Happy Birthday actor Jordana Brewster
Born: April 26, 1980 in Panama City, Panama
Read reviews of the best of the actor:
 TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING2006 dir. Jonathan Liebesman Stars: Jordana Brewster Matt Bomer |  2 FAST 2 FURIOUS2003 dir. John Singleton Starring: Paul Walker Tyrese Gibson |
 THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 62013 dir. Justin Lin Stars: Vin Diesel Paul Walker |  ANNAPOLIS2006 dir. Justin Lin Stars: James Franco Jordana Brewster |
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Happy Birthday actor Giancarlo Esposito
Born: Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito
April 26, 1958 in Copenhagen, Denmark
Read reviews of the best of the actor:
 TAPS1981 dir. Harold Becker Starring: George C. Scott Timothy Hutton |  SherryBaby2006 dir. Laurie Collyer Cast: Gyllenhaal Michelle Hurs |
 Best of BREAKING BAD season 2Watch reviews |  Best of BREAKING BAD season 3Watch reviews |
 Rabbit Holedir. John Cameron Mitchell Stars: Nicole Kidman Aaron Eckhart |  Best of BREAKING BAD season Watch reviews |
 Do the Right Thing1989 dir. Spike starring Danny Aielo Ossie Davis |  Best of BREAKING BAD TV series
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 ALEX CROSSdir. Rob Cohen Stars: Tyler Perry Matthew Fox |  REVOLUTIONReview of the 2012 action drama |
Happy Birtday actor Ivana Milicevic
Born: April 26, 1974 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Read best of reviews of the actor:
 BANSHEEReview of the television show |  Casino Royale2006 dir. by Martin Campbell starring Daniel Craig Dench |
 WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER? dir. Mark Mylod Stars: Anna Faris Chris Pratt |  BANSHEE Season 22014 Starring: Zeljko Ivanek Antony Starr |
Happy Birthday actor Stana Katic
Born: April 26, 1978 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
 Quantum of Solace 2008 dir. Forster Starring Craig Judi Dench |
Happy Birthday actor Channing Tatum
Born: Channing Matthew Tatum
April 26, 1980 in Cullman, Alabama, USA
Read reviews of the best of the actor:
 A Guide to Recognizing your Saints2006 dir. Dino Montiel starring Dianne Wiest Robert Downey Jr. |  The Dilemmadir. Ron Howard Stars: Vince Vaughn Kevin James |
 Stop-Loss2008 Directed by Kimberly Peirce Starring Ryan Phillippe Joseph Gordon-Levitt |  THE EAGLEdir. Kevin Macdonald Stars: Channing Tatum Jamie Bell |
 Fighting2009 dir. Dito Montiel Starring Tatum Terrence Howard |  G.I Joe: The Rise of Cobra2009 dir. Stephen Sommers Starring Dennis Quaid Sienna Miller |
 Public Enemies2009 dir. Michael Mann Starring Johnny Depp Christian Bale |  Dear Johndir. Lasse Hallstr m Stars Tatum Amanda Seyfried |
 THE VOW dir. Michael Sucsy Stars: Rachel McAdams Channing Tatum |  21 JUMP STREET dir. Phil Lord Chris Miller Stars: Jonah Hill Channing Tatum |
 MAGIC MIKE dir. Steven Soderbergh Stars: Channing Tatum Alex Pettyfer |  GI JOE 2: RELATIATION dir. Jon M. Chu Stars: Channing Tatum Dwayne Johnson |
 HAYWIREdir. Steven Soderbergh Stars: Gina Carano Ewan McGregor |  SIDE EFFECTS2013 dir. Steven Soderbergh Stars: Rooney Mara Channing Tatum |
 10 YEARS 2012 dir. Jamie Linden Stars: Channing Tatum Rosario Dawson |  WHITE HOUSE DOWN2013 dir. Roland Emmerich Stars: Channing Tatum Jamie Foxx |
 22 JUMP STREET2014 dir. Phil Lord Christopher Miller Stars: Channing Tatum |  THE LEGO MOVIE2014 dir. Phil Lord Chris Miller Stars: Chris Pratt |
 SHE’S THE MAN2006 dir. Andy Fickman Stars: Amanda Bynes Laura Ramsey |  STEP UP2006 dir. Anne Fletcher Stars: Channing Tatum Jenna Dewan-Tatum |
SEE TOP 100 CHANNING TATUM PHOTOS
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NO MEN BEYOND THIS POINT (Canada 2015) **
Directed by Mark Sawers
Starring: Ali Skovbye, Rekha Sharma, Kirsten Robek
Review by Gilbert Seah
NO MEN BEYOND THIS POINT has been accurately described by The Globe and Mail paper as ‘A Handmaid’s Tale’ meets Michael Moore.
The film is done in a comedic documentary style, the way director Michael Moore does his films like WHERE TO INVADE NEXT. and BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE. The subject is fictitious, that of a female society in which men have no place in – as in Margaret Atwood’s A HANDMAID’S TALE.
The film setting is 1953 where it is documented that a pregnancy has occurred without sex. There is no intercourse involving men fertilizing the female’s egg in the ovary. Director Mark Sawers centres his film on a character by the name of Andrew Myers – supposedly the youngest man in the world. Not only have men been removed from the equation of reproduction, but all babies are now only female. He is hired as a nanny to do the ‘housewife’ chores in a family headed by two women.
To have his film made believable, Sawers spends a fair amount of screen time explaining how this fact of nature could come about. Through humorous mock interviews with doctors, experts and women, the composition of the baby in terms of XY, YY chromosomes are explained. It is also shown how the sperm is now prevented from entering the ovary through mock footage. All this is fine except that too much time in the film is spent on it, with the film being monotonous stressing a fact that has already being made made. But no explanation why only females are born except to point out that nature has taken a change in its course as men are obsolete.
Sawers spends time with Andrew’s family showing how a community will change without men. Females pair off. They might fall in love with each other or just live together for companionship because it is more convenient.
Also in the film are added a group of men that are unhappy with this fact. The reason is that men have ben forced (as they are now a minority) into all male sanctuaries where they just watch TV, play chess and can cause no harm. This forms the film’s funniest and most keenly observant segments.
But after spending all this time on the possible existence of a manless society, Sawers takes the opposite route. Andrew falls in love with one of the woman he works for. The couple become an ostracized couple, hunted down. The film looks much like the story of ZERO POPULATION GROWTH in which a couple have an extra child escape from authorities. It is at this point that Sawers’ film starts taking too much that it can chew. It abandons the documentary format and turns into a fiction film.
As it is a small budget film with no name actors, the amateurism of the performances also comes through loud and clear. The actor playing Andrew, for example looks totally out of place just as his character is out of place in the new world of women.
NO MEN BEYOND THIS POINT is a film with an interesting enough concept that does not play out as well as expected. Too many issues and too much time is spent on authenticating the possibility of the premise.
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Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca
A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING (UK/France/Germany USA 2015) ***1/2
Directed by Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tom Hanks, Alexander Black, Sarita Choudhury, Tom Skerritt
Review by Gilbert Seah
Ever since RUN LOLA RUN and WINTER SLEEPERS German director Tom Tykwer has impressed audiences with the desperation of his characters. In his latest collaboration with Tom Hanks after the box-office disastrous CLOUD ATLAS, the desperate protagonist, Alan Clay (Hanks) is sent outside his comfort zone to a new place where he surprisingly finds purpose back into his life in the form of an unexpected romance.
If the plot sounds familiar, the recent animated ANOMALISA featured a distraught business executive (voiced by David Thewlis) in a hotel while attending a business conference and finding love and meaning in his life. Charlie Kaufman’s ANOMALISA has the novelty of the entire film voiced by only three actors as to the executive only two people matter, himself and his new romance and the rest of the world is therefore all one voice. Whilst ANOMALISA is restricted in its claustrophobic environment of the hotel, the same premise in HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING is taken wide out into the open, literally, to the huge desert expanse of Saudi Arabia.
Clay, an IT guy, is sent to close a deal with the King of Saudi Arabia for a huge computer system sale, which he hopes to close by means of an awesome presentation utilizing a hologram (which Brit actor Ben Winshaw appears in), thus the title of the film.
Tykwer’s film, based on the novel by Roger Eggers has lots more to play with than Anomalisa. Though both films contain the baggage of a failed marriage, HOLOGRAM includes a loving daughter who needs her college tuition paid.
An additional feature that adds to the interest of HOLOGRAM is the Kafka-ish feel to the film. The Kafka-ish elements include Clay trying to solve impossible problems. For one, he is supposed to have a presentation with the King who is never there. Every time he is told the King is going to be present, the date is changed. Clay also bears a huge boil on his back which he tries to cut open. And just as in Kafka-ish mode, he is told by his doctor, that he is unfortunately in good health when the boil is non-cancerous. Unfortunately, the audience is told because if it is not benign, Clay cannot blame the boil for all his fatigue, failure and lack of energy.
Tom Hanks plays Clay against type. He is no Captain Philips or class manipulator as in BRIDGE OF SPIES. Hanks for the first time plays an inefficient human being who strives and finally makes good. That is what makes the film works, it is a sad feel-good movie. And Hanks, as usual is pretty good. The rest of the cast are played by international actors. His love interest, the doctor Zahra is played by Indian actress (a regular in Deepa Metha films) Sarita Choudhury. This is not surprising as she bares her breasts in nude scenes, a big no-no if they got an actress from Saudi Arabia. As stated, Winshaw is British and Clay also has a fling with a Danish worker/associate, played by Danish actress Hana Sidse Babett Knudsen (DUKE OF BURGUNDY).
A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING works because of its quirkiness. Tykwer takes his audience for a good roller-coaster ride, like the one at the start of the film with Clay in it singing the Talking Heads song “Once in a Lifetime”. The film shows that the American Dream is not something taken for granted, but one that though achievable needs to be earned as Clay discovers.
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Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca
PRECIOUS CARGO (USA 2016) **
Directed by Max Adams
Starring: Bruce Willis, Claire Forlani, Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Review by Gilbert Seah
There are a few reasons to go see this action flick, one of them being to learn how an action film can end up so odd. Another is the many references to James Bond, whether intentional or unintentional.
The film begins, actually quite well. In the starting segment, the hero Jack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is shot twice by blanks. The first time he falls to the ground, the pounding music quietens to silence. When Jack rises to his feet again to face his shooter, the music quickly resumes to the initial pounding before he is shot again, falling to the ground with the music quietening again. This little quirk is the film’s best part – and nothing else can match it.
The James Bond references are also pretty funny and weird which breaks the otherwise monotony of the film. Every Bond film begins with an unassociated plot action piece which is the most spectacular stunts sequence in the Bond film. The same goes in PRECIOUS CARGO. The opening credits with the diamonds and dancing figures also remind one of a Bond film. The hero is also surrounded by rival ladies and there are three in this film. But funniest is the villain’s right hand man (Daniel Bernhardt), one that never dies that has an uncanny resemblance to a solid and fitter Sean Connery in his youthful days. The actor is much sexier than Gosselaar which might be the reason he is never killed off. He also has the best dialogue in the film – especially the monologue telling off his boss’s bitches.
It is all these interesting little quirks that appear out of the blue that lifts the film out of boredom. But these are insufficient to lift the film above the average action flick. The plot (the lines and many incidents are predictable), the boat chase (there is conveniently a spare boat and two jet skis for the villains to chase Jack and crew who escape on one) and James Bond copied action fights are examples of cliched material. The film cannot be taken seriously nor is it funny enough to be classified as a spoof.
Jack and crew are professional crooks. Jack’s ex-girlfriend, Karen (Claire Forlani) runs foul of her crime boss lover Eddie (Bruce Willis) and wants to pull a $30 million dollar diamond heist. This will allow her to pay off Eddie and also allow Jack to retire.
Funny that the heist is so simply executed with no glitches but Jack running foul of Eddie and his gang becomes more of the problem.
Like Bond, Jack is a ladies’ man. Having three ladies after his chops would be something that would annoy the female audience in this day and age. The first is Karen. The other is Jack’s new vet girlfriend (Lydia Hull) and the third is a markswoman member of his crew, Logan (Jenna B. Kelly).
PRECIOUS CARGO originated as the prize winning student short film that Max Adams made. This is the expanded full length feature version.
The film ends with the end credits rolling over behind the scenes bloopers, which like most are inside jokes for the actors and crew and are less funny to the audience. But funniest is the caption of the film being dedicated to Grace. Grace is the dog Jack takes to the vet in a segment of the movie.
Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
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Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca
THE MEDDLER (USA 2015) ***
Directed by Lorene Scafaria
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne, J.K. Simmons, Cecily Strong, Michael McKean, Jerrod Carmichael
Review by Gilbert Seah
Just a week after the comedy HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS arrives another film with a senior protagonist. Though the two films are highly different, the target audience might be the same. THE MEDDLER will have tough shoes to fill, as the former film serves up more comedy, commercial style with 2-time Oscar winner Sally Field while THE MEDDLER is a combination of down-to-earth drama and autobiography. The story is fashioned from the writer/director Lorene Scarfaria’s relationship with her own mother.
THE MEDDLER of the film title is Marnie (Susan Sarandon), who after her husband’s death has nothing better to do but to meddle. But her meddling is not bad in any sense as her intentions are genuine. Her ‘meddling’ involves suffocating her daughter Lori (Rose Byrne), not giving her any space, helping a fast-food worker with his law degree and offering as much as underwriting $13,000 for Lori’s friend’s wedding among others.
When Lori finally has had enough of her mother and moves away to sort out her career, Marnie is forced to face the worse – not having her daughter around and to rethink her options. So she falls in love.
The trouble with THE MEDDLER that real life stories like the one based on the director’s mother do not turn out to be that interesting on film.
Another problem is that Marnie has no real obstacles to her life. Her life is actually a total breeze. She is financially more than able, thanks to late husband, and she has a loving daughter and two very eager lovers. These factors lowers the film’s interest even more. Director Scarfaria makes matters worse by having one eager lover, the one played by J.K. Simmons sing to his chickens, thus amplifying the desperation of the film’s story.
But the film contains a few neat surprises. Examples are Marnie’s upcoming romances. The way she ditches her lovers or possible lovers is nothing short of plain hilarious.
Sarandon has a track record of superlative performances in films such as THELMA AND LOUISE, LORENZO’S OIL and my personal favourite, THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK. And she is still a knockout at the age of almost 70. She makes the movie.
But the character of Marnie might not necessarily be a senior or mother. A best friend or younger person could have the same charter mould as Marnie. The script could have picked a different aged or even male protagonist to appeal to a wider audience and put some problems in her life to make the film more varied.
The result is a film more close to life (despite Marnie’s too convenient wealth) that it comes too close to home and monotonous. THE MEDDLER contains less humour and more drama, most of it brought on herself by the character. As such the target audience might prefer to watch a more fairy tale of a film like HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS. Only box-office receipts will reveal the fate of both movies.
Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html
Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca
Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com
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