"A classic revenge tale in the tradition of Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood and the early works of Steven Seagal." Fred Topel ABOUT.COM "The paparazzi are portrayed as total scumbags, only one step up from Nazis or vultures. But they’re not exactly as repellent as the rapists in Death Wish, for instance, even though they cop pretty much the same brand of retribution - and that makes Paparazzi a very dicey, though often compelling, proposition." Erin Free FILMINK "It has its flaws, but Paparazzi is a good guilty pleasure." Willie Waffle WAFFLEMOVIES.COM "Well directed by first-timer Paul Abascal and nicely shot by Daryn Okada, Paparazzi isn't a bad film if you can ignore the silliness of its plot." Jean Lowerison SAN DIEGO METROPOLITAN

"Over the top, improbable, as cheesy as stuffed crust pizza and immensely entertaining." Rick Kisonak MOVIEWEB "Formulaic fare though sufficiently entertaining." Harvey S Karten COMPUSERVE "It's all so very Princess Di." Cynthia Fuchs POPMATTERS "Directed by Paul Abascal, the hairstylist on Pretty In Pink and all three of the Lethal Weapon films, Paparazzi tells the story of a rising action star unaccustomed to the public glare." Vicky Roach THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

At A Glance

"Acting honours - such as they are - go to Sizemore, who chews through the scenes like he's in a toilet paper-eating competition, and Dennis Farina who plays a star-struck cop charged with solving a crime that Scooby-Doo could see through in an instant." ... Jason Blake WEBWOMBAT

"Paparazzi" exposes the 'Catch 22' that surrounds the world of the rich, famous, celebrities, film stars and anyone who values their privacy. Privacy is a big thing these days yet when it comes to the aforementioned people, it seems there are many who, while valuing their own privacy, love reading about the private lives of those who in many instances lose all their privacy thanks to the endless attention of paparazzi photographers looking for that 'special'shot. The sharks of the industry, those who will go to any length to get the 'special'shot, have made many a life miserable. Their lack of morals, manners and any shred of decency, has made life for many a person a living hell. But is it fair to lay all blame at their feet, after all, they are feeding an industry which thrives on feeding the average Joe all the latest gossip, complete with photo's. "This is a story of a young actor who’s been dreaming of great Hollywood success,” says Robin Tunney. "But with that success comes things I don’t think he ever imagined. The invasion of privacy by the paparazzi." Which raises the question, surely that comes with the territory. Isn't that the price of fame? "It’s a common tale," Tunney says. "Part of what comes with fame is a certain responsibility but also the understanding that you might lose a little bit of privacy in return. It’s something they don’t teach you in acting class." While many stars are happy to co-operate with the paparazzi, they do set boundaries. In return for photographs of them they expect certain aspects of their lives to be seen as 'off limits". The decent photographers respect that but there are always those who will overstep the mark. Disrespect the boundaries in an attempt to get the shots they want, even when they've been asked nicely not to. That is the theme which sets up "Paparazzi". "The most sacred thing in the world to Bo is his family," says debut director Paul Abascal. "They mean everything to him, and once you start messing with his family, it begins a ripple effect." Catalyst for the ripple effect is a group of photographers led by scumbag Rex Harper. Actor Tom Sizemore knows how the paparazzi operate. He's had first hand experience. Funnily enough, he plays Rex. And how does he see his character? "Rex is the rock star of paparazzi," Sizemore said. "He’s the best there is, and the most ambitious." Sizemore certainly sees the irony in playing the role. "My first reaction to the script, having had my own run-ins with these guys, was that it’s kind of fitting. I’m not the most hounded of actors, but I’ve been on that end enough to know just how devastating it can be." The object of Rex Harpers attention is rising star Bo Laramie played by Cole Hauser. What was it that attracted Hauser to the role? "One of the things that attracted me to this script is that we haven’t seen this story before," Hauser said. "You go down to Blockbuster and you won’t find anything like this on the shelf. There have been so many movies about Hollywood, looking in at Hollywood," he continued, "but this is the one of the few times Hollywood is looking out." Hauser also notes that "Paparazzi" audiences are asked to question "All the fame, the money, the power, is it worth it? We’re bringing the audience along for this ride to stardom and making them realize that it’s not everything they might think it is." Then there is a moral dilema facing the audience. Which side do you take. Are you on the side of law and order or the victims? Is calculated revenge the answer. How far would you go if you were in Bo Laramie's position. How extreme would your reaction be, given the same circumstances? Thankfully the vast amjority of us will never have to face that question and hopefully, what happens in "Paparazzi" will never be emulated in real life. Most audiences will, no doubt, while sympathizing with Bo Laramie, will fully realize that "Paparazzi" is a film in the genre of those classic films which starred Clint Eastwood in the role of Dirty Harry. They allow us to, in the darkness of a cinema, take guilty pleasure in seeing the bastards get exactly what they deserve. Here in the cocooned realsm of our mind we can cheer on the good guy, who, terribly wronged by a section of society, gives the bad guys the justice they deserve. Justice we have come to realize is, in the main, missing in our court rooms today. The twist in "Paparazzi" is that Bo Laramie has a sympathizer who appears to understand what it's all about. Veteran actor Dennis Farina plays Detective Burton who works on the case involving Laramie. As Burton says, "I don't know what I'd do if it was my family." "Burton respects Bo," says Hauser, "and I think Bo respects Burton. There’s a certain amount of understanding that Burton has for Bo, but he has a job to do." Farina agreed. "Burton knows who’s behind all these murders and after a short while the audience knows, too," he says. "These guys (the paparazzi) give their peers a bad name.“They’re pretty bad guys and they cause all kinds of havoc. There’s a little bit of a revenge motive going on, and then my character comes in and puts it all together." Crew Bytes "Paparazzi" was .......
directed by Paul Abascal ["Paparazzi"]; screenplay by Forrest Smith ["Paparazzi"]; costume design by Dennis Wingate ["The Last Time I Committed Suicide", "She’s All That", "Blue Streak" and "Radio"]; production design by Robb Wilson King ["Marked for Death", "The Man Who Wasn’t There", "Rush Hour" and "Rush Hour 2"]; edited by Robin Russell ["Killer", "The Big Hit", "Underworld" and "The Final Cut"]; director of photograhpy Daryn Okada A.S.C ["Blind Vengeance", "Senseless", "Dr Doolittle" and "Cradle 2 The Grave"]; original music by Brian Tyler ["Plan B", "Darkness Falls", "Timeline" and "Frailty"] produced by Academy Award winner Mel Gibson ["Braveheart", "Conspiracy Theory", "What Women Want" and "The Passion of The Christ"] Stephen McEveety ["187", "Airborne", "We Were Soldiers" and "The Passion of The Christ"]; and Bruce Davey ["We Were Soldiers", "Maverick", "Forever Young" and "The Passion of The Christ"], Casting About "Paparazzi" stars .......
Cole Hauser ["Good Will Hunting", "Tigerland", "Hart's War" and "2 Fast 2 Furious"]; Tom Sizemore ["The Relic", "Born on the Fourth of July", "Saving Private Ryan" and "Black Hawk Down"]; Dennis Farina ["Thief", "Manhunter", "Get Shorty" and "Saving Private Ryan"]; Daniel Baldwin ["Born on the Fourth of July", "Nothing But Trouble", "Knight Moves" and "Mulholland Falls"]; Kevin Gage ["Con Air", "Point Blank", "Blow" and "Knockaround Guys"]; Blake Bryan ["Jurassic Park III"]; Jordan Baker ["Love Potion Number 9", "City Hall", "Escape from L.A" and "The Out-Of-Towners"] Lauren Birkell ["Cast Away", "Ophelia Learns to Swim", "Spectres" and "Van Wilder: Party Liason"] and 1997 Venice Film Festival Award winner Robin Tunney ["The Craft", "Niagara, Niagara", "End Of Days" and "Vertical Limit"] as Abby Laramie. The Story

"Sneaked into theaters without advance screenings, I liked it." Victoria Alexander FILMSINREVIEW.COM

Rising action superstar Bo Laramie is on a high. His first feature film "Adrenaline Force" is a big hit and he's currently working on the sequel "Adrenaline Force 2". On red carpet night he is besieged by photographers and fans all wanting a piece of him. Laramie is initialy taken in by the glitz and glamour of the moment until some days later he spots a photographer taking shots of his young son Zach whose playing in a junior soccer match. His polite request not to photograph his son is, at first, met with agreement but after the match Laramie spots the photographer again using a telephoto lens to get photos of Zach. A confrontation with the cameraman leads to Laramie assaulting him, a court appearance and Laramie being ordered into anger management classes. When Bo Laramie refuses to apologize publicly, the photographer, Rex Harper, decides he'll make Laramie's life a living hell. But Harper oversteps the mark. Now Laramie wants revenge for his family. The Verdict "If you enjoy a good old fashioned revenge film where the good guy turns bad and gets away with murder then you will be cheering on Bo Laramie who takes on a bunch of scumbag paparazzi photographers and gives them everything they deserve. Will appeal to those who loved the genre of films which featured Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood and Steven Seagal, in which the bad guys well and truly got the old chop. "Paparazzi" is an interesting film that's well worth a look at." The Cast

Cole Hauser Robin Tunney Tom Sizemore Dennis Farina Daniel Baldwin Tom Hollander Kevin Gage Blake Bryan Andrea Baker Jordan Baker Joe Basile Lauren Birkell Wendy Braun Kelly Carlson Greg Castro Robert Catrini Larry Cedar Dennis Cockrum Joel Connable Duane Davis Michael Dempsey Giuliana DePandi Andi Eystad Donal Gibson

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Bo Laramie Abby Laramie Rex Harper Detective Burton Wendell Stokes Leonard Clark Kevin Rosner Zach Laramie Emily Dr Kelley Police Lab Tech Allison Bo's Publicist Kristin Policeman Smartass Paparazzi Charlie Coroner Reporter Reggie Soccer Coach Herself Sierra Deputy Wilson

The Crew Directed by Paul Abascal Written by Forrest Smith Produced by Bruce Davey/Mel Gibson/Stephen McEveety Executive Producer Louise Rosner Original Music by Brian Tyler Cinematography by Daryn Okada Film Editing by Robin Russell Casting by Amanda Mackey Johnson & Cathy Sandrich Production Design by Robb Wilson King Costume Design by Denise Wingate Run Time 84 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - Icon Film Distribution - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2004 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved