James O'Brien (filmmaker)
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (August 2020) |
James O'Brien | |
|---|---|
 James O'Brien on the set of Western Religion | |
| Born | James Edward O'Brien |
| Alma mater | Providence College |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter, film producer |
| Years active | 1993-present |
James O'Brien is an American independent film director, screenwriter and producer.[1]
Early life and education
Raised in Harrington Park, New Jersey, O’Brien attended Bergen Catholic High School, and was a captain of the cross country and track teams. He is a graduate of Providence College, and competed in his early collegiate years for Ray Treacy's Providence Friars.
Midway through college, O'Brien shifted gears from athletics to English and Drama, directing a number of university-screened short films and documentaries and acting in the Blackfriars Theatre productions.[2]
After backpacking around Europe, and inspired by the DIY cinema of Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee and Richard Linklater, O’Brien moved to Los Angeles, to make independent films.[3]
Early career
The first film he made after moving to LA was Bastard, a B&W short about a schizophrenic hit man. It was selected by the American Cinematheque to open for Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre at a 1993 Directors Guild of America retrospective.
Venice Bound
O'Brien's debut feature Venice Bound follows the lives of three off-beat twenty-somethings who meet by chance on Venice Beach and agree to pull a robbery.[4] The film debuted at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles before making its international premiere at Cannes.
Variety called O'Brien a "talent in the raw" but said the film is "too narratively chaotic and technically hamstrung to connect commercially".[5]
Venice Bound was released theatrically in 1996–97, playing an extended run at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, as well as the Laemmle Sunset 5 (now Sundance Sunset Cinemas). It also played on the east coast at the Cable Car Cinema in Providence, Rhode Island.
Wish You Were Here & Hyperfutura
Wish You Were Here stars Louie Sabatasso, Gary Douglas Kohn and Arroyn Ambrose in a road adventure film about on the effects of addiction and the bond of family and friends.
Jonathan Freeman-Anderson of LA Film and Music Magazine called the film "an entertaining and soul searching ride of comical and sobering proportions".[6] Nelson Madison Films released the movie in 2013 .
On the other end of the spectrum, O'Brien made the
Chris Garcia, the
Western Religion
O’Brien's most recent work is the independent Western film
The 'making of' story of the production was first picked up by
Selected filmography
- Bastard (short film, 1993)
- Venice Bound (1995)
- Hyperfutura (2013)
- Wish You Were Here (2013)
- Western Religion (2015)
- The Night They Came Home (2024)
References
- ^ McNary, Dave (2015-08-07). "'Western Religion' Bought by Screen Media for U.S." Variety. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
- ^ https://digitalcommons.providence.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3070&context=cowl The Cowl
- ^ "Venice Bound". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ Brennan, Sandra. New York Times (1996)
- ^ Klady, Leonard. Variety Magazine (1995)
- ^ Freeman-Anderson, Jonathon. LAFM Magazine (2013)
- ^ Chatelin, Bruno. Cannes Dailies (2013)
- ^ Garcia, Chris. Three Minute Podcast. Podcastgarden.com
- ^ Lealos, Shawn S. Renegade Cinema (2015)
- ^ Johnson, Ted. Variety Magazine (2013)
External links
- James O'Brien at IMDb