Morgan M. Morgansen's Date with Destiny

Last updated
Morgan M. Morgansen's Date with Destiny
Directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Written bySarah Daly
Produced byJared Geller
StarringJoseph Gordon-Levitt
Lexy Hulme
Lawrie Brewster
CinematographyLawrie Brewster
Edited byJoseph Gordon-Levitt
Lawrie Brewster
Music by Nathan Johnson
Production
company
Distributed byhitRECord
Release date
  • January 24, 2010 (2010-01-24)(Sundance Film Festival)
Running time
6 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$4,000 (estimated)

Morgan M. Morgansen's Date with Destiny is a 2010 short romantic silent film directed, edited by and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It co-stars Lexy Hulme.

Contents

It is Gordon-Levitt's directing debut. A sequel entitled Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo was released the same year.

Plot

The silent film, except for narration throughout by Gordon-Levitt, follows the first date between Morgan M. Morgansen (Gordon-Levitt) and a young woman named Destiny (Hulme). Backed up by a sour-turned-sentimental waiter - or the "foodpenguin" (Brewster) - and a band of cartoon feline musicians (among others), Morgan ultimately manages to woo Destiny. After meeting with Destiny at a restaurant and ordering a cooked rabbit, Morgan discovers Destiny's vegetarianism, and decides to eat only the vegetables around the plate rather than eat the rabbit meat and appall his alarmed date. Appreciative of Morgan's sacrifice at dinner for the sake of her comfort, Destiny begins to kiss him in the street, overlooked by the approving foodpenguin. The two rush off to Morgan's abode and it is stated that Morgan, lying in bed that night, needed no longer feel alone.

Cast

Production

The short was produced by Gordon-Levitt's online production company hitRECord with contributions from artists all over the world. Gordon-Levitt directed and starred in the piece which was written and conceived by Irish writer Sarah Daly. [1] The visual effects were created by Scotland's Lawrie Brewster [2] with illustrations from Jenyffer Maria. Nathan Johnson composed the score which was then assembled from the contributions of musicians online.

With homages to influences as varied as Lewis Carroll, Sigmund Freud and Georges Méliès.

Premiere

The short film premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

See also

Related Research Articles

Morgan Spurlock American filmmaker, screenwriter and producer

Morgan Valentine Spurlock is an American documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter and playwright.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt American actor and filmmaker (born 1981)

Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received various accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his leading performances in 500 Days of Summer (2009) and 50/50 (2011). He is the founder of the online media platform HitRecord whose projects such as HitRecord on TV (2014–15) and Create Together (2020) won him two Primetime Emmy Awards in the category of Outstanding Interactive Program.

Eugene Jarecki American filmmaker

Eugene Jarecki is an American filmmaker and author. He is best known as a two-time winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize, as well as multiple Emmy and Peabody Awards, for his films Why We Fight, Reagan, and The House I Live In.

Jonathan A. Levine is an American film director and screenwriter.

Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo is a short romantic silent film directed and edited by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and starring himself, Lexy Hulme and Channing Tatum. It is the second installment in the Morgan M. Morgansen series. The first film, Morgan M. Morgansen's Date with Destiny premiered at Sundance in 2010 and the positive response spurred the makers to continue the saga.

Spencer Susser is an American film director, screenwriter and producer.

HitRecord Online collaborative media platform

HitRecord is an online collaborative media platform founded and owned by actor and director Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The company uses a variety of media to produce such projects as short films, books, and DVDs. HitRecord has produced such films as Don Jon and the short films Morgan M. Morgansen's Date with Destiny and its sequel Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo.

<i>Don Jon</i> 2013 film by Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Don Jon is a 2013 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, and Julianne Moore, with Rob Brown, Glenne Headly, Brie Larson, and Tony Danza in supporting roles. The film premiered under its original title Don Jon's Addiction at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2013, and was released in the United States on September 27, 2013. The film grossed $41 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics.

2013 Sundance Film Festival Film festival held from January 17, 2013 until January 27, 2013

The 2013 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 17, 2013, until January 27, 2013, in Park City, Utah, United States, with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ogden, Utah, and Sundance, Utah.

Jadrien Ford Steele is an American actor, author, and film director. As an author, he writes under the name J M Steele.

<i>HitRecord on TV</i>

HitRecord on TV is a 2014 American television variety series created by Joseph Gordon-Levitt with executive producers Jared Geller, Brian Graden, and Belisa Balaban. The series premiered on 18 January 2014 on Pivot in the United States. The series emphasizes Internet celebrity in art history by focusing on different themes. The satellite variety show aired new episodes five consecutive nights a week after prime time and before late night for Pivot on Verizon FIOS, AT&T U-verse, DirecTV, Charter Spectrum, and Dish. The show is supported by TakePart.

<i>Lord of Tears</i> 2013 British film

Lord of Tears, also known as The Owlman, is a 2013 Scottish low-budget horror film directed by Lawrie Brewster and was his horror film directorial debut. The film first released on 25 October 2013 in Whitby at the Bram Stoker International Film Festival, where it won two awards. The film follows a Scottish schoolteacher that begins to see visions of the Owl Man, a strange figure that he was obsessed with as a child. The film was followed by The Unkindness of Ravens and The Black Gloves, both directed by Lawrie Brewster.

<i>The Walk</i> (2015 film) 2015 American film by Robert Zemeckis

The Walk is a 2015 American 3D biographical drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Christopher Browne and Zemeckis. It is based on the story of 24-year-old French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on August 7, 1974. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Petit, alongside Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, James Badge Dale, Ben Schwartz, and Steve Valentine.

<i>The Night Before</i> (2015 film) 2015 American film

The Night Before is a 2015 American Christmas comedy stoner film directed by Jonathan Levine and written by Levine, Evan Goldberg, Kyle Hunter, and Ariel Shaffir. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anthony Mackie as three childhood friends who annually reunite on Christmas Eve in search of the best party in New York City. Lizzy Caplan, Jillian Bell, Mindy Kaling, and Michael Shannon also star.

<i>The Unkindness of Ravens</i> 2016 film

The Unkindness of Ravens is a 2016 British horror film directed by Lawrie Brewster and starring Jamie Scott Gordon as a veteran that comes face to face with demonic ravens. The film had its world premiere on 27 August 2016 at the London FrightFest Film Festival. Prior to its release the horror website Bloody Disgusting marked The Unkindness of Ravens as one of their "10 Must-See Independent Horror Films of 2016".

Lawrie Brewster is a Scottish indie filmmaker, director and producer, known for his 2013 film Lord of Tears, which won the Audience Award at the 2013 Bram Stoker International Film Festival. He is also the director of Hex Media, a horror film production company that he runs with writer Sarah Daly, with whom he frequently collaborates, as well as technicians Michael Brewster and Tom Staunton.

<i>XX</i> (film) 2017 American film

XX is a 2017 American anthology horror film directed by Jovanka Vuckovic, Annie Clark, Roxanne Benjamin and Karyn Kusama. It stars Natalie Brown, Melanie Lynskey, Breeda Wool and Christina Kirk. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2017, and was released in a limited release and through video on demand by Magnet Releasing on February 17, 2017.

<i>The Black Gloves</i> 2017 British film

The Black Gloves is a 2017 horror film directed by Lawrie Brewster and starring Macarena Gómez. It serves as a prequel to his 2013 debut horror film Lord of Tears. The film is set during the 1940s and tells the story of a psychologist that soon finds himself at odds with the Owlman, a sinister owl-headed figure.

Alexandra Nicole Hulme, also known as Lexy Hulme, is an American actress, dancer, choreographer and artist. She is known for her work with Lawrie Brewster and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

The Devil's Machine, originally titled Automata, is a 2019 horror film directed by Lawrie Brewster, based on a script written by Sarah Daly. It stars Alexandra Hulme, who frequently stars in Brewster's films. It also marks the third film Brewster and Daly's Hex Studios has created with Dark Dunes Productions.

References

  1. "Sarah Daly's Short Script Realised". Film Ireland. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  2. "From Dysart to Sundance Film Festival ..." Fife Today. 2010-01-27. Retrieved 2015-09-08.