Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Gary Winick, 49, Directed Indie Hit “Tadpole”

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Gary Winick, a popular presence in the New York indie film scene, died on Sunday at age 49. Shaggy haired and always smiling and upbeat, Gary had been battling brain cancer. I met Gary in 2002 when he directed a terrific indie film, “Tadpole,” starring John Ritter, Sigourney Weaver, Bebe Neuwirth, and introduced Aaron Stanford and Kate Mara. “Tadpole” must be on DVD or on a service like Netflix, it’s worth seeing now. Ritter, who died tragically not long after, really loved being in it. Gary was part of InDiGent films, which was really independent and trying to do interesting things in film. But to make money he also made some studio films like “Letters to Juliet” with Amanda Seyfried, and “Charlotte’s Web.” More importantly, Gary was a producer on many very fine indie titles including the wonderful “Lonesome Jim” with Casey Affleck and Liv Tyler, and “Pieces of April” with Patricia Clarkson and Katie Holmes. He was a lovely guy and will really be missed.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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