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Hanged Man Tickets Available Online

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Starbox Productions Blog

For up-to-date information regarding The Hanged Man, please see the Starbox Productions blog.

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Timely Tale of Tarot

Looks like Starbox is riding this wave with some heavy hitters ...

Tarot Cards Deal Out Movie Chills and Thrills

From PR Web Newswire

The tarot has long been a staple of Hollywood's supernatural thrillers and mystical who-done-its. The cards are up to no good once again in Woody Allen's "Scoop" and in William H. Macy's current star vehicle "Edmond." But professional intuitive and tarot expert Paul Quinn says the cards are simply misunderstood.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) July 31, 2006 -- They warned James Bond of foul play in “Live and Let Die,” haunted the dreams of a priest in “Exorcist III,” and foretold toothy canine encounters in “The Wolf Man.” This summer they turn up as calling cards for a serial killer in Woody Allen’s “Scoop,” and spell catastrophe for William H. Macy in “Edmond.” Yes, the tarot, that bedeviling deck of cards continues its legacy as Hollywood’s favorite prop and plot device for all things eerie. But according to Paul Quinn, author of the forthcoming book, “Intuitive Conversations with Life: Tarot for Insight, Guidance and Growth,” the cards’ creepy image is undeserved.

“There are seventy-eight cards in the tarot deck, and it’s the few scary-looking ones that get all the exposure,” says Quinn. He notes that in promotional posters for “Scoop,” actor Hugh Jackman holds a Death card depicting a black helmeted skeleton charging forward with a giant scythe. “Taken at face value the Death card screams of danger and demise -- a perfect movie visual,” he says. “But in the true tarot tradition it symbolizes not physical death but the letting go of anything that gets in the way of spiritual growth.”

In “Scoop,” a card called The Hanged Man is found alongside the body of a murder victim. With its formidable name and unsettling image -- a man hung by his foot, arms bent behind him -- the card’s niche in Hollywood horror and suspense films seems assured. But from Quinn’s perspective, the card is far from frightening. “The Hanged Man represents experiences that require us to surrender control and develop humility and patience,” says Quinn. “There are times we all feel ‘hung up’ by circumstances, as if our hands were tied behind our backs. But the images in the tarot are symbolic in intent, not literal.”

Asked to identify a movie that presents the tarot in a less sensational way, Quinn cites the 1998 film “The Red Violin.” In that film, tarot cards predict events befalling the owners of a violin across the span of three hundred years and several continents. “Though the deeper meanings of the cards weren’t explored, they were presented in a poetic, intuitive way,” he says, “without the atmosphere of pending doom you see in other movies.”

Upcoming indie thriller "The Hanged Man" uses tarot in a different way. Though the film gets its title from the 12th card, tarot cards and images are not used as plot devices, but as thematic drivers for the film. Writer Glenn Hopper believes using the image and journey represented by the major arcana of the tarot deck is a more powerful and accurate representation of tarot. "The story told in tarot is universal," Hopper said. "And for a filmmaker, one that presents a great opportunity to apply to contemporary society."

And the timing couldn't be better. Despite the cards’ predominantly dark role in filmdom, their popularity among the public has never been greater. Stuart Kaplan is founder and owner of U.S. Games Systems, which claims 75-80% of the tarot card market. “In 1970 there were three tarot decks available,” says Kaplan. “Since then, sixteen-hundred have been produced.”

Quinn believes movies and television may play a significant role in the increased interest in the tarot. “People see the tarot in movies and in shows like ‘Charmed’ or ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’ and even though it’s shown in a dark context, it captures their imagination. They want to know what these mysterious looking cards are all about.”

A Chicago-based reader and teacher of the tarot, Quinn says most of his students come to the first class with equal amounts of fear and fascination. “I make it my mission to take the terror out of the tarot, but not the mystery,” he says. Indeed, the original intent of these cards just may be an esoteric mystery reminiscent of ‘The Da Vinci Code.’

When the tarot first appeared, in15th century Italy, it was enjoyed exclusively as an aristocratic gambling game. But according to Quinn, esoteric scholars believe the decks may have been devised to conceal and transmit mystical concepts about spiritual transformation in dangerous defiance of Church teachings. Heresies hidden within a frivolous deck of playing cards. Adds Quinn, “Now that would be a good movie.”

Recently listed by Chicago Magazine as a “top talent,” Paul Quinn is a professional intuitive with an international clientele, and is author of the forthcoming book Intuitive Conversations with Life: Tarot for Insight, Guidance and Growth.

(From wire and staff reports.)

Tarot and The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man movie is rich in tarot references with each character represented by a tarot card.

An overview of The Hanged Man card:

The Hanged Man is one of the most mysterious cards in the tarot deck. It is simple, but complex. It attracts, but also disturbs. It contradicts itself in countless ways. The Hanged Man is unsettling because it symbolizes the action of paradox in our lives. A paradox is something that appears contradictory, and yet is true. The Hanged Man presents to us certain truths, but they are hidden in their opposites.

The main lesson of the Hanged Man is that we "control" by letting go - we "win" by surrendering. The figure on Card 12 has made the ultimate surrender - to die on the cross of his own travails - yet he shines with the glory of divine understanding. He has sacrificed himself, but he emerges the victor. The Hanged Man also tells us that we can "move forward" by standing still. By suspending time, we can have all the time in the world.

In readings, the Hanged Man reminds us that the best approach to a problem is not always the most obvious. When we most want to force our will on someone, that is when we should release. When we most want to have our own way, that is when we should sacrifice. When we most want to act, that is when we should wait. The irony is that by making these contradictory moves, we find what we are looking for.

To view the full text, please go to:

http://www.learntarot.com/maj12.htm

The Hanged Man by Starbox Pictures
Coming Soon

The Hanged Man Movie Teaser

What's left to fear when you're ready to die? More than you think.

More Production Stills

 

Cast

Starbox Pictures presents "The Hanged Man."

Written by Glenn Hopper and directed by Neil H. Weiss, The Hanged Man stars:

• Shanola Hampton
• Cliff Weissman
• Tom "TJ" Jones
• Brandon Gibson
• Adam Hatley
• Ralph Hatley
• Robbyn Leigh

The Hanged Man was filmed on location in Travelers Rest, South Carolina in 14 days in the summer of 2006.

Cast

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Shanola Hampton as "X Factor" Shanola is a native of South Carolina, who came to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career several years ago. She has most recently been seen on WB's hit new show Related, where she played the character "Flash."

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Cliff Weissman as "LT56" Cliff is our most experienced cast member, appearing in numerous roles on hit shows from Beverly Hills 90210 to Law & Order.

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Tom "TJ" Jones as "Miles" TJ is a native of Cleveland, Ohio. He has recently been seen on Oxygen's Mr. Romance, where he met Adam Hatley, who stars in and is an executive producer on The Hanged Man. TJ can currently be seen on UPN's Eve.

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Brandon Gibson as "Flash" Like executive producers Glenn Hopper and Adam Hatley, Brandon Gibson is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. We didn't hook up with Brandon, however, until he moved to LA to pursue his acting career. Brandon has been performing as a stand-up comedian since the age of 14.

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Adam Hatley as "Southern Comfort" Adam is serving dual roles in "The Hanged Man." In addition to starring as the character known as Southern Comfort, Adam is also an executive producer on the film with writer Glenn Hopper. Adam, a former model for Zoli in New York, has been acting since he was 8 years old. He has been in many stage and screen productions, including television roles on Passions, Mr. Romance, and Gone to Maui. He has appeared as the lead in the films Hunter of the Dead, Off the Lip, and Leah, with supporting roles in Three Years and a Day and Off the Lip.

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Robbyn Leigh as "Spaceshot" Robbyn recently completed the short film, "Leah" with co-star Adam Hatley and The Hanged Man director Neil H. Weiss. She has been featured in the films Devil's Den, Giving it to the People (lead), and Perfect Bamboo (star). She has also been featured in NBC's "American Dreams."

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Ralph Hatley is the Sheriff Ralph is the father of actor and producer Adam Hatley and progenitor of a family of performers. He has previously appeared in independent films: Divine Manipulation of the Threads, Rookie Bookie, A Cowboy's Silver Lining, and Independent B Movie.

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Score

Robby Grant of Vending Machine and Mouse Rocket has signed on to score the film.

Production Stills

The Hanged Man