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Stars: Dennis Boutsikaris, Mike Faist, Crystal Reed | Written and Directed by Austin and Meredith Bragg

Writer/Director duo Austin and Meredith Bragg make their feature-film debut with this biopic of Roger Sharpe, a writer and game designer known for helping to end New York City’s 36-year ban on pinball. The film opens with an interview being conducted with Sharpe (Dennis Boutsikaris) as he’s asked about that fateful day, although he insists that important context must be given by first delving into the history.

Sharpe sets the scene while requesting they play Imagine, although the trip down memory lane is halted when the interviewer says John Lennon’s song is a little slow and expensive. Substituted is a less recognisable piece of music, while the story transitions into Sharpe narrating about his younger self (Mike Faist), recently divorced and trying to work as a writer. Through these confusing times,...

Plot: An unsettled writer with a fantastic mustache, Roger Sharpe, finds solace and confidence in the one thing he has mastered: pinball. When a police raid destroys the only machines he can find in 1970s New York City, he learns the game is illegal. Roger reluctantly joins forces with the Music and Amusement Association to overturn the ban while falling in love with Ellen, an artist and single mother. Roger’s path to save pinball ultimately rescues him. He and Ellen overcome their pasts and take a shot at love. Roger learns what it means to take a chance—and that commitment is the most rewarding gamble of all.

Review: If you are a longtime reader of this website, you may notice we tend to post about pinball machines. Our founder, JoBlo himself, is a huge fan of the game and even served as a producer on a documentary about them called Arcade Dreams.

Exclusive: Vertical has secured North American rights to the MPI Original Film Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game, starring BAFTA- and Tony Award-nominated West Side Story breakout Mike Faist and Teen Wolf‘s Crystal Reed, slating it for a day-and-date release on March 17, 2023.

The film based on a true story centers on Roger Sharpe (Faist), a GQ journalist and real-life pinball wizard who, in 1976, helped overturn New York City’s 35-year ban on pinball.

An unsettled writer with a fantastic mustache, Sharpe finds solace and confidence in the one thing he has mastered: pinball. When a police raid destroys the only machines he can find in 1970s New York City, he learns the game is illegal in the state. Roger then reluctantly joins forces with the Music and Amusement Association to overturn the ban while falling in love with Ellen (Reed), an artist and single mother. Roger’s path...

Martyna Szmytkowska, Malaika Bova promoted to artistic director roles.

The UK’s Raindance Film Festival has promoted senior programmers Martyna Szmytkowska and Malaika Bova to artistic directors, as part of a restructure of the festival’s leading team.

They join existing artistic director Suzanne Ballantyne who also works as head of programming and co-founded the festival with Elliot Grove.

Festival producer David Martinez has been promoted to executive director, ahead of the festival’s 30th anniversary edition, which runs from October 26 to November 5 this year.

Ballantyne, Szmytkowska and Bova will head up the festival’s creative vision, leading the broader programming team.

Martyna Szmytkowska, Malaika Bova promoted to artistic director roles.

The UK’s Raindance Film Festival has promoted senior programmers Martyna Szmytkowska and Malaika Bova to artistic directors, as part of a restructure of the festival’s leading team.

They join existing artistic director Suzanne Ballantyne who also works as head of programming and co-founded the festival with Elliot Grove.

Festival producer David Martinez has been promoted to executive director, ahead of the festival’s 30th anniversary edition, which runs from October 26 to November 5 this year.

Ballantyne, Szmytkowska and Bova will head up the festival’s creative vision, leading the broader programming team.

Don’t expect any drive-in screenings, virtual screenings, mask mandates or reduced capacity theaters at the 30th annual Hamptons Intl. Film Festival. This year’s edition will look and feel as it did way back in 2019.

The Long Island-based fest, which runs Oct. 7-16, will screen 69 feature films and 51 shorts that are 54 female-directed and represent 34 countries from around the world.

Also back at Hiff are a bevy of fancy cocktail hours and the fest’s Rowdy Talks series, which will include a conversation with director, screenwriter and producer Chris Columbus.

New this year? The festival will run over 10 days.

“Last year, we were seven days instead of our typical five,” says Hiff artistic director David Nugent. “We did that to see if people would be interested in coming to see films midweek and they were, so we decided to expand.”

One thing that will not feel different this year is...

BFI London Film Festival Adds Trio Of Titles

The BFI London Film Festival (October 5-16) has added Luca Guadagnino’s Bones And All to its 2022 line-up as a special presentation. Further late additions include Billy Eichner’s TIFF breakout LGBTQ comedy Bros and Jafar Panahi’s No Bears. The festival has also revealed the first batch of high-profile speakers booked for its talks programme who will include Noah Baumbach, Mia Hansen-Løve, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Janelle Monáe, Bill Nighy and Aubrey Plaza.

Talent Group Ymu Expands Into Gaming And Sports Marketing

Global talent agency Ymu Group, which already represents a host of talent in film, TV, literature and music, has expanded its reach into the world of gaming and sports marketing with the acquisition of a majority stake in Digital Sports Mgmt (Dsm). Dsm was founded by Rob Wadsworth and Tom Henderson in 2016 with a focus on sports marketing, entertainment and the gaming industry.

Festival will play select titles from its previous editions.

World premieres of Stephen Moyer’s A Bit Of Light and Dishad Husain’s Banglatown headline the programme of the 30th Raindance Film Festival, which runs from October 26-November 5 in London cinemas and online throughout the UK.

One of nine feature world premieres in the selection, A Bit Of Light is the second directorial feature of UK actor Moyer, who is best known for his lead role in long-running vampire TV series True Blood.

Starring Ray Winstone and Moyer’s wife Anna Paquin, the film follows a nearly-forty-year-old woman who is...

Joachim Back’s “Corner Office,” featuring “Mad Men” star John Hamm, will open the 30th edition of London’s Raindance Film Festival (Oct. 26-Nov. 5). Austin Bragg and Meredith Bragg’s “Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game” will close the festival.

To mark its 30th anniversary, Raindance will screen iconic independent films that had their U.K. premieres at the festival, including “Pulp Fiction,” “Memento,” “The Blair Witch Project” and “Oldboy.”

Special screenings of new films include the world premiere of Stephen Moyer’s “A Bit of Light” (U.K.), starring Anna Paquin and Ray Winstone; director Moshe Rosenthal will take part in a Raindance masterclass and present the U.K. premiere of “Karaoke” (Israel); and the world premiere of Dilshad Husain’s British Asian feature “Banglatown.”

The festival’s homegrown strand for U.K.-produced features include Pushan Kripalani’s “Goldfish,” Elisabeth Felson’s “Night Burns Like Cigarettes,” Finn...

Festival will play select titles from its previous editions.

World premieres of Stephen Moyer’s A Bit Of Light and Dishad Husain’s Banglatown headline the programme of the 30th Raindance Film Festival, which runs from October 26-November 5 in London cinemas and online throughout the UK.

One of nine feature world premieres in the selection, A Bit Of Light is the second directorial feature of UK actor Moyer, who is best known for his lead role in long-running vampire TV series True Blood.

Starring Ray Winstone and Moyer’s wife Anna Paquin, the film follows a nearly-forty-year-old woman who is...

Updated: Sarah Polley’s Women Talking has been selected as the Centerpiece screening at the Hamptons Film Festival, which unspools its 30th edition October 7-16.

Based on Miriam Toews’ 2018 novel, Women Talking had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and will hit theaters December 2 via Orion and MGM. Read Deadline’s review here.

The festival also said it will close with Chris Smith’s Sr, a look at the life and career of Robert Downey Sr., and that its annual “Rowdy Talks” program will be highlighted by Chris Columbus. It also revealed additional Spotlight selections and its Views From Long Island; Conflict and Resolution; Air, Land & Sea; and Compassion, Justice & Animal Rights lineups.

Previously, August 12: The Hamptons Film Festival will screen Cannes Jury Prize Winner Eo by Jerzy Skolimowski, Phyllis Nagy’s Call Jane, and Decision to Leave by Cannes Best Director winner Park Chan-wook among others...

Exclusive: Gia Sandhu (The Mysterious Benedict Society) has signed on to executive produce and star in Alterations, the first feature from writer-director Sean Wainsteim.

In the film, a woman and a non-verbal girl serving as live-in caregivers are invited to stay in a house where their every desire is fulfilled, as long as they mend mysterious clothing for fairytale creatures.

Sandhu will play Leila, the woman traveling with rebellious 12-year-old Nadia and a suitcase of her belongings, who is desperate for a safe place to call home. When she finds a situation that seems too good to be true, she’s willing to ignore some… odd occurrences and make the best of things. As she starts to uncover her role in a larger narrative, Leila is forced to balance her time with Nadia with explorations into her own power, creativity and ability to change.

Rosemary Dunsmore, John Stocker and Shazdeh Kapadia...

Exclusive: Joel Courtney and Crystal Reed have signed on to star in Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game for MPI Original Films.

The dramatic comedy produced by MPI is based on the true story of writer and pinball wizard Roger Sharpe, chronicling his journey to overturn New York City’s 35-year ban on pinball.

Austin and Meredith Bragg wrote and directed the film, which heads into production in October.

Stacey Parks, Lana Link, and Rob Pfaltzgraff will produce, with Nick Reid and Roger Sharpe on board as exec producers.

“Joel and Crystal bring so much remarkable talent and warmth to the project,” said The Bragg Brothers. “We’re thrilled to have them on board to bring Roger’s story to the screen.”

Courtney is currently in production on the Netflix film Players, starring alongside Damon Wayans Jr. and Gina Rodriguez. He...