Rex Sikes' Movie Beat

Robert Luketic, Director, made his feature film directorial debut in 2001, with the smash hit, Legally Blonde. Starring Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon as blonde sorority queen turned lawyer Elle Woods, Legally Blonde was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards  Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Subsequently, Luketic has delivered an impressive string of A-List Hollywood features. Most recently, Luketic directed the 2013 corporate thriller, Paranoia starring Oscar nominated Harrison Ford, Liam Hemsworth and Oscar nominated Gary Oldman as well as the 2010 romantic thriller, Killers with Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher. Previously, Luketic helmed the highly successful 2009 romantic comedy, The Ugly Truth starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. In 2008, Luketic directed the action adventure drama 21, which was inspired by the true story of the very brightest young minds in the country and how they took Vegas for millions. The film starred Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth and Oscar nominated Laurence Fishburne.Prior to that, Luketic directed the 2005 box office hit, Monster-in-Law starring Jennifer Lopez and Oscar winner Jane Fonda. Monster-in-Law marked Fonda’s first acting role in fifteen years. Additionally, Luketic directed the 2004 romantic comedy Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! featuring Kate Bosworth, Nathan Lane, Josh Duhamel and Topher Grace. Currently, Luketic is casting for his next film, Expendabelles, a highoctane, female driven, action/comedy spin-off of the successful Expendables franchise. Born in Sydney, Australia, Luketic studied at the prestigious Victorian College of Arts School of Film and Television, VCA. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at http://www.rexsikes.com

Michael Frost Beckner, screenwriter, launched his writing career with three record-making “spec” script sales: Texas Lead & Gold, Cutthroat Island, Hunchback of Notre Dame. He's writtern dozens of screenplays, studio rewrites, twenty pilots for commercial and cable networks, numerous episodes for network television,  His first original film Sniper spawned three sequels. His big-screen success came with Universal's Spy Games, directed by Tony Scott starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. He created, Excutive Producered and wrote the CBS series, The Agency. He began his career as director, Barry Levinson’s Writing Assistant working with the director on Good Morning, Vietnam and Rain Man.  From 1997 to 2008, he worked extensively with director, Sydney Pollack, adapting John Le Carre’s The Night Manager and writing two more films and developing two television series. Recent writing credits include: CSI: Crime Scene Investigators, Discovery's Gold Fever, and he is preparing the Spy Game prequel Muir’s Gambit for production and has adapted his novel Berlin Mesa into a 4 hour mini-series for AMC, Beckner is currently working on City of Lies with director Wolfgang Petersen. upcoming Civil War Event Mini-Series To Appomattox. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at http://www.rexsikes.com

Julian Adams, PT 3 producer, actor we discuss upcoming production TV Miniseries Appomattox & Kickstarter. He produced and co-stars in Phantom starring Ed Harris, David Duchovny and William Fichtner, written and directed by Todd Robinson of Lonely Hearts, and writer and co-producer of Ridley Scott’s White Squall. The producing team includes John Watson and Pen Densham Back Draft, Blown Away, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Phantom is the first wide theatrical release for Julian and Solar Filmworks, the South Carolina based production company, founded by Julian and his father Weston Adams.  Julian and Weston wrote and produced the maiden project for Solar Filmworks, The Last Confederate: The Story of Robert Adams THINKFilm 2007. The Last Confederate won 10 Film Festivals Awards, including a Best Actor Award for Julian, and seven Producing Awards for father and son. The film is in release worldwide. Julian is currently partnered with Robinson. Robinson and Adams developed the story for Phantom, which is based on true events during the Cold War. Ed Harris plays the haunted Captain of a Soviet submarine who holds the fate of the world in his hands. Phantom is in theaters now. Julian is producing and acting in Robinson’s feature film, The Last Full Measure, starring Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Robert Duvall, Andy Garcia, and Laurence Fishburne, for a 2014 release.  He is also working with writer and executive producer Michael Frost Beckner producing and acting in the Civil War mini-series, from Sony Pictures Television, Grant vs. Lee: To Appomattox” 2014 starring Rob Lowe, Will Patton, Bill Paxton, and William Peterson. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at http://www.rexsikes.com

Michael Starrbury, TV and Feature Film screenwriter discovered his love of cinema after sneaking into a movie theater as a young boy to see the classic Prince film "Purple Rain." When Apollonia purified herself in Lake Minnetonka, it was as if God, Allah, Buddha and that Hindu elephant was giving him a sign. From that moment on, he would study the craft of screenwriting. He went on to become a Blacklist writer and three-time McKnight Fellowship winner. He has developed pilots with ABC, Fox, FX andComedy Central. Also feature films with Warner Bros and New Line. His George Tillman, Jr. directed drama THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER AND PETE premiered at Sundance and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. Michael is currently writing an animated pilot for Comedy Central. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at http://www.rexsikes.com

Robert Hoffman, Film Editor, PT 2, credits include upcoming Lionsgate release  “Grace Unplugged,” “Syrup,” from Magnolia Pictures and the indie comedy-drama “Norman,” which won him an editing award from the Woodstock Film Festival.  Other editing credits include “What Doesn’t Kill You,” Showtime's "Fathers and Sons,” “The Air I Breathe,” and Terry Zwigoff’s "Bad Santa" and "Art School Confidential.” Hoffman has frequented the Sundance film festival, most recently with the 2010 premiere of "Skateland.” He was editor on Jane Weinstock’s "Easy"  on the Daniel Barnz feature “Phoebe in Wonderland”, and on “Art School Confidential”.  USC produced an indet film and hired Robert, as one of the apprentice editors. After graduating with an MFA in Production, he worked as an assistant editor.  He divided his time between post production supervising and cutting films like the mockumentary, "Rhinoskin: The Making of a Movie Star" Hoffman and Terry Zwigoff became fast friends and edited edited the director’s cut of "Bad Santa,” together. The director’s cut was honored by Roger Ebert at his 2006 Overlooked Film Festival where it received its first public screening. Hoffman also worked with Zwigoff editing some previously unused footage for the Criterion Collection’s release of his celebrated documentaries, “Louie Bluie” and “Crumb.” Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at http://www.rexsikes.com