Lord of the Rings, Spider-Man, Rainbow Six, Silent Hill, Prince of Persia, Guitar Hero, and more) will co-produce through his Pcb Productions, and in addition to writing the script, he and Brandon Humphreys are developing the project as a graphic novel with Christopher Shy illustrating.

[The] project revolves around a young man who...

Video games are bigger than movies (that's just a fact for ya), but does that mean the designers of a game are able to handle getting behind the camera for a movie? We'll find out soon as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 vid game director Keith Arem is about to play guinea pig with Frost Road, an action thriller with some post-apocalyptic themes. Read on for details and drop in your thoughts on a game director taking on a big budget feature film. Activision Blizzard is generating critical raves and blockbuster sales for "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," and the success of the videogame is rubbing off on its director Keith Arem. Arem will make his feature directing bow on "Frost Road," an action thriller that Cary Brokaw ("Closer," "Angels in America") will produce along with Steven L'Heureux.

Keith Arem, director of Activision Blizzard's popular video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, will make his feature directorial debut on Frost Road, an action thriller that Cary Brokaw (Closer) will produce along with Steven L'Heureux. The film will tell the story of a small coastal Eastern town which is suddenly and inexplicably devastated by an invisible contagion. A young man awakens from a car accident to discover he is one of few survivors in the aftermath of a mysterious outbreak. Somehow immune, he tries to save the remaining survivors from themselves, as he desperately struggles to prevent the deadly wave from spreading across the entire planet. Years ago I thought that the next generation of feature film directors would be plucked out of music videos (Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Mark Romanek) but in these post Napster/Mtv times, that no longer seems to be the big training ground that...

Keith Arem is heading to the front lines.

The talent director of the record-breaking Activision Blizzard video game "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," which has now grossed $3 billion, will make his feature directing debut with the action-thriller "Frost Road." Arem also wrote the script and is developing a companion graphic novel with co-creator Brandon Humphreys and artist Christopher Shy.

"Frost Road" concerns the survivors and victims of an invisible contagion in a small coastal Eastern town.

Cary Brokaw's Avenue Pictures ("Angels in America") is producing with Steven L'Heureux's Solipsist Films, in association with Arem's Pcb Productions.

"I'm extremely excited about this story," said Arem, "and thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the skills I've honed in the game industry to the big screen. There's an incredible talent pool currently working in the game industry, and I hope that the success of 'Frost Road' will give other creators the...

Brad Anderson has signed on to direct the film adaptation of “The Living And The Dead,” a graphic novel by writers Todd Livingston & Robert Tinnell and artist Micah Farritor.

Anderson—perhaps best known for his work on “The Machinist” and “Session 9”—has more recently left his mark on TV by directing several episodes of “Fringe.” He is currently directing the horror/thriller “Vanishing on 7th Street” with Hayden Christensen and Thandie Newton.

Mania is reporting that Anderson will direct “The Living And The Dead” for Solipsist Films. Livingston & Tinnell have also written the screenplay adaptation of their graphic novel.

Originally released in 2005 by Speakeasy comics, “The Living And The Dead” takes place in nineteenth century Europe and focuses on a perverse madman who lures his victims to be tortured and killed as part of his twisted “performance art.”

MTV News caught up with “The Living And The Dead” co-writer Robert Tinnell,...

London -- New look, new investment but a familiar face for Hammer Films, one of the U.K.'s oldest production labels, as Christopher Lee joins the cast of the reinvigorated company's latest project.

Lee has signed up to star alongside double Oscar winner Hilary Swank and Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Antti J. Jokinen's directorial debut, "Invasion of Privacy," previously titled "The Resident."

Backed by Exclusive Media Group, the parent company for both Hammer Films and Spitfire Pictures, the film reunites Lee, who starred in a slew of horror pictures in the 1960s and 1970s made by Hammer Productions.

The new Hammer is a very different undertaking as part of Exclusive, which in turn is backed by the strategic investment group Cyrte Investments.

Exclusive Film Distribution, which debuted to buyers during this year's European Film Market in Berlin will be selling the movie during the upcoming Marche du Film.

Adrien Brody will be pursued by cops and crime bosses as the title character in "The Courier," an action tale that Russell Mulcahy will direct for Arclight Films.

The screenplay by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, the team that also contributed to "Wanted" and "3:10 to Yuma," centers on a daredevil courier trying to deliver a briefcase to an underworld figure who can't be found.

The production, scheduled to begin filming in January in Louisiana and Las Vegas, will be produced by Dan Grodnick, Arclight managing director Gary Hamilton, Tucker Tooley, Vincent Newman and Arclight's new head of production, Mike Gabrawy. Exec producers are Cary Brokaw, Brody and Al Munteanu.

Arclight will handle worldwide sales and distribution, with president of sales and acquisitions Pascal Borno offering the film at next month's American Film Market.

Brody, who most recently appeared in "The Darjeeling Limited," next appears in "The Brothers Bloom."...

Following his acclaimed stint on FX's The Shield, Oscar winner Forest Whitaker is reteaming with the cable network and the show's producer Fox TV Studios.

Whitaker is set to direct and executive produce a drama series project for FX. Also exec producing the untitled project, described as Sopranos set in the world of arms dealers, are Emmy-winning longform producer Cary Brokaw and veteran drama writer-producer Eric Overmyer.

The untitled project, now in development, is being penned by Jeremy Martin and Matthew Donlan, with Overmyer supervising the writing. Martin and Donlan will also serve as producers. FtvS, which produces The Shield with Sony Pictures TV, is on board to produce.

The FX project marks Whitaker's first major TV commitment since his recurring role on The Shield as ambitious internal affairs Detective Jon Kavanaugh.

Whitaker won a best actor Oscar this year for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. His upcoming features include Vintage Point, Winged Creatures and The Night Watchman. He is repped by WMA and the Collective's Jeff Golenberg.

Simon Baker will star in Sex and Death 101, Daniel Waters' dark comedy being produced by Cary Brokaw's Avenue Pictures and Sandbar Pictures. The story follows a man (Baker) whose life is upended by a mysterious e-mail containing the names of every woman he has had sex with and, eerily, every woman he will have sex with in the future. Waters, who wrote Heathers and Batman Returns, penned the script and is directing. Avenue and Sandbar are financing. Brokaw is producing with Sandbar's Lizzie Friedman and Greg Little. Avenue exec vp Aaron Craig Geller, who brought in the project, is serving as executive producer. A mid-May shoot in Vancouver is being targeted. Baker, repped by ICM and Untitled, last starred in the romantic comedy Something New, George A. Romero's Land of the Dead and in CBS' The Guardian. He next appears in The Devil Wears Prada.

The Company, a spy thriller that was originally being developed for the big screen, has landed at TNT in the form of a six-hour limited series from Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, John Calley and Cary Brokaw. A TNT spokesperson confirmed that the project -- based on Robert Littell's book The Company: A Novel of the CIA, which mixes real-life and fictional characters in a story centering on U.S. intelligence -- is in development at the cable network. The project is said to trace the activities of the CIA during a 40-year span, beginning with the Cold War through the demise of the Soviet Union.

Plucked from those famous Miramax/Dimension deep shelves at the eleventh hour, Mindhunters arrives in North American theaters a couple of years after its initial planned release date.

Having already played in a number of overseas territories, the British/Dutch/Finnish-American co-production can't help but carry a certain DVD-ready stigma, and that's probably where it will be doing its greatest business in this neck of the woods.

While the premise is intriguing -- a group of young FBI profilers is being systematically and gruesomely eliminated during what is supposed to be an elaborate training exercise -- director Renny Harlin's take on Agatha Christie's versatile Ten Little Indians is total B-movie swagger in all its unsubtle glory.

Taken for what it is, along with the clunky dialogue, cardboard-cutout characterizations and eardrum-pounding orchestral blasts, the picture is not without its occasional cheap thrills, which should prove to be more cost-effective in the form of a video store rental.

After an audience-tease of a prologue, Mindhunters gets down to the business of plopping its group of FBI Investigative Support Unit would-be profilers in the middle of a remote island that looks like a Main Street USA studio backlot that has seriously gone to seed (it actually was filmed in the Netherlands).

It is there that leader Rafe Perry (Val Kilmer) has orchestrated a murder scene simulation of a final exam designed to weed out the weaker links, but it quickly becomes apparent that the theoretical serial killer they're attempting to profile is the real thing, and, with each subsequent murder, it's looking more and more like the perpetrator is among them.

Although the script, credited to Wayne Kramer and Kevin Brodbin, works overtime attempting to evoke early John Carpenter, some of the nasty demises, no matter how illogical, have their seriously twisted allure, and while Harlin amps everything up to the extreme, the results are at least livelier than his version of Exorcist: The Beginning, which he took on after Mindhunters.

The cast -- also including Christian Slater (sharing the name J.D. with his Heathers character), LL Cool J, Kathryn Morris, Jonny Lee Miller, Eion Bailey and Clifton Collins Jr. -- do what they can with the hokey dialogue until visual effects supervisor Brian M. Jennings gets around to creatively putting them out of their misery.

Mindhunters

Dimension Films

Dimension Films and Intermedia present an Outlaw production An Avenue Pictures production in association with Weed Road Pictures

Credits:

Director: Renny Harlin

Screenwriters: Wayne Kramer and Kevin Brodbin

Story by: Wayne Kramer

Producers: Jeffrey Silver, Bobby Newmyer, Cary Brokaw, Rebecca Spikings

Executive producers: Moritz Borman, Guy East, Nigel Sinclair, Renny Harlin

Director of photography: Robert Gantz

Production designer: Charles Wood

Editors: Paul Martin Smith, Neil Farrell

Costume designer: Louise Frogley

Music: Tuomas Kantelinen

Cast:

Gabe Jensen: James Todd Smith a k a LL Cool J

Lucas Harper: Jonny Lee Miller

Sara Moore: Kathryn Morris

Nicole Willis: Patricia Velasquez

Vince Sherman: Clifton Collins Jr

Bobby Whitman: Eion Bailey

Rafe Perry: Will Kemp

Jake Harris: Val Kilmer

J.D. Reston: Christian Slater

MPAA rating R

Running time -- 106 minutes...

HBO's epic miniseries Angels in America and BBC America's offbeat comedy The Office took center stage Sunday in the TV portion of the 61st annual Golden Globes. Mike Nichols' painstaking six-hour dissection of Reagan-era America in the AIDS-themed Angels in America swept the longform categories with a total of five wins, including best miniseries or TV movie, lead actress for Meryl Streep, and lead actor for Al Pacino. Director and executive producer Nichols was in London, so Angels in America executive producer Cary Brokaw accepted the award for best miniseries or TV movie. "We'd like to acknowledge all the scientists, organizations and individuals fighting (AIDS)," Brokaw said. "We can all do more because AIDS can and will be defeated." Meanwhile, the British mockumentary comedy series The Office was the surprise winner for best comedy series and best comedy actor for Ricky Gervais. The Office became the first foreign-produced show to win a Golden Globe. Sunday also was a big night for the Fox drama 24, which, two years after landing its first Golden Globe for star Kiefer Sutherland, added a second statuette for best drama series.

Zuleikha Robinson is set to star opposite Al Pacino in Arclight Films' adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Principal photography begins late fall in Venice, Italy, and Luxembourg with Michael Radford directing from his own screenplay, which is set in 16th century Venice. Robinson will play Jessica, daughter of Shylock (Pacino). Ian McKellen and Joseph Fiennes also star. Merchant is being produced by Avenue CEO Cary Brokaw, Spice Factory co-managing director Michael Cowan, Barry Navidi and Jason Piette. Robinson next stars opposite Viggo Mortensen in the Walt Disney Co.'s $90 million epic Hidalgo, which is slated for a March release. Additional credits include Mike Figgis' Time Code and Chris Carter's Fox drama series The Lone Gunmen. She is represented by the Gersh Agency.