Actor Brian Van Holt is making quite a name for himself. But don’t think it’s Dutch. “I’m actually Scotch-Irish,” Van Holt said. “My nickname is “˜Dutch,’ but my family’s part of the McGregor clan. No one really knows where “˜Van Holt’ came from.” Regardless of where the name came from, Van Holt is going places […]
Author Archives: Paul Mendoza
Long Live Film, Film is Dead
Film might be at the end of its reel. Replacing the familiar clicking of films past is the hum of computers and digital cameras. Artists, distributors and theater chains are growing increasingly interested in digital cinema, with one organization or another holding its own digital cinema conference every month (the next one’s on May 3rd […]
Knockin’ on Hollywood’s door
When Justin Lin searched for talent for his anticipated debut feature, “Better Luck Tomorrow,” it was not the acting that dismayed him. “When we were casting, I popped in Jason Tobin’s (the character Virgil) audition reel, and it was six scenes in a row of him in these big movies and sitcoms, but it was […]
Alumnus Kurt Voss’ latest film epitomizes independent spirit
Kurt Voss may be down, but he’s not out. After two years of cinema limbo, Voss’ latest feature, “Down and Out With the Dolls,” has found its way into American theaters. The UCLA alumnus upholds his fierce independence embodied within this punk rock film. Voss’ independent film career began at UCLA Film School, which he […]
Alumnus to direct Awards
This guy can stand the heat. Louis Horvitz, UCLA alumnus, will direct the Academy Awards for the seventh time this year. He may feel pressure from the breakneck production schedule and the impending telecast’s 3-hour time frame, but experience keeps him cool. Horvitz began his televisual experience some thirty-odd years ago at the UCLA School […]
“˜Kung Fu’ a finalist in film program
Myron Murakami takes the idol worship of “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson to a whole new level. “He kind of looks like a Buddha,” Murakami said. Murakami, a UCLA film student, makes a nod to Jackson ““ his head on a stuffed Buddha model ““ in his entry for this year’s Coca-Cola Refreshing […]
Protest! Camera! Action!
Protests are a girl’s best friend. After a groundswell of public demand, FOX Studios re-released Baz Luhrmann’s “Moulin Rouge!” for weekly midnight screenings at the Mann Festival Theater. Last Friday’s inaugural event could be the start of yet another cult film tradition, following in the footsteps of cult phenomenon “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” “When […]