Beauty of Decay TV Series Co-Director Matt Eskandari Product. Selected by Cannes for Second Time; Lionsgate / Grindstone to release his film, ‘Game of Assassins’- Featured in Variety Magazine

Beauty of Decay TV Series (Website here: www.BeautyOfDecay.org) Co-Director Matt Eskandari Production Featured in Cannes for Second Time;  Lionsgate Home Entertainment will release his film, ‘Game of Assassins’- Featured in Variety Magazine and More

 

 

 

 CANNES: Lionsgate/Grindstone Nabs Eskandari’s ‘Game of Assassins’ (EXCLUSIVE)
by Elsa Keslassy

International Correspondent@elsakeslassy

PARIS– Grindstone Entertainment has acquired all U.S. rights to Matt Eskandari’s action/horror pic “Game of Assassins” (formerly titled “The Gauntlet”).
The action/horror film stars Bai Ling (“Crank”), Warren Kole (“The Following”) and Dustin Nguyen (“21 Jump St”).
Lionsgate Home Entertainment will release the film, which premiered at Screamfest in October, on all media platforms.

Co-financed by Chinese film production partners and shot in Beijing, “Assassins” follows five strangers who awake in an underground, medieval dungeon.

It’s produced by Wellington Sun, Daniel Wei, Jonathan Shih, Matt Eskandari and Adam Lawson.
“We were impressed by the production value of the film and its intricate and well told story,” said Stan Wertlieb, Grindstone Entertainment’s head of acquisitions. “The filmmakers did a great job balancing action, suspense, and horror with unique real life-characters, something we are always on the lookout for in genre fare.”

Ryan Black and Stan Wertlieb of Grindstone Entertainment brokered the deal with Patrick Ewald and Shaked Berenson of Epic Pictures negotiating on behalf of the producers.

Matt was also feeatured in several independent publications as seen here and below:

Lionsgate/Grindstone Play ‘Game of Assassins’

Grindstone Entertainment has acquired all US rights to Game of Assassins (formerly titled The Gauntlet) directed by Matt Eskandari, Bloody Disgusting can report.
We now have a few exclusive images from the action/horror film featuring international stars Bai Ling (Crank), Warren Kole (The Following) and Dustin Nguyen of 21 Jump St.
You’ll also find an early trailer for the film to be released through Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
“The story follows five strangers who awake in an underground, medieval dungeon and must organize together for the sinister adventure that awaits.“
The pic was co-financed by Chinese film production partners and shot in Beijing. It is produced by Wellington Sun, Daniel Wei, Jonathan Shih, Matt Eskandari and Adam Lawson, with a script by Lawson.
The feature, unveiled at Screamfest last October, has gone on to garner numerous awards including Best Director and Best Picture accolades across the festival circuit.

January Jones Interviews Joe Pepitone, Writer of The Jersey Devil and co-writer of The Beauty of Decay TV Series

THE JERSEY DEVIL TO BE RELEASED OCTOBER 27TH! Award-winning comedy film to be available on DVD and download. "The Jersey Devil" is directed by two-time New York Emmy winner Joseph Pepitone ("Stuck in the Middle"). Written by, Joseph Pepitone and Billy Pepitone. Joe discusses his career as a writer, director and producer in a light, humorous interview sharing all the good, the bad and the ugly.. www.facebook.com/jerseydevilmovie To entire video is found here. Joseph Pepitone is also one of the many writers working to make The Beauty of Decay an amazing production.

Runners vs. Zombies in Roanoke, West Virginia

Western Virginia Regional Jail, in cooperation with Roanoke County Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, with media support from Fox 21/27 and The CW5, present “Roanoke Zombie 5k” at Roanoke County’s Green Hill Park on Oct. 4.

The race begins at 10 a.m. and is a fundraiser for Special Olympics Virginia and all net proceeds will go directly to them. Special Olympics Virginia provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in an Olympic setting for individuals with disabilities in 14 different sports arenas. More importantly, Special Olympics is about people. It is helping create a world of respect, inclusion and unity.

Zombie Run is a 5K obstacle fun run for the end of times. But you’re not just running against the clock you are running from flesh-eating, virus-spreading, bloody zombies. Participants will use speed, agility and their intact brains to overcome obstacles and avoid flesh-eating zombies. Before the race, you will be given a flag belt. These flags represent your health. The zombies want to take your flags and maybe eat your brains. If you lose all your health flags, you die. And the zombies win.

Read more

Aubrey Plaza Discusses 'Life After Beth'

I'm somewhere near Topanga Canyon, in an Alice in Wonderland-themed bar, drinking Chimay with an extraordinary woman who tells me she dreamed of becoming a ballerina as a child, but her parents couldn't afford ballet lessons. I feel my heart fall out of my chest and shatter on the barroom floor. I wish there was something I could do to alter the past, but since there's not, I buy her another drink. You do what you can.
AC/DC's "Back in Black" blares, and the subject changes.

I rave about Aubrey Plaza, saying she's "one of Hollywood's most intriguing and gifted comedic actresses" and mentioning that I'll soon be writing about her and her new film Life After Beth, a deranged romantic comedy in which Aubrey drops dead and then returns to life as a zombie who listens to smooth jazz and resumes a relationship with her now totally freaked out boyfriend. Aubrey Plaza -- sardonic scene stealer on NBC's smash sitcom Parks and Recreation and in films including Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Safety Not Guaranteed and Judd Apatow's Funny People -- is enough of a reason to watch any film, but in case you need more, Life After Beth also offers stellar and enjoyable performances from Dane DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Paul Reiser, Cheryl Hines, Matthew Gray Gubler and Anna Kendrick. There's even a wacky cameo by lovable show biz demigod Garry Marshall.

Read more

Shark Week Presents Shark Attack Horror Films

Even if you live in a pineapple under the sea or threw your television out the window in a drunken fit of rage one night a few weeks ago, you're likely aware that we're currently balls deep into Shark Week...

...Discovery's Channel's annual celebration of those underwater beasties who once upon a time turned a man by the name of Quint into a bucket of human chum.

I don't think you need me to tell you that this week is the absolute perfect week to revisit Jaws and other shark attack films, but in the event that you do, allow me to provide that service for you.

Read more

Horror Fans Get Asked to Crowdfund Killer Clown Film

Rob Zombie is no stranger to horror films. He's written and produced plenty including "House of 1000 Corpses," "The Devil's Rejects," and, of course, the "Halloween" series. But until now, Zombie has been a stranger to using crowdfunding to make his films.

That changed recently with his launch of RZ-31, a site on the FanBacked.com platform that seeks funding to help the metal rocker/director bring his next "fast-paced, mean dirty film for those who like it rough" to the big screen.

"I'm crowd funding because I realize that it's an incredible opportunity to engage the fans," Zombie said in a video on the site. "They've always been the most important thing for me because, with metal and horror, the fans aren't just fans -- it's their life, their lifestyle. They live and breathe it, as I do, and any way that you can bring the people that are as passionate about it as you are into the process is a win-win for everybody"

Read more

Hollywood Goes for another Zombie Movie

 

Hearing the news that someone is making a movie about one of your favorite books can cause mixed feelings.
“I know it will be great!” or “I know they will mess it up.”

I had high expectations for “World War Z” (2013).

“World War Z”, by Max Brooks, read like a journalist’s account of a zombie apocalypse. The journalist interviewed many survivors from different countries about how they survived.

I thought the obvious choice would be to make a documentary-style movie, similar to “Cloverfield.”

Instead, the movie producers made another regular zombie movie and glanced over interesting details Brooks created in the book.

It’s interesting to think about zombies freezing in subzero temperatures, then reading about characters migrating north and battling hunger.

Read more