This full-length drama depicts the reality of managers getting fired and the emergence of a new industry specialized in handling executive terminations. The film was made with the cooperation of the business community, which helped script some of the scenes and provided authentic locations. The central figure, D.R. "Biff" Wilson, 44, is a composite figure based on extensive conversations with fired executives.
Roger Mattiussi
Narrator (voice)
James B. Douglas
Biff Wilson
Janine Manatis
Wife
Anne Christison
Daughter
Randy Solomon
Son
This full-length drama depicts the reality of managers getting fired and the emergence of a new industry specialized in handling executive terminations. The film was made with the cooperation of the business community, which helped script some of the scenes and provided authentic locations. The central figure, D.R. "Biff" Wilson, 44, is a composite figure based on extensive conversations with fired executives.
If there is one thing this epitomises about big business it's that loyalty counts for squat when your face no longer fits. That's what the fifteen year veteran EVP discovers when he loses out on the top job to a colleague turned rival who soon has him shown the door. His severance package includes a year's wage ($65,000) and access to some training services, and it's that process that we follow with ''Biff'' (James B. Douglas). Aside from this actor (and his family) everyone else here is real as he discovers that his skillset outside of his former organisation is both limited and dated. New employers know that this is a buyer's market, and so at the age of 44, he has to reassess his priorities for himself, wife and two teenage children as well as appreciate that he almost certainly is not going to walk into as lucrative a position elsewhere. It's a rat race and the increasing use of employment consultant to both hire and fire demonstrates clearly that his predicament is in no way unique. Dozens of similarly positioned executives are scrambling to get back onto the greasy pole, and futility of his quest also gently depicts the psychological effects on not just his confidence, but on his masculinity too. Initially determined to capitalise on fifteen years of success, he anticipates a slew of offers from colleagues elsewhere, but though there is plenty of talk there is very little by way of concrete. Eventually, he has to heed the professional advice he's been getting all along and lower his sights, but twill that get him back into work? I can't say that Douglas does much to have us rooting from his corner, indeed as an actor he brings very little to the role. What is interesting, though, is the exposure of an industry within an industry that makes a good living recycling and recalibrating people whilst showcasing the increasingly competitive nature of job hunting amongst management.
A drama-documentary presented by Alan Yentob, with Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role. Every word spoken by the actors in this film is sourced from the letters that Van Gogh sent to his younger brother Theo, and of those around him. What emerges is a complex portrait of a sophisticated, civilised and yet tormented man.
Ten Minutes Older is a 2002 film project consisting of two compilation feature films entitled The Trumpet and The Cello. The project was conceived by the producer Nicolas McClintock as a reflection on the theme of time at the turn of the Millennium. Fifteen celebrated film-makers were invited to create their own vision of what time means in ten minutes of film.
The strange story of John McAfee, who went from millionaire software mogul to yogi, Kurtz-like jungle recluse to potential murderer, and most recently a prospective presidential candidate for the American Libertarian Party.
Documentary filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O'Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. Victims' stories and a disturbing interview with O'Grady offer a view into the troubled mind of the spiritual leader who moved from parish to parish gaining trust ... all the while betraying so many.
Against the darkening backdrop of New Delhi's apocalyptic air and escalating violence, two brothers devote their lives to protecting one casualty of the turbulent times: the bird known as the black kite.
SEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us on a troublesome and often hilarious journey of raising financing for their next feature film. Moving from director to financier to star actor, the two players provide us with a unique look behind the curtain at the world's biggest and most glamourous film festival, shining a light on the bitter-sweet relationship filmmakers have with Cannes and the film business. Featuring insights from directors Martin Scorsese, 'Bernando Bertolucci' and Roman Polanski; actors Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain and a host of film distribution luminaries.
Dubbed “The Cannibal Cop,” former NYPD officer Gilberto Valle was charged with conspiring to kidnap and eat women but argued it was all a fantasy. His story made headlines both for its disturbing details and its potential to kick off a trend of thought-policing across the nation. Featuring intimate interviews with Valle and insights from experts, Thought Crimes explores if someone can be found guilty for their most dangerous thoughts.
Lyrical and powerfully personal essay film that reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother, her beloved dog, and such diverse subjects as family memories, surveillance, and Buddhist teachings.
The story of the insane scandals related to the remake of “Island of Dr. Moreau” —originally a novel by H. G. Wells—, which was brought to the big screen in 1996. How director Richard Stanley spent four years developing the project just to find an abrupt end to his work while leading actor Marlon Brando pulled the strings in the shadows. Now for the first time, the living key players recount what really happened and why it all went so spectacularly wrong.
Over seven decades, actor and activist George Takei journeyed from a World War II internment camp to the helm of the Starship Enterprise, and then to the daily news feeds of five million Facebook fans. Join George and his husband, Brad, on a wacky and profound trek for life, liberty, and love.