Man on a Ledge Screenwriter

If you’re writing for Hollywood then age is usually a factor. This isn’t a bias but a fact of life. Here’s a success story from 58 year old Pablo Fenjves.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/man-a-ledge-screenwriter-takes-285264

 

Trailers: Sparks, Duds and Sleepers

I spent some time watching movie trailers and divided them into three lists- Sparks,  Duds and Sleepers. The Sparks look interesting and entertaining and have a shot at being successful. The Duds, tired and cliched, are just the opposite. The Sleepers are low-key independent  that, regardless of box-office success, are significant. All of this is with the caveat that I’m judging the films by their trailers only. I’ll try to put this column up once a week, with at least two films in each category.  Comments are always welcome, especially if you disagree.

Sparks

Title: Chronicle

Synopsis: Three high school kids acquire bizarre powers.

Why a Spark?

Target market- average teenagers fantasizing about possessing unlimited power. This is the basic Harry Potter/Spiderman crowd with unlimited buying power. Plus, the special effects look pretty good.

Trailer link: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2464325145/

Title: Rampart

Synopsis:  An Los Angeles cop in the 1990s descends.

Why a Spark? 

It’s gritty, and from the first shot and you know this cop is bad news thanks to Woody Harrelson (aviator sunglasses, lighting a cigarette). The supporting cast looks great and real, especially the females.This film has a well written, high-quality feel to it. I’m not a great Woody Harrelson fan but you can tell he’ll carry this film a long way.

Trailer link: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi4110458393/

Duds

Title: W.E.

Synopsis: Wallis Simpson and Edward VII story.

Why a Dud?

This looks like a homely movie. Hip-hop bass drum loops? In 1939? WTF. If you’re interested in this time period, watch The King’s Speech again. End of story.

Trailer link: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2921176601/

Title: Thin Ice

Synopsis: An expensive violin is stolen.

Why a Dud?

Looks like a Fargo-wannabe. In a word? Miscasting. Greg Kinnear is no WIlliam C. Macy.

Trailer link: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3701973273/

 Sleepers

Title: Perfect Sense

Synopsis: A man and women deal with a plague that disable the senses.

Why a Sleeper?

A derivative of countless plague movies with an interest disease-twist. The sense-robbing disease brings forth the immediacy of the relationship between the male and female lead characters.

Trailer Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1439572/

Title: Wanderlust

Synopsis: Two New York young professionals join a commune.

Why a Sleeper?

I laughed out loud watching the trailer in a couple of spots, and the fish-out-of-water premise looks like it works.

Trailer link: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2251464217/

Steve Van Zandt’s Lilyhammer

Steve Van Zandt has a new mafia comedy series called Lilyhammer that’s hit it big in Norway. I watched the trailer and it looks great. Van Zandt is a mafia boss who flips and chooses to live in Norway under witness protection. He opens a bar and the series takes off from there. Netflix obtained North American rights and it will start streaming on Feb. 6. Check out this link for more info and a trailer: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steven-van-zandt-s-lilyhammer-285271

The Oscars: Who Got Shafted (and Who Didn’t)

The Oscar nominations came out earlier this week with not many surprises. Along with the nominations come the inevitable list of people who were snubbed. Trending high so far is Michael Fassbender for his role in Shame. I saw Shame and a couple of weeks later saw A Dangerous Method. Fassbender is the male lead in both films and the characters couldn’t be more diverse. Fassbender does an awesome job in both films and deserved to be nominated. Anyone who can pee on cue with the camera rolling (other than maybe a porn star) is a focused, dedicated actor in my book. No nomination? So what. He has a great career ahead and his time will surely come.

Leo DiCaprio being snubbed for J. Edgar? Maybe for best makeup, but that’s about it.

There’s also a buzz about Tilda Swinton not being nominated and Rooney Mara taking her spot. I agree with this. Tilda Swinton is bland and tiresome where Rooney Mara is edgy and unpredictable. This wasn’t a snub- the Academy simply got it right.

More on this and the Academy Awards later…

A Dangerous Method Movie Review

Barb and I go to matinees at our local art-house movie theatre, the Main in Royal Oak, a lot during the winter. On Sunday there may be six or seven people during a screening (we’re not complaining- we generally have the place to ourselves). We expected the same last Sunday when we went to see the new David Cronenberg film, A Dangerous Method. THE LINE WOUND AROUND THE LOBBY and the concession stand may have run out of popcorn. I was pleasantly surprised that so many David Cronenberg fans abound. If this afternoon crowd was an indicator, A Dangerous Method may be Cronenberg’s most successful movie to date, and I’m thrilled.

One Line Synopsis

Carl Jung hooks up with a chick who gets off by getting spanked while Sigmund Freud simmers with jealousy.

Director

David Cronenberg

Screenplay

Christopher Hampton based on John Kerr’s book A Most Dangerous Method.

Standout Actors

Keira Knightly (convincingly disturbed) as Sabina and Michael Fassbender as Carl Jung.

Best Bit Part

The servant holding the silver platter of food during dinner with Sigmund Freud and family.

Two scenes in the film (aside from Knightly’s jaw-jutting, psycho moments) stood out for me. The first is where Freud is put in his social-strata place when he and Jung board the ship bound for America. Jung is escorted to a stateroom while Freud travels second class. This deepens the rift between them. The second and most profound moment for me is when Jung explains the difference between Freud’s world view and his own. Freud wants his patients to understand the world in order to live in it. Jung wants his patients to understand who they are or were in order to become who they want to be. I opt for the Jungian point of view.

 Grade: A

Contagion Movie Review

I’ve been looking forward to seeing this film on DVD or pay-per-view and watched it last night. Contagion is another play on the old plague/disaster theme and executes it fairly well.

One Line Synopsis

Gwyneth Paltrow screws around on her husband Matt Damon and dies but not before spreading a new virulent form of flu to her family.

Director

Steven Soderbergh

Standout Actors

Kate Winslet as the tireless, dedicated CDC doctor.

Best Bit Part

Steven Soderbergh (as the voice of Paltrow’s Chicago boyfriend John Neal).

Closing comment

I liked how the movie started on Day 2 with Paltrow looking sickly. Right from the opening shot you know that Day 1 is significant and twisty. This movie’s worth watching.

Grade

B

Die Hard Revisited

We’ve been watching the Die Hard series the last few nights on AMC– Die Hard, Die Hard 2 and Die Hard with a Vengeance. I also read the script for the first movie which is considered the template for contemporary action flicks. Yes, the movies are dated and corny in spots, but they’re still great escapist entertainment films. What more can be asked of an action movie? Bruce Willis utters some preposterous things in the face of death, such as “Yippie ki ya, mother……,” but that’s half the fun, his lines are memorable, and we’re not talking about art.

The production quality of the three movies is interesting. The first movie was a blockbuster, the plot outlandish, the characters bordering on the cartoonish but plausible and the film contained a pervasive sense of humor. The second film was an over-the-top caricature of the first and appeared hastily produced to cash in on the success of the original. The third movie was better than the first in spite of Jeremy Iron’s hammy accent (the movie was pulled out of the fire by Samuel L. Jackson and his interaction with Willis).

Bill Martell analyzes the original Die Hard toward the end of The Secrets of Action Screenwriting. Writers: Die Hard, on first glance looks dated and cliched, warrants a second look with fresh eyes.

Phobos-Grunt Crashes

The Russian Phobos-Grunt satellite crashed into the Pacific ocean off of Chile. I still love that name…

2012 Golden Globe Picks vs. Winners

Here’s how my picks for the Golden Globe awards fared against the winners- not good, only four out of nineteen.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

My pick: The Descendants

Winner:  The Descendants

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

My pick: Rooney Mara (by far) – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Winner:  Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

My pick: Michael Fassbender  – Shame

Winner: George Clooney – The Descendents

 

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

My pick:  Midnight in Paris

Winner:  The Artist

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

My pick: Charlize Theron  – Young Adult

Winner: Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

My pick: Owen Wilson  – Midnight in Paris

Winner: Jean Dujardin – The Artist

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

My pick: Viggo Mortensen  – A Dangerous Method

Winner:  Christopher Plummer – Beginners

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

My pick: Jessica Chastain – The Help

Winner: Octavia Spencer – The Help

 

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE

My pick: Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris

Winner: Martin Scorsese – Hugo

 

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE

My pick: Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris

Winner: Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE

My pick: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross  – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Winner: Ludovic Bource – The Artist

 

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

My pick: American Horror Story

Winner: Homeland

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

My pick: Mireille Enos  – The Killing

Winner: Claire Danes – Homeland

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

My pick: Damian Lewis – Homeland

Winner: Kelsey Grammer – Boss

 

BEST MINI-SERIES

My pick: Mildred Pierce – HBO

Winner: Downtown Abbey

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES

My pick: Kate Winslet  – Mildred Pierce

Winner: Kate Winslet – Mildred Pierce

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES

My pick: William Hurt  – Too Big to Fail

Winner: Idris Elba – Luther

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES

My pick: Jessica Lange – American Horror Story

Winner: Jessica Lange – American Horror Story

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES

My pick: Tim Robbins  – Cinema Verite

Winner: Peter Dinklage – Game Of Thrones

2012 Golden Globe Picks

It’s common knowledge that the Golden Globes are the most artificial awards in Hollywood, but with that aside, here are some of my picks.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

The Descendants

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

Rooney Mara (by far) – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

Michael Fassbender  – Shame

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Midnight in Paris

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Charlize Theron  – Young Adult

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Owen Wilson  – Midnight in Paris

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

Viggo Mortensen  – A Dangerous Method

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

Jessica Chastain – The Help

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE

Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE

Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross  – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

American Horror Story

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

Mireille Enos  – The Killing

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

Damian Lewis – Homeland

BEST MINI-SERIES

Mildred Pierce – HBO

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES

Kate Winslet  – Mildred Pierce

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES

William Hurt  – Too Big to Fail

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES

Jessica Lange – American Horror Story

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES

Tim Robbins  – Cinema Verite