By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

MAGNOLIA PICTURES GETS “TOUCHY FEELY” FOR THE WORLD WITH LYNN SHELTON’S LATEST

Posted Thursday, March 7th, 2013 - Comments Off on MAGNOLIA PICTURES GETS “TOUCHY FEELY” FOR THE WORLD WITH LYNN SHELTON’S LATEST
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Shelton And Magnolia Reunite Following Successful Collaboration On Hit Comedy “Humpday”

NEW YORK, NY (March 7, 2013) – The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnolia Pictures announced today that they’ve acquired world distribution rights to TOUCHY FEELY, the latest film from acclaimed writer/director Lynn Shelton.  The acquisition marks a reunion between Shelton and Magnolia, the distributor of Shelton’s hit 2009 comedy HUMPDAY in 2009.   TOUCHY FEELY, which made its world premiere in competition at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, is Shelton’s follow-up film to the award-winning YOUR SISTER’S SISTER.

TOUCHY FEELY also marks the second collaboration between Lynn Shelton and Rosemarie DeWitt, who received an Independent Spirit Awards Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in YOUR SISTER’S SISTER.   The talented ensemble cast of TOUCHY FEELY also includes Josh Pais, Ellen Page, Scoot McNairy, Allison Janney, Ron Livingston and newcomer Tomo Nakayama (of the indie rock band Grand Hallway).

A closely observed examination of a family whose delicate psychic balance suddenly unravels. TOUCHY FEELY centers on Abby (Rosemarie DeWitt), a sought after massage therapist and a free spirit, while her brother Paul (Josh Pais) thrives on routine and convention, running a flagging dental practice and co-dependently enlisting the assistance of his emotionally stunted daughter Jenny (Ellen Page). Suddenly, transformation touches everyone. Abby develops an uncontrollable aversion to bodily contact, which not only makes her occupation impossible but severely hinders the passionate love life between her and her boyfriend (Scoot McNairy.) Meanwhile, rumors of Paul’s “healing touch” begin to miraculously invigorate his practice as well as his life outside the office.

TOUCHY FEELY was filmed on location in Shelton’s hometown and urban muse of Seattle.   The film was produced by Steven Schardt.

“We are so happy to be working with the exquisitely talented Lynn Shelton again,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles. “Her mastery of character and generous understanding of real human emotions is as great as anyone’s working in film today.”

“Who said you can’t go home again?   My experience with Magnolia on the release of HUMPDAY was magical, so I couldn’t be more thrilled that we have found the perfect distribution partners for TOUCHY FEELY,” said Shelton.  “We look forward to collaborating with Eamonn and their entire team to share the film with audiences everywhere.”

The deal for the film was negotiated by Dori Begley, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions at Magnolia, with Submarine and UTA on behalf of the filmmakers. Magnolia’s Christina Rogers will handle sales for the world.

 

 

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About Magnolia

Magnolia Pictures (www.magpictures.com) is the theatrical and home entertainment distribution arm of the Wagner/Cuban Companies, a vertically-integrated group of media properties co-owned by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban that also includes the Landmark Theatres chain and AXS TV. Recent releases include Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia, Kevin Macdonald’s biopic Marley, David Gelb’s Jiro Dreams of Sushi, powerful hunger doc A Place at the Table, Craig Zobel’s Compliance, Lauren Greenfield’s The Queen of Versailles, the exciting noir-thriller Deadfall, and the Academy Award nominated A Royal Affair. Magnolia’s upcoming releases include Terrence Malick’s To The Wonder, Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt, David Gordon Green’s Prince Avalanche, documentaries No Place on Earth, Blackfish, Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie, and many more.

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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.

And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.

There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.

I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.

So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”

My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher

“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.

~ David Simon