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“Who doesn’t love spaghetti?” asks New York State Trooper Ed Croswell (David Arquette) while on a date with single mother Natalie (Jennifer Esposito) in “Mob Town,” and the answer, according to Danny A. Abeckaser’s film, is no one. The traditional Italian dish figures prominently in this low-rent Mafia tale, which — based on an infamous gathering of top organized-crime bigwigs in remote upstate Apalachin, N.Y. — has been concocted with nothing but stale, clichéd ingredients. Clumsy in every respect, it’s .

Via introductory text cards and newspaper headlines, Abeckaser’s film lays out its premise: on Nov. 14, 1957, approximately 100 members of the Mafia, from all corners of the country, gathered at the Apalachin estate of Joe Barbara (Abeckaser) under the orders of Vito Genovese (Robert Davi), who wanted to establish himself as the Luciano crime family’s boss of bosses (“capo dei capi”) in the wake of taking out rivals Frank Costello and Albert Anastasia.

Tony Sokol Dec 8, 2019

The upcoming indie gangster film Mob Town tells a historic story. The Sopranos' Jamie-Lynn Sigler brings tradition.

The gangster genre will live on even after Martin Scorsese's The Irishman appeared to close the books on membership. Directed by Danny A. Abeckaser from a script by Jon Carlo and Joe Gilford, Mob Town dramatizes the infamous American Mafia summit of the late '50s. The film stars David Arquette (Scream), Jennifer Esposito, and Pj Byrne (The Wolf of Wall Street). But it is held together by Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played Meadow, the daughter of New Jersey crime family boss Tony Soprano, played by the late James Gandolfini on The Sopranos.

Sigler is a Mafia princess. Her first film credit was in the 1998 indie gangster film A Brooklyn State of Mind, and she came into people's living rooms every Sunday night on the series which changed crime family programming forever.

Saban Films has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Danny A. Abeckaser’s “Mob Town,” a drama with “Scream” star David Arquette.

The film follows local trooper Ed Croswell (Arquette) as he foils a mafia summit in the rural town of Apalachin, New York and exposes the mob’s brutal tactics to the wider world. The cast also includes Jennifer Esposito (“Crash”) Robert Davi (“Die Hard”), Pj Byrne (“Big Little Lies”) and Jamie-Lynn Sigler (“The Sopranos”). “Mob Town” was written by Jon Carlo and Joe Gilford, and is produced by Abeckaser’s 2B Films. The film will be released this summer.

Saban Films negotiated the deal along with Bleiberg Entertainment on behalf of filmmakers.

The indie distributor’s upcoming titles include “The Haunting of Sharon Tate” starring Hilary Duff; Derrick Borte’s “American Dreamer” starring Jim Gaffigan; “The Professor” starring Johnny Depp; and “A Vigilante” starring Olivia Wilde. At this year’s Sundance Film Festival,...

The 58th annual edition of these kudos took place on May 19 at the Town Hall in Manhattan. Read full report here.  Best Play Annie Baker, The Flick Christopher Durang, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Joe Gilford, Finks Richard Greenberg, The Assembled Parties Amy Herzog, Belleville Deanna Jent, Falling Richard Nelson, Sorry Best Musical A Christmas Story: The Musical Giant Hands on a Hardbody Here Lies Love Matilda Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 The Other Josh Cohen Best Revival of a Play Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Golden Boy Good Person of Szechwan The Piano Lesson The Trip to Bountiful Uncle Vanya Best Revival of a Musical or Revue Passion Pippin Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella The Golden Land The Mystery of Edwin Drood Working: A Musical Best Actor in a Play ...

Tom Hanks and Bette Midler are among the nominees for the 2013 Drama Desk Awards, it was announced Monday. Hanks has been nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Play for his performance in Nora Ephron's tabloid-centric "Lucky Guy," while Bette Midler is up for Outstanding Solo Performance for her portrayal of superagent Sue Mengers in "I'll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers." Also read: Tom Hanks, Nora Ephron on Broadway: What the Critics Think of 'Lucky Guy' Outstanding Play nominees include Annie Baker's "The Flick," Joe Gilford's "Finks" and Deanna Jent's...

The Drama Desk Awards — commonly known as the theater world’s Golden Globes, though nominees are represented across all NYC productions in a season — are the last precursor to the Tony Awards (check EW.com tomorrow morning for a full list of those). And judging by the list below, it’s going to be quite a competitive year, with some pretty heavy-hitters mixed in with longshots, not to mention some major snubs (Alan Cumming, Cyndi Lauper, Fiona Shaw, Chaplin’s Rob McClure to name a few). The winners will be announced at NYC’s Town Hall on May 19. Below is...

"Giant" and "Hands on a Hardbody" lead the 2013 Drama Desk Awards, which were announced on Monday morning by actors Linda Lavin and John Lloyd Young. The Off-Broadway musical, which premiered at the Public Theatre, and the now-closed Broadway show, each received nine nods, including best musical. The entire ensemble of "Working: A Musical," an updated production of the Stephen Schwartz tuner at 59E59, will receive a special award. Other actors receiving special awards include Jayne Houdyshell. The Drama Desk also added a category this year for Outstanding Projection Design, which honors multimedia used onstage. The Drama Desk Awards honor Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway theater, and will be presented in a ceremony at Town Hall on May 19. A full list of nominees is below. Outstanding PlayAnnie Baker, The FlickChristopher Durang, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Joe Gilford, FinksRichard Greenberg, The Assembled PartiesAmy Herzog, BellevilleDeanna Jent, FallingRichard Nelson, Sorry Outstanding...

A new Theater Talk episode focuses on two of the season's best new plays. David Hyde Pierce and Kristine Nielsen, two of the stars of Christopher Durang's celebrated Broadway comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, lead off the two-segment episode, followed by playwright Joe Gilford and producer William Carden discussing Ensemble Studio Theatre's acclaimed off-Broadway production of Finks, a look at the impact of the 1950s blacklist based on the experiences of Gilford's parents. The program premieres Friday, April 26, 2013 at 1 Am Saturday morning on ThirteenPBS, and repeats in New York City on Cuny TV Saturday at 830 Pm, Sunday at 1230 Pm, and Monday at 730 Am, 130 Pm, and 730 Pm.