Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Brian Ufberg, Film Editor

Film editor and NEPA native Brian Ufberg (right), with fellow film editor Mick Austley and Brian's agent Julie at a concert on Santa Montica Pier, August 1990. Photo by Bill C.




Film editor Brian Ufberg was born and raised in Edwardsville, PA and attended Wyoming Seminary.

Brian's first film as an apprentice film editor was the 1987 dramedy Nobody's Fool, starring Rosanna Arquette, Eric Roberts and Oscar winner Louise Fletcher. In an earlier scene in the film, Brian's full name is mentioned as a radio reporter.

In 1990, Brian was the assistant editor on the critically acclaimed film The Grifters, directed by Stephen Frears and starring Anjelica Houston, John Cusack (whom Brian said was very critical of his own performance in the film), and Annette Bening. On The Grifters, Ufberg worked closely with both director Frears and editor Mick Austley (pictured above with Ufberg); the three would work together again on 2002's Hero, starring Dustin Hoffman (who was present with Ufberg in the editing room) and Geena Davis. Brian and Mick also worked together on Neil Jordan's 2004 hit Interview With The Vampire, starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.

Ufberg's other film credits on his impressive resume include Twelve Monkeys, X-Men, 21 Grams, Good Night & Good Luck, and the 2006 remake of The Pink Panther.

Ufberg's next film is the upcoming Zodiac, directed by David Fincher (Se7en, Panic Room). Zodiac is based on the Robert Graysmith books about the real life notorious Zodiac, a serial killer who terrorized San Francisco with a string of seemingly random murders during the 1960s and 1970s. Zodiac, which stars Jake Gyllenhall, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards and Robert Downey, Jr., is scheduled for release on March 2, 2007.

Several films edited by Brian Ufberg, including Nobody's Fool, Good Night & Good Luck, Interview With The Vampire, X-Men, and The Grifters, are available to borrow on VHS and DVD from the Lackawanna County Library System.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

ACTOR RAINN WILSON, "DWIGHT" FROM TV'S "THE OFFICE" TO APPEAR AT SCRANTON'S STEAMTOWN MALL DECEMBER 17TH

Actor Rainn Wilson, who plays Dwight on the NBC Emmy-winning sitcom The Office (set in Scranton, PA), will make an appearance at Scranton's Mall at Steamtown on Sunday, December 17th from 1 PM - 3 PM in Center Court.

For more information, visit the Mall at Steamtown's Special Events page.

UPDATE DEC 18TH: An article appeared in today's Citizens' Voice detailing Wilson's visit to Scranton; over 1,000 people showed up. To read the article, click here. To see a VIDEO CLIP of his visit, click here. Also, check out the Office article "The Paper Chase" from the December 11, 2006 issue of The New Yorker.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Robert May, Film Producer


Though technically not from Wilkes-Barre or Scranton, film producer Robert May was born and raised in Dallas, PA in Luzerne County.

May produced the 2003 critically acclaimed and award winning independent film The Station Agent, starring Academy Award nominees Patricia Clarkson (Pieces of April, High Art, HBO's Six Feet Under), and Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain, Halloween H20); the film also stars Bobby Cannavale (The Bone Collector, Shall We Dance?). May attended a screening of the film at Cinemark in Moosic, followed by a Q&A with the audience.

May also co-produced the 2003 Academy Award winning documentary The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara.

2006's
The War Tapes, also produced by Robert May, had its national premiere screening in Wilkes-Barre, PA on July 14, 2006 at the recently opened RC Movies 14. May was in attendance and held a Q&A with the audience after the screening.

In 2006 May also produced Bonneville, a drama will a stellar cast including Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Joan Allen, and Christine Baranski (Chicago).

Two of Robert May's films, The Station Agent and The Fog of War, are available to borrow on DVD from the Lackawanna County Library System.