Reviewed by Lisa Schwarzbaum
EW's GRADE : A- Details Limited Release: Aug 17, 2012;
Rated: R;
Length: 90 Minutes;
With: Ann Dowd and Dreama Walker;
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
The scene :
A busy fast-food restaurant in Anywhere, USA. The crisis: Sandra (Ann Dowd), a stressed-out middle-aged manager, receives a phone call from someone (Pat Healy) who identifies himself as a police officer. This disembodied voice of the law asks the frazzled manager to conduct an interrogation of Becky (Dreama Walker), an employee accused of stealing money from a customer. We know from the start that the call is a sick prank — it's also based on a true story, says writer-director Craig Zobel — but Sandra doesn't. After all, why should she, a good citizen, question authority? Would you?
With a slow, relentless buildup focused on sexual humiliation, Compliance intensifies the "requests" put on Sandra, and eventually other employees, to behave immorally in the name of cooperation. And the viewer too is complicit in the exploitation, awash in mixed emotions of titillation, shame, and outrage as we're invited to ogle a pretty young woman who is powerless and (literally) naked for much of the ordeal. (Dowd and Walker are terrific.) Zobel shoots his queasy little psych test with I'm-just-the-messenger documentary neutrality, challenging as he goes: Do you want to look away now? How about now? Will you walk out? Some did when Compliance screened this year at Sundance, while others exploded with anger or excitement. But at least everyone was talking about it, which is surely what the filmmaker has in mind as he measures the short steps between compliance and complicity.
Dreama Walker changes pace in 'Compliance'
By
Dreama Walker is best known for her recurring roles on "Gossip Girl" (as Hazel Williams), "The Good Wife" (as Becca, the devious girlfriend of Juliana Margulies' son) and the hit sitcom "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23" (as June, the nice roommate). But with "Compliance," opening Friday, she takes a giant career leap forward. Based on a real incident in which a prank caller claimed to be a police officer, the film features the 26-year-old Walker as a fast-food employee who is accused of robbery, held captive in a storage room and eventually strip-searched and sodomized. All because employees of the store thought they were talking to a real policeman. She spoke with Newsday. "Compliance" is really well done, but also very creepy and hard to watch. What attracted you to it?
I remember the incident when it happened, and it really resonated because the victim and I were the same age. And I felt that could have happened to anybody; it struck a chord with me. When I was approached about the script,
I felt this was always important to me, always something I wanted to have a discussion about.
Why do you think your character puts up with so much abuse?
This man who does the calls, I think he subconsciously took over, and she thought she was going to get in big trouble, and there was no way out of it. It was so gradual, by the time the rape happened, she was so resigned, and so overwhelmed, she couldn't look at the situation clearly.
The film really caused a commotion at the Sundance Film Festival, where there were a number of walkouts during the screening, and a contentious Q and A afterward.
I took this movie because I thought it would be very well done. At Sundance, the film ended, and throughout there were people getting up. And then we had the Q and A, there was this one woman saying it's the year of women, the film was misogynistic, it was degrading to women. I didn't know the movie was going to have that kind of reaction. I knew it would be difficult to watch, but not that it would be degrading to women. I don't think we should ignore events that happened to women just because it's the year of women. Not every movie you see is supposed to make you cuddle with your family at Christmas. It's supposed to ask what would you do if you were in this situation.
Well, if nothing else, this movie gets you away from those parts where you played utterly devious cuties. And in "Apartment 23" you get to show a much softer side.
Yes, it was a relief in a sense, I get to show off my comedic side, I don't say mean things with a smile, which I had been doing. I think has something to do with the fact that the way I look is easy to camouflage being a total [witch]. It's a lot more interesting playing someone with layers, and I enjoy that, at this point in my career, I haven't been typecast.
You're from Tampa. How did you get into acting?
I started doing community theater when I was younger. I loved to do different voices, being someone else, escaping my boring life in suburban Tampa. Whenever there was a girl in a movie or TV show, I wanted to be her. When "Waterworld" came out, I wanted to draw a giant map on my back. I was a very weird kid. I've been fascinated with Diane Keaton since I remember; "Annie Hall" is one of my favorite movies. I love comedy, but I also wanted to be known as a dramatic actress.
You have a pretty unusual name. Where did it come from?
My mom always told me my name was inspired by a dream she had. Then, later, I found out she knew someone in her life named Dreama. It's kind of a crazy name, but it's a real name, and because I'm in show business, people assume it's a stage name.
Do you ever worry that your very youthful looks could hold you back, career-wise?
I think I look kind of young, I have big, giant eyes, and I could play the same character over and over again. But I know I'm all over the place and can do a lot of things. Besides, facial reconstruction would be very expensive.
Compliance Review
Movies that open by announcing they are based on a true story generally fall into one of two camps, overly sentimental awards-bait dramas (generally starring a beautiful actress dressing down) or lurid genre fair hoping a faint connection to reality will help compensate for ludicrous writing. Then there’s Compliance, a movie with a connection to reality that makes it infinitely more disturbing. Based on a genuine prank phone call that escalated into psychological and sexual abuse, the fact that it’s genuine ensures that the most outlandish moments land because sadly and somewhat inexplicably, they happened. If you’ve heard the story, there’s not much that will come as a surprise. Yet, there’s big difference between reading a Coles Notes version in a news story and being stuck with the victims in real time as an uncomfortable situation spirals out of control.
The setting for one of the most psychologically disturbing films in recent years is oddly a fast food restaurant called ChickWich. The opening scenes follow the sad and gently comic lives of the employees, focusing in on teenage high school sweetheart Becky (Dreama Walker) and her oddly committed manager Sandra (Ann Dowd) who’s quietly jealous of Becky’s youth and cell-phone enhanced sex life. Though unfailingly polite, Sandra is one of those sad people who uses the meager authority she has in life as a means of making herself feel powerful if only for even a second, and she gets the opportunity to flex that miniscule muscle after an unexpected phone call.
The caller (Pat Healy) presents himself as Officer Daniels and claims a complaint was made about Becky stealing from a customer. On the police officer’s order, Sandra takes Becky into a back room where the severity of the situation is explained to both of them over the phone. Sandra is instructed to search Becky for the money and when there is none to be found the young girl is strip-searched with her clothes taken to the manager’s car to be picked up later by the police. It sounds implausible, but through the carefully constructed conversation everyone involved seems to think they don’t have a choice. The situation escalates for hours, male employees are brought in to watch Becky and, well, things get worse.
What’s most remarkable about writer/director Craig Zobel’s sophomore effort (following Great World of Sound) is the way he sustains so much suspense and tension out of a few characters in a single room with the villain on a phone miles away. There’s no overt violence and even the most humiliating and distressing scenes are shot tastefully, often occurring off camera. Yet through the intense psychological torment of the situation, the incredible naturalistic performances (especially Walker’s powerless confused teen and Dowd’s villain by circumstance), and Zobel’s carefully controlled shooting techniques, the film has an emotionally visceral quality that’s hard to describe. It’s all very low key with even Healy’s telephone tormenter coming off calm and calculated. It’s the subtle menace that makes the viewing experience so powerful and led to the actual event happening in the first place. When Compliance premiered at Sundance, it was a controversial screening filled with walkouts and angry viewers claiming exploitation and misogyny. There’s nothing about the movie that’s deserves those classifications. It’s just such an appropriately uncomfortable viewing experience that it’s easy to see why some viewers might lash out simply because they don’t like being forced into those emotions for even 90 minutes.
What the caller exploited and Zobel explored is the sad side of human nature that leaves so many people open to being controlled by authority. Everyone in the movie does what they do without question simply out of fear of angering either the phony cop or fast food management. What happens is unthinkable and probably would have been stopped if it was requested instantly, but with careful execution and manipulation it’s amazing what people can be talked into. Consider it a horror movie for the polite, proof that guiding behavior based on pleasing others is a weakness rather than a virtue. That’s something that the filmmaker hammers home with a brief coda showing Sandra as someone who suffers from the same weaknesses after the event and that defense mechanisms like smiling through discomfort or quietly submitting to authority are conditions that can’t be unlearned.
It should be pointed out that Compliance is such a small and specific movie, it’s easily susceptible to over-praise. Acknowledging the strengths of Zobel intense little yarn is important, but with the understanding that this isn’t the most disturbing film you’ll ever see and one that takes place almost entirely in the back room of a fast food restaurant. Going in expecting too much would lead to disappointment from such a delicate little psychological thriller. Go in and accept the ride and you might not “enjoy” what you see, but you’ll certainly get your stomach tied into knots and never forget it. That isn’t the most pleasant viewing experience, sure. But sadly films that provoke such intense emotional reactions aren’t too common.
Based on a series of actual prank calls gone bad, the film is about a fast food restaurant that receives a call from a man pretending to be a police officer investing a theft by one of the employees. Over a series of several long hours he talks the manager into strip searching the poor teen girl, eventually leading to a more violating act of sexual assault. Told simply and almost entirely within a single location, it’s one of the most grueling thrillers of the year without featuring any onscreen violence. We got a chance to speak with Zobel about the odd inspirations, peculiar production, and intense audience reactions of his latest feature.
Dork Shelf: When did you first hear about the actual incidents the film was based on was it something that you instantly wanted to make a movie about?
Craig Zobel: Actually this started with another idea. I was really interested in the Stanford prison experiments. I was reading a book at the time on that and thought it could be a great movie, then I realized they were totally already making a movie about it. So I was reading about that and the Stanley Milgram experiment on obedience to authority and when you start reading about these experiments in psychology they start pointing to examples like the Kitty Genovese case, who was a woman in the 70s in the Bronx who was attacked in the courtyard of her apartment, screamed out for help and even though 30 different people heard her, no one did anything and she was murdered. They all just assumed someone else was going to deal with it. The more behavioral psychology studies you read about the more examples you learn and the series of the phone calls to the fast food restaurant came up. I read about those and I had a reaction that I’d imagine a lot of people had to the film where I was immediately like, “Well, I would never do that. That would never be me.” So I started thinking about it and wondering, “Am I really being honest because I’ve never been in a situation where I never stood up for what I believed in because authority was involved?” I realized how common that was and it seemed like a fascinating subject for a film.
DS: One of the most disturbing things about the movie for me was that the few moments I thought seemed to stretch credibility were moments that I then learned actually happened. Did you consciously try to ensure that the most outlandish elements of the script were from the actually case?
CZ: Yeah, those became kind of central to me as being the craziest moments in the film. I suppose I could have gone less far to tried and maintain credibility, but then when talking about it with the actors, it was hard for us to avoid those moments. It meant something that it went that far. Something like the jumping jacks, which happened eight or nine times. That was what was significant to me when reading the story. So it was important for me to leave them in. Then the challenge was, “Can we, through the performance of the actors, find a human face to that?”
DS: Was there any guiding approach you had visually to shooting in a single location and almost entirely in a single room. You kept things surprisingly visually interesting and it actually seemed to get more stylish and heightened as film went on?
CZ: Well, thanks for noticing. I was very worried and watched every film you can think of that took place in a confined location just to try and understand what the pitfalls were. I just didn’t want it to become visually boring. The cinematographer and I had a few strategies. One was not to show the entire room at first; we’ll introduce you to the space over time. The other one was to make sure that there were windows in the room so that it starts in light and changes to nighttime, just to make the colors and lighting change. Less directional and more overhead, bleak, and fast food restauranty (laughs). The film starts handheld and then in the middle has dolly moves and things like that and in the end it’s all locked off shots. There were a lot of things like that we did as an experiment to keep it visually interesting.
DS: Was there any temptation to make Ann Dowd more threatening as the manager complying with the demands? It was chilling that she was so calm, but I could imagine when breaking it down on a scene-by-scene basis it would be temping to go a little farther.
CZ: It’s interesting. We mostly stayed on the script as far as the dialogue, but we shot several different versions of certain scenes to play with that tone. I think Ann and I went into it thinking, “Well I’m sure she would do this, but let’s try a few other things to be sure.” We did many different takes, especially in the first half. After a while we knew exactly how certain scenes would be played, but we experimented in some of those first scenes between Dreama and Ann. We’d do ten takes or so in different styles. A lot of the performance came from how we put it together in the edit. But, I think Ann and I quickly realized that it was much more interesting for her not to be authoritarian.
DS: What on Earth made you think of Pat Healy for the caller? Loved him for a long time, but never pictured in a role this deranged.
CZ: Yeah, that was part of it. I’d also worked with him before, so I knew he was amazing and knew I could rely on him for certain things. There were times while shooting when I would tell him certain things and not the other actors. I knew he had improv skills. In some ways it was an incredibly difficult role for him because he’s not a sociopathic crazy person (laughs), obviously. We talked about the character as someone who didn’t have a lot of agency in his life. He was yelled at by his boss and his way of going home and kicking the dog was to make these bizarre phone calls. You normally would cast someone with a deep voice and when you finally see them they’re smoking cigarettes all the time (laughs). We tried to avoid that guy.
DS: When did you get a sense of the impact this could have on an audience? Did you have to show it in a theatre?
CZ: During editing I screened it a lot for people, but never for more than seven or eight people at a time simply because it’s very hard for me to screen it for 300 people and walk away with any useful information. So we screened it a lot, but only to small groups who would could talk to at length about what their feelings were. I knew what we had made, but I didn’t know how it would play until we showed it at Sundance and (laughs) we know what happened there.
DS: What role David Gordon Green play in getting this made?
CZ: David and I have worked together a bunch before. I was co-producer on George Washington, he produced my first film and I was a production manager on several of his films. He actually just shot a film this summer that I produced. So we were old friends and we were actually at a 10-year anniversary screening of George Washington in the area where we shot it. We were talking about what we were going to do next and I told him this idea saying, “I don’t know if I can do it, but here’s this idea that I find really provocative and interesting.” He basically said, “That’s amazing, you need to do that next.” So he was the first one to come on as a producer and really push it forward.
DS: Is it surreal to see him, Jody Hill, Danny McBride, Jeff Nichols and yourself all successfully making movies after being in the same film classes together? It has to be the best batting average for any graduating film school class.
CZ: (Laughs) It’s a little bizarre, yeah. But great. I attribute that to the fact that there was never any sense of competition. We were all at a school that no one had heard of. There was a lot of camaraderie in the sense that no one knew what would happen after school, but we had to support each other. And also, Winston-Salem North Carolina isn’t exactly a jumping metropolis. The only thing that we could do was watch movies. There was literally one bar in the town.
DS: I was surprised to see that you were involved in the Homestar Runner website, particularly after seeing Compliance. Are you still involved with that group at all?
CZ: Yeah ,Mike and Matt Chapman the creators and I kind of all made it up in ‘98 or so. We thought it would be hilarious to make a children’s book pointing out how stupid they can be. It was kind of an in-joke and then eventually Mike and Matt learned how to animate them as cartoons and it just took off. Those are some of my closest and dearest friends in the world, so I’m definitely still involved. They are having a really exciting moment now because the website is still out there, but they’ve started working on some other projects that could possibly be on television. They have two different pilots and I’m excited because I think they are just about to unleash a whole new world of funniness on everyone.
DS: Do you think you’ll go back to comedy now?
CZ: I don’t know. I have an idea that’s kind of half comedy, half drama. It was really exciting to exercize the filmmaking muscles of how to create tension of suspense and I’m eager to try and do that in a more conventional genre setting. I feel like I learned a lot and I’d like to play with that again. There’s a lot on the plate right now and I don’t have the next thing nailed down quite yet, but I will very soon.
Movies that open by announcing they are based on a true story generally fall into one of two camps, overly sentimental awards-bait dramas (generally starring a beautiful actress dressing down) or lurid genre fair hoping a faint connection to reality will help compensate for ludicrous writing. Then there’s Compliance, a movie with a connection to reality that makes it infinitely more disturbing. Based on a genuine prank phone call that escalated into psychological and sexual abuse, the fact that it’s genuine ensures that the most outlandish moments land because sadly and somewhat inexplicably, they happened. If you’ve heard the story, there’s not much that will come as a surprise. Yet, there’s big difference between reading a Coles Notes version in a news story and being stuck with the victims in real time as an uncomfortable situation spirals out of control.
The setting for one of the most psychologically disturbing films in recent years is oddly a fast food restaurant called ChickWich. The opening scenes follow the sad and gently comic lives of the employees, focusing in on teenage high school sweetheart Becky (Dreama Walker) and her oddly committed manager Sandra (Ann Dowd) who’s quietly jealous of Becky’s youth and cell-phone enhanced sex life. Though unfailingly polite, Sandra is one of those sad people who uses the meager authority she has in life as a means of making herself feel powerful if only for even a second, and she gets the opportunity to flex that miniscule muscle after an unexpected phone call.
The caller (Pat Healy) presents himself as Officer Daniels and claims a complaint was made about Becky stealing from a customer. On the police officer’s order, Sandra takes Becky into a back room where the severity of the situation is explained to both of them over the phone. Sandra is instructed to search Becky for the money and when there is none to be found the young girl is strip-searched with her clothes taken to the manager’s car to be picked up later by the police. It sounds implausible, but through the carefully constructed conversation everyone involved seems to think they don’t have a choice. The situation escalates for hours, male employees are brought in to watch Becky and, well, things get worse.
What’s most remarkable about writer/director Craig Zobel’s sophomore effort (following Great World of Sound) is the way he sustains so much suspense and tension out of a few characters in a single room with the villain on a phone miles away. There’s no overt violence and even the most humiliating and distressing scenes are shot tastefully, often occurring off camera. Yet through the intense psychological torment of the situation, the incredible naturalistic performances (especially Walker’s powerless confused teen and Dowd’s villain by circumstance), and Zobel’s carefully controlled shooting techniques, the film has an emotionally visceral quality that’s hard to describe. It’s all very low key with even Healy’s telephone tormenter coming off calm and calculated. It’s the subtle menace that makes the viewing experience so powerful and led to the actual event happening in the first place. When Compliance premiered at Sundance, it was a controversial screening filled with walkouts and angry viewers claiming exploitation and misogyny. There’s nothing about the movie that’s deserves those classifications. It’s just such an appropriately uncomfortable viewing experience that it’s easy to see why some viewers might lash out simply because they don’t like being forced into those emotions for even 90 minutes.
What the caller exploited and Zobel explored is the sad side of human nature that leaves so many people open to being controlled by authority. Everyone in the movie does what they do without question simply out of fear of angering either the phony cop or fast food management. What happens is unthinkable and probably would have been stopped if it was requested instantly, but with careful execution and manipulation it’s amazing what people can be talked into. Consider it a horror movie for the polite, proof that guiding behavior based on pleasing others is a weakness rather than a virtue. That’s something that the filmmaker hammers home with a brief coda showing Sandra as someone who suffers from the same weaknesses after the event and that defense mechanisms like smiling through discomfort or quietly submitting to authority are conditions that can’t be unlearned.
It should be pointed out that Compliance is such a small and specific movie, it’s easily susceptible to over-praise. Acknowledging the strengths of Zobel intense little yarn is important, but with the understanding that this isn’t the most disturbing film you’ll ever see and one that takes place almost entirely in the back room of a fast food restaurant. Going in expecting too much would lead to disappointment from such a delicate little psychological thriller. Go in and accept the ride and you might not “enjoy” what you see, but you’ll certainly get your stomach tied into knots and never forget it. That isn’t the most pleasant viewing experience, sure. But sadly films that provoke such intense emotional reactions aren’t too common.
Interview: Compliance Director Craig Zobel
Craig Zobel isn’t necessarily the type filmmaker one would immediately expect to be responsible for one of the most disturbing films of the year. Apart from being involved in the cripplingly hilarious late 90s online comedy factory Homestar Runner, his last film was the strange n’ funny music con comedy Great World of Sound. I suppose that his second and latest feature Compliance does feature the conman connection, but it’s a drastically different beast.Based on a series of actual prank calls gone bad, the film is about a fast food restaurant that receives a call from a man pretending to be a police officer investing a theft by one of the employees. Over a series of several long hours he talks the manager into strip searching the poor teen girl, eventually leading to a more violating act of sexual assault. Told simply and almost entirely within a single location, it’s one of the most grueling thrillers of the year without featuring any onscreen violence. We got a chance to speak with Zobel about the odd inspirations, peculiar production, and intense audience reactions of his latest feature.
Dork Shelf: When did you first hear about the actual incidents the film was based on was it something that you instantly wanted to make a movie about?
Craig Zobel: Actually this started with another idea. I was really interested in the Stanford prison experiments. I was reading a book at the time on that and thought it could be a great movie, then I realized they were totally already making a movie about it. So I was reading about that and the Stanley Milgram experiment on obedience to authority and when you start reading about these experiments in psychology they start pointing to examples like the Kitty Genovese case, who was a woman in the 70s in the Bronx who was attacked in the courtyard of her apartment, screamed out for help and even though 30 different people heard her, no one did anything and she was murdered. They all just assumed someone else was going to deal with it. The more behavioral psychology studies you read about the more examples you learn and the series of the phone calls to the fast food restaurant came up. I read about those and I had a reaction that I’d imagine a lot of people had to the film where I was immediately like, “Well, I would never do that. That would never be me.” So I started thinking about it and wondering, “Am I really being honest because I’ve never been in a situation where I never stood up for what I believed in because authority was involved?” I realized how common that was and it seemed like a fascinating subject for a film.
DS: One of the most disturbing things about the movie for me was that the few moments I thought seemed to stretch credibility were moments that I then learned actually happened. Did you consciously try to ensure that the most outlandish elements of the script were from the actually case?
CZ: Yeah, those became kind of central to me as being the craziest moments in the film. I suppose I could have gone less far to tried and maintain credibility, but then when talking about it with the actors, it was hard for us to avoid those moments. It meant something that it went that far. Something like the jumping jacks, which happened eight or nine times. That was what was significant to me when reading the story. So it was important for me to leave them in. Then the challenge was, “Can we, through the performance of the actors, find a human face to that?”
DS: Was there any guiding approach you had visually to shooting in a single location and almost entirely in a single room. You kept things surprisingly visually interesting and it actually seemed to get more stylish and heightened as film went on?
CZ: Well, thanks for noticing. I was very worried and watched every film you can think of that took place in a confined location just to try and understand what the pitfalls were. I just didn’t want it to become visually boring. The cinematographer and I had a few strategies. One was not to show the entire room at first; we’ll introduce you to the space over time. The other one was to make sure that there were windows in the room so that it starts in light and changes to nighttime, just to make the colors and lighting change. Less directional and more overhead, bleak, and fast food restauranty (laughs). The film starts handheld and then in the middle has dolly moves and things like that and in the end it’s all locked off shots. There were a lot of things like that we did as an experiment to keep it visually interesting.
DS: How did you approach shooting with Dreama Walker during the humiliation and nude scenes? I’d imagine it could so easily become an uncomfortable experience for everyone involved.
CZ: Well, that started before casting, really. I had to be pretty specific about what I wanted to show and how I wanted to handle it prior to casting anyone. It then became a discussion with her about what amount she felt was appropriate. My point was always that it was important to have nudity because I wanted there to be a certain amount of discomfort as you recognize the gravity of the situation and she has to take off her clothes. I also looked to her to tell us where the line was. We figured it out together. Then when we shot it, certain scenes were fine and certain scenes were as uncomfortable as they appeared. It’s funny, when you watch the movie you get the sense that’s there’s more nudity than there actually is. She was covered a lot of the time, so that it wasn’t weird on set.
DS: Was there any temptation to make Ann Dowd more threatening as the manager complying with the demands? It was chilling that she was so calm, but I could imagine when breaking it down on a scene-by-scene basis it would be temping to go a little farther.
CZ: It’s interesting. We mostly stayed on the script as far as the dialogue, but we shot several different versions of certain scenes to play with that tone. I think Ann and I went into it thinking, “Well I’m sure she would do this, but let’s try a few other things to be sure.” We did many different takes, especially in the first half. After a while we knew exactly how certain scenes would be played, but we experimented in some of those first scenes between Dreama and Ann. We’d do ten takes or so in different styles. A lot of the performance came from how we put it together in the edit. But, I think Ann and I quickly realized that it was much more interesting for her not to be authoritarian.
DS: What on Earth made you think of Pat Healy for the caller? Loved him for a long time, but never pictured in a role this deranged.
CZ: Yeah, that was part of it. I’d also worked with him before, so I knew he was amazing and knew I could rely on him for certain things. There were times while shooting when I would tell him certain things and not the other actors. I knew he had improv skills. In some ways it was an incredibly difficult role for him because he’s not a sociopathic crazy person (laughs), obviously. We talked about the character as someone who didn’t have a lot of agency in his life. He was yelled at by his boss and his way of going home and kicking the dog was to make these bizarre phone calls. You normally would cast someone with a deep voice and when you finally see them they’re smoking cigarettes all the time (laughs). We tried to avoid that guy.
DS: When did you get a sense of the impact this could have on an audience? Did you have to show it in a theatre?
CZ: During editing I screened it a lot for people, but never for more than seven or eight people at a time simply because it’s very hard for me to screen it for 300 people and walk away with any useful information. So we screened it a lot, but only to small groups who would could talk to at length about what their feelings were. I knew what we had made, but I didn’t know how it would play until we showed it at Sundance and (laughs) we know what happened there.
DS: What role David Gordon Green play in getting this made?
CZ: David and I have worked together a bunch before. I was co-producer on George Washington, he produced my first film and I was a production manager on several of his films. He actually just shot a film this summer that I produced. So we were old friends and we were actually at a 10-year anniversary screening of George Washington in the area where we shot it. We were talking about what we were going to do next and I told him this idea saying, “I don’t know if I can do it, but here’s this idea that I find really provocative and interesting.” He basically said, “That’s amazing, you need to do that next.” So he was the first one to come on as a producer and really push it forward.
DS: Is it surreal to see him, Jody Hill, Danny McBride, Jeff Nichols and yourself all successfully making movies after being in the same film classes together? It has to be the best batting average for any graduating film school class.
CZ: (Laughs) It’s a little bizarre, yeah. But great. I attribute that to the fact that there was never any sense of competition. We were all at a school that no one had heard of. There was a lot of camaraderie in the sense that no one knew what would happen after school, but we had to support each other. And also, Winston-Salem North Carolina isn’t exactly a jumping metropolis. The only thing that we could do was watch movies. There was literally one bar in the town.
DS: I was surprised to see that you were involved in the Homestar Runner website, particularly after seeing Compliance. Are you still involved with that group at all?
CZ: Yeah ,Mike and Matt Chapman the creators and I kind of all made it up in ‘98 or so. We thought it would be hilarious to make a children’s book pointing out how stupid they can be. It was kind of an in-joke and then eventually Mike and Matt learned how to animate them as cartoons and it just took off. Those are some of my closest and dearest friends in the world, so I’m definitely still involved. They are having a really exciting moment now because the website is still out there, but they’ve started working on some other projects that could possibly be on television. They have two different pilots and I’m excited because I think they are just about to unleash a whole new world of funniness on everyone.
DS: Do you think you’ll go back to comedy now?
CZ: I don’t know. I have an idea that’s kind of half comedy, half drama. It was really exciting to exercize the filmmaking muscles of how to create tension of suspense and I’m eager to try and do that in a more conventional genre setting. I feel like I learned a lot and I’d like to play with that again. There’s a lot on the plate right now and I don’t have the next thing nailed down quite yet, but I will very soon.
* Prominent and suckable nips on beautifully shaped boobies. The sex scene was pretty hot. At her prime and ready to be a star - Miss Hinshaw will be major draw in erotica genre if she choose to follow that path. She has the ability to straddle any genre thanks to her angelic looks and impish smile...........
Pity Stephen and co decided to release it in R-rated format. The shower scene is butchered short and some scenes are edited. No full frontal. I have been sending e-missives to Stephen to restore all the nude scenes for DVD release. ____________________________________________________
Trailer for The Movie The Loft
Whatever happened to discreetly getting a hotel room? Or putting a pool table, a big screen TV and a jukebox in your basement, calling it a mancave and inviting your friends over? For the dudes in "Loft," an American remake of a 2008 Belgian film, cheating on their wives requires a serious commitment (unlike their marriages, we suppose), which includes pooling their resources into what one character accurately calls a "fuckpad."
Starring an interesting cast including Karl Urban (cool), Matthias Schoenaerts (who starred in the original and rules), James Marsden (meh), Eric Stonestreet (huh?) and Wentworth Miller (oh yeah), the thriller finds the dudes' good times extramarital affairs ruined when a dead body is found in their fancy pants loft, with some kind of clue left in Latin in blood. Yeah, it's one of those movies. Overall, this looks pretty much ready made for a VOD premiere, with director Erik Van Loy (who helmed the original) not really making a case for why we should care. But this trailer does have boobs in it we guess, so there's that.* Originally posted at Cndb on December 2011 :
Potentially exciting news. Aussie actress Isabel Lucas will play Sarah Deakins in Loft (2012) - remake of Belgian hit of same name. The original role was portrayed by seductive and (unlike Isabel) curvy Marie Vinck in full-frontal glory. The same director is helming the American version so I expect Isabel will be the dead girl at the beginning. The role also requires nudity and Isabel will show at least her tits.
Another role which had brief nudity includes Ann (originally played by Veerle Baetens) now reprised by another Aussie Rachael Taylor.
The biggest surprise and pleasant one it will be if 20-years old Texan Madison Burge flash her cute boobies for the first time. Her character was somewhat pivotal amid revelations at the climax in the Belgian version which cop out on the character's nudity. I believe the impact of the nudity will pack a wallop that was missing from the Flemish original. After all the only Texas boobs we have grown familiar this year are Amber Heard and Rick Perry.
If Erik Van Looy can recreate the credible tension (the scene at the Casino is almost Hitchcockian at his best), sensuous dialogues and the mystery of it all – intensified by flashbacks – will leave your head spinning(in a good way), then the flick could well be the sleeper hit of 2012. And making sure it stays R-rated!
Well it turns out the poor buzz for the movie and subsequent delayed release arises from a screening early in the year. The attendees and executives were decidedly unimpressed. What worked in Europe did not translate well in US version. The pacing was slow and dialogues too stilted. Joel Silver comes in and 'worked' closely with Erik to re-edit and re-cut some scenes. Will there be 'real' nudity or less of it? Knowing Joel it well could be the former to spice up the proceedings. Besides the boobies display from bony Isabel (expecting a full frontal could be too much) and brief tits by Rachael, my ding-a-ling will register a major earthquake if 20-years old Madison made-in-Texas funbags makes an appearance in May-December love scene.
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Anna Kendrick Dodges Questions About 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Film On 'Watch What Happens
Kendrick is considered a frontrunner for the project, according to Celebuzz, which doesn't even have writers lined up to adapt the novel into a screen play yet. As for Kendrick, she dodged the question pretty well, answering simply that she hadn't read the book yet.
But that didn't deter the caller. "Who wouldn’t want to be tied up by a hot guy, right?” she asked. Kendrick's shocked response to the question backed up her claims of not having read the book -- because that's just the tip of the iceberg in "Fifty Shades of Grey."
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Kristen Stewart Drops Out Of New Film, 'Cali,' Amidst Cheating Scandal
Kristen Stewart might have issued a very public apology after news broke that she cheated on boyfriend Robert Pattinson with married director Rupert Sanders, but the young actress has since been mum and has even dropped out of an upcoming film.Both Variety and GossipCop confirmed that Stewart has dropped out of a leading role in "Cali," a film directed by Nick Cassavetes and written by Michael Diliberti.
@Variety_JLD
Josh Dickey
Josh Dickey
Variety can confirm web chatter that Kristen Stewart has dropped out of CALI. No reason given. Reports of a replacement are premature.
Stewart was set to star in the movie about San Fernando Valley lovers Mya (Stewart) and Chris (Alex Pettyfer), who sell a fake snuff film and escape with the cash only to "return from the dead" to save the younger sister Mya left behind.
GossipCop reports that Amber Heard has been asked to join the "Cali" cast, but it remains unclear whether Heard will take over Stewart's part.
According to the film's IMDb profile, Stewart is also credited as an executive producer. There is no word whether she will remain a part of the film in this capacity.
"Hopefully after all of this we can go and we can do it in the summer, like lock ourselves away for a few weeks in the Valley [in L.A.] in a little production office and get together really weird, freaky actor people," Stewart previously told MTV while promoting "Snow White and the Huntsman," the film that brought her and Sanders together. "It's filled with like the coolest characters."
* Usual 'creative differences' with the director Nick Cassavetes is my take on Miss Stewart exit. Amber is nice replacement. Hmmm....wonder if there is nudity involved for the Mya character.
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Kelsey Grammer of ‘Boss’ jokes about low ratings.
Publication Date 3 August 2012
As reported today in Washington Post. Here’s an excerpt:
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Starz brought Kelsey Grammer and other cast members of its show “Boss” to Summer TV Press Tour 2012, hoping that the hundred or so TV critics/bloggers/tweeters attending the tour’s waning days would help scare up more viewers for the series.
In the Chicago-set drama, Grammer plays Mayor Tom Kane, who is facing a fatal illness and trying to change his nature to achieve redemption. Grammer thinks it’s his “King Lear.”
“I can’t tell you how many people come up and tell me, ‘That’s the best thing you’ve ever done!’ .?.?. There are also people who come up to me and say, ‘When are you coming back to television?’?” Grammer joked of the show’s challenged ratings.
Grammer says he does not know exactly what the numbers are.
Show creator Farhad Safinia, on the other hand, says: “I am completely aware what the numbers are, and I’m heartbroken. .?.?. It deserves a larger audience.”
In the second season, which debuts Aug.?17, Kane beats back the physical symptoms of his debilitating neurological disorder with high doses of medication — but he suffers heightened psychological manifestations of the disease. Kane now has a new chief of staff, played by Sanaa Lathan, and a new adviser, played by “Glee’s” Jonathan Groff.
“?‘Boss: the Musical’ can be seen at the Pantages Theatre,” Grammer joked of Groff’s joining the cast.
Yeah, and if TV critics ever are attending a stage production starring Grammer, they’ll be sure to keep their cellphones turned on and feel free to answer them should they ring — after Grammer did the same to them during the “Boss” Q-and-A session.
As Grammer and gang lobbied for “Boss” in the Beverly Hilton ballroom, which was filled with journalists and company, Grammer’s cellphone rang and he took the call. It was his wife.
“Hi, honey. .?.?. Okay. Cool. .?.?. I’m [on] stage right now, but go ahead. .?.?. Oh, that sounds great. .?.?. But they should bring the truck, so they can to go Universal after that. .?.?. Call Stan. .?.?. Okay, 310- ”
Only at that point did a technician turn off Grammer’s microphone, so TV critics could not hear as Grammer read the phone number of his publicist, Stan Rosenfeld, to wife No.?4, Kayte.
“Kelsey Grammer is actually taking a phone call while in the middle of his #TCAs12 panel and he is not keeping it brief. Power corrupts?” a pop culture writer/deputy TV editor tweeted angrily.
“Bad manners: Grammer takes a call while in the middle of the press conference#TCAs12,” agreed a TV critic in a tweet.
“KelseyGrammer has answered his phone onstage and we are now listening to his conversation. Some find this to be charming,” another critic’s tweet added even more peevishly.
“For the record, I would NOT take a phone call from my wife while sitting on a #TCAs12 panel,” tweeted the most miffed critic yet.
While Grammer made sure all TV critics’ eyes were on him and his phone call, “Boss’s” other cast members on stage stretched their improv muscles:
“I like your sneakers,” Lathan, who plays Kane’s incorruptible new chief of staff, told Tip “T.I.” Harris, who plays Trey.
Jonathan Groff Dishes His “Very” Sexual Boss Debut
The swoonworthy Broadway vet is about to make his debut for Season 2 of the Starz show Boss on Friday, August 17.
Jonathan will play Ian, a calculating and power-hungry staffer working for Kelsey Grammar’s Chicago mayor Tom Kane. Oh, and another thing: Prepare for Jon’s character to be involved in some very sexual scenes — with both men and women.
After Elton attended the Television Critics Association panel for Season 2 of the show, and they brought back some scandalous tidbits about what to expect on the show. When asked about Ian’s sexuality, Jonathan said, “Ian’s sort of M.O. is that he will do anything to get ahead… I think power is the thing that turns him on the most so whether it’s a man or a woman or someone older, it’s all about whatever he can do to progress in the political [arena].”
But will we literally be seeing Ian’s sexuality played out in front of the camera, panel attendees wanted to know. Jonathan smiled and nodded, “Yes! Very much. It’s very much seen.”
* Starz was ruthless in axing Spartacus after just three seasons despite being a runaway success. Don't think they will put up with Boss (and Magic City) beyond the second year. In my humble opinion the folks behind Boss will pull out all the stops to increase viewership and subscriptions including sexing up the show and throwing in (ridiculous?) plot twists. But will it be enough to save it from cancellation?
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Dogfight’s Annaleigh Ashford on Her Obsessions With Peyton Manning, Anne of Green Gables and Bravo TV
TV SHOW: “I recently finished the first two seasons of Downton Abbey in a flash. I love that every single cast member is on the poster in order of their societal rank and I love that Laura Linney introduces every episode by reminding you that you are watching Masterpiece Classics. It makes me feel fancy. I also have a guilty pleasure for Bravo. I don't miss an episode of any season of The Real Housewives or Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. If Andy Cohen ever had a last minute cancellation, I could do a full commentary on any season with a jack hole and a mazel.”
STAGE SHOW (OTHER THAN MY OWN): Peter and the Starcatcher is one of my favorite things I've ever seen on stage. It makes you feel like you're a little kid playing pretend in your basement again with the best imaginary friends in the neighborhood. We forget sometimes that we all started out playing pretend and it is a joyous reminder. ”
MOVIE: “Moonrise Kingdom is magical!!! I never thought that watching a story of prepubescent love could bring me such joy, but Wes Anderson makes me want to go camping with a portable record player.”
SINGER: “Breedlove's 'New York City Rooftop.' It's my favorite song of the summer. He's brilliantly talented and fabulous. ”
VACATION SPOT: “My family's cabin up in the Rocky Mountains. Deer, elk, and moose frolic amongst the pine trees along the Colorado River. It's heaven on earth.”
ATHLETE: “ I'm from Denver and we got Peyton Manning!!!!! Woo hoo!! Here we go Broncos!!!!!”
BOOK: “I have been obsessed with Anne of Green Gables since I was nine years old. I would read the whole series, all eight books, every summer until I was a sophomore in college. My favorites were books 1, 3, and 5 and I still read them when I need a little Anne with an E. I can't resist the "lake of shining waters," "lovers lane," Gilbert Blythe and Anne's delicious way with words. Someday I'm going to go on a vacation to Prince Edward Island in a weird Victorian Garment and visit Lucy Maud Montgomery's house with a glass of raspberry cordial. ”
* At it been mentioned before on various forums and movie sites, Showtime's Masters of Sex will have an eyeful of female nudity. Miss Ashford may or may not will be part of the nudity contingent but hopes are high for chirpy babe. The same casting director of NBC Smash is using the extras/dancers from the series to work on Masters of Sex according to my trusted sources. She is also scouring the New York stage scene for talents willing to walk around naked with a doggy-bag over their head.
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Génesis Rodríguez
Why is She famous
With Salma Hayek, Jennifer Lopez and Sofia Vergara all well into their 40s, Hollywood is in desperate need of some fresh young blood. That’s where Genesis Rodriguez comes in. After starring turns in Will Ferrell’s telenovela send-up, Casa de mi Padre, and in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s highly anticipated return to the big screen, The Last Stand, Rodriguez is ensured a spot on every list of up and comers.Genesis Rodriguez Quote
"Genesis as a source. As the beginning of life, the world. My father had just separated from his first wife when he met my mother, Catalina. After a few months I came along -- surprise! They thought I was a lucky omen for a lifetime."In a recent interview with Max Magazine, 24-year-old Genesis Rodriguez proved herself to be the ultimate beach companion when she said, “I have no problem with my body. If I go to the beach I like to wear the bare minimum. Topless, I love topless. But here in California it is illegal to show your breasts, so I only do it where I can, not in Malibu.” Unfortunately for the entire state of California, she only met her The Last Stand costar Arnold Schwarzenegger after his term as the state’s Governor was up. Otherwise, you can bet that baring one’s chest in public would be legalized in California.
Success
Rarely do actors emerge from the showbiz purgatory that is daytime soaps. But Genesis Rodriguez is quickly proving that starting a career among the big-haired, heavily made-up divas of telenovelas is far from a death sentence. After a brief three-episode stint on HBO’s Entourage, Rodriguez quickly made the leap to the big screen with a small role in the thriller Man on a Ledge. She graduated to leading-lady status in the time it takes us to say her first name when she landed the role of Will Ferrell’s love interest in Casa de mi Padre. She’ll follow that up by teaming up with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s aging border guard in The Last Stand, where they’ll go toe to toe with a ruthless drug cartel. Genesis Rodriguez Biography
Genesis Rodriguez never had to work a day in her life. Such is the luxury of being the daughter of Jose Luis Rodriguez, Venezuela’s most popular singer, and model Carolina Perez. But that didn’t stop the Miami-born actress from working her tail off in pursuit of her goal of becoming an actress. When she was just 2 years old, Rodriguez began taking acting classes, something she continued to pursue well into her teens at New York’s Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. She eventually took her training to California, and then back to Miami, before landing recurring roles in several popular telenovelas, including Dona Barbara, on which she played the seductive Marisela Barquero for a whopping 230 episodes!
Genesis Rodriguez takes her act to Hollywood
The moment we laid eyes on Genesis Rodriguez playing Turtle’s enticing employee on Season 7 of HBO’s Entourage, we knew we were watching the birth of a major sex symbol. Then, our premonition was confirmed when Rodriguez maximized a bit part in Sam Worthington’s blink-and-you-missed-it thriller Man on a Ledge, when she stripped down to sexy pink lingerie, a head-turning moment that vaulted the so-so flick into our personal “best films of the year” list. From that moment forward, we knew that if Genesis Rodriguez’s name was on the poster, our butts would be in the seat.
Genesis Rodriguez takes her act to Hollywood
The moment we laid eyes on Genesis Rodriguez playing Turtle’s enticing employee on Season 7 of HBO’s Entourage, we knew we were watching the birth of a major sex symbol. Then, our premonition was confirmed when Rodriguez maximized a bit part in Sam Worthington’s blink-and-you-missed-it thriller Man on a Ledge, when she stripped down to sexy pink lingerie, a head-turning moment that vaulted the so-so flick into our personal “best films of the year” list. From that moment forward, we knew that if Genesis Rodriguez’s name was on the poster, our butts would be in the seat.
Genesis Rodriguez stars in Casa de mi PadreWe’re not sure if Genesis Rodriguez ever thought that her background in telenovelas would ever help her win a leading role in a major Hollywood film, but that’s exactly what led director Matt Piedmont to cast her in Casa de mi Padre, the Will Ferrell-starring telenovela-Western mash-up. In fact, Rodriguez was the first actress they auditioned for the role of Ferrell’s love interest, and she blew the team away with her obvious grasp of the material. Unfortunately, the film’s experimental nature (it was shot entirely in Spanish) meant that mainstream audiences never really bit, despite Ferrell’s presence.
Genesis Rodriguez teams up with Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Last Stand
Audiences may have missed her in the anemic Casa de mi Padre, but Genesis Rodriguez’s turn as a an FBI agent in next year’s actioner The Last Stand promises to be a different story altogether. That’s because the film --about a small-town sheriff who must take on a drug cartel -- marks the official big screen return of Arnold Schwarzenegger. But that’s not all: Rodriguez will also star alongside Paul Walker in the post-Katrina drama Hours, before flexing her comedic chops one more time in Identity Thief opposite Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy.
Genesis Rodriguez teams up with Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Last Stand
Audiences may have missed her in the anemic Casa de mi Padre, but Genesis Rodriguez’s turn as a an FBI agent in next year’s actioner The Last Stand promises to be a different story altogether. That’s because the film --about a small-town sheriff who must take on a drug cartel -- marks the official big screen return of Arnold Schwarzenegger. But that’s not all: Rodriguez will also star alongside Paul Walker in the post-Katrina drama Hours, before flexing her comedic chops one more time in Identity Thief opposite Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy.
8 Erotic Horror Movie Scenes Gone Wrong
It goes without saying that some horror films can be pretty damn erotic and in many cases it ends quite badly. In some cases it is done with good taste and adds to the film and in others its blatant, cliche and although hot…. quite lame. Whether it be character development, comedy, or in some cases nothing more then gratuitous TNA there are quite a few erotic horror scenes in film that end oh so badly.
I prefer not to watch movies that yes blatant sex to drive the story just as I do not enjoy watching horror movies that rely on gore and nothing else. I like to think I have taste and although I love carnage and I definitely love a hot looking chick but I want it done in good taste and with some reason. Not just random boobs and beheading.
With that said here are 8 of the most erotic horror movie scenes in horror… that end badly. This thread does not contain nudity but is adult in nature of course. I have taken the time to put pasties over any naughty bits since we try to avoid anything pornographic on the site. Some of these Erotic Horror Movie Scenes are in good taste, some not so much but all erotic without a doubt.
Linnea Quigley, Return of the Living Dead Strip Tease
The photo below courtesy of SFTH pretty much says it all. If you cant quite read it, it says ‘Warning Really Awesome Boobies’. There was really nothing not to like about Return of the Living Dead but when you combine a funny story, some great characters and one of the most erotic strip teases ever done in a cemetery you have a winning formula in my books.
The strip down was fantastic, entertaining and really told alot about her character ‘TRASH’. This one goes wrong in a hurry when Trash finds herself being ripped to pieces by a bunch of zombies while half naked.
Selma Hayek Gets Near Naked as Santanico Pandemonium in From Dusk Til Dawn:
This one was one that came when Justin and I were talking earlier today. This is easily one of the most erotic and telling vampire movies in a film. Vampires are supposed to seduce you, draw you in then pounce and make you into flesh meat.
Salma Hayek did EXACTLY that. Not a single man alive was not mesmerized by her role as the suck head Santanico Pandemonium and if you say you were not… you are just not a real man. This one goes wrong when Salma gets hungry for blood and meets her doom at the end of a chandelier
Julianne Guill’s Sex Scene in the Friday the 13th Remake:
This one will go down as the most blatant non essential pornographic moment I have seen in awhile. Admittedly Julianne Guill is INSANELY hot and was gifted by god with her completely natural assets but why they felt the need to have a 10minute hump fest is beyond me.
It left next to nothing to the imagination and was so off the wall I fast forwarded through most of it. I like everyone else appreciates a good looking chick and the odd booby flash ( especially when they are real which is so rare ) but if I wanted a porn I would get one… and I don’t.
So erotic yes.. but also way off the wall and un needed. This one goes wrong when said naked chick… yes you guessed it… gets it from JASON… dun dun dun. When will they learn that the #2 cliche of a horror remake is the chick who gets naked and screws… gets dead. Photo courtesy of Fleshbot. Caption for PG sakes courtesy of my awesome photoshop skills.
Psycho Shower Scene:
We can all probably agree the remake of Psycho was really not very good but I have to say that the shower scene in both films was very well done and not truly erotic in every sense of the word but it still added a ‘sexy’ element to the film.
At least until the deranged killer turned up and whacked her in the shower with a kitchen knife.
The innocence that it brought to the character and the ‘unease’ of the situation made it at first sexual, and then very much tragic character moment.
Shannon Elizabeth Has a Bad Experience With Jack Frost in the Bathtub:
Jack Frost is one of the best b-movies I have seen. It is so cheesy but it is also really well done and oh so awesome.
It tells the story of a snowman possessed by a killer that you guessed it… kills. One of the pivotal, cheesy and insane moments is when Shannon Elizabeth strips down to take a bath. Highly sexy it shows just enough to keep you interested while remaining in good taste. It then however takes a quick u-turn into WTF land. This one goes all wrong when evil Frost The Snowman shows up.
I am really not quite sure how she died but I am pretty sure she got molested by the snow man. Not at all erotic but definitely off the wall and weird. Classic B-Movie Cheese that worked because of the context of the film.
I Stink of Flesh Zombie ’Garage Scene’
This movie will go down in history as having THE most messed up moment. It much like Jack Frost is over the top and somewhat funny because of the context but Stink of Flesh takes it to all new levels.
The movie is very very low budget and definitely has its low points but without question the ending of this film and the ‘garage scene’ are not truly erotic… but definitely twisted and funny as hell.
It made my sexy list just so you would go watch it and contemplate how messed up I am. Those of you who have scene it are no doubt chuckling. I don’t want to give it away so here is a photo of Goon and the star of the movie.
Jack Ketchum's The Lost:
Next up we have Robin Sydney from Jack Ketchums the Lost. A highly disturbing Hitchcockian film which I strongly encourage you all to check it out.
Robin delivered as the super hot chick who gets lucky with the killer on the beach. Easily one of the most erotic scenes in a horror film. I have not seen this movie in quite some time but I am pretty sure the Gone Wrong moment happens when she ‘gets it’ in the end.
Christa Campbell’s Insane 2001 Maniacs Sex Scene
Campbell gets all kinds of naked and has all kinds of fun with a lucky stud… who she then kills. Can you say Black Widow? Its a pretty erotic moment that is cheesy that turns quickly to WTF … save me now.. run run run.
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HBO Orders ‘Buda Bridge’ Pilot Script From ‘Bullhead’ Helmer Michael Roskam; Michael Mann And Mark Johnson Exec Produce
EXCLUSIVE: Michael R. Roskam, who got a Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar nomination last year for his Belgian film Bullhead, is at the center of a new HBO pilot script order, one which teams him with Michael Mann and Breaking Bad executive producer Mark Johnson. HBO has ordered a pilot script for a drama titled Buda Bridge, a Belgian-set crime story that takes place in Brussels in the near future. It unfolds when a woman is found dead on Buda Bridge, which leads to a series of violent crimes and strange science that bring mayhem to the dark capital of the European state.Roskam is writing the script and will direct the pilot. Mann, who teamed with David Milch for HBO on the horse racing series Luck (which got cancelled following its second season renewal when several horses perished) is executive producer along with Johnson, whose AMC hit Breaking Bad is heading into its fifth and final season. Roskam will be co-executive producer.
All of this series action comes out of the awards season activity on Roskam’s breakout film Bullhead, which got Roskam signed with UTA and which as different as anything that I’ve seen in quite awhile. The film focused on the cattle trade, and the illicit practice of injecting those animals with synthetic hormones to spur growth. That theme fits right in with the plight of the film’s tragic protagonist (played by actor Matthias Schoenaerts). You have to see it to understand it but trust me, it’s worth watching.
Johnson was chair of the Academy Foreign Language Film Selection Committee and met Roskum after his film was nominated. Mann met Roskam when he handed the helmer his certificate of nomination. Both were knocked out by Bullhead. When Mann and Johnson met looking to do a project together, they found they had a common interest in Roskam, and that filmmaker was smart enough to come armed with a strong idea for a TV series.
Aside from UTA, Roskam is managed by Anonymous Content and lawyered by Alan Wertheimer. Gran Via exec Melissa Bernstein was key in bringing in the project (she is co-exec producer on Breaking Bad and is exec producing with Johnson their new Sundance Channel series Rectify).
Mann, who is zeroing in on his next directing effort, has exec produced with David Frankham the HBO documentary series Witness, which is scheduled to premiere in November. Each Monday of that month, segments will air that focus on war photographers as they risk their lives to capture footage in the conflict zones of Juarez, Uganda, Rio and Libya.
* Do I have to spell it out? Gorgeous and naked European babes. Nudity Guaranteed!
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former beauty queen turn Bollywood star : Amy Jackson
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ANATOMICAL SYSTEMS, 2008.
48 Channel Video Installation.
June 2008 - UCLA Bermont Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
Anatomical Systems is a 48 Channel Video Installation which involves an investigation of the human body through the eyes of the participant. The piece contains 48 short film clips varying in length between three and five minutes. Each film contains one subject and was filmed on a Macbook using the computer’s embedded “I-Sight” web-camera. The concept of the installation is derived from the idea of the camera functioning as a mirror. The participants were able to see themselves as they were being filmed. There were no specific instructions and the direction that each film took was decided upon by the participant as they underwent the exploration and liberation process of their own body throughout filming. Each participant was required to be both nude and completely alone in the space during the recording process. The camera was to remain stationary. The participant was solely in control of when recording was to begin and end. Each subject was able to select which parts of his or her body would be visible to the camera. They chose how to occupy the space they inhabited as opposed to the space that was displayed on the screen. Each participant was given a single take only to complete their clip. 48 videos are projected in a grid format of twelve on four walls and play simultaneously. A book including participants’ thoughts on their individual experiences throughout both the filming of Anatomical Systems and the aftermath is available on a small stand in the left-hand corner of the gallery upon entry.
Anatomical Systems, 2009
48 Channel Video Installation
Channel 1: Grid 1.
Channel 2: Grid 2.
Channel 3: Grid 3.
Channel 4: Grid 4.
Book: 14 Pages.Vellum, card-stock, thread.
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* old article but knowledge is timeless
Countdown to Nudity: How Quickly Do Premium-Cable Series Show Skin?
by Laura Reineke and Willa Paskin (9/29/11)
The premium cable channels, HBO, Showtime, and Starz, make their livings by selling consumers on the idea that they can't get the sort of programming these channels offer anywhere else. Some of what consumers can't get anywhere else, the premium networks would loudly proclaim, are world-class dramas, more complex and risqué than anything else on TV. Something else consumers can't get anywhere else, the premium networks proclaim a smidge less loudly, are naked people. On premium cable, there will be boob, or at least ass — especially on the dramas. HBO's most recent series — Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire — didn't skimp on the nudity, and Showtime's upcoming terrorist drama Homeland and Starz's forthcoming Boss both, reliably, deliver breast in the first episode. On average, someone will be naked in the first episode of a premium cable drama in eighteen minutes and 36 seconds. To be fair, the king of the premium cable pack, HBO, actually shows more restraint than the other networks: On average, it takes 23 minutes and 33 seconds for someone to appear unclothed. On Showtime, it only takes 11 minutes and 28 seconds, while on Starz it takes 16 minutes and 44 seconds (if you don't count Boss, which waits a whole 40-minutes-plus to provide a long, lingering nipple close-up, Starz would win, usually providing nudity in 6 minutes, 19 seconds). Take a look at the complete, time-stamped list to see to see which shows and networks are most swiftly providing consumers with naked people for their buck.
Please note that if a show did not have any nudity in its first episode, we didn't include it here. We also didn't include comedies, which means Sex and the City, provider of nudity in just two minutes and nine seconds — a record! — did not make the list, nor did Eastbound and Down, with its topless woman on a jet ski, at the 27:43 mark.
3:10: Californication, topless woman in bed, smoking a cigarette. (Showtime)
4:31: Crash, naked man and woman having sex. (Starz)
4:41: The Borgias, naked man and woman having sex. (Showtime)
5:38: Rome, naked man's ass as he's brought before Caesar's soldiers. (HBO)
5:45: The Tudors, topless woman during foreplay/sex. (Showtime)
6:04: Spartacus: Blood and Sand, naked man and woman having sex. (Starz)
6:38: Six Feet Under, pantless man, mid-sex. (HBO)
7:01: Camelot , naked woman making out with a shirtless man on a blanket. (Starz)
8:51: Treme, naked man's ass as he gets out of bed in the morning. (HBO)
9:28: Homeland, topless woman, mid-sex. (Showtime)
10:12: The L Word, two naked women skinny-dipping in a swimming pool. (Showtime)
11:39: Big Love, naked man's ass. (Bill Paxton's)
11:53: Queer As Folk, two naked men having sex. (Showtime)
12:40: True Blood, topless woman, mid-oral sex. (HBO)
12:57: Tell Me You Love Me, fully naked woman and man. (HBO)
15:31: Oz, naked man's ass getting tattooed. (HBO)
18:00: Shameless, naked man's ass mid-sex; seconds later, exposed breast. (Showtime)
27:54: Boardwalk Empire, naked female corpse, post-autopsy. (HBO)
28:36: Dexter, nipple slip in a porn video. (Showtime)
30:53: Game of Thrones, naked woman mid-oral sex. (HBO)
33:22: The Sopranos, topless woman pole dancing at a club. (HBO)
48:41: Boss, Exposed breast, mid-stairwell sex. (Starz)
52:00: The Wire, dancer stripping on stage at a club. (HBO)
60:00: Deadwood, fully naked woman climbing into bed, no sex. (HBO)
____________________________________________________4:31: Crash, naked man and woman having sex. (Starz)
4:41: The Borgias, naked man and woman having sex. (Showtime)
5:38: Rome, naked man's ass as he's brought before Caesar's soldiers. (HBO)
5:45: The Tudors, topless woman during foreplay/sex. (Showtime)
6:04: Spartacus: Blood and Sand, naked man and woman having sex. (Starz)
6:38: Six Feet Under, pantless man, mid-sex. (HBO)
7:01: Camelot , naked woman making out with a shirtless man on a blanket. (Starz)
8:51: Treme, naked man's ass as he gets out of bed in the morning. (HBO)
9:28: Homeland, topless woman, mid-sex. (Showtime)
10:12: The L Word, two naked women skinny-dipping in a swimming pool. (Showtime)
11:39: Big Love, naked man's ass. (Bill Paxton's)
11:53: Queer As Folk, two naked men having sex. (Showtime)
12:40: True Blood, topless woman, mid-oral sex. (HBO)
12:57: Tell Me You Love Me, fully naked woman and man. (HBO)
15:31: Oz, naked man's ass getting tattooed. (HBO)
18:00: Shameless, naked man's ass mid-sex; seconds later, exposed breast. (Showtime)
27:54: Boardwalk Empire, naked female corpse, post-autopsy. (HBO)
28:36: Dexter, nipple slip in a porn video. (Showtime)
30:53: Game of Thrones, naked woman mid-oral sex. (HBO)
33:22: The Sopranos, topless woman pole dancing at a club. (HBO)
48:41: Boss, Exposed breast, mid-stairwell sex. (Starz)
52:00: The Wire, dancer stripping on stage at a club. (HBO)
60:00: Deadwood, fully naked woman climbing into bed, no sex. (HBO)
Gehana Vasisth goes nude for Mary Kom
Model Poonam Pandey hogged the limelight after she announced that she would shed her clothes if Indian cricket team won world cup. Now, another Indian model is following her footsteps. She is none other Gehana Vasisth, who has gone nude for Indian boxer and the latest Olympic bronze medal winner Mary Kom.
Gehana Vasisth has recently done a nude photoshoot and dedicated her striptease act to Indian boxer Mary Kom, who has won a bronze medal in Summer Olympics 2012 held in London, United Kingdom. The model has defended her naked act is meant to encourage Indian sports persons, whose performance has been below average in the Olympics.
Gehana Vasisth is trying to create awareness about Indian sports persons, so that they get better training and support facilities. The model exhorts the media to give generous coverage to her pictures but also hopes that her nude poses doesn't overshadow the cause she's supporting, reports Rediff.
However, Poonam Pandey promised to go naked for Indian team, but she did not live up to her words for long time, even though the team won the world cup. Whereas, Gehana Vasisth has gone naked for Mary Kom after she won the medal. This is what which makes Gehana different from Poonam.
* India is without the doubt - in proportional to population - the lousiest and shittiest country when it comes to sporting achievements or success. No offense intended. Just stating my view probably shared by many other folks around the world.
____________________________________________________
* the weirdest story of the day.........
Man writes to Cathay CEO to ask them to stop pilot from having sex with his wife
9 August 2012
A man attempted to send a request to CEO and shareholders of Cathay Pacific to stop a pilot from having sex with his flight attendant wife. "At the very least, ask Mr. Roels to stop having sex with my wife," the man asked the CEO of the company. The man seem desperate to have the company make the pilot who has been having an affair with his wife to stop. Shockingly the husband to the flight attendant might be suggesting that the sex is somewhat coerced and even more shocking is that he is alledging their sexual relationship could potentially cause safety issues during flights. He compare these safety issues to the Cathay Pacific flight attendant who was made to provide blowjobs for a Cathay Pacific pilot inside the cockpit and the safety concerns from that incident.
Another interesting allegation is that the pilot having sex with his wife is not wearing condoms when having sex with the wife or other flight attendants. And with his promiscuity, sexual habits and sexual relations with other flight attendants he could potentially pose as a health hazard for many females at the company.
The "victim" -husband claim she is victim - Eden Lo
Another interesting allegation is that the pilot having sex with his wife is not wearing condoms when having sex with the wife or other flight attendants. And with his promiscuity, sexual habits and sexual relations with other flight attendants he could potentially pose as a health hazard for many females at the company.
The "victim" -husband claim she is victim - Eden Lo
The beast - Alex Roels
Many emails were sent to the company on this pilot have sex with the wife topic from the man and he apparently received several replies from legal counsel at Cathay Pacific. The lawyer at CX said the company has already investigated the allegation and found it groundless. And told the man the situation between the pilot and his flight attendant wife is "entirely a private matter". And threaten the man with legal action if he did not drop the matter and cease all communication with shareholders of the company like Air China.
However the man is allegation the pilots use Cathay Pacific's corporate rate to stay in rooms like at the Hong Kong SkyCity Marriott Hotel for sexual trysts with the flight attendants when they already have homes in Hong Kong. He tells the company that employee tickets are being used for adulterous romantic getaways and he want it to end. He wonder if Cathay Pacific condone sex between married employees because the company allow company resources to be used to conduct adultery.
From:****************@gmail.com
To: wangchangshun@airchina.com; john_slosar@cathaypacific.com
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2012 8:40 PM
Subject: Complaint against Alex Roels (CX Senior First Officer) for having sex with my wife Eden Lo (盧穎盈) 投訴國泰員工通姦 / 性行為
Dear esteemed Deputy Chairman Wang and CEO Slosar,
* One of the perks being a good-looking pilot is the inevitable sex tryst with the flight attendants. It's a given. Long sojourn on foreign trips will lead to sex. I pity anyone who are married to or dating a stewardess. These girls have FWB all over the world.Can you please let me know whether the following and attached matters are being looked into?
Thanks,
On Thu, Jul 12, 2012 at 2:09 PM, Mr. Chen wrote:
Dear Management, Customer Relations, and all relevant parties who may offer assistance,It is quite surprising that after almost three months, Cathay Pacific continues to condone sex between married CX employees (Alex Roels and Eden Lo) during work (a potential public flight safety issue) and inter-office adultery leveraging CX resources.After almost two months of "investigation," the lawyer who represents Cathay Pacific, a listed company, not only addressed the wrong individual (I am not Mr. Yen but Mr. Chen) but also got the facts wrong (two and not one CX employees are involved; you need two people to have sexual intercourse). Given such sloppy responses filled with inconsistencies, the customer received no apology from Cathay Pacific and is threatened continuously.At the very least, ask Mr. Roels to stop having sex with my wife. Given such a senior position within CX, shouldn't CX expect him to behave professionally and morally at all times? As his conducts represents Cathay Pacific whereas given Eden's relatively low corporate rank, she may be excused due to lack of experience and / or fear of authority from people of Mr. Roels' seniority.Also, according to my wife, CX pilots are promiscuous with CX flight attendants (so-called "crew meals"; a term previously foreign to me as I have never worked in the airline industry), hence the recent CX sex scandals? Perhaps there are more… The fact that Mr. Roels is not wearing a condom when having sex with my wife in addition to the promiscuity my wife mentioned mean that Mr. Roels could potentially pose as a health hazard among female CX flight attendants as well. Again, I have never worked in the airline industry; thus all my information comes from my wife.I have already given a few examples of their leveraging CX resources to conduct adultery with dates and locations in my previous emails. If Cathay Pacific does perform a comprehensive investigation, it can easily find out more instances; I do not think it is necessary for me to provide more explicit evidences to Cathay Pacific at this point in time.Any coordination in lies further confirms the deepness of their relationship. It is becoming clear why both CX employees do not mind resorting to dishonesty because it seems Cathay Pacific is openly condoning married CX employees to leverage CX resources for adultery / sex while covering their acts with coordinated lies (all of these according to Mr. Y.S. Cheung are "private affair of an employee"). None of the above violates any internal code of conduct (which should include "morality" and "integrity"). I do not think this sets a moral precedence for the rest of Cathay Pacific and a good public image.The aforementioned can be backed up with evidences when necessary. It is now almost three months since I first contacted Cathay Pacific and nothing has been done other than using a lawyer to threaten the victim with legal jargons interspersed with spelling / grammar errors, inconsistencies and incorrect facts. I wonder what the public will think of such dealings from Cathay Pacific…I will continue to pursue the issue until CX provides a fair solution and clear explanation, and I reserve my rights to contact anyone who may offer any assistance in the matter.
On Wed, Jul 11, 2012 at 1:56 AM, Mr. Chen wrote:Dear Management, Customer Relations, and all relevant parties who may offer assistance,
Can you please let me know whether the subject matter is being looked into?Thank you,p.s. previous physical descriptions of Mr. Roels (i.e. fat and balding) can only come from my wife as I have never seen Mr. Alex Roels in-person, let alone in the nudeOn Tue, Jul 3, 2012 at 9:14 PM, Mr. Chen wrote:Dear Mr. Y. S. Cheung,You do not need to get contentious. I am the victim here. You have no rights in "demanding" me to do anything; if you can write me, I can write you back as well.Please tell me what "appropriate legal action" to take when I am only pointing out the facts (summarized below for your easy reference):
- You are the lawyer who represents a listed company
- Yet there are multiple spelling / grammar mistakes (even addressing the wrong individual) and inconsistencies between your two emails (examples / explanations below) which continue to contribute to miscommunication
- Your first email was factually incorrect. Two (and not one) Cathay Pacific employees (Alex Roels and Eden 'Wing Ying' Lo, my newly wedded wife from end of last year) are leveraging CX resources to have unprotected sexual intercourse (i.e. make use of CX employee tickets for adulterous romantic getaways while lying to husband and family to be on duty, abuse CX corporate rate to book hotel in HK when both live in HK with a special request for a single king bed, etc.)
- Their sexual relationship could potentially cause safety issues during flights (as per earlier CX news when a CX flight attendant provided fellatio for a CX pilot inside the cockpit). Thus, it is a public issue and not a private issue
- You accused me of repeating in my previous email when I gave a new example (so it is not a repeat) of their abusing CX resources to conduct adultery. Certain other points I needed to repeat because you are not addressing them
- According to you, who represent Cathay Pacific, "…the subject matters set out…entirely a private matter." The subject matters in this case include but not limited to: adultery between CX employees, using CX resources to conduct adultery, dishonesty, etc. All of these according to you are only private mattersdo not violate any internal code of conduct and
- You have continued to threaten a layman victim using legal jargon instead of explaining the truth, which is the only thing I am looking for
Therefore, I need to CC your bosses and others as someone needs to be accountable for at least your spelling / grammar mistakes and inconsistencies as well as incorrect facts from your "investigation."Moreover, it is natural for any "customer" to file complaints to the "Customer Relations Dept." for CX related incidents. In this case, there are two CX employees committing adultery using CX resources so any reasonable person would think this must be CX related. Unless you are telling me it is customary for Cathay Pacific to threaten all customers who file complaints more than once as they might be "causing disruption and nuisance."I cannot accept such conclusion from Cathay Pacific and will continue to pursue the issue (whether through Cathay Pacific or legal / media) until CX provides a fair solution and clear explanation.It is interesting how you shifted from acknowledging a single matter as in "We have also determined that the subject matter (singular)…" in your first email to acknowledging multiple matters as in "We have also determined that the subject matters (plural)" in your second email (inconsistency #1).For your information, there were several reasons for previously addressing others:
- There was no reply from Cathay Pacific for almost two months
- I was not sure if you represented the whole of Cathay Pacific because a listed company can misspell one of the most common last names in the world in a rather inconceivable fashion (i.e. how do you get a "Yen" from a "Chen"?)
- Your first email was factually incorrect. Two (and not one) Cathay Pacific employees are involved. I see that you have since corrected it from "a private affair of an employee (singular)" in your first email to "entirely a private matter (without specifying the number of individuals)" in your second email (inconsistency #2)
Throughout my ordeal as the victim, both CX employees (when contacted) have continued to lie (about time, date, details, etc.), deny and conjure up justifications for their adulterous trysts (dishonesty and disregard for any morality and integrity). It would therefore not surprise me if they coordinate and make up stories, and deny facts in front of Cathay Pacific as well.I look forward to seeing a fair and just solution (acceptable from a reasonable person's perspective) from Cathay Pacific ASAP within one week (before 11 July 2012).For your benefit, you might want to double-check your grammar next time before you send out anything:
- The sentence in your second email "…the subject matters (plural) set out in your previous letters to the company…is entirely… " should be changed to "…the subject matters (plural) set out in your previous letters to the company…are entirely…"
- Another sentence in your second email "Your actions (plural) may be considered as causing...If you choose to continue such action (singular)..." is inconsistent. How come multiple "actions" all of a sudden become a single "action"?
- etc.
And the spacing of your email signature is also inconsistent. For example, your telephone number "2747 2271" has a space in between but not the case for your fax number "21412271"Last but not least, all rights are reserved.29.06.2012, 12:22, "Y S Cheung" ys_cheung@cathaypacific.com:Dear Mr. Chen,
I refer to your letter of 26th June 2012 below in response to my earlier letter of 22nd June, 2012 to you which you have obviously received.
I notice that you have continued to write and address your letter to various personnel in our company and Air China, despite the advice to you in my earlier letter to cease writing to us or any of our employees or shareholders about the subject matter set out in your previous letters. I reiterate that the company has already investigated your allegation that was considered our concern and found it groundless. We have also determined that the subject matters set out in your previous letters to the company (which you repeated again in your letter below) is entirely a private matter. We are not in a position to help you or comment further.
On behalf of the company, I am demanding you to stop writing further to Cathay Pacific or any of its employees or shareholders. Your actions may be considered as causing disruption and nuisance and are unacceptable. If you choose to continue such action, we will consider taking appropriate legal action against you.
All our rights are reserved.
Your faithfully,Y. S. Cheung
Group Legal Counsel
Cathay Pacific Airways Limited
E-mail : ys_cheung@cathaypacific.com
Tel : (852) 2747 2271
Fax: (852) 21412271From: Mr. Chen
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 7:54 PM
To: Y S Cheung
Cc: wangchangshun@airchina.com; Fiona Chow; Ivan Chu; John Slosar; William Chau
Subject: Re: Your Letters to Cathay PacificDear Mr. Y. S. Cheung,I am surprised that a listed company such as Cathay Pacific would write such a sloppy reply after almost two months without care even to basic details:
- Who is "Mr. Yen"??
- In your letter, you stated "...entirely a private affair of an employee..." This is factually incorrect. It is not a single employee but two employees. Both Alex Roels and Eden 'Wing Ying' Lo work for Cathay Pacific
How is it a "private affair of an employee" when two Cathay Pacific employees are using Cathay Pacific resources to conduct adultery? It has been brought to my attention that one of many examples is their using Cathay Pacific's corporate rate to stay in Hong Kong SkyCity Marriott Hotel on 25 April 2012. Why would they do that when they are both from Hong Kong and have physical homes in Hong Kong? There is even a special request for a single "king bed." Is Cathay Pacific aware of this from your "investigation"?There are more examples of abusing Cathay Pacific resources which CX can easily find out if you carry out a comprehensive investigation. How can Cathay Pacific, a publicly listed company, condone such behavior and continue to brush aside the matter by saying it is only a private affair of a single employee? Is this conclusion fair to the victim? Do you think the public can accept such conclusion?You consider it inappropriate "to write and continue to write on the subject matter..." but if I don't contact Cathay Pacific, who should I contact? I am surprised that adultery between two Cathay Pacific employees in addition to continued dishonesty are not in violation of Cathay Pacific's internal code of conduct. I hope somewhere within the code expects CX employees to uphold the highest standard of "morality" and "integrity." In addition, Cathay Pacific uses lawyers to silence the victim. What will the public think of such dealings from Cathay Pacific?In my previous email, I simply asked for the truth, not a half-hearted reply addressing the wrong individual with incorrect facts (as per points 1 and 2 above). Please therefore provide me a concrete answer ASAP within one week (before 4 July 2012).I reserve my rights to contact anyone who may offer assistance in the matter.Thank you,Mr. Chen (NOT Mr. Yen)22.06.2012, 12:00, "Y S Cheung" ys_cheung@cathaypacific.com:Dear Mr. Yen,
I refer to your previous letters (copy attached) addressed to various people in the management team of our Company. It has also come to our attention that you have written to one of our shareholders, Air China.
We have investigated the allegation in your previous letter regarding one of our employees suffering harassment in the work place which we found groundless. We have also determined that the subject matter of your letter is otherwise entirely a private affair of an employee. As far as the Company is concerned, the matter is closed.
In any event, we consider it inappropriate for you to write and continue to write on the subject matter to the Company or any employees or shareholders of the Company. We strongly advise you therefore to stop immediately writing further to us or any of our employees or shareholders about the subject matter. Failing which, we will consider taking appropriate legal action.
All our rights are reserved in the meantime.
Yours faithfully,
Y. S. Cheung
Group Legal Counsel
Cathay Pacific Airways Limited
E-mail : ys_cheung@cathaypacific.com
Tel : (852) 2747 2271
Fax: (852) 21412271
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