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Staff Picks: What to Watch in March

From popular franchises to brand new worlds of exploration, science fiction and fantasy stories are more popular than ever. Check out our list of the best and brightest new and upcoming movies and series.

New and Upcoming Sci-Fi and Fantasy

Born and raised in New York City, New York, Mr. Coplan is a graduate of the prestigious New York University Film School, the COBRAY Counter-terrorist Training Facility in Marietta, Georgia, and Southwestern University School of Law and is a practising attorney in the State of California. Mr. Coplan started making movies when he was 14 years old with his grandfather's old movie camera. In 1973 he produced and co-wrote a half hour comedy entitled "The Incredibly Awful Dr. Sporgo" which went on to win the Silver Medal at the 1974 Atlanta International Film Festival and Golden Image Certificate at the 1975 Long Island International Film Festival. In 1973 he also wrote, directed, produced and starred in another short film "Of Mirrors, The Mind, and Time". This film, a psychological thriller, was presented at the Kracow International Film Festival in 1975. From 1974 to 1975, Mr. Coplan worked as a camera department assistant on the motion picture and television productions of "King Kong", "Kojak" and "Sybil". He also worked on the motion picture "Taxi Driver" by providing location security. In 1975 he produced the half-hour documentary "The Dream Factory" which featured appearances by Sean Connery, Gloria Swanson, Marlo Thomas, Roy Scheider and was narrated by Eli Wallach. This film is now part of the permanent cinema collection of the Museum of Modern Art, NYC, NY. After Graduating from NYU, with a BFA degree in Film and Business, Mr. Coplan was employed by The Walter Reade Organization, the foremost chain of movie theatres in Manhattan, as a Theatre Manager. Mr. Coplan spent three years with this company, during which time he was given greater and greater operating responsibilities and it was during this period that he developed a very keen sense for predicting the commercial success of individual motion pictures. Because of this talent he was given the additional responsibilities of assisting the head film buyer at The Walter Reade Organization. While still employed by the Reade Organization he established his own literary agency and was responsible for setting up the motion picture "Just Before Dawn" a horror film starring George Kennedy. Mr. Coplan was also engaged on a freelance basis to provide consulting services to CBS Entertainment in New York City regarding the analysis of prospective literary material for possible TV Movies, Mini-series, and/or Series. In 1981 Mr. Coplan left The Walter Reade Organization to attend law school in Los Angeles, California. In 1982, while a full time law student, Mr. Coplan was hired by Paramount Pictures Corporation as a Business Affairs Intern. During his two year tenure with Paramount, Mr. Coplan worked on the TV Show "Entertainment Tonight" and an exciting interactive videodisc called "The Entertainment Game." Mr. Coplan was responsible for negotiating agreements for the appearances of over two hundred actors including Warren Beatty, Robert Redford, James Caan, Jane Fonda, and Diane Keaton. Mr. Coplan earned his Juris Doctor degree in May 1984, and shortly thereafter secured a position with the small entertainment law firm of Raymond L. Asher, where he continued to negotiate contracts and was involved with entertainment and business litigation. Over the years Mr. Coplan has established his own law office which specializes in business and entertainment litigation. Mr. Coplan has successfully represented numerous, writers, directors, and producers in claims against major studios, distributors, and production companies. Mr. Coplan has studied acting with the noted actress Nina Foch, ("The Ten Commandments", "Spartacus", and "Executive Suite"). Mr. Coplan is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and has appeared in the motion pictures "Hell Comes to Frogtown, " "Wishman, " The Dragon Gate, @and The Man In The Iron Mask. His stage performances include, "Man With No Shadow, " "Mobile Home, " Little Woman In May 1988, Mr. Coplan's screenplay "Special Circumstances" placed in the top fifty out of eleven hundred screenplays submitted for competition in the Writers Guild of America East Fellowship competition. In December 1993, principle photography commenced on The Dragon Gate Mr. Coplans first full length theatrical motion picture, as a writer/producer, staring Academy Award Winners Haing S. Ngor (AThe Killing Fields) and Geoffrey Lewis (Maverick) and many other wonderful actors. Production was completed on time and on budget and delivered in April 1994 for licensing around the world. To date, "The Dragon Gate" has been exploited in all the Spanish speaking territories around the world and most of the Pacific Rim, with Home Video release in the United States anticipated for the first quarter of 1999. Not satisfied with conquering world markets, Mr. Coplan himself engineered the theatrical release of the film in the United States of America, in December 1994. His cost effective marketing campaign resulted in a successful opening which set a new standard in guerrilla distribution. The Dragon Gate out grossed many of the films released by the major studios, lasting 11 weeks as the number one cult film in Los Angeles. These engagements were followed with runs in Seattle and Austin. As a result Mr. Coplan's motion picture marketing services have been in demand and he has consulted on theatrical releases of Mona Must Die, The Disappearance of Kevin Johnson, and A Night In The Life Of Jimmy Reardon, The Director's Cut.

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