Daniel Adams
Adams in 2014
Born
Daniel R. Adams

1961 (age 62–63)
Boston, Massachusetts, US
EducationUniversity of Vermont, Harvard Extension School
OccupationFilm director

Daniel R. Adams (born 1961)[1][2] is an American feature film director. He is best known for directing and writing the films The Lightkeepers, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Blythe Danner, and The Golden Boys, starring David Carradine, Bruce Dern, Rip Torn, Charles Durning, and Mariel Hemingway.[3]

Biography

Adams grew up in the Boston area. He attended the University of Vermont[4] in 1980 to 1981 as well as some Harvard Extension School classes in the early 1980s. He worked for several political campaigns including two gubernatorial campaigns, a race for attorney general, and a presidential campaign. He directed television commercials for a Boston advertising agency and went into producing feature films in 1989.

He is a proponent of shooting film rather than digital.[5]

In December 2011 Adams was indicted on 10 counts of making false tax claims related to two movies he directed, The Golden Boys and The Lightkeepers, for which his production company received $4.7 million in tax credits from the state of Massachusetts.[4][6] On April 19, 2012, he pleaded guilty, served 21 months in prison, and was sentenced to 10 years probation.[7]

In February 2019, the SEC claimed Adams and his business partner, Michael Flanders, had defrauded investors in connection with the film An L.A. Minute.[8] According to the SEC a fictitious wire transfer confirmation and signature page, forged by Adams, was sent by Flanders to an investor to create the false appearance that investments had already been made in the film. The final judgment, against Adams, was issued in December 2019, ordering him to pay $50,562 plus prejudgment interest of $7,087 and a $50,562 civil penalty. In May 2020 Flanders was ordered to pay $28,500 plus prejudgment interest of $4,354 and a $28,500 civil penalty. Their production companies, Spiderworx Media LLC and An L.A. Minute LLC, were also penalized.[9][10]

Adams gave a lengthy interview in which he described his regret regarding his legal issues, as well as the extenuating circumstances and why both issues are related, on the Brent Weinbach podcast "Pointed Questions."[11]

Film career

Adams gained film production experience from directing television commercials for a Boston advertising agency. He co-wrote and directed his first feature film in 1989, A Fool and His Money (originally titled, Religion, Inc.), which starred Sandra Bullock (Adams cast Ms. Bullock in her first leading role), Jonathan Penner, George Plimpton and Jerzy Kosinski (released through Trimark Pictures - now Lions Gate). He then went on to write and direct his second feature, Primary Motive, which starred Judd Nelson, Justine Bateman, Richard Jordan, John Savage and Sally Kirkland, for Twentieth Century Fox. His third feature, which he also wrote and directed, was a comedy entitled, The Mouse, starring Rip Torn and John Savage, and released through Strand Releasing. His film, The Golden Boys, was released through Roadside Attractions and Lions Gate Films in 2009.

Also in 2009, he directed the feature film, The Lightkeepers, from a script he wrote that is based on the story The Woman Haters: A Yarn of Eastboro Twin-Lights (1911) by Joseph C. Lincoln. The film, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Blythe Danner, was released through New Films Cinema in the spring of 2010. It was chosen as the closing night film for the Palm Springs International Film Festival,[12] and was the opening night film for the Boulder International Film Festival,[13] won the "Golden Angel" award (best picture) and chosen closing night film at the Los Angeles Chinese-American Film Festival,[14] was named the No. 2 Best Grown Up Love Story of the Year (2010) by AARP Magazine,[15] and won the 2010 "best musical score for a comedy" award by the International Film Music Critics Association.[16][17] Two-time Academy Award nominated actor Bruce Dern has compared Adams' directing style to Hal Ashby and Alfred Hitchcock, and commented, "He (Adams) is on the threshold of becoming an extremely interesting commodity in this business because he's really old-school - he's an old-school filmmaker."[18] And Academy Award-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss has been quoted, "Daniel is a smart man, who truly understands the old values of filmmaking... He is an excellent writer and perhaps enough people will see The Lightkeepers to appreciate that."[19] Adams directed the film An L.A. Minute which he co-wrote with National Lampoon alum Larry "Ratso" Sloman.[20] The film was released in theaters in the summer of 2018 through Strand Releasing[21] but made just $5,004 at the box office.[8] Adams co-wrote and directed the upcoming period drama film The Walk starring Justin Chatwin, Terrence Howard, Malcolm McDowell and Jeremy Piven.[22][23][24] "The Walk" has won numerous "Best Picture"[25] and "Best Director"[26] film festival awards. The Walk is set to be released in theaters in the United States through Vertical Entertainment on June 10, 2022[27]

Filmography

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes Ref.
1989 A Fool and His Money Yes Yes No co-written with Michael Mailer
1992 Primary Motive Yes Yes No co-written with William Snowden
1996 The Mouse Yes Yes No
2008 The Golden Boys Yes Yes Yes based on the novel Cap’n Eri by Joseph C. Lincoln
2009 The Lightkeepers Yes Yes No based on the novel The Woman Haters: A Yarn of Eastboro Twin-Lights by Joseph C. Lincoln
2018 An L.A. Minute Yes Yes No co-written with Larry Sloman
2022 Panama No Yes No co-written with William Barber [28]
2022 The Walk Yes Yes No co-written with George Powell

References

  1. ↑ Alex Ben Block, Movie Director Indicted in $4.7 Million Tax Rebate Fraud Case, hollywoodreporter.com, December 12, 2011
  2. ↑ FamilyTreeNow.com Genealogy, Name:Daniel R Adams, Born:1961
  3. ↑ Gilsdorf, Ethan (2007-06-03). "Not the retiring type - The Boston Globe". Boston.com. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
  4. 1 2 Healy, Beth; Pierce, Kathleen. "Producer leaves Cape feeling fleeced". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Why I Shoot Film". 8 May 2020.
  6. ↑ "Filmmaker Breaks Silence Over Tax-Credit Prison Nightmare". The Hollywood Reporter. 27 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "Director Pleads Guilty to Inflating Movie Costs". The Daily Item. April 19, 2012. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  8. 1 2 Williams, Trey (26 February 2019). "Director Daniel Adams Charged With Defrauding Investors in Gabriel Byrne Film 'An LA Minute'". The Wrap. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  9. ↑ SEC Obtains Final Judgments Against Movie Director, His Partner, and Their Companies Litigation Release No. 24837 / June 16, 2020, Securities and Exchange Commission v. Daniel Adams, Michael Flanders, Spiderworx Media LLC, and An L.A. Minute LLC, Civil Action No. 2:19-cv-01412 (C.D. Cal., filed February 26, 2019)
  10. ↑ mynewsla.com, SEC Resolves Allegations Over Financing of `L.A. Minute’ Film, June 16, 2020
  11. ↑ "Episode 26: Movies".
  12. ↑ "Closing Night Gala 2010 | 2010 Palm Springs International Film Festival". Psfilmfest.org. 2009-12-24. Archived from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
  13. ↑ "BIFF brings out Boulder's film buffs - Boulder Daily Camera". Dailycamera.com. 11 February 2010. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
  14. ↑ "The Lightkeepers". Cafilmfestival.org. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
  15. ↑ Newcott, Bill (2011-01-14). "Movies for Grownups Awards 2011 - Best Grownup Love Story: Annette Ben..." AARP. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
  16. ↑ "Pinar Toprak receives her IFMCA Award for The Lightkeepers | IFMCA: the International Film Music Critics Association". Filmmusiccritics.org. 2 March 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
  17. ↑ "Homepage". Danieladams.la. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
  18. ↑ http://news.moviefone.com/2010/05/08/new-old-news-bruce-dern-on-working-with-hitchcock-hal-ashby/
  19. ↑ "Exclusive interview with Richard Dreyfuss". IMDb.
  20. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (May 2, 2016). "Spiderworx Media Launches; $50M Film Fund From Daniel Adams & Mike Flanders Sets First Project".
  21. ↑ "Kiersey Clemons Becomes an Overnight Sensation in 'An L.A. Minute' Trailer (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight.
  22. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (November 13, 2019). "Daniel Adams To Direct 'The Walk'; Jeremy Breslau Helming 'Serpens'; Tomas Leach Boards 'Flight Rules'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  23. ↑ White, Gordon (April 5, 2021). "Justin Chatwin: The Balance of Acting and Adventure". Truck Camper Magazine. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  24. ↑ "First look of CMG AFM sales title 'The Walk' as key team boards (Exclusive)".
  25. ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11278608/awards/?ref_=tt_awd
  26. ↑ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0010871/awards?ref_=nm_ql_2
  27. ↑ "IMAX and Bad Robot Announce 'The Blue Angels' Documentary — Film News in Brief". 8 March 2022.
  28. ↑ McNary, Dave (November 10, 2021). "Cole Hauser-Mel Gibson Thriller 'Panama' Backed by Grandave Capital (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
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