Park City

Drake Doremus' Breathe In Wins National Distribution; Fourth-Quarter Release Set

We told you last month about Santa Ana native Drake Doremus' film Breathe In getting picked up for international distribution. Now, the other distribution shoe has dropped.

Park City's Breakouts

The movies to know from Sundance—and the year ahead

Sundance 2013: Sex with James Franco, Sultry Scarlett Johansson and Daniel Radcliffe's Jew-Fro

The End of the World Came and Went, But Training for the Apocalypse Never Ends

The Mayan end-of-days' days passed without the world ending, but you suspect that won't stop the subjects of Rob VanAlkemade's gripping (and surefire) new documentary from preparing for what they believe to be the inevitable.Training for the Apocalypse, which premiered on NatGeo last spring and is n ... More >>

Drake Doremus and Ben York Jones Prepare to Breathe In Sundance Film Fest Again

Home is swell, but ff Orange County-raised filmmakers Drake Doremus and Ben York Jones really want to feel the love, they go to Utah--Park City to be more precise and the Sundance Film Festival to be preciser.It was announced Monday that Breathe In, the latest independent film directed by Doremus wi ... More >>

Surf City's Signal Snowboards Develops Board That Lets the Paralyzed Hit the Slopes

I can relate to professional snowboarder Tim Ostler in this way. Years ago, as the last skier off the chair for the last run of the day at Brian Head, Utah, a binding broke off a ski, I tumbled near the top of the run and remained there until a ski patrolman came to save me. Ostler, of Murray, Utah, ... More >>

On the Line: Brian McReynolds, Amy Curran and Francisco Perez of Eat Chow, Part Two

Brian McReynolds, on creating new menu items:"It gets vetted three times. When somebody comes up with something, we make it. All three of us have to agree on what's in it or what to add to it. We play with it. Sometimes we come up with some deuces, and we're like, "Here, taste this!" and the other t ... More >>

Gabriel S. Joseph Acused of $5 Million Scam That Duped Newport Beach Mortgage Broker

​We've done so many posts on crooked mortgage brokers ripping off unsuspecting customers you might assume Orange County is the capital of slimy lending schemes.So, it's only fair that we draw attention to a Newport Beach mortgage broker who found himself burned by an alleged fraudster.

Members of the Tribe

Michael Rapaport observes the vibe and checks out the scenario

Bill Gross Reportedly Buys Jennifer Aniston's House for $37 Mil; Chris Cox Settles Down in Laguna Niguel

​Bill Gross, the Newport Beach financial manager who co-founded Pacific Investment Management Co. (PIMCO) and is worth a billion and change, has reportedly bought a Beverly Hills estate Jennifer Aniston bought in 2006 for $13.5 million, gutted and rebuilt to the fawns of Architectural Digest and p ... More >>

[UPDATE] 5 Die in Long Beach Plane Crash. Tom Dean, Laguna Beach Developer, and Bruce Krall, Ladera Ranch Banker, Among the Dead

​UPDATE, MARCH 21, 4:10 P.M.: The doomed twin-engine plane pilot who died in Wednesday morning's Long Beach Airport crash has been identified as Kenneth Earl Cruz.The 43-year-old Culver City resident worked for Rainbow Air of Long Beach, had been a commercial pilot since 2003 an ... More >>

'Spooner' Is Love Crazy

Recently crowned Sundance king Drake Doremus' early promise is evident in his directorial debut

Drake Doremus' Debut, Spooner, Opens March 4

Matthew Lillard plays Herman Spooner.​Like Crazy, Drake Doremus' third film, was picked up by a division of Paramount Pictures at January's Sundance Film Festival for theatrical release this fall. Douchebag, Doremus' second film, was bought after the previous Sundance and had a short theatrical ru ... More >>

Into the Mystic

Cults and the uncertain futures dominate Sundance

Sundancing With Ben York Jones and Like Crazy

The huge film festival success through the eyes of its co-writer, an OC boy

Like Crazy at Sundance: WE WON!!!!!!

​There's a lot of recapping to be done, but before anything else, last night--WE WON THE GRAND JURY PRIZE!!!!!!! The big one! Not only that, Felicity was awarded a Special Jury Prize for Best Actress! A prize is not given every year, unless deemed appropriate. The whole team was in disbelief. For ... More >>

Like Crazy, Indie Drama From OC's Drake Doremus and Ben York Jones, Wins Sundance Grand Jury Prize

​Like Crazy, the little indie darling at Sundance by former Santa Anan and second-time U.S. Dramatic Competition entrant Drake Doremus, won the prestigious film festival's grand jury prize last night.Co-written by Doremus and his childhood friend Ben York Jones, a Chapman University film school gr ... More >>

Sundance Is the Re-Discovery Channel

The Utah film festival's prodigal children return

Like Crazy at Sundance: 36 Hours I Will Never Forget

​I don't know where to begin. From a chatty 3 a.m. sardine car ride with indie-film gurus Greg Araki and Richard Linklater to nearly missing the premiere of Like Crazy (the film I co-wrote) to selling our film for distribution to Paramount the night of its world premiere, it has possibly been the ... More >>

[UPDATED] Like Crazy, Latest Film From OC-Bred Drake Doremus and Ben York Jones, Is First Sundance Sale

​UPDATE, JAN. 23, 2:51 P.M.: The reaction to Like Crazy getting picked up from Ben York Jones:"I'm completely overwhelmed. I don't think anyone here with the film has gotten more than an hour or two of sleep in the past 36 hours. Those negotiating were up all night doing so, and the rest of us w ... More >>

Ben York Jones and His Chapman Pals Storm Sundance

​The Weekly introduced readers to actor Ben York Jones a year ago, right after the Corona del Mar resident and his childhood pal, filmmaker Drake Doremus, stormed the 2010 Sundance Film Festival with their dramedy Douchebag.Jones returns to Park City, Utah, with Doremus' new indie-drama, Like Craz ... More >>

Meet the Real Mary Barger, Drake Doremus' 5th Grade Girlfriend and Douchebag Muse

The real Mary Barger, in fifth grade.​Former Santa Ana resident Drake Doremus' Douchebag, the critical darling of January's Sundance Film Festival, opens today* at Regency's South Coast Village across from South Coast Plaza. The dramedy is about douchey Sam Nussbaum who, on the eve of his wedding, ... More >>

Drake Doremus' 'Douchebag' at Sundance

OC stage prodigy-turned-filmmaker Drake Doremus brings his 'very personal' movie to Park City, Utah

Still Crazies After All These Years

Today's cover story follows Drake Doremus to Park City, Utah, where the young filmmaker's second feature, Douchebag, premiered at the Jan. 21-31 Sundance Film Festival. It was an equally momentous month for Doremus' mother, Cherie Kerr, whose Orange County Crazies comedic theater troupe celebrated i ... More >>

Let the Sundance Film Festival Bloggage Begin!

Village Voice Media has launched a film blog featuring posts directly from the Sundance Film Festival, which runs through through Jan. 31. Yours truly will blog on Navel Gazing from Park City, Utah, as well--in the event I find something to plug into.​If I do have the power, having both blogs up d ... More >>

Sundance Picks Up "Spooner" Director Drake Doremus' Film "Douchebag"

Photo by Matt Coker Drake Doremus at the 2009 Newport Beach Film Festival party for filmmakers.​Drake Doremus, the former Santa Ana resident whose comedy Spooner scooped up several awards on the festival circuit, just learned his newest film will make its world premiere at Sundance.Douchebag--whic ... More >>

Spooner is Hidden Gem at Newport Beach Film Fest

Herman (Matthew Lillard) and Rose (Nora Zehetner) get a jump on their relationship in "Spooner."This post is based on one of life's happy accidents. Folks at the Newport Beach Film Festival, which runs through Thursday, asked weeks ago if I wanted to write about a film called Spooner, which was dire ... More >>

Everest See the Mountaintop

Michel Gondry’s Be Kind Rewind Comes Up Short, Stale, Flat

An Inconvenient Slope

Big Bears ski resorts are covered in snow despite a chronic lack of natural snowfall. So where are the crowds? Dont blame global warmingblame the media

The Kids Are Not Alright

From Dakota Fannings rape to John Cusacks daddy issues, Sundance 2007 was all about the kiddie porn

Date My Mom

Diane Keaton subjects herself to more indignities in vapid Because I Said So

Dissent for Sale

WEB EXCLUSIVE! Opposition is a commodity in Sundance documentaries

The Sundance Kids

WEB EXCLUSIVE! For alumni of Americas most prestigious film festival, winning is less than half the battle

The Music Men

Halfway through Sundance, and still whistling a happy tune

Sympathy for the Devil

WEB EXCLUSIVE! Even horny horse whisperers get off in Sundance docs

Dog Fancy

Bobcat Goldthwait makes a sweet movie out of a sick joke

American Brooding

Thumbsucker gives annoying teen-angst subgenre a refresher course in wistful emo

Hustle & Toboggan

In the 2005 summer movie season, slow but steady wins the race

Living in Oblivion

Reagan-era callousness sparked an indie-film renaissance. Will Bush II inspire another?

Anti-Porn Star

An anonymous midget and two Christians are fighting to save you from sins of the flesh

Surviving Sundance

The festival regurgitated

Spanks for the Memories

Love and submission in Steven Shainbergs Secretary

How Neatly Spreads His Claws

The 18th annual Sundance Film Festival

On the Beat

Filmmaker Justin Lin at Sundance

True Believers

High art and low commerce at the Sundance Film Festival

Pump Up the Volume