JT Mollner

Last updated

JT Mollner
JTMollnerCropped.jpg
Mollner in a Q&A at the Sundance 2016 premiere of Outlaws and Angels
Born
Jeffrey Tyler Mollner

Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2005-present
Website NoRemake Pictures

Jeffrey Tyler Mollner [1] is an American film director, film producer, screenwriter, entrepreneur, and former actor best known for his feature film directorial debut Outlaws and Angels. [2] The film earned accolades at Sundance in 2016 for Mollner's use of Kodak film stock and vintage Panavision cameras and lenses. [3] Mollner is also known for starring in the Las Vegas stage production of Tony n' Tina's Wedding , and he is heir to the Freakling Brothers haunted houses in Las Vegas, NV. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Early life

JT was born in Las Vegas to Ginnie, a former singer, and Duke Mollner, a former dancer. The two met while working at the Dunes during the Rat Pack era of the 1960s, where Duke later became a card dealer. [7] JT has an older brother named Daniel Mollner. In 1976, Duke and Daniel began operating a haunted house from their home on East Rochelle Avenue in southeast Las Vegas that grew in popularity. [8] By age five, JT had been inducted into the cast. He told a reporter in 2015 that "It was a great household to be from, because you’re instantly the most popular kid in school.” [6] [5] [8]

At an early age, Mollner was already a cinephile, with an interest in adult novels and writing. [9] He credits his aunt Deanna Mollner, who lived in Los Angeles in the '70s and "ran around with the likes of Jack Nicholson, and Roman Polanski" for introducing him to the films of Polanski, Stanley Kubrick, and Federico Fellini. [9] JT said in an interview that he always knew as a child he wanted to be a filmmaker, though he felt it wasn't an option for him because his older brother Daniel had already attended UCLA Film School. [9]

Career

In 2005, after ending a year-long starring role in a stage production of Tony and Tina's Wedding at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas, Mollner moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the film industry. Believing his dream to direct films was a long shot, JT did not pursue it immediately, instead taking small acting jobs to pay the bills, while writing screenplays in his spare time. [6] [9] Mollner soon became frustrated with acting in LA, explaining in an interview that he was tired of "being a tool in someone else's vision...having to read lines from someone else's script...[while] wanting to be doing what [the directors] are doing". [9]

At that time, JT was looking for directors for a short film he had written, when his producing partner successfully petitioned Mollner to direct it. [9] JT directed several commercials and music videos over the next decade, as well as writing and directing a series of short independent films, including The Red Room (2008), and Henry John and the Little Bug (2009). In 2011 Mollner directed his father Duke, and his brother Daniel in the short Sugartown, and in 2015 he wrote and directed Flowers in December starring Dee Wallace. [10]

Outlaws and Angels

JT began writing a script for his first feature in 2010, with the intention of making a film reminiscent of 1970s westerns. Deciding to wait until he could cast well known actors, while insisting on using film stock and vintage cameras rather than shooting on conventional digital cameras, Outlaws would be in the development stage for nearly 5 years. [11] When production finally began in 2015, JT was accompanied by cinematographer Matthew Irving, both having seen eye to eye immediately upon meeting, as they share several cinematic influences. Irving would become instrumental in providing the classic look Mollner wanted to achieve. [11] The duo contacted Kodak about supplying VISION3 500T Color Negative Film 5219, an uncommon film type due to the grain caused by its slower speed, which served Mollner and Irving well in emulating the '70s look. [11] The movie was shot entirely on Kodak film, using two Panaflex Platinum cameras, a Steadicam, and a variety of vintage lenses. [11]

Outlaws and Angels premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, starring Chad Michael Murray and Francesca Eastwood, with Luke Wilson, Frances Fisher, and Teri Polo, with special appearances by Mollner's father and brother Duke and Daniel Mollner. [6] Outlaws was featured as Sundance's midnight selection. [10] On July 14, 2016, Outlaws appeared at the Fantasia Film Festival, and was released in theaters and VOD on July 15, 2016. [12] [13] Though the script was influenced by home invasion movies, and the grittier western films of the 1970s, Mollner pulled largely from the 2005 Nick Cave film The Proposition for the feel of Outlaws, borrowing a similar look of gritty teeth from an era lacking fluoride, and extra horse manure as aesthetic inspiration on set. [11]

Filmography

Short Film

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotesAward(s)
2008The Red RoomYesYesYes
2009Henry John and the Little BugYesYesYes HollyShorts: Special Jury Mention; Winner
2011SugartownYesNoYesStory by HollyShorts: Best Music; Winner
2015Flowers In DecemberYesYesYes
2019 After Emma NoNoYes

Feature Film

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotes
2016 Outlaws and Angels YesYesYes
2022 Strange Darling YesYesNo

Personal life

JT takes three months off every year to return to Las Vegas to help run Freakling Brothers, his family's seasonal haunted house business. [14] The company was founded in 1992, and has expanded from one haunted house in the Mollner family garage, to a mobile "Trilogy of Terror" that includes a series of three haunted houses appearing side by side every Halloween season, and is most notable for the "Gates of Hell", Las Vegas' first R-rated haunted house. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Hughes</span> American business magnate (1905–1976)

Howard Robard Hughes Jr. was an American aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, investor, philanthropist, and pilot. He was best known during his lifetime as one of the richest and most influential people in the world. He first became prominent as a film producer, and then as an important figure in the aviation industry. Later in life, he became known for his eccentric behavior and reclusive lifestyle—oddities that were caused in part by his worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic pain from a near-fatal plane crash, and increasing deafness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Redford</span> American actor and filmmaker (born 1936)

Charles Robert Redford Jr. is a retired American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous accolades such as an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1994, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1996, the Academy Honorary Award in 2002, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2005, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, and the Honorary César in 2019. He was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Astin</span> American actor (born 1971)

Sean Astin is an American actor. His acting roles include Mikey Walsh in The Goonies (1985), Billy Tepper in Toy Soldiers (1991), Daniel Ruettiger in Rudy (1993), Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003), Doug Whitmore in 50 First Dates (2004), Bill in Click (2006), Lynn McGill in the fifth season of 24 (2006), Oso in Special Agent Oso (2009–2012), Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012–2017), Bob Newby in the second season of Netflix's Stranger Things (2017), and Ed in No Good Nick (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butch Cassidy</span> American Old West outlaw (1866–1908/1937)

Robert LeRoy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy, was an American train and bank robber and the leader of a gang of criminal outlaws known as the "Wild Bunch" in the Old West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Starr</span> American actor

Martin Schienle, known professionally as Martin Starr, is an American actor. He is known for the television roles of Bill Haverchuck on the short-lived comedy drama Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000), Roman DeBeers on the comedy series Party Down, Bertram Gilfoyle on the HBO series Silicon Valley (2014–2019), for his film roles in Knocked Up (2007) and Adventureland (2009), and as Roger Harrington in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films The Incredible Hulk (2008), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criss Angel</span> American magician, illusionist and musician (born 1967)

Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos, known professionally as Criss Angel, is an American magician, illusionist and musician. He is often referred to as one of the world's most successful illusionists, generating in excess of $150 million in tourism revenue for Las Vegas in one year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Mackenzie (director)</span> British film director

David Mackenzie is a Scottish film director and co-founder of the Glasgow-based production company Sigma Films. He has made ten feature films including Young Adam (2003), Hallam Foe (2007), Perfect Sense (2011) and Starred Up (2013). In 2016, Mackenzie's film Hell or High Water premiered at Cannes and was theatrically released in the United States in August. The same year he executive produced Damnation, a TV pilot for Universal and USA Network. Mackenzie also directed Outlaw King (2018), a historical film for Netflix. Mackenzie and his films have been described as not fitting neatly into any particular genre or type.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Huston</span> American actor, director and screenwriter

Daniel Sallis Huston is an American actor, director and screenwriter. A member of the Huston family of filmmakers, he is the son of director John Huston and half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston.

<i>Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas</i> (film) 1998 American film by Terry Gilliam

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a 1998 American stoner road black comedy film adapted from Hunter S. Thompson's 1971 novel of the same name. It was co-written and directed by Terry Gilliam, and stars Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro as Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo, respectively. The film details the duo's journey through Las Vegas as their initial journalistic intentions devolve into an exploration of the city under the influence of psychoactive substances.

Jean Yarbrough was an American film director.

The outlaw biker film is a film genre that portrays its characters as motorcycle riding rebels. The characters are usually members of an outlaw motorcycle club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Eubank</span> American film director, screenwriter, and cinematographer

William Eubank is an American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer. On his first feature film, Love, released in 2011, in addition to directorial and director of photography duties, Eubank also served as production designer. His second feature film, The Signal, premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was released in theaters by Focus Features on June 13, 2014. His third feature film, the science-fiction horror film Underwater, was released in January 2020 by 20th Century Fox.

Darren Stein is an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer who grew up in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley. Among his works include the documentary Put the Camera on Me, the 2010 horror comedy All About Evil, and the satirical major motion picture Jawbreaker, which was deemed a "cult classic" by the New York Post.

<i>Animal Kingdom</i> (film) 2010 Australian crime drama directed by David Michôd

Animal Kingdom is a 2010 Australian crime drama film written and directed by David Michôd in his feature directorial debut. It stars Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, James Frecheville, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver, and Sullivan Stapleton.

Jeff Feuerzeig is an American film director and screenwriter best known for The Devil and Daniel Johnston, his profile of cult musician and outsider artist Daniel Johnston, for which he was awarded the Directing prize for Documentary at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and which was released theatrically in March 2006 by Sony Pictures Classics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Kelly (director)</span> American film director, screenwriter and editor

Justin Kelly is an American film director, screenwriter and film editor. He came to prominence as director and writer of Sundance Film Festival 2015 select I Am Michael, starring James Franco and Zachary Quinto. He then wrote and directed King Cobra, which premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival starring Christian Slater and James Franco, followed by Sony Pictures 2018 release Welcome the Stranger starring Riley Keough and Caleb Landry Jones, and most recently JT LeRoy (2018) starring Kristen Stewart and Laura Dern.

<i>Swiss Army Man</i> 2016 film by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan

Swiss Army Man is a 2016 American surrealist comedy-drama film written and directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan in their feature directorial debuts. The film stars Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Sundance Film Festival</span>

The 2016 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 21 to January 31, 2016. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 2, 2015. The opening night film was Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. The closing night film was Louis Black and Karen Bernstein's Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny.

<i>Outlaws and Angels</i> (film) 2016 film

Outlaws and Angels is a 2016 American Western film directed by JT Mollner and starring Chad Michael Murray, Francesca Eastwood, Teri Polo, Frances Fisher and Luke Wilson.

Janicza Michelle Bravo Ford is an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Her films include Gregory Go Boom, a winner of the short-film jury award at the Sundance Film Festival; Lemon, co-written with Brett Gelman; and Zola, co-written with playwright Jeremy O. Harris.

References

  1. ↑ "NO REMAKE PICTURES, INC". OpenCorporates . Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Sundance Film Review: 'Outlaws & Angels'". Variety. January 16, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Shooting the Old West: 'Outlaws and Angels' Filmmaker JT Mollner and Star Francesca Eastwood". Film Independent. July 13, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Super Freak: During season of fright, Freakling Brothers founder is a real scream". Las Vegas Sun. October 28, 2004. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 "Homegrown Freakling Brothers mark 20 years in haunted house business". Las Vegas Sun. October 6, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "JT Mollner freaks you out in new way with 'Outlaws and Angels'". Las Vegas Review-Journal. July 14, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Freakling Bros. Haunted House Steps Up the Terror". Vegas Seven. October 8, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Ah, Freak Out! Freakling Brothers still spooking on Halloween". Las Vegas Sun. October 22, 2001. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "SYS Podcast Episode 133: Writer / Director JT Mollner Talks About His New Western Film, Outlaws And Angels Starring Luke Wilson (transcript)". Sell Your Screenplay. October 22, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  10. 1 2 "Sundance: 'Outlaws and Angels' Director Signs With UTA (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. February 3, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "JT Mollner and Matthew Irving Capture Classic, 1970s Western Look in Outlaws and Angels". Kodak. June 29, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  12. ↑ "'Outlaws and Angels' Exclusive Clip: Chad Michael Murray Has a Bounty on His Head In Bloody Sundance Western". IndieWire. July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  13. ↑ "'Outlaws And Angels' Will Ride In July; Gravitas Takes 'Ace The Case'". Deadline Hollywood. June 15, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Freakling Bros.' JT Mollner on Horror And Hollywood". Vegas Seven. October 21, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.