A homie’s homage to Blaxploitation films, Black Dynamite is a rip-roariously funny 70′s spoof complete afros, dashikis and platform shoes. This guilty pleasure will make you blush and laugh out loud at its brilliant political incorrectness. (M. Lowe; MOSAEC.com)

New York, NY (July 21, 2008) Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies and Steven Strait with Emily Mortimer and Academy Award winner Alan Arkin are set to star in Writer/Director Raymond De Felitta’s (Two Family House, Café Society, The Thing About My Folks) dysfunctional family comedy, “City Island.” Dominik Garcia-Lorido and Ezra Miller will co-star in the film. De Felitta’s Medici Entertainment, Andy Garcia’s CineSon and Lauren Versel for her Lucky Monkey Pictures will produce the film along with Zachary Matz. The Paradigm Motion Picture Finance Group packaged the film and will represent the domestic sale. Westend Films is the foreign sales company on the film which began shooting this week on location in City Island.

“It is rare to find material that captures the human condition with an emotional yet humorous content, in such an elegant framework. From the first read De Felitta’s script seduced me not only as an actor but as a producer” commented Andy Garcia

Based upon De Felitta’s original screenplay, “City Island” is the story of a Bronx prison deputy Vince Rizzo (Garcia) who recognizes a prisoner (Strait) as his grown child whom he sired with another woman twenty years earlier. He decides to be the young man’s guardian in Rizzo’s family’s home, but his efforts to conceal the nature of his relationship to the young man promptly begin to unravel the complex web of deceits which have worn the family fabric threadbare through the years.

Title refers to the actual fishing village in the Bronx where the story is set and shall be produced.

De Felitta commented on the production, “I am thrilled to have as a partner Andy Garcia, an artist I have admired for years as well as the rest of this amazing cast. Lucky Monkey is a great cutting edge independent film company that I am proud to be associated with. The presence of all of these people has made the 8 years it took to make this film worthwhile.”

Lucky Monkey Pictures’ Lauren Versel added, “City Island is a peek at what happens when dreams come true. Working with this exceptional director and this inspired cast is a dream realized for me.”

De Felitta will be blogging the entire making of the film — a first in the blogosphere with a project with this visibility — with daily behind the scenes clips on his longtime weblog “Movies Til Dawn” (www.moviestildawn.blogspot.com).

(April 17, 2008) In a hilarious comedy that brings together some of to day’s sharpest talent, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler team to tell the story of two women, one apartment and the nine months that will change their lives: Baby Mama.

All the craziness unfolds under the watchful eyes of Oscar the doorman/confidant, played by Romany Malco, best known for his starring role in The 40 Year Old Virgin and the critically acclaimed Showtime original series Weeds, which has garnered him an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

“I like that Oscar was a guy with good since of humor and has a lot of integrity,” says Malco.

“I loved the relationship between Kate and Oscar, this doorman who’s like her best friend, and her confidante in a way.”

But Oscar also ends up serving as Angie’s conscience as well “He’s a ‘pillar amidst the wreckage’ as he recognizes that he and Angie are very similar. Coming from blue-collar families they understand the idea of not fulfilling their true potential and they both have been hurt and cheated by the system. You believe they are friends.”

Baby Mama not only brings together the comedic talents of Poehler, Fey and Malco, the film boasts an array of talent which includes funnyman Steve Martin, Dax Sheppard, Sigourney Weaver, Greg Kinnear, Maura Tierney and Holland Taylor.

Baby Mama is the story of a successful and single businesswoman Kate Holbrook (Fey), who has long put her career ahead of a personal life. Now 37, she’s finally determined to have a kid on her own. But her plan is thrown a curve ball after she discovers she has only a million-to-one chance of getting pregnant. Undaunted, the driven Kate allows South Philly working girl Angie Ostrowiski (Poehler) to become her unlikely surrogate. After learning from the steely head of the surrogacy center (Weaver) that Angie is pregnant, Kate goes into precision nesting mode: reading childcare books, baby-proofing the apartment and researching top pre-schools. But the executive’s well-organized strategy is turned upside down when her Baby Mama shows up at her doorstep with no place to live. That’s when the fun and games began as unstoppable force meets an immovable object as structured Kate tries to turn vibrant Angie into the perfect expectant mom. In a comic battle of wills, they will struggle their way through preparation for the baby’s arrival. And in the middle of this tug-of-war, they’ll discover two kinds of family: the one you’re born into and the one you make.

Malco first came to national prominence as MC Hammer in the VH-I TV movie Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story. Most recently, he co-starred alongside Will Ferrell and Jon Heder in the DreamWorks feature Blades of Glory, which grossed over $100 million worldwide. He will next be in The Love Guru, opposite Mike Myers and Jessica Alba. His other feature film credits include the comedy The Tuxedo, with Jackie Chan and Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Jesse Peretz’s comedy The Chateau, opposite his Virgin castmate Paul Rudd. Malco will also re-team with Virgin director Judd Apatow on an untitled marine recruiter project at Universal. The project, currently in development, is based on an original idea of Malco’s and will have Apatow on board as a producer.

The first American born into his West Indian family, Brooklyn-bred Malco began his career at the age of seven when he picked up a microphone and started rapping. As a teen, he moved to Texas and formed the rap group R.M.G. and upon relocating to Los Angeles, the crew signed a deal with Virgin Records. The group’s name was changed to College Boyz and their first big hit, “Victim of the Ghetto,” went to No. # 1 on the rap charts. Malco currently resides in Los Angeles.

(March 28, 2008) – For those that have ever had their heart ripped out and cut into a billion pieces comes a hilarious, heartfelt look at relationships — Forgetting Sarah Marshall — starring Jason Segel as Peter Bretter, a struggling musician who has spent nearly six years idolizing his girlfriend, television star Sarah Marshall, played by Kristen Bell. From the producers of The 40- Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, Judd Apatow and Shauna Robertson, comes a comic look at one guy’s quest to grow up and get over the heartbreak of being dumped. The film is written by Segel, the film’s star.

The comedy is about Peter, who had long accepted that he was the guy left holding the TV star’s purse in paparazzi photos and accidentally omitted from acceptance award speeches. However, his world is rocked when Sarah dumps him and he finds himself alone. After an unsuccessful bout of womanizing and an on-the-job nervous breakdown, he believes that not having Sarah in his life may forever ruin it.

To clear his head, Peter takes an impulsive trip to Oahu, where he is confronted by his worst nightmare: his ex and her hip new British-rocker boyfriend, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand, St. Trinian’s, Penelope), are sharing his luxury hotel. But as he torments himself with the reality of Sarah’s new life, he finds relief in a flirtation with Rachel (Mila Kunis, TV’s That ‘70s Show, Family Guy), a beautiful resort employee whose laid­back approach tempts him to rejoin the world of the living. He also finds relief in several hundred fruity cocktails.

The capacity to fall deeply, madly in love is fundamental to humanity. As is the inevitability of having our hearts painfully, inextricably torn apart. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is an example of how in the darkest of places, there is the funniest of comedy.

The casting process began as Segel and the filmmakers searched for the perfect woman to play the title character-a self-centered yet sympathetic, bossy but lovable, dumper of Peter. Kristen Bell was cast on the spot after her audition as Sarah, the self-indulgent television star of hit procedural show Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime. Says Apatow: “Her Sarah Marshall and Jason’s Peter Bretter had great chemistry. Her shutdown nature and sarcasm were really funny against his puppy-dog vulnerability. They made an interesting, horrible, funny couple.

“Kristen’s character was fun to develop,” he continues. “I always think it is fun to satirize people in show business. Making fun of television shows, cop shows and stars of shows are just ripe areas of comedy.”

Bell was sold by her co-star’s screenplay. “Most romantic comedies tend to be very predictable, but there is a reality to this script,” she commends.

“Jason wrote a very three-dimensional story. Everybody is trying the best they can, and you can see all sides of every situation.”

Producer Robertson offers of the film’s female lead: “Kristen was the right person to play Sarah Marshall because you have to, at moments, love her and other times be disgusted by her. Kristen can play both and have you glued to the screen either way, laughing out loud.”

In addition to the two leads – Segel (Knocked Up, television’s How I Met Your Mother) and Bell (TV’s Veronica Mars, Heroes) – the film also stars Paul Rudd (Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin), Jonah Hill (Superbad, Knocked Up), Bill Hader (Superbad, television’s Saturday Night Live), Jack McBrayer (television’s 30 Rock, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby) and Maria Thayer (Accepted, Strangers With Candy).

(March 17, 2008) – Academy Award winners George Clooney and Renee Zellweger match wits in Leatherheads, a quick-witted romantic comedy inspired by the stranger-than-fiction beginnings of America’s pro-football league in 1925. Clooney has double duty on the film, serving as one of the stars and the director, working from a script by first-time screenwriters Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly.

Long before the days of Superbowls, Astroturf, multimillion-dollar paychecks and staggering endorsements, some men played football only for the love of the game. They were rough, crass, foul-mouthed and hardheaded. They were Leatherheads.

Clooney stars as Dodge Connolly, a charming, brash football hero who knows that this burgeoning sport is currently attracting, at best, a smattering of loud, drunk fans who can’t conceive of paying top dollar to attend an event. His games are free-for-alls that devolve into fisticuffs, and the situation is quickly deteriorating. But the captain is determined that it’s possible to guide his team and league from bar brawls to packed stadiums.

After the players lose their sponsor and the entire league faces collapse, Dodge convinces agent CC Frazier, played by Jonathan Pryce, to secure his rising college football star, Carter “The Bullet” Rutherford, played by John Krasinski, who is filling stadiums with every game-for his ragtag ranks. Dodge hopes his latest move will help the struggling sport finally capture the country’s attention. While all looked hopeful, Dodge doesn’t realize his fight has just begun.

Choosing the comedy’s principal actors fell into place fairly quickly for Clooney.

Zellweger, who plays sportswriter Lexie Littleton, caught in a love triangle between Carter Rutherford and Dodge Connolly, was one of the first actors to come onto Leatherheads.

“She handles this rapid-fire dialogue brilliantly, and we knew she could play this feisty, smart character with savvy, sexiness and sophistication. What’s so great about Renee is that she also captures Lexie’s vulnerability, which comes into play when she has doubts about what she’s doing … and when she starts to fall for Dodge,” the producer Grant Heslov said.

Zellweger was attracted to the part because she found Leatherheads to be “the kind of movie you keep your fingers crossed for.” She responded to the fact that “it’s a throwback to those great old romantic comedies where the dialogue is sharp and witty, the story is compelling and interesting and the characters are full of color.”

The actor adds that what appealed to her about Lexie was the fact “she’s witty and smart, clearly a sharp girl who thinks on her feet. Lexie’s a bit of a spitfire, ahead of her time-but I also appreciated that she was very likable and, at the end of the day, has real integrity.”

Zellweger offers, “We discussed the dialogue, the scenes, what the subtext was and how it worked in the story. But we didn’t over-rehearse; we never blocked out the scene to a great extent or ran lines too much. With these lines, that was easy to do, as there were pages and pages of dialogue. There was homework and memorization every night. But it was addictively fun, because the lines were so rich and we could take them in so many directions.”

Krasinski came next, cast as football star Carter Rutherford. Producer Heslov felt that Krasinski understood Carter’s conflict as a war hero who might not be as valiant as first reported. The screenwriters had created a decent fellow not merely caught up in the hoopla of celebrity but, in fact, trapped by it. Heslov states, “We always saw Carter as basically a good guy-an innocent, smart man who got in over his head. John really got that and played it beautifully.”

Although Krasinski, best known for his work on the hit television series The Office, had been in a few feature films, he was impressed by the Leatherheads script. He says, “I read the script eight months before shooting, and I just loved it. I said to my agents, ‘This is the best script I’ve read in a long time. Let me know who gets it.’ But I met with George in his office, and we just talked; I didn’t audition, so that was amazing. About a month later, I went on tape. Two days later, they called; it was surreal.”

Krasinski had an affinity for the character caught between the worlds of war hero and football player, and agreed with the filmmakers’ take that Rutherford’s instant fame would make anyone more complicated. “We thought the key to him was that he had to be a really good guy who had a bad hand dealt. It’s not like he’s an evil person who’s been manipulating the situation and using his fame. He’s just a guy who got stuck with this. I focused on his innocence when I read the script, and it seemed like that’s what George honed in on too.”

Offered Clooney: “Jonathan makes it easy because we know exactly who this guy is the minute he walks in the room. CC is slicker and smarter than we are, which Jonathan is; he’s smarter than anybody else in the room and has interesting instincts. And he’s also a professional who knows exactly what’s needed in the scene. When actors understand that, it makes it really easy to direct.” He laughs, “It’s embarrassing to act in scenes with him, but it makes him easy to direct.”

Pryce, an award-winning Welsh actor, was cast to play Carter’s manager, the suave and cunning CC Frazier, a man with an equal eye for the ladies and the almighty dollar-initially somewhat of a mentor for the impressionable college player. Clooney and the producers wanted a Svengali who was smooth and sophisticated, a slick operator, but still not too oily. They felt the actor really knew how to walk that line.

Pryce describes CC as “a guy who sees what he wants, goes in and gets it. He also thinks he has a chance with Lexie … with any woman. It doesn’t matter who it is!”

The performer found inspiration for CC in agents who had previously represented him; he relished the opportunity to channel them. “I’ve had agents in America who were CC figures, who had the eye on their main chance and couldn’t understand why I would want to play Macbeth for the Royal Shakespeare Company when I could do a movie-however crap the movie was,” Pryce states. “It was more important to make some money. Mercifully, those agents are in the past, but it was a lot of fun to play CC, where I could draw on their ruthlessness.”