The Genius Club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Genius Club | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster |
|
| Directed by | Tim Chey |
| Produced by | Executive Producer: Keiki Nishimura Stephen Baldwin and others. Producers: Arch Bonnema Daishi Takiishi Tim Chey and others. |
| Written by | Tim Chey |
| Starring | Stephen Baldwin Tom Sizemore Jack Scalia |
| Music by | Daniel Bijan |
| Cinematography | Tyler Allison |
| Editing by | Tim Chey |
| Distributed by | RiverRain Productions |
| Release date(s) | 27 October 2006 |
| Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Official website | |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Genius Club (Spanish: Duelo De Genios) is a 2006 American film written and directed by Tim Chey. The picture was produced by Arch Bonnema and Daishi Takiishi through RiverRain Productions, Nice Day Pictures, and the Bonnema Entertainment Group. It was distributed by Eleven Arts internationally and its world premiere was at the 2007 60th Annual Cannes Film Festival.[1]
The film tells the story of seven geniuses who try to solve the world's problems in one night or a nuclear bomb will explode in Washington, D.C.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
On Christmas Eve, Armand (Tom Sizemore), a terrorist who has a hidden nuclear device in Washington D.C., forces the president of the United States government (Jack Scalia) to round up seven geniuses with IQs over 200 and from diverse lifestyles.
The geniuses include a casino owner (Carol Abney), a bio-chemist (Paula Jai Parker), a pro-baseball player (Matt Medrano), a seminary student, a professor, a painter (Tricia Helfer), and a pizza delivery guy (Stephen Baldwin).
The government is told to place them in a bomb shelter and explain to the group that they are to solve the world's problems in one night. The terrorist keeps a running scoreboard and the geniuses must get to 1,000 points by sunrise.
If they fail, the terrorist will detonate the hidden nuclear device planted in the basement of the 'genius lair'.
The group attempts to solve world hunger, war, cancer, terrorism, rush hour traffic, jerks, and finally, the meaning of life.
As morning approaches, each character begins to draw from his or her past and begins to find redemption. But is it too late?
The password to the bomb is three words which Brian Mehlman, played by Huntley Ritter, must solve through the course of the night.
[edit] Background
The Genius Club began principle photography on January 28, 2006.
Over 6,000 actors applied for the 'genius' roles and many name actors auditioned for the parts based on the strength of the script. Auditions lasted over three months. The role of 'Julia' the casino owner was given to Carol Abney the day before shooting. Over 700 actors alone applied for the role of 'Ally', the dying cancer victim who becomes the centerpiece of the ending.
The filming was difficult due to a tight shooting schedule. One day over fifty set-up shots were filmed during the biggest scene in the movie. All of the actors had to perform and memorize close to twenty pages in one day. The rain also posed a problem, but it stopped raining the day before shooting.
The film completed post-production in October 2006 and the film's premiere was held at the Zanuck Theater on the Fox Studio lot in Los Angeles.
After screening the film for executives at Cinemark Theaters the producers worked out an exclusive deal with the firm. The film opened in Dallas, Texas on October 27, 2006 in fifteen theatres. The premiere of the film was held one week earlier at the Cinemark Tinseltown Theatre, near Plano, Texas. The picture was selected as a finalist in the DC Independent Film Festival for March 2007.
The producers used the following tagline to market the film:
- They Have One Night To Solve The World's Problems.
[edit] Inspiration of film
Director Tim Chey wanted to make a film because "the world is not getting better." His vision was to condense the world's issues while combining the humanity and intelligence of the various character geniuses. "When I lived in England," says Chey, "the Brits loved to stay up until the late hours discussing world events. I truly miss this kind of late-night banter that is becoming scarcer and scarcer." [2]
After reading Tim Chey's script, the film became the inspiration of Arch Bonnema, a producer of the film, and his son Jacob Bonnema who plays Jacob Chernov, a seminary student. Bonnema and his son are Christian and hail from northern Texas. They decided to make the film in order to make a statement about the contemporary times.
Veteran actor Stephen Baldwin was positive of the film, he said, "It's got a message of hope, and it's very intriguing, and engaging. It's going to make you think."[3]
[edit] Themes on God
While the film is not explicitly a religious film, its themes on God do break through. A good example is the character of Jacob Chernov. He's a seminary student who frequently quotes the Bible and answers the "meaning of life" question by observing that "there is no meaning outside of God."
Moreover, both director Tim Chey, who is a Christian, and the producers believed it was important that a real Christian play the part of Jacob Chernov, hence the selection of Jacob Bonnema.[4]
The film does include different points-of-view including the atheistic one, played by the character Julia. "I am a former atheist," says Chey, "so I know exactly where my atheist friends are coming from. But you can't have a meaningful discussion about world problems without discussing whether God exists or not. I'm proud we show both sides of this debate. No other film, to my knowledge, even broaches apologetics."[5]
The radio station KWVE says The Genius Club is the world's first apologetic movie.[6]
[edit] Art direction
The producers hired Steve Arnold who has worked as the Art Director on Spider-Man, Van Helsing, Bewitched, Face Off, Forrest Gump, and many other films.
For the look of the film, Arnold’s goal was to present an environment where a terrorist genius thrived. Since the film was mostly shot in one location, the challenge was to create a set that was organic and breathable.
The green screen special effects were done by Nice Day Special Effects Team based in Tokyo and Los Angeles.
[edit] Filming location
Principle photography took place in Los Angeles, California. Of note is that the nuclear bomb scene was filmed in the basement where Fight Club was filmed.
Originally, the film was to be shot in Virginia, but logistics brought the film back to Los Angeles.
[edit] Distribution
The movie will be released on DVD in September 2008.
[edit] Cast
- Carol Abney as Julia Endersol
- Stephen Baldwin as Rory Johnson
- Jacob Bonnema as Jacob Chernov
- Tricia Helfer as Ally Simon
- Matt Medrano as Jose Delgado
- Philip Moon as Professor Lee
- Paula Jai Parker as Tatiana
- Huntley Ritter as Brian Mehlman
- Jack Scalia as President
- Tom Sizemore as Armand
- Arch Bonnema as Chief of Staff
[edit] Critical reception
The film has opened to mixed reviews from film critics. Dallas Morning News media critic Tom Maurstad criticized the film's static nature. Maurstad writes the film 'is a static movie about a group of people trapped in a dingy boardroom yelling at one another and their tormentor. Writer-director Timothy Chey tries to jazz up things with lots of flashy camerawork (zooming in on Mr. Sizemore's twitching eye or snarling mouth as he taunts or rages) and flashback video sequences. But these tricks do more to annoy than distract."[7]
Two critics, from Southern Vanity, liked the film. "After previewing The Genius Club, I was again convinced that...compelling dialogue is more provocative that all the action Hollywood can muster.....The true heroes of our time are not the hyped-up movie stars who are paid a gazillion dollars to pretend to be someone they are not, but the men and women who awake every morning and set out for a day of discovery to try with all their God-given ability to make this world a better place. Tim Chey should get more credit for stepping out and making a statement that we dare say many Americans will agree with....A God-centered life is the true genius in us all," wrote Maylee Thomas-Fuller and George Fuller in Southern Vanity.[8]
Gary Cogill of WFAA-TV believes the film is a heavy-handed message film. He said, "It's a very earnest film starring Tom Sizemore and Stephen Baldwin, and it has some moments. But the whole movie boils down to solving spiritual problems, and it's awkward without any subtle moments.[9]
Jason Buchanan of All Movie Guide calls The Genius Club a "tense apocalyptic thriller."[10]
In Mexico City, the film had mixed reviews. Mileno newspaper, one of the city's largest newspapers, gave the film 4.5 out of 5 stars with El Universal praising the film's intelligence, but Rolling Stone (Español) gave the film 2.5 out of 4 and with La Guardia saying Armand should have blown up the geniuses in the end because they didn't solve the world's problems.
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ The Genius Club at the Internet Movie Database.
- ^ Chey, Tim. Web site. Last accessed: April 28, 2008.
- ^ Richie, Brooke. CBS News, Newsreport, July 1, 2006.
- ^ Maurstad, Tom. Dallas Morning News, feature article, October 27, 2006.
- ^ Chey, Tim. Ibid.
- ^ The Genius Club official web site. Last accessed: April 28, 2008.
- ^ Maurstad, Tom. Dallas Morning News, film review, October 27, 2006.
- ^ Thomas-Fuller, Maylee and George Fuller. Southern Vanity, film review, October/November, 2006.
- ^ Cogill, Gary. WFAA-TV, film review, October 27, 2006.
- ^ Buchanan, Jason. The Genius Club at Allmovie.
[edit] External links
- The Genius Club at the Internet Movie Database
- Timekeepers: Interviews with Arch Bonnema and Jacob Bonnema
- Southern Vanity: Interviews with cast members
- Tim Chey interview
- The Genius Club CBS news story by Brooke Richie
- The Genius Club KWVE 107.9 FM (Costa Mesa, California) radio interview
|
|||||
