by Ron Gilbert In September 2005 I first met Jesse when he was co-starring in a production of Orphans written by Lyle Kessler and directed by Ulu Grosbard with Al Pacino in the lead. It wasn’t a well publicized event which was under the auspices of the Actors Studio. As an Actors Studio member I was privileged to see Jesse in the role of the younger of 2 brothers. He had this unique presence as the introverted acrophobic brother and he definitely made an impression on me. The play was supposed...

  WINTER'S BONE, the debut feature by director Debra Granik that won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, continues to cement its status as this year's "indie it" film with major wins at the Gotham Independent Film Awards, which were held in New York City on Monday evening. The 20th edition of the Awards gala, which is sponsored by the IFP, the indie filmmakers membership organization that also sponsors the New York Film Week market and screenings each Sept...

Best Feature Winter’s BoneBest Documentary The Oath, directed by Laura PoitrasBest Ensemble Performance Winter’s BoneBreakthrough Director Kevin Asch, Holy RollersBreakthrough Actor Ronald Bronstein, Daddy LonglegsBest Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You Littlerock, directed by Mike Ott...

An Interview with Kevin Asch, director of Holy Rollers As we sat at a table in front of Bob Dylan’s 18 Street Caféin Santa Monica, Californiacoffee wasn’t necessary because I got my caffeine rush from Kevin. His creativeenergy in discussing the making of his film and the collaboration with the actorsand writer reminded me of directors like Sydney Lumet, Martin Scorsese and mybuddy Mark Rydell. How important the rehearsal and development of the scriptwith the actors and write, Antonio Macia ...

An Interview with Kevin Asch, director of Holy Rollers                         As we sat at a table in front of Bob Dylan’s 18 Street Caféin Santa Monica, Californiacoffee wasn’t necessary because I got my caffeine rush from Kevin. His creativeenergy in discussing the making of his film and the collaboration with the actorsand writer reminded me of directors like Sydney Lu...

Holy Rollers is a film shot like a 70's film like Mean Streets.The director Kevin Asch has assembled an incredibly talented cast and crew in a film about Hasidic Jews who were drug mules in the lat 90's for the drug trade between NY and Amsterdam. Jesse Eisenberg is the lead character as Sam the protaganist who is drawn in this world by his neighbor Yosef( Justin Barta) who introduces him to drug dealer ,Jackie(Danny Abeckaser) and the ball rolls in from there with Sex.drugs and rock and roll.Fe...

The Sundance Film Festival is an event full of unusual stories....but Hasidic drug dealers? That has to be a first. The film, appropriately called HOLY ROLLERS, was produced and stars Danny A. Abeckaser, who is best known as a rock impressario and club promoter. The film, set in New York in the 1990s, is about a pair of Hasidic Jews who become part of an ecstasy smuggling ring. The film is the feature directorial debut of Kevin Asch with a screenplay by actor/scenarist Antonio Masc...