ZUPKO’S OPERA MOST HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RELEASE OF THE YEAR
DIRECTOR LEAVES ELEGANT ANGEL TO PURSUE FEATURE-LENGTH FILMS
CHATSWORTH, CA–September 17, 2003–Just days prior to its launch on September 25th, Elegant Angel’s latest production Opera–written and directed by controversial director Thomas Zupko–is poised for success. The movie has already received several rave reviews from industry media including the following:
Cindi Loftus from Xcitment Magazine (XXXX 1/2)
“Opera is not just a porn movie. It is more like a flick you would see at an erotic Indy film festival. Zupko’s vision once again takes us out of our box and into his world …There are six sex scenes all together in Opera and any one of them will make your boner erupt …You can also expect no shortcuts from Zupko, the camera work, editing, and music are flawless. The dialog is interesting and thought provoking. The directing doesn’t get any better than this … I predict that Opera will be nominated for several awards this year including Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Music, Best Editing, Ashley and Trent for Best Anal and Allan Rene (Puccini) for best non-sex actor.”
Anthony Petkovich from ADAM FILM WORLD (“5 Stars, Editor’s Choice, Volcanic)
“Opera is hardcore gold! Zupko is a master at manipulating the imagination and libido!”
Mike Ramone from AVN:
“…Opera is an impressive achievement into which Zupko obviously poured much blood, sweat and tears, and as such, deserves nominations consideration. Pre-nom it for Best Video Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Non-Sex Performance (Rene), Best Art Direction, Best Boxcover Concept and of course, Best Musical Score.”
From RogReviews.com (10 out of 10)
“So what have we got? Some really hot sex, impeccably shot scenes, brilliant picture quality and a rather deep story. We’ve also got opera; Italian dialog, both genuine and I don’t think we’ve seen either of those things in porn before. I think we have to add a few bonus points for the fact that this is such a unique adventure. Zupko has done something nearly impossible; he’s given us something truly original.”
Roger Pipe says it best, “Thomas Zupko movies can never be considered anything close to normal. They all tend to fall into the “event” category. Not all of them are great and in the past, some have been pretty horrible, but they are never run of the mill. At his best, Zupko’s movies are unique, hot porn and at his worst, they are train wrecks that you can’t help but watch. His approach to porn has always been a little different from the mainstream. While other award-winning feature directors find their inspiration in reality-TV, Zupko unashamedly combines smut with Dostoyevsky. Opera is Zupko’s latest project and it’s another example of his willingness to try new things.”
Zupko says that Opera was the hardest project he has ever worked on both personally and professionally. “I put everything into this flick body and soul,” Zupko says, “I’ve lived my whole life in this tortured artistic hell from which sometimes there is no escape. I think in many ways I am the character Puccini in Opera, the Mickey G. character in Shades of Hades, and Prince Myshkin in Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot. Every emotion I’ve ever had has been magnified to the most manic degree and has not only manifested itself in my work, but also in the way I’ve lived my life. People love or hate my work and people love or hate me. But truth be told the reality of life is that it is never black or white, it’s all shades of gray, something most of us will never understand.”
Patrick Collins said: “Zupko is leaving Elegant Angel because we won’t be shooting features for the foreseeable future and that is what Zupko is all about. He’s an innovator in the industry, which has historically plagiarized the few that are innovators. Where others are shying away from the spotlight, Zupko is jumping in as the industry’s most willing and able artist ready to make a statement. He’s a man of such compelling compassion and belief in his vision that I will miss him on a personal and professional level and know that wherever he goes they will be fortunate to have him as a director.”
Zupko will shoot one scene in the upcoming Elegant Angel production Sodomania All Star Jam 2 before moving on to pursue other feature-length projects for which he is world-renown. Says Zupko, “I’ve considered Gonzo in the past, but need the fulfillment I get from making my features.”
