Exclusive: Disney Television Animation, the division responsible for series including Monsters at Work and Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends, is staffing up.
The business has hired former Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox Animation exec Lisa Fragner and promoted Elizabeth Waybright Taylor.
Fragner, who has been consulting with Disney Television Animation since April, officially became VP Development this month. She has been tasked with bolstering the animation studio’s content slate for Disney+.
Based in New York, she reports to Emily Hart, SVP Animation Development, Disney Branded Television.
Fragner was previously VP and Head of Development ay Disney’s Blue Sky Studios, where she worked on feature films including Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who. She also secured the rights to several feature film properties for 20th Century Fox Animation and Fox Family feature divisions including the animated Confessions of...
The business has hired former Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox Animation exec Lisa Fragner and promoted Elizabeth Waybright Taylor.
Fragner, who has been consulting with Disney Television Animation since April, officially became VP Development this month. She has been tasked with bolstering the animation studio’s content slate for Disney+.
Based in New York, she reports to Emily Hart, SVP Animation Development, Disney Branded Television.
Fragner was previously VP and Head of Development ay Disney’s Blue Sky Studios, where she worked on feature films including Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who. She also secured the rights to several feature film properties for 20th Century Fox Animation and Fox Family feature divisions including the animated Confessions of...
- 11/22/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
In 1998, while I was living with my parents in New Jersey, Fox Searchlight offered me a small amount of money to rewrite a movie for them. When I came to Los Angeles for my first big notes meeting ever, Lisa Fragner, one of the Fox execs, said I should meet with a couple of her friends who were just starting a management company.
So one afternoon I went to Chris Bender's and J.C. Spink's house, which doubled as their office during the day. I thought that was cool, two friends that struck out on their own, started their own...
So one afternoon I went to Chris Bender's and J.C. Spink's house, which doubled as their office during the day. I thought that was cool, two friends that struck out on their own, started their own...
- 4/24/2017
- by Brian Lynch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
First Run Features
NEW YORK -- Formulaic plot elements don't greatly hamper the impact of this French charmer about the relationship that develops between an elderly widower and the 8-year-old neighbor girl whose mother neglects her. Michel Serrault's typically expert performance and writer-director Philippe Muyl's ability to avoid the usual cliches in his execution of the tale give "The Butterfly" an undeniable appeal. Perfect holiday entertainment, albeit for those Small Fry who can read English subtitles, the film opened Friday at New York's Cinema Village.
Julien (Serrault) is an elderly entomologist living alone in his spacious apartment with only his cat and extensive butterfly collection for company. His next door neighbors are 8-year-old Elsa (Claire Bouanich) and her mother, Isabelle (Nade Dieu), the latter a single working mom who has little time for her little girl. When Julien sets out on a country excursion in search of an elusive butterfly whose life span is only a few days and who appears only one week out of the year, Elsa, as children in these sorts of movies are likely to do, hides out in his car. By the time the flustered Julien realizes that he has a stowaway, he's too far away to turn around and so reluctantly agrees to let her tag along. With Julien's cell phone not working, the inevitable complications ensue, with the police searching for the missing girl even as she learns life lessons from her gruff companion.
While it seems reminiscent of countless earlier efforts featuring the same themes, "Butterfly" manages to find fresh dimensions thanks to its smart and frequently amusing screenplay, its multidimensional characterizations and its refreshing lack of sentimentality. Julien is not the standard grumpy senior, Elsa is far less cutesy than the usual movie moppet, and the relationship that develops between the two has a genuineness of feeling that is ultimately quite moving. chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
NEW YORK -- Formulaic plot elements don't greatly hamper the impact of this French charmer about the relationship that develops between an elderly widower and the 8-year-old neighbor girl whose mother neglects her. Michel Serrault's typically expert performance and writer-director Philippe Muyl's ability to avoid the usual cliches in his execution of the tale give "The Butterfly" an undeniable appeal. Perfect holiday entertainment, albeit for those Small Fry who can read English subtitles, the film opened Friday at New York's Cinema Village.
Julien (Serrault) is an elderly entomologist living alone in his spacious apartment with only his cat and extensive butterfly collection for company. His next door neighbors are 8-year-old Elsa (Claire Bouanich) and her mother, Isabelle (Nade Dieu), the latter a single working mom who has little time for her little girl. When Julien sets out on a country excursion in search of an elusive butterfly whose life span is only a few days and who appears only one week out of the year, Elsa, as children in these sorts of movies are likely to do, hides out in his car. By the time the flustered Julien realizes that he has a stowaway, he's too far away to turn around and so reluctantly agrees to let her tag along. With Julien's cell phone not working, the inevitable complications ensue, with the police searching for the missing girl even as she learns life lessons from her gruff companion.
While it seems reminiscent of countless earlier efforts featuring the same themes, "Butterfly" manages to find fresh dimensions thanks to its smart and frequently amusing screenplay, its multidimensional characterizations and its refreshing lack of sentimentality. Julien is not the standard grumpy senior, Elsa is far less cutesy than the usual movie moppet, and the relationship that develops between the two has a genuineness of feeling that is ultimately quite moving. chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Opens
Friday, Dec. 19 (New York and Los Angeles)
"The Hebrew Hammer" is a crass, sophomoric and, more to the point, offensively unfunny parody that sets out to remake Shaft and his blaxploitation ilk as a Jewish action hero.
Clearly influenced by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy cannon, not to mention early Mel Brooks, writer-director Jonathan Kesselman has stretched his original film school short into a very thin feature following the exploits of Mordechai Jefferson Carver, "the baddest hebe this side of Tel Aviv" who must prevent Santa's evil son from destroying Hanukkah.
Strand Releasing, which obviously sees some kind of "Bad Santa"-style counter-programming potential ("Hammer" has already aired on Comedy Central), is opening the film this weekend in Los Angeles and New York, but you don't have to be Jewish to be put off by Kesselman's relentless milking of tired Borscht Belt-era stereotypes.
Distilling his performance into a fine whine, Adam Goldberg is the Hebrew Hammer in question -- an erstwhile private investigator or, as his office door reads, "Certified Circumcised Dick", who has been recruited by Jewish Justice League chief Bloomenbergansteinthal (Peter Coyote struggling with a painful Yiddish accent) to prevent the sinister Damian Claus (Andy Dick) from destroying Hanukkah by any means necessary.
Assisted by Bloomenbergansteinthal's daughter Esther (Judy Greer) and the head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front Mario Van Peebles), the Hebrew Hammer ultimately gets the job done, no thanks to his guilt-dispensing mother (Nora Dunn).
Kesselman probably bust a gut writing this stuff, but more than a few minutes of the one-gag material quickly begins to grate.
By the time former New York mayor Ed Koch shows up, bound helplessly in a chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Friday, Dec. 19 (New York and Los Angeles)
"The Hebrew Hammer" is a crass, sophomoric and, more to the point, offensively unfunny parody that sets out to remake Shaft and his blaxploitation ilk as a Jewish action hero.
Clearly influenced by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy cannon, not to mention early Mel Brooks, writer-director Jonathan Kesselman has stretched his original film school short into a very thin feature following the exploits of Mordechai Jefferson Carver, "the baddest hebe this side of Tel Aviv" who must prevent Santa's evil son from destroying Hanukkah.
Strand Releasing, which obviously sees some kind of "Bad Santa"-style counter-programming potential ("Hammer" has already aired on Comedy Central), is opening the film this weekend in Los Angeles and New York, but you don't have to be Jewish to be put off by Kesselman's relentless milking of tired Borscht Belt-era stereotypes.
Distilling his performance into a fine whine, Adam Goldberg is the Hebrew Hammer in question -- an erstwhile private investigator or, as his office door reads, "Certified Circumcised Dick", who has been recruited by Jewish Justice League chief Bloomenbergansteinthal (Peter Coyote struggling with a painful Yiddish accent) to prevent the sinister Damian Claus (Andy Dick) from destroying Hanukkah by any means necessary.
Assisted by Bloomenbergansteinthal's daughter Esther (Judy Greer) and the head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front Mario Van Peebles), the Hebrew Hammer ultimately gets the job done, no thanks to his guilt-dispensing mother (Nora Dunn).
Kesselman probably bust a gut writing this stuff, but more than a few minutes of the one-gag material quickly begins to grate.
By the time former New York mayor Ed Koch shows up, bound helplessly in a chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
First Run Features
NEW YORK -- Formulaic plot elements don't greatly hamper the impact of this French charmer about the relationship that develops between an elderly widower and the 8-year-old neighbor girl whose mother neglects her. Michel Serrault's typically expert performance and writer-director Philippe Muyl's ability to avoid the usual cliches in his execution of the tale give "The Butterfly" an undeniable appeal. Perfect holiday entertainment, albeit for those Small Fry who can read English subtitles, the film opened Friday at New York's Cinema Village.
Julien (Serrault) is an elderly entomologist living alone in his spacious apartment with only his cat and extensive butterfly collection for company. His next door neighbors are 8-year-old Elsa (Claire Bouanich) and her mother, Isabelle (Nade Dieu), the latter a single working mom who has little time for her little girl. When Julien sets out on a country excursion in search of an elusive butterfly whose life span is only a few days and who appears only one week out of the year, Elsa, as children in these sorts of movies are likely to do, hides out in his car. By the time the flustered Julien realizes that he has a stowaway, he's too far away to turn around and so reluctantly agrees to let her tag along. With Julien's cell phone not working, the inevitable complications ensue, with the police searching for the missing girl even as she learns life lessons from her gruff companion.
While it seems reminiscent of countless earlier efforts featuring the same themes, "Butterfly" manages to find fresh dimensions thanks to its smart and frequently amusing screenplay, its multidimensional characterizations and its refreshing lack of sentimentality. Julien is not the standard grumpy senior, Elsa is far less cutesy than the usual movie moppet, and the relationship that develops between the two has a genuineness of feeling that is ultimately quite moving. chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
NEW YORK -- Formulaic plot elements don't greatly hamper the impact of this French charmer about the relationship that develops between an elderly widower and the 8-year-old neighbor girl whose mother neglects her. Michel Serrault's typically expert performance and writer-director Philippe Muyl's ability to avoid the usual cliches in his execution of the tale give "The Butterfly" an undeniable appeal. Perfect holiday entertainment, albeit for those Small Fry who can read English subtitles, the film opened Friday at New York's Cinema Village.
Julien (Serrault) is an elderly entomologist living alone in his spacious apartment with only his cat and extensive butterfly collection for company. His next door neighbors are 8-year-old Elsa (Claire Bouanich) and her mother, Isabelle (Nade Dieu), the latter a single working mom who has little time for her little girl. When Julien sets out on a country excursion in search of an elusive butterfly whose life span is only a few days and who appears only one week out of the year, Elsa, as children in these sorts of movies are likely to do, hides out in his car. By the time the flustered Julien realizes that he has a stowaway, he's too far away to turn around and so reluctantly agrees to let her tag along. With Julien's cell phone not working, the inevitable complications ensue, with the police searching for the missing girl even as she learns life lessons from her gruff companion.
While it seems reminiscent of countless earlier efforts featuring the same themes, "Butterfly" manages to find fresh dimensions thanks to its smart and frequently amusing screenplay, its multidimensional characterizations and its refreshing lack of sentimentality. Julien is not the standard grumpy senior, Elsa is far less cutesy than the usual movie moppet, and the relationship that develops between the two has a genuineness of feeling that is ultimately quite moving. chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 12/23/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Opens
Friday, Dec. 19 (New York and Los Angeles)
"The Hebrew Hammer" is a crass, sophomoric and, more to the point, offensively unfunny parody that sets out to remake Shaft and his blaxploitation ilk as a Jewish action hero.
Clearly influenced by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy cannon, not to mention early Mel Brooks, writer-director Jonathan Kesselman has stretched his original film school short into a very thin feature following the exploits of Mordechai Jefferson Carver, "the baddest hebe this side of Tel Aviv" who must prevent Santa's evil son from destroying Hanukkah.
Strand Releasing, which obviously sees some kind of "Bad Santa"-style counter-programming potential ("Hammer" has already aired on Comedy Central), is opening the film this weekend in Los Angeles and New York, but you don't have to be Jewish to be put off by Kesselman's relentless milking of tired Borscht Belt-era stereotypes.
Distilling his performance into a fine whine, Adam Goldberg is the Hebrew Hammer in question -- an erstwhile private investigator or, as his office door reads, "Certified Circumcised Dick", who has been recruited by Jewish Justice League chief Bloomenbergansteinthal (Peter Coyote struggling with a painful Yiddish accent) to prevent the sinister Damian Claus (Andy Dick) from destroying Hanukkah by any means necessary.
Assisted by Bloomenbergansteinthal's daughter Esther (Judy Greer) and the head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front Mario Van Peebles), the Hebrew Hammer ultimately gets the job done, no thanks to his guilt-dispensing mother (Nora Dunn).
Kesselman probably bust a gut writing this stuff, but more than a few minutes of the one-gag material quickly begins to grate.
By the time former New York mayor Ed Koch shows up, bound helplessly in a chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Friday, Dec. 19 (New York and Los Angeles)
"The Hebrew Hammer" is a crass, sophomoric and, more to the point, offensively unfunny parody that sets out to remake Shaft and his blaxploitation ilk as a Jewish action hero.
Clearly influenced by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy cannon, not to mention early Mel Brooks, writer-director Jonathan Kesselman has stretched his original film school short into a very thin feature following the exploits of Mordechai Jefferson Carver, "the baddest hebe this side of Tel Aviv" who must prevent Santa's evil son from destroying Hanukkah.
Strand Releasing, which obviously sees some kind of "Bad Santa"-style counter-programming potential ("Hammer" has already aired on Comedy Central), is opening the film this weekend in Los Angeles and New York, but you don't have to be Jewish to be put off by Kesselman's relentless milking of tired Borscht Belt-era stereotypes.
Distilling his performance into a fine whine, Adam Goldberg is the Hebrew Hammer in question -- an erstwhile private investigator or, as his office door reads, "Certified Circumcised Dick", who has been recruited by Jewish Justice League chief Bloomenbergansteinthal (Peter Coyote struggling with a painful Yiddish accent) to prevent the sinister Damian Claus (Andy Dick) from destroying Hanukkah by any means necessary.
Assisted by Bloomenbergansteinthal's daughter Esther (Judy Greer) and the head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front Mario Van Peebles), the Hebrew Hammer ultimately gets the job done, no thanks to his guilt-dispensing mother (Nora Dunn).
Kesselman probably bust a gut writing this stuff, but more than a few minutes of the one-gag material quickly begins to grate.
By the time former New York mayor Ed Koch shows up, bound helplessly in a chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 12/19/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios are finalizing a deal to bring the children's book The Iguana Brothers: A Tale of Two Lizards to the big screen as an animated feature with John Leguizamo voicing and producing. Academy Award nominee Jeremy Pikser (Bulworth) is adapting the screenplay, which will also be produced by helmer Robert Luketic and Fonda Snyder. Fox animation president Chris Meledandri is shepherding the project with John Cohen and Lisa Fragner overseeing it for Fox and Blue Sky.
- 9/15/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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