Libba Smith
A&E Editor
For most, an encounter with a celebrity means reading a gossip blog or watching a movie; average Americans will never get the chance to rub elbows with the stars or see their names on the same line as a great actor’s. However, J.C. Chandor, who graduated from Wooster in 1996, is no average American.
Chandor calls himself “a classic Wooster case.” He created his own major in cultural film studies and wrote, filmed and edited his own movie for his Senior I.S., which led to a job right out of college. Chandor directed any piece he was handed, from commercials to music videos, before writing and directing his own full-length feature film.
Chandor’s movie, the financial thriller “Margin Call,” was a critical and commercial smash called “downright awe-inspiring” by The New York Times. The film had a successful run despite opening on few screens, even receiving an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay. Chandor’s phenomenal script, which was full of witty, razor-sharp dialogue but also explored themes like corporate psychology and human behavior, attracted high-powered stars like Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci and Zachary Quinto. The film premiered at Sundance to rave reviews where it caught the eye of another legendary actor: Robert Redford.
Redford, a two-time Oscar winner known for films like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Sting,” was so taken with “Margin Call” that he immediately signed on for Chandor’s next movie. Redford, who is notoriously slow to commit to any project, was on board with the film from the beginning, a drama called “All Is Lost” that Chandor crafted specifically for the legendary actor. Unusually, the film features only Redford, who plays a man lost at sea who struggles to survive. While this may seem like a simplistic plotline, expect Chandor, with his impressive writing skills, to deliver a gripping psychological tale that will not disappoint.
“All Is Lost” just finished shooting and will be distributed by Lionsgate, but does not yet have a release date.