WHAT ABOUT ROMAN COPPOLA?

[Ghostboy]

I loved CQ. Original review here: www.road-dog-productions.com/cq.html

In case the issue ever comes up, I'm not trying for blatant self promotion with these links...just trying to save time.

[MacGuffin]

Roman Coppola: Behind-the-scenes stealer
The famous Hollywood son hasn't grabbed the limelight. He's just doing his many, many things.
By Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times

AT a time when the offspring of many acclaimed Hollywood directors -- with last names such as Reitman, Redford, Eastwood and Kasdan -- are directing features of their own, one scion of filmmaking has become more active by stepping back from the spotlight.

The 42-year-old son of Francis Ford Coppola, Roman Coppola wrote and directed the 2001 feature "CQ," but he has stayed busy going even deeper behind the scenes, working as second-unit director on all three features by his sister Sofia, as well as on "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" for filmmaker Wes Anderson.

On Anderson's latest film, "The Darjeeling Limited," besides his second-unit credit, Coppola was also a co-writer (with Anderson and cousin Jason Schwartzman) and a producer. On "Youth Without Youth," the first feature directed by Francis Ford Coppola in 10 years, Roman Coppola again worked as second-unit director, a role he has filled for his father since "Bram Stoker's Dracula" in 1992.

"I know the value of someone being on your team and not trying to bring another agenda to the table, really serving your needs," Roman Coppola said during a recent interview. "I understand the function, so it's not an issue."

Part of Coppola's attitude, his seeming lack of anxiety over the things that typically drive folks in the film industry crazy, may come from the fact that he has so many other pursuits outside the strict confines of feature filmmaking.

He has been involved with a label, RC Reserve, at his father's winery. He frequently shoots music videos and commercials, and he co-founded the production company the Directors Bureau. He has a number of other entrepreneurial ventures and inventions as well, including a patent-pending photographic device called the Photobubble.

All of which makes him into something like the hipster's hipster, the ultimate connoisseur. Surrounded by a coterie of creative people, his family and his friends, Coppola seemingly leads an enviable life as a jet-set bon vivant.

While he allows that he wants to make another feature film of his own, until he settles on just the right script he is happy to stay busy and productive with whatever project catches his immediate interest.

It is that sense of rambling, wide-ranging inquiry, a desire to do and know more, that is perhaps the unifying factor across Coppola's many endeavors.

"I've had a very diverse background," he said, "where I've worked professionally in many, many jobs. I think it's just part of my nature to be interested in different things and to just sort of follow my instincts. I love diversity and a sense of adventure, and satisfying my curiosity and learning about stuff."

Typically, a second-unit handles shots that don't involve the principal actors, from action sequences to pickup shots. Not so when the title is assumed by Coppola, who instead serves a variety of functions as facilitator and multipurpose problem solver. "He's more than a second-unit director; he's a trusted secret weapon" is how Francis Ford Coppola describes the on-set role Roman Coppola plays on his productions.

"Youth Without Youth," based on a novella by Mircea Eliade, is a twisting, complex story of an elderly man (Tim Roth) who regains his youth after being struck by lightning. The idea of transference between old and young seems particularly apt in light of the Coppolas' own father-son collaboration.

"I think the difference between Roman and what you would normally call second-unit is that he is very comfortable working with the main actors," said Francis Ford Coppola. "He understands what I'm trying to do without words, and I know Sofia feels that way with him. I can send Roman out there and I know that he'll just get exactly what I would have gotten. Quite frankly, if . . . I got run over by a truck, Roman could finish the movie."

Anderson, who met Roman Coppola through a mutual friend and worked with him initially on "The Life Aquatic," had similar words of praise.

"He just sort of knew when he ought to appear" is how Anderson recalled their first collaboration. "When he showed up he said, 'Is there anything I can do tomorrow?' 'Tomorrow? Yeah. You can get a helicopter and shoot this shot we need.' Just by being there, suddenly it became clear to me what things we needed."

For "The Darjeeling Limited," Anderson, Schwartzman and Coppola began writing while all three were in Paris. As part of their writing process, the trio went on trips together -- "reconnaissance missions" Anderson called them -- that took them through Europe, India, the Himalayas, New York and Los Angeles. When it came time to actually shoot the film, on a train in India, Anderson was directing, Schwartzman acting and Coppola producing and shooting second-unit.

"For me, 'Darjeeling' is as much Roman's movie as anybody else's," Anderson said. "Even though he's not the director of the movie, I don't see him in a supporting kind of role because the three of us, it's our film."

[MacGuffin]

Coppola drives Scion's Web series
Car company unleashes "The Fist of Oblivion"
Source: Variety

Scion is turning to Roman Coppola and kung fu-fighting puppets to get consumers interested in its cars.

Automaker, a division of Toyota Motor Sales USA, will co-produce the Web series "The Fist of Oblivion," together with Coppola's production shingle the Director's Bureau and WhittmanHart Interactive.

Project revolves around an ex-cop and kung fu master who's on the hunt for a former friend and partner who framed him for a crime.

The live-action series will run exclusively on Scion Broadband and bow in November with new episodes launching every Tuesday through the end of December.

Scion Broadband serves as a Web-based channel of original programming for the Japanese automaker with content that appeals to its target market of younger car buyers.

WhittmanHart Interactive worked with Scion to create Scion Broadband, which features a slate of original Web series, short films, live music shows, musicvids and documentaries.

"Scion Broadband is a laboratory of experimentation for our brand," said Adrian Si, Scion's interactive manager. "To keep it fresh, we look for innovative and edgy content like 'The Fist of Oblivion' that will resonate with our audience and stay true to the culture of the brand."

Coppola said he'd been interested in producing the puppet actioner for some time and the pact with Scion Broadband created "the perfect home for 'The Fist of Oblivion,'" he said.

WhittmanHart also produces digital projects for such clients as AT&T, Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo, Toyota, Sony Pictures and Universal Pictures.

Automaker Scion has turned to kung fu-fighting puppets and helmer Roman Coppola for its Web-based series 'The Fist of Oblivion.'

[MacGuffin]

Roman Coppola's Next Film Is Called 'A Glimpse Inside The Mind Of Charles Swan III'
'Beginners' & 'Tanner Hall' Composer Roger Neil Writing Score
Source: Playlist

Late last year, during the press rounds for "Somewhere," we spoke to Sofia Coppola, who was tight-lipped, but gave us a little teaser bit of info and a bit of hope: her brother Roman Coppola was finally working on a new film. "He's working on something new," she told us coyly. Something he would writing and directing again we asked? "Yeah, he's working on a script that he put together."

To recap, it's been ten years since Coppola made the the weird and wonderful "CQ" in 2001. The writer/director's paean to the groovy films of the '60s, influenced by the cheesy/awesome super-thief Mario Bava action-heist film, "Danger: Diabolik," "CQ" mostly fell on deaf ears at the time, but it's rightly gained a cult following in some small circles (ours). It's a film within a film, and the story of a young director (Jeremy Davies) who moves to Paris to make a cheesy sci-fi movie. While he deals with the debacle of the shoot, he directs his own personal art film, copes with his crumbling relationship, and becomes infatuated with the sci-fi movie's starlet (model Angela Lindvall). With its purposefully cornball, period-piece effects and its excellent psychedelic go-go score by the French band Mellow, it's an incredibly underrated film. Jason Schwartzman and Giancarlo Giannini play sleazy Italian directors and producers and they steal every scene with deliciously unctuous turns.

A talented multi-hyphenate, Coppola has kept busy in the ensuing years co-writing "The Darjeeling Limited" with Wes Anderson and Schwartzman, and Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom"; shooting second unit on Anderson films and the movies of his sister and father ("Marie Antoinette," "Tetro") and even delving into producing ("Somewhere"). Not to mention directing lots of great music videos along the way (Phoenix, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Rooney). But a new feature-length effort has eluded us. Likely because Coppola's just been preoccupied with his various productions and role as owner of the production company The Directors Bureau. But a new project is on the horizon and we have some small details.

While plot details are being kept under wraps, we know that the title of the film is "A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III." A coming-of-age tale perhaps? A comedy? A dramedy? Pretty much everything about it is unknown. However, we've found one small detail. Roger Neil, the musician and composer of the music to Mike Mills' "Beginners" and "Tanner Hall" starring Rooney Mara, is writing the score according to his website. Well regarded as an arranger and conductor in the recording industry, Neil also worked with Mellow on "CQ," and has collaborated with eclectic artists like Beck, AIr, David Sylvian, Jason Falkner, Natalie Merchant, Stereolab, Sondre Lerche, Stars of Track & Field and more. He was also the orchestral string arranger on "The Brothers Bloom" and did the same for the score to "Stranger Than Fiction" which was co-written by Brian Reitzell and Britt Daniel of indie-rockers Spoon.

That's all we've got for the moment. Emails to the Director's Bureau were not returned as of press time. More details when we have them and or if you know a thing or two about a thing or two, email us. This one's likely still in the early stages, but a script is obviously in the works (possibly complete) and hopefully funding and a start date are not far behind.

[Champion Souza]

Winning: Charlie Sheen To Return To Spotlight Toplining Roman Coppola's 'Charles Swan III'
Jason Schwartzman To Co-Star


In the midst of Charlie Sheen's public meltdown earlier this year, the actor made an appearance on the Today Show where he claimed that, despite everything that had happened, he still had film projects at his disposal. The list included a new sequel to "Major League," a project with Nick Cassavetes and another from director Roman Coppola. Considering the fact that three days prior to that appearance, Morgan Creek CEO James Robinson had come out and denied any claim of a "Major League" sequel, we (and presumably everybody else) assumed Sheen's claims were nothing more than a side effect of whatever he might have been on that day—even though the filmmaker's sister Sofia Coppola did reveal that her brother had something in the works.

Now, nearly seven months later, Sheen has been proven quite the honest drunk as Variety reports he will in fact star in Roman Coppola's newly unveiled, long awaited sophomore directorial effort, "A Glimpse Inside The Mind Of Charles Swan III" with the writer-director's cousin, Jason Schwartzmann, also on board.

The project, which will re-team Coppola with his "CQ" composer Roger Neil ("Beginners," "Tanner Hall"), seems to be a perfect fit for Sheen. In what will probably play out with huge irony, the story follows a successful graphic designer whose fame, money and charm have made him irresistible to women only to have his life spiral downwards when his girlfriend breaks up with him. No word on what roles each thespian will be taking on but we're presuming Sheen will play the titular Swan III.

It doesn't take a deep look into Sheen's resume to remember the talent he had ("Platoon," "Wall Street") and to captivate audiences for the amount of time he did during that highly publicized, pointless debacle earlier this year is something commendable. This has "comeback story of the year" written all over it and having Sheen on board will surely help Coppola with whatever funding and development he still requires to get the project on the road. Here's to hoping it comes together sooner rather than later.

[pete]

It doesn't take a deep look into Sheen's resume to remember the talent he had

not sure if the same could be said about the director.