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Variance Films and Might Entertainment announce theatrical and VOD release of “The Trouble with Bliss”

Posted Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 - Comments Off on Variance Films and Might Entertainment announce theatrical and VOD release of “The Trouble with Bliss”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Comedy formerly known as “East Fifth Bliss,” starring Michael C. Hall, Brie Larson, Peter Fonda, and Lucy Liu, to open in theaters on March 23, 2012

New York, November 30, 2011 – Variance Films has acquired US theatrical rights and Might Entertainment, along with its investors at Rilean Pictures, have acquired US digital distribution rights to the comedy THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS, and will release the film simultaneously in theaters and on VOD on March 23, 2012, it was announced today by Variance founder Dylan Marchetti and Might President Andy Bohn. The film, directed by Michael Knowles, whose previous feature, “One Night,” starred Academy Award-winner Melissa Leo.

THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS tells the story of 35-year-old Morris Bliss (Michael C. Hall), who is clamped firmly in the jaws of New York City inertia. He wants to travel but has no money; he needs a job but has no prospects; and he still shares an apartment with his widowed father (Peter Fonda), who treats Morris with a mix of disdain and exasperation. When he finds himself juggling a bizarre relationship with the sexually precocious 18-year-old daughter (Brie Larson) of a former classmate and the advances of his very forward neighbor (Lucy Liu), Morris realizes that even though his life is unraveling, it’s also opening up in ways that are long overdue.

“THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS absolutely charmed me,” said Marchetti. “The characters aren’t phony, the lessons learned aren’t clichéd, and any chance to see a cast like this work together is worth it in my book. I think this film is going to delight a lot of people come March 23rd.”

“Michael has directed an endearing and witty film and we are thrilled to release it into nearly 100 million US households,” said Bohn. “We look forward to working with the filmmakers, Variance and our partners at Lionsgate to introduce THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS to the widest possible audience.”

“After opening the Newport Beach Film Festival to an enthusiastic sold-out crowd of over 1,100, we knew THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS needed to be seen by audiences in a theater,” said writer/director Michael Knowles. “We’re very excited to be working with Variance and Might. Their reputation of hard work and creative marketing is exactly what we are looking for.”

THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS, adapted from the novel “East Fifth Bliss” by Douglas Light, is directed by Michael Knowles, produced by John Ramos and John Will, written by Douglas Light and Michael Knowles, and stars Michael C. Hall, Brie Larson, Peter Fonda, Lucy Liu, Brad William Henke, Sarah Shahi, and Chris Messina. The film is a 7A Productions production. The deals were brokered by Traction Media and the filmmakers on behalf of the film.

For more information, visit http://www.thetroublewithbliss.com or http://www.facebook.com/thetroublewithbliss

ABOUT VARIANCE FILMS

Variance Films is a New York City based theatrical distribution company whose mission is to bring the best in independent cinema to theaters while allowing filmmakers to retain all rights to their work. Founded in 2008 by Dylan Marchetti, Variance distributes films using innovative release strategies that focus on collaborative, filmmaker-centric grassroots marketing to drive audiences to theaters. Recent Variance Films releases include John Sayles’ AMIGO, José Padilha’s ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN, LITTLEROCK, AMERICAN: THE BILL HICKS STORY, and IP MAN 2: LEGEND OF THE GRANDMASTER. Upcoming releases include the stunning documentary ADDICTION INCORPORATED (December 14th) and the highest-grossing film of all time in China, LET THE BULLETS FLY (March 2nd). For more information, please visit www.variancefilms.com<http://www.variancefilms.com>.

About Might Entertainment

Formed in 2010 by partners Andy Bohn and Jason Beck, Might Entertainment is a content acquisitions company focused on bringing independent films, documentaries and foreign films to emerging digital distribution platforms. The company has a distribution deal with Lionsgate and is working with leading independent distributors and filmmakers to release their films on Video on Demand and Electronic Sell-Through platforms. The company recently partnered with Preferred Ventures to acquire digital distribution rights to the KinoLorber library and established an acquisition fund with Rilean Pictures. Recent releases include The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo trilogy, Mesrine: Killer Instinct, Mesrine: Gangster #1, Winnebago Man, Mademoiselle Chambon, The Robber, Giorgio Modorer’s Metropolis, and Just Like Us.

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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