Robert Vendetti, an alumni from the University of Central Florida’s College of Graduate Studies, sees the release of the motion picture based on his graphic novel on comic book series Surrogates released this Friday in movie theaters nationwide. Entertainment Weekly called this tale of people who live vicarious lives through their artificial (and artificially gorgeous) “surrogates” “a resplendently grimy commentary” on our times. “The minute I heard Bruce Willis was cast was the first moment I allowed myself to hope that this might actually get turned into a movie,” Venditti says with a laugh. “A producer who had just hung out his shingle called me up [Max Handelman]. He shopped it around, ran into a studio guy who had just seen Sin City and wanted ‘something edgy, comic-booky’ like that. So Mandeville Films got involved, then Jonathan Mostow [director of U-571, Terminator 3], with screenwriters from Terminator 3. “I’ve been involved, at least in the loop,” he says. “I looked at it from the perspective that these other people were creative minds in their own right. If they’re inspired by something I did to bring their own creativity to it, I’m taking that as a compliment and letting them do what they want. They were staying true to the themes and adding their own ideas and plot lines and characters. You know they’re going to add explosions. That’s Hollywood.” Surrogates releases Friday from Touchstone Pictures. To visit the ridiculously cool official Site for Surrogates: http://chooseyoursurrogate.com/.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
UCF Alum’s “Surrogates” in Theaters Friday
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Classes Begin for UCF’s College of Medicine
Today, the University of Central Florida (UCF) began coursework for its inaugural class in its College of Medicine. In all, 41 students will begin their journey towards their Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees. Today, the students took-part in the traditional first-year medical student white coat ceremony with Cecil Wilson, the President of the American Medical Association (AMA), in-attendance. For a first for any University in the United States, All 41 UCF medical students will receive an entirely free medical education, which usually carries a mean pricetag of $120,000. Congratulations to these students! They will all be amazing examples of just how much “UCF Stands for Opportunity.”