Ted Hicks worked in film in NYC, was in charge of awarding the Christopher Award, and was a college friend of mine at the University of Iowa. Ted has put together a list of good things to stream while we’re all stuck at home social distancing, and I have added my own favorites and added some specifics to his list. “A few days ago, Gary Davis, who I’ve known since 1st grade in Nemaha, Iowa, asked for some TV/cable/streaming recommendations,” Ted said. “I put together a bunch of titles and sent it to him.. I know many of you will already know a lot of these shows, but there... Read More

And here you have them, the TOP TEN stories of the year, 2019. There were obviously a lot of big stories this year, but, these are the ten that we picked to have the biggest impact and resonance. Why did we pick these stories? A couple of them involved incredible achievements by local groups of people, achievements that are rarely accomplished by groups on the local level. Some of those involved achievements by groups of kids, which make them even more impressive, and also leave the possibility for even greater resonance later on down the line as those children grow and mature and work towards... Read More

We’re looking back on a great year of entertainment, sports and features here at QuadCities.com, and QC Scene is here to display some of the images of the year, featuring the places, people and events that made the year great! Here’s part one of our look back in pictures:  Read More

Yesterday, we counted down the top stories of the year from 30-21, today we get into the next ten, 20-11, and it’s, for the most part, a pretty upbeat mix of stories of local successes, on the individual and group level. For the criteria on how we picked the stories, check out my column on the countdown. And, without any further ado, here’s today’s part of the top 30 of 2019 . . .   20.) Raccoon Motel Switches To Devon’s Complaint Department, Ending The Moeller Reign Of Downtown Davenport: Over the past few years, Sean Moeller was the ubiquitous king of downtown Davenport, and beyond... Read More

We’re looking back on a great year of entertainment, sports and features here at QuadCities.com, and QC Scene is here to display some of the images of the year, featuring the places, people and events that made the year great! Here’s part one of our look back in pictures:  Read More

In March 2018, local filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods were still relatively unknown, although that was about to change. The duo, who grew up in Bettendorf and currently reside in Los Angeles, were about to skyrocket to stardom with a little film they’d written called “A Quiet Place.”   Beck and Woods have since made another film, “Haunt,” which is available on DVD and streaming services, and have a number of other projects in the works.   However, before that all happened, the duo were happy to sit down for an interview with me at the South By Southwest Festival.... Read More

Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the former local filmmakers behind the horror hits “A Quiet Place” and “Haunt,” are back with a new horror anthology film set in Iowa, and they’re teaming up with some big names — including former Iowan Ron Livingston. According to Beck, “Our next project includes five of our favorite things: Sam Raimi, Taissa Farmiga, Ron Livingston, horror, and our home state of Iowa! We’re honored to be writing and directing the episode “Almost There” for the upcoming anthology 50 STATES OF FRIGHT.” More information... Read More

In 2006, on the heels of Bettendorf duo of Bryan Woods, 22, and Scott Beck, 22, grabbing first prize in the MTV-U Best Film on Campus contest, the duo sold one of their prizes, a big screen TV, to fund their next film, a contemporary western called “The Bride Wore Blood.” The film was shot locally and featured a Quad-Cities cast, including star Jim Siokos, and crew, including a soundtrack by Scott Morschhauser of the Kabalas and Metrolites, and debuted on DVD and on the big screen at the Putnam IMAX. At the time, I interviewed Scott Beck about the project. Here’s the result: Q: What led you... Read More

Many famous directors have gotten their start in music videos or had them on their resume, and Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the local masterminds behind such hits as “A Quiet Place” and “Haunt” are no different. Back in 2012, the duo filmed a video for Vanaprasta’s song “Self Indulgent Feeling,” which features several local landmarks and actors, including Ragged Records and area actors Justin Marxen, Shane Simmons, Travis Shepherd and Scott Morschhauser. Check it out here:  Read More

Two of the more ambitious and promising projects Scott Beck and Bryan Woods embarked upon before hitting it big with “A Quiet Place” and “Haunt” were “Nightlight” and “Spread.” “Spread” was a proposed series for MTV which involved a deadly virus overtaking the world in apocalyptic fashion. It featured local actor Justin Marxen, who also starred in a number of their earlier films and stars in the new “Haunt.” You can check out a couple of the promos for “Spread” here:   “Nightlight” was a found footage... Read More