There’s a scene in Ingenious where Sam, the seat-of-his-pants flying salesman, convinces Matt, the quirk-filled inventor, to gamble away the money they have to re-invest in their novelty gift business at the dog track. His brilliant can’t-lose method? Bet large on the dog that drops a deuce before getting into the gate. It’s slightly less than scientific, but there’s a good chance that writer/producer Mike Cram was feeling a blend of what Matt and Sam felt at the track when he and director Jeff Balsmeyer emerged from the festival circuit without any viable distribution offers. There were deals on the table, but nothing close to ideal, meaning Cram and company were about to take a massive gamble. It’s a position that thousands of filmmakers find themselves in every year, but Ingenious was different in one specific way: the guy playing the slick co-lead had just been nominated for an Oscar after...
- 10/17/2012
- by Cole Abaius
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
While Jeremy Renner is receiving positive reviews for his portrayal of Sam in ‘Ingenious,’ his first comedy in 20 years, the independent movie won’t be released into theaters without additional funding to pay for distribution, Radar Online is reporting. So the film’s production company, Arriba Films, is asking the Academy Award nominee’s fans to pay in advance for DVDs or digital downloads. With enough money, ‘Ingeniousm’ which is being directed by Jeff Balsmeyer, can be finished and released into theaters. Arriba Films is using Kickstarter to help raise money to finish production on ‘Ingenious.’ The film has currently raised $43,000 on Kickstarter, and needs to raise $5,000 more by its [ Read More ]
The post Jeremy Renner’s First Comedy in 20 Years Needs Help From Fans For Distribution appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Jeremy Renner’s First Comedy in 20 Years Needs Help From Fans For Distribution appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 10/5/2012
- by Karen Benardello
- ShockYa
Jeff Balsmeyer’s second feature, Ingenious, may be about a couple of down on their luck inventors and salesmen, but you can’t help but get the sense that it says a lot about indie film at the same time. It takes a certain amount of drive, and love of one’s craft to dedicate so much to something that doesn’t always deliver rewards. And in Ingenious, you can feel that drive and love, both in front of the camera, and behind it.
Ingenious tells the true story of two best friends Matt (Dallas Roberts) and Sam (Jeremy Renner), two novelty item inventors who are at the very bottom of rock bottom. Their current line of watches inspired by dogs, golf, and the lottery just aren’t taking off as much as they hoped and they’re at the end of their line.
Barely making ends meet, and trying...
Ingenious tells the true story of two best friends Matt (Dallas Roberts) and Sam (Jeremy Renner), two novelty item inventors who are at the very bottom of rock bottom. Their current line of watches inspired by dogs, golf, and the lottery just aren’t taking off as much as they hoped and they’re at the end of their line.
Barely making ends meet, and trying...
- 10/3/2012
- by Joshua Frost
- We Got This Covered
'Ingenious' Filmmakers Raising Money on Kickstarter Are Looking for a Little Help From Jeremy Renner
You’ve probably never heard of the film “Ingenious,” but it’s in an undeniably unique position for a low-budget indie looking for finishing funds on Kickstarter. Shot in the Tucson area in 2008, the based-on-real-life story of a struggling inventor and his salesman friend who finally hit on a successful idea was directed by Jeff Balsmeyer and written by Mike Cram. It had its world premiere at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and played more than a dozen other third-tier fests throughout 2009, just as “The Hurt Locker” was working a similar circuit. This is relevant because “Ingenious” stars Jeremy Renner. We all know what happened from there. “Locker” won the big prize at the Academy Awards, while Renner was nominated for a pair of Oscars (“Locker” and “The Town”) and cast by every studio looking for the next big star. In the last 10 months alone, Renner has appeared in a trio of.
- 9/12/2012
- by Jay A. Fernandez
- Indiewire
The 24th edition of the Santa Barbara Film Festival will kick off Jan. 22 at the Arlington Theatre with Rod Lurie's political thriller "Nothing but the Truth," starring Kate Beckinsale.
The Feb. 1 closing-night film is the world premiere of Jeff Balsmeyer's "Lightbulb," starring Dallas Roberts and Jeremy Renner.
The fest's lineup, announced Wednesday, encompasses more than 200 films from 41 countries, including 21 world premieres and 29 U.S. premieres.
David Fincher has been named guest director. On Jan. 30, the festival will present "A Celebration of David Fincher," at which the director of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" will be joined by a number of his friends.
Santa Barbara also will feature an array of tributes to many of this season's awards hopefuls, including Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, Kristin Scott Thomas, Clint Eastwood and Mickey Rourke. Its Virtuosos 2009 Award will shine a spotlight on Viola Davis, Rosemarie DeWitt, Sally Hawkins, Richard Jenkins,...
The Feb. 1 closing-night film is the world premiere of Jeff Balsmeyer's "Lightbulb," starring Dallas Roberts and Jeremy Renner.
The fest's lineup, announced Wednesday, encompasses more than 200 films from 41 countries, including 21 world premieres and 29 U.S. premieres.
David Fincher has been named guest director. On Jan. 30, the festival will present "A Celebration of David Fincher," at which the director of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" will be joined by a number of his friends.
Santa Barbara also will feature an array of tributes to many of this season's awards hopefuls, including Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, Kristin Scott Thomas, Clint Eastwood and Mickey Rourke. Its Virtuosos 2009 Award will shine a spotlight on Viola Davis, Rosemarie DeWitt, Sally Hawkins, Richard Jenkins,...
- 1/7/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rhys Ifans is a character actor par excellence, a skilled scene-stealer who has lifted from the likes of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts (Notting Hill), Tim Robbins (Human Nature), Kevin Spacey (The Shipping News) and Adam Sandler (Little Nicky). In the warm, sparkling character comedy Danny Deckchair, the Welsh actor moves to center stage, but it has taken a trip to Australia to get him there.
With its engaging performances, left-of-center humor, winning sense of warmth and the presence of Ifans, Danny Deckchair may just float its way to some low-key art house success.
A fable-like quality is often difficult to catch, but debut feature director Jeff Balsmeyer (an American living in Sydney) has done just that. While the town of Clarence is grounded in reality, there's just enough magic about it to suggest that this all might be a figment of Danny's imagination.
As well as capturing the elusive glow of magic realism, Balsmeyer also succeeds in drawing fine performances out of his cast. Ifans is all charm and sturdy sweetness as Danny, while Otto (about as far away from her icily dignified turn in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" as you could get) is the perfect foil, equally sweet but with an earthier verve. Clarke is superb as Trudy, giving her character enough levels to make her so much more interesting than the garden-variety villain that she could have been.
The only real problem with Danny Deckchair is that writer-director Balsmeyer fails to set up the changes that Danny will undergo when he arrives in Clarence. We are shown nothing of his real potential in the early stages of the film, so his sudden transformation (where he has advice for everyone and even moves into small-town politics) comes out of nowhere.
DANNY DECKCHAIR
The Cobalt Media Group and Macquarie Film Corp. in association with Crusader Entertainment presents a City Production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jeff Balsmeyer
Producer: Andrew Mason
Executive producers: Howard Baldwin, Karen Baldwin, Bill Immerman
Co-producer: Lizzie Bryant
Director of photography: Martin McGrath
Production designer: Kim Buddee
Music: Plan 9
Editor: Suresh Ayyar
Cast:
Danny Morgan: Rhys Ifans
Glenda Lake: Miranda Otto
Trudy Dunphy: Justine Clarke
Sandy Upman: Rhys Muldoon
Pete: John Batchelor
Donna: Jane Ruggiero
Bob: Rod Zuanic
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
With its engaging performances, left-of-center humor, winning sense of warmth and the presence of Ifans, Danny Deckchair may just float its way to some low-key art house success.
A fable-like quality is often difficult to catch, but debut feature director Jeff Balsmeyer (an American living in Sydney) has done just that. While the town of Clarence is grounded in reality, there's just enough magic about it to suggest that this all might be a figment of Danny's imagination.
As well as capturing the elusive glow of magic realism, Balsmeyer also succeeds in drawing fine performances out of his cast. Ifans is all charm and sturdy sweetness as Danny, while Otto (about as far away from her icily dignified turn in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" as you could get) is the perfect foil, equally sweet but with an earthier verve. Clarke is superb as Trudy, giving her character enough levels to make her so much more interesting than the garden-variety villain that she could have been.
The only real problem with Danny Deckchair is that writer-director Balsmeyer fails to set up the changes that Danny will undergo when he arrives in Clarence. We are shown nothing of his real potential in the early stages of the film, so his sudden transformation (where he has advice for everyone and even moves into small-town politics) comes out of nowhere.
DANNY DECKCHAIR
The Cobalt Media Group and Macquarie Film Corp. in association with Crusader Entertainment presents a City Production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jeff Balsmeyer
Producer: Andrew Mason
Executive producers: Howard Baldwin, Karen Baldwin, Bill Immerman
Co-producer: Lizzie Bryant
Director of photography: Martin McGrath
Production designer: Kim Buddee
Music: Plan 9
Editor: Suresh Ayyar
Cast:
Danny Morgan: Rhys Ifans
Glenda Lake: Miranda Otto
Trudy Dunphy: Justine Clarke
Sandy Upman: Rhys Muldoon
Pete: John Batchelor
Donna: Jane Ruggiero
Bob: Rod Zuanic
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 8/26/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARIS -- The 19th Paris Film Festival, which runs March 29-April 6, will open with a premiere screening of Frederic Schoendoerffer's spy thriller Secret Agents, starring Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel, organizers said Thursday. The festival's competition lineup, made up of seven first or second films from tyro directors, includes the psychological thriller Hypnotic, from British director Nick Willing; the war-reporter drama Deadlines, directed by Ludi Boeken and Michael A. Lerner, and the romantic comedy Danny Deckchair, from Australian Jeff Balsmeyer. The main competition jury is presided by local actor-director-writer-producer Bernard Giraudeau, atop a panel of mostly local industry figures.
- 3/19/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Opened
Thursday, July 31
Australia
SYDNEY -- Rhys Ifans is a character actor par excellence, a skilled scene-stealer who has lifted from the likes of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts ("Notting Hill"), Tim Robbins ("Human Nature"), Kevin Spacey ("The Shipping News") and Adam Sandler ("Little Nicky"). In the warm, sparkling character comedy "Danny Deckchair", the Welsh actor moves to center stage, but it has taken a trip to Australia to get him there.
With its engaging performances, left-of-center humor, winning sense of warmth and the presence of Ifans, "Danny Deckchair" may just float its way to some low-key art house success.
A fable-like quality is often difficult to catch, but debut feature director Jeff Balsmeyer (an American living in Sydney) has done just that. While the town of Clarence is grounded in reality, there's just enough magic about it to suggest that this all might be a figment of Danny's imagination.
As well as capturing the elusive glow of magic realism, Balsmeyer also succeeds in drawing fine performances out of his cast. Ifans is all charm and sturdy sweetness as Danny, while Otto (about as far away from her icily dignified turn in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" as you could get) is the perfect foil, equally sweet but with an earthier verve. Clarke is superb as Trudy, giving her character enough levels to make her so much more interesting than the garden-variety villain that she could have been.
The only real problem with "Danny Deckchair" is that writer-director Balsmeyer fails to set up the changes that Danny will undergo when he arrives in Clarence. We are shown nothing of his real potential in the early stages of the film, so his sudden transformation (where he has advice for everyone and even moves into small-town politics) comes out of nowhere.
DANNY DECKCHAIR
The Cobalt Media Group and Macquarie Film Corp. in association with Crusader Entertainment presents a City Production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jeff Balsmeyer
Producer: Andrew Mason
Executive producers: Howard Baldwin, Karen Baldwin, Bill Immerman
Co-producer: Lizzie Bryant
Director of photography: Martin McGrath
Production designer: Kim Buddee
Music: Plan 9
Editor: Suresh Ayyar
Cast:
Danny Morgan: Rhys Ifans
Glenda Lake: Miranda Otto
Trudy Dunphy: Justine Clarke
Sandy Upman: Rhys Muldoon
Pete: John Batchelor
Donna: Jane Ruggiero
Bob: Rod Zuanic
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Thursday, July 31
Australia
SYDNEY -- Rhys Ifans is a character actor par excellence, a skilled scene-stealer who has lifted from the likes of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts ("Notting Hill"), Tim Robbins ("Human Nature"), Kevin Spacey ("The Shipping News") and Adam Sandler ("Little Nicky"). In the warm, sparkling character comedy "Danny Deckchair", the Welsh actor moves to center stage, but it has taken a trip to Australia to get him there.
With its engaging performances, left-of-center humor, winning sense of warmth and the presence of Ifans, "Danny Deckchair" may just float its way to some low-key art house success.
A fable-like quality is often difficult to catch, but debut feature director Jeff Balsmeyer (an American living in Sydney) has done just that. While the town of Clarence is grounded in reality, there's just enough magic about it to suggest that this all might be a figment of Danny's imagination.
As well as capturing the elusive glow of magic realism, Balsmeyer also succeeds in drawing fine performances out of his cast. Ifans is all charm and sturdy sweetness as Danny, while Otto (about as far away from her icily dignified turn in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" as you could get) is the perfect foil, equally sweet but with an earthier verve. Clarke is superb as Trudy, giving her character enough levels to make her so much more interesting than the garden-variety villain that she could have been.
The only real problem with "Danny Deckchair" is that writer-director Balsmeyer fails to set up the changes that Danny will undergo when he arrives in Clarence. We are shown nothing of his real potential in the early stages of the film, so his sudden transformation (where he has advice for everyone and even moves into small-town politics) comes out of nowhere.
DANNY DECKCHAIR
The Cobalt Media Group and Macquarie Film Corp. in association with Crusader Entertainment presents a City Production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jeff Balsmeyer
Producer: Andrew Mason
Executive producers: Howard Baldwin, Karen Baldwin, Bill Immerman
Co-producer: Lizzie Bryant
Director of photography: Martin McGrath
Production designer: Kim Buddee
Music: Plan 9
Editor: Suresh Ayyar
Cast:
Danny Morgan: Rhys Ifans
Glenda Lake: Miranda Otto
Trudy Dunphy: Justine Clarke
Sandy Upman: Rhys Muldoon
Pete: John Batchelor
Donna: Jane Ruggiero
Bob: Rod Zuanic
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Lions Gate Films has acquired North American rights to the Australian romantic comedy Danny Deckchair from Crusader Entertainment. Written and directed by Jeff Balsmeyer, Danny tells the story of a cement truck driver who, after a fight with his girlfriend, becomes so desperate to escape his drab suburban existence that he persuades his friends to tie helium balloons to his favorite garden chair. To everyone's amazement, he lifts off into the skies and a thunderstorm blows him clean off the map to a faraway town. While the media back home goes crazy with the story of his disappearance, Danny gets to reinvent himself and in the process discovers a renewed zest for life. The film stars Rhys Ifans, Miranda Otto and Justine Clarke. It was produced by Andrew Mason (The Matrix Reloaded) and co-produced by Lizzie Bryant. Executive producers include Howard Baldwin, Karen Baldwin, William J. Immerman and Carol Hughes. Lions Gate plans a March release.
- 5/16/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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