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Feature directorial debut by Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp premiered at Sundance in January.

Ryan Kampe’s Visit Films has licensed a raft of territories on action comedy First Date following its Sundance London screening led by a deal with 101 Films in the UK and Ireland and Telefonica in Spain.

Rights to the feature debut of writing and directing duo Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp have also gone to New People New Film Company in Cis and Penny Black for airlines.

First Date premiered at Sundance at the start of the year and was recently released in North America by Magnet Releasing.

Stars: Tyson Brown, Shelby Duclos, Jesse Janzen, Nicole Berry, Samuel Ademola, Ryan Quinn Adams, Angela Barber, Dave Reimer, Jake Howard, Samantha Laurenti, Scott Noble, Leah Finity, Josh Fesler, Brandon Kraus | Written and Directed by Manuel Crosby, Darren Knapp

The ‘One Crazy Night’ genre gets a new entry in the form of First Date, a low budget crime comedy, the debut feature from co-writer / co-director duo Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp. Scrappy and often wide of the mark, it ultimately succeeds thanks to a sort of stealth charm effect, sneaking up and winning you over when you’re least expecting it.

Newcomer Tyson Brown plays Mike, a naïve and hopelessly passive high schooler who’s pushed into asking out girl-next-door crush Kelsey (Shelby Duclos) by his motor-mouthed best buddy Brett (Josh Fesler). When she says yes, Mike suddenly finds himself in need of a car, so Brett finds him a cheap one online,...

More concerned with paying homage to ’90s-era Quentin Tarantino than telling a contemporary coming-of-age tale with believable stakes, co-helmers Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp’s debut feature “First Date” saddles a young couple not with a romantic night out, but with a haphazard all-nighter crime-comedy that’s mostly unfunny and free of convincing suspense. Instead, we get a blood-soaked comedy of errors, full of wisecracking criminals, missed connections and shoot-’em-up set pieces.

Then again, how could the results feel genuine when the whole premise is based on an utterly unrealistic hypothesis? It goes something like this: Middle-class high school student Mike (likable newcomer Tyson Brown) talks cool neighbor Kelsey into go out with him. Problem is, he doesn’t have a ride, or much money. Eager to impress, he decides to drop the entirety of his limited funds on a pre-owned car, rather than doing something sensible, like calling...

A shy teen gets in big trouble while trying to go out with his acerbic neighbor. First Date has the pieces of a zany adolescent action comedy, but never puts the puzzle together in an interesting way. Amateurish direction and a significant lack of chemistry from the young leads doom the film from the start. The goofy supporting characters add some humor, just not enough to rescue the sluggish pacing. First Date unfortunately strikes out before even reaching first base.

The film opens with the extremely timid Mike (Tyson Brown) and his obnoxious best friend, Brett (Josh Fesler), riding bicycles in their suburban California neighborhood. Mike sees the fetching Kelsey (Shelby Duclos) working out in her family's garage. They share a sweet lingering gaze before Mike is sideswiped by Chet (Brandon Kraus), a popular jock with a Porsche. Humiliated and dejected, Mike wheels home as a concerned Kelsey looks on.

"We can all get what we need from this situation." Magnolia has released the official trailer for First Date, an indie misadventure comedy from filmmakers Manuel Crosby & Darren Knapp, both making their feature directorial debut with this. It premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival this year, and stopped by the Independent Film Festival of Boston this spring. After being conned into buying a shady '65 Chrysler, Mike's first date plans with girl-next-door Kelsey implode as he finds himself targeted by criminals, the cops, and a crazy cat lady. Tyson Brown stars as Mike, with Shelby Duclos as his date, plus Jesse Janzen, Nicole Berry, Samuel Ademola, Ryan Quinn Adams, and Angela Barber. This did not get great reviews out of Sundance, and you can see why with this trailer. Good idea to play with, just doesn't look like a good film. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Manuel Crosby & Darren Knapp's First Date,...

Here’s a great little summary about the wild ride and wild night of “First Date,” an indie that premiered at Sundance earlier this year. “For most teens, the scariest hurdle they’ll face is asking their crush out on a first date,” our review from Sundance by Robert Daniels wrote. “But on this night, for the bashful Mike (Tyson Brown), preparing for his first outing with the headstrong Kelsey (Shelby Duclos), courting is the least of his issues.

Continue reading ‘First Date’ Exclusive Trailer: A Night On The Town Explodes Into A Wild Thrill Ride at The Playlist.

Sundance Film Festival: London has revealed that “Zola” and “Coda” will be among the 2021 lineup, when the festival returns to Picturehouse Central next month.

“Coda” — an acronym meaning “Child of Deaf Adults” — features Marlee Matlin (“The West Wing”) and 19-year-old Emilia Jones (“Locke & Key”) navigating their relationship, while “Zola” is based on a 148-tweet viral Twitter thread from 2015 by Aziah “Zola” Wells. It stars Taylor Paige (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) and Riley Keough (“Max Max: Fury Road”) and will close the 4-day festival.

Edgar Wright’s rockumentary “The Sparks Brothers,” described as a “musical odyssey,” opens the festival on July 29.

Other feature film offerings, which have been selected from the longer line-up shown at the Sundance Film Festival, include “The Nest,” starring Jude Law (“Sherlock Holmes”), animation “Cryptozoo,” which features Lake Bell (“BoJack Horseman”) and Michael Cera (“Arrested Development”), and documentary “Writing With Fire,” about a female-run Indian newspaper, which...

The genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, Magnet Releasing, has picked up the North American rights to Sundance action-comedy First Date.

The feature, which premiered in the fest’s Next section, centers on a shy teen (Tyson Brown) who is conned into buying a shady ‘65 Chrysler ahead of his eagerly anticipated first date with his longtime crush, Kelsey (Shelby Duclos), which is interrupted by a relentless series of mishaps and crimes.

Writer-directors Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp made their feature debut with movie, which also stars Jesse Janzen, Nicole Berry, Samuel Ademola, Ryan Quinn Adams, Angela Barber, Dave Reimer, Jake Howard, Samantha ...

The genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, Magnet Releasing, has picked up the North American rights to Sundance action-comedy First Date.

The feature, which premiered in the fest’s Next section, centers on a shy teen (Tyson Brown) who is conned into buying a shady ‘65 Chrysler ahead of his eagerly anticipated first date with his longtime crush, Kelsey (Shelby Duclos), which is interrupted by a relentless series of mishaps and crimes.

Writer-directors Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp made their feature debut with movie, which also stars Jesse Janzen, Nicole Berry, Samuel Ademola, Ryan Quinn Adams, Angela Barber, Dave Reimer, Jake Howard, Samantha ...

Roster includes mountaineering documentary The Sanctity Of Space.

Ryan Kampe’s Visit Films has added acclaimed Sundance titles I Was a Simple Man, El Planeta and First Date to the sales roster for this week’s virtual EFM.

The slate includes previously announced Sundance thriller Superior, as well as mountaineering documentary The Sanctity Of Space, Tribeca 2020 selections Lorelei and My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To, 2020 SXSW selection The Surrogate, and survival thriller Wildcat.

Visit holds international rights to Christopher Makoto Yogi’s I Was A Simple Man, which takes place in the countryside of the north shore of O‘ahu,...

First Date contains all the trappings of a first film. With a minimal budget, the technicality of Darren Knapp and Manuel Crosby’s debut feature falters, unable to produce enticing visuals, professional sound mixing, or a skilled ensemble. Instead, the film must hope its script can provide the necessary laughs, and without a packed, weary Sundance audience egging on the mayhem of the story, it fails to succeed. Eased by the sheer insanity of its final act, First Date represents an admirable stab at the classic plot of a first date gone wrong, but it lacks the punch it so desperately is attempting to deliver.

Following regular high schooler Mike (a wide-eyed Tyson Brown), the events of First Date occurs over the course of a single evening, as the night grows in madness. Buying a used car from a shady dealer after borrowing money from his parents, Mike unwittingly enters...

Crafting a multi-layered thrill ride that’s driven by both dramatic emotion and fun entertainment, and appeals to both modern movie fans and nostalgic cinephiles, can be a challenge for many filmmakers. But up-and-coming movie auteurs, Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp, created an equally amusing and suspenseful ensemble-driven crime comedy that’s reminiscent of the projects that […]

The post 2021 Sundance Film Festival Video Interview: Manuel Crosby, Darren Knapp, Tyson Brown and Shelby Duclos Talk First Date (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.

Hearkening back to coming-of-age movies like Superbad, Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp’s First Date feels comfortingly familiar as both a thriller and a comedy. After buying a questionable ’65 Chrysler, Mike’s (Tyson Brown) first date with Kelsey (Shelby Duclos) snowballs into an epic night of cop chases, criminals, and cat ladies. Dp and co-director Manuel Crosby explains what it was like filming a late night thriller with an ’90s style on a budget. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? […]

The post "My Day Rate Was Cheap (Because It Didn't Exist)": Dp Manuel Crosby on First Date first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Hearkening back to coming-of-age movies like Superbad, Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp’s First Date feels comfortingly familiar as both a thriller and a comedy. After buying a questionable ’65 Chrysler, Mike’s (Tyson Brown) first date with Kelsey (Shelby Duclos) snowballs into an epic night of cop chases, criminals, and cat ladies. Dp and co-director Manuel Crosby explains what it was like filming a late night thriller with an ’90s style on a budget. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? […]

The post "My Day Rate Was Cheap (Because It Didn't Exist)": Dp Manuel Crosby on First Date first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

For most teens, the scariest hurdle they’ll face is asking their crush out on a first date. But on this night, for the bashful Mike (Tyson Brown), preparing for his first outing with the headstrong Kelsey (Shelby Duclos), courting is the least of his issues. After he buys a ramshackle car from a suspicious salesman, one with a darker history than he could ever guess, his life comes into jeopardy.

Continue reading ‘First Date’: Teen Coming-Of-Age Careens Into A Bloody Mess In This Errant Joy Ride [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.

Hearkening back to coming-of-age movies like Superbad, Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp’s First Date feels comfortingly familiar as both a thriller and a comedy. After buying a questionable ’65 Chrysler, Mike’s (Tyson Brown) first date with Kelsey (Shelby Duclos) snowballs into an epic night of cop chases, criminals, and cat ladies. Editor Zach Passero explains how they snipped a nearly three hour cut down while preserving the movie’s irrepressible personality. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? Passero: I came onboard after Darren and Manuel had edited a 2 hour 45 minute cut. They were […]

The post "Chaotic Comedy and Intense Action": Editor Zach Passero on First Date first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Hearkening back to coming-of-age movies like Superbad, Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp’s First Date feels comfortingly familiar as both a thriller and a comedy. After buying a questionable ’65 Chrysler, Mike’s (Tyson Brown) first date with Kelsey (Shelby Duclos) snowballs into an epic night of cop chases, criminals, and cat ladies. Editor Zach Passero explains how they snipped a nearly three hour cut down while preserving the movie’s irrepressible personality. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? Passero: I came onboard after Darren and Manuel had edited a 2 hour 45 minute cut. They were […]

The post "Chaotic Comedy and Intense Action": Editor Zach Passero on First Date first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

An out-all-night odyssey in which romance is interrupted by a compounding series of mishaps and crimes, Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp’s First Date follows in the tradition of similarly named predecessors like Date Night, Blake Edwards’ Blind Date, et cetera. In this case, the misadventure is mostly had by the would-be suitor (Tyson Brown), who gets waylaid time and again before he can even meet the longtime crush (Shelby Duclos) he can’t believe agreed to go out with him. This is the first feature for both leads, and the writer-directors would’ve done well to concentrate more on them — prioritizing chemistry ...

An out-all-night odyssey in which romance is interrupted by a compounding series of mishaps and crimes, Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp’s First Date follows in the tradition of similarly named predecessors like Date Night, Blake Edwards’ Blind Date, et cetera. In this case, the misadventure is mostly had by the would-be suitor (Tyson Brown), who gets waylaid time and again before he can even meet the longtime crush (Shelby Duclos) he can’t believe agreed to go out with him. This is the first feature for both leads, and the writer-directors would’ve done well to concentrate more on them — prioritizing chemistry ...

While this year's Sundance Film Festival will be experienced differently in the era of Covid-19 (with virtual screenings taking place online and in-person screenings taking place with safety precautions in select theaters across the country), the cinema celebration will continue to highlight vital, impactful, and innovative creators behind and in front of the camera, with more than 70 feature films included in the festival's full lineup.

We've highlighted some of the genre films horror fans can look forward to from the official press release below. Stay tuned to Daily Dead for our upcoming coverage of the festival (taking place January 28th–February 3rd), and visit Sundance's website for more details.

World Cinema Dramatic Competition

The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet / Argentina — Sebastian, a man in his thirties, works a series of temporary jobs and he embraces love at every opportunity. He transforms, through a series of short encounters, as the world flirts with possible apocalypse.