Month: May 2017

Film Review: DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE LONG HAUL (USA 2017) ****

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Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

diaryofawimpykid_2A Heffley family road trip to attend Meemaw’s 90th birthday party goes hilariously off course thanks to Greg’s newest scheme to get to a video gaming convention.

Director: David Bowers
Writers: Jeff Kinney (screenplay), David Bowers (screenplay)
Stars: Alicia Silverstone, Tom Everett Scott, Charlie Wright

Review by Gilbert Seah 

Few things that need to be known before watching the new Wimpy Kid film, the 4th instalment of the series! The new film is a family road comedy film based on the book (the 9th) of the same name by Jeff Kinney. It is intended to be a sequel to 2012’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. The original cast and crew members from the first three films will not be reprising their roles, making this the first film to feature an entirely new cast for the reason that the originators have all grown too old for their parts.

Jason Drucker is winning in his role of the wimpy kid, Greg Heffler, taking over from from Zachary Gordon. Charlie Wright who plays his elder brother is even funnier than Devon Bostick. Alicia Silverstone who plays mother is now grown up from her teen films like CLUELESS.

What is rarely seen in films with a loose narrative like this one are the many instances in which slight gags are not only tied into the story but re-appear again at different parts of the film. The piglet that is won at the country fair, is seen again doing ‘poopie’ later in the car and re-appears once again at the reunion with the family. The wronged ‘beardo’ (the wimpy kid’s term for the weirdo with the beard) appears half a dozen times in the film. The mother’s favourite song is sung once again at the end of the film. The diaper hands joke at the start of the film also has significance at the end of the film.

The incidents occurring in the film are not totally identical to the book by Jeff Kinney, but have been modified for the big screen. The deviations work very well.

There is also much to appreciate in this apparently commercial family film. The camera work in one segment is nothing short of amazing. The 5-minute hilarious sequence shot in the cramped space of a car where the audience is treated to a piglet poop, a runaway piglet, a spit-out pacifier and other family antics is indicative that enormous talent is also necessary to make a comedy like this one.

Two hilarious sequences pay homage to Hitchcock films THE BIRDS and PSYCHO. In the one scene, seagulls attack the family car with that segment ending with a seagull literally thrown at actor Drucker just as Hitchcock threw a bird at his star Tippi Hedren. The PSYCHO shower scene is extremely well done complete with chocolate syrup running down the tub hole and the shower curtain ripped off the railing and even funnier than the similar scene in Mel Brooks’ HIGH ANXIETY.

This latest WIMPY KID outing proves that with a good script and direction, perfect comedic timing and winning performances, a film can be thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable for the target family audience and beyond. It turns out that this film is 100 times funnier than the other Fox comedy, SNATCHED released two weeks back.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7PLDbPPL7w

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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

THE BLEEDER (former title: CHUCK) (USA 2016) ***

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Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

chuckA drama inspired by the life of heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner.

Director: Philippe Falardeau
Writers: Jeff Feuerzeig, Jerry Stahl
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Naomi Watts, Ron Perlman, Liev Schreiber

Review by Gilbert Seah

 Quebec director Falardeau has made some excellent Quebec films like CONGORAMA, MONSIEUR LAZHAR (his most famous and critical acclaimed film) and MY INTERNSHIP IN CANADA. THE BLEEDER with all its good points, however, is unable to reach the director’s high point, probably due to its depressing subject matter, though based on a true story.

The film is based on the life of Chuck Wepner (Liev Schreiber). It traces the rise to fall to redemption of Chuck, the man concentrating on his personal life rather than his boxing. It is tough to see a man from the Bronx, go down after gaining fame. The life of fame and riches seduced the man, resulting in him leaving his wife, doing drugs like cocaine and flirting around.

The atmosphere of the 70’s where the story takes place is authentically created. There are 70’s period films that do not look as if they were made in the 70’s, The BLEEDER looks as if it was made in the 70’s. Everything from props, dialogue, hair, music and sets is perfect.

This is the life of Chuck Wepner, best known for his 1975 fight with the heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali. The film is called THE BLEEDER because Chuck is able to take punishment, which allowed him to stay that many rounds in the ring with Muhammad Ali.

Live Schreiber plays Chuck the loser that he is. He is not too bright either. When he learns that Stallone stole his life story, he calls United Artists and asks to speak to directly to Stallone. When Chuck finally meets Stallone, he does not even ask him for royalties. One problem with the film is that Chuck is not a likeable human being. Worse, is that he is a loser with few redeeming qualities. It is hard to feel sorry for a man who was married three times who keeps cheating on his wives. His daughter is understandably upset with him. Everyone would be, including the teacher at a PTA meeting who walks away disgusted. Unlike the film ROCKY, which is based on Chuck’s life a film that became so popular because ROCKY was about a winner, THE BLEEDER is about a loser.

The boxing scenes are violent and necessarily so, as the film has to show the character living up to the name of Bleeder. The main match, the one between Muhammad Ali and Chuck is convincing enough to look like the real thing.
Schreiber is excellent in his role as Elizabeth Moss is as his second wife. The film does not really explain how Sylvester Stallone learned about Chuck’s life to portray him so accurately in his Oscar Winning film. The actor, Morgan Spector playing Stallone is totally laughable in his look – looking like a skinny though toned version of the Stallion.

THE BLEEDER is not a bad film. But a depressing film about a loser is going to be a tough sell to attract audiences.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AQXwOOqNNw

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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

Winning Short Story: Post Mortem Rebellion by Jax Lemon

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wildsoundwritingfestival's avatarWILDsound Writing Festival

Performed by Geoff Mays

Get to know the writer:

What is your story about?

A serial killer wakes up 30 years after a cryogenic life sentence just to find that a surviving victim has cloned his victims for revenge.

Why should this story be read by people?

It’s a hell of a ride with a great payoff.

How would you describe this story in two words?

Sci-fi thriller

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

I like Pulp Fiction – can never seem to get enough of it. Cures hangovers, the blues, lazy Sunday afternoon boredom, etc.

How long have you been working on this story?

I had the idea for the story probably 20 years ago but I think the this version is the best. Took me a morning to write.

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

Lord of the Rings

What motivated you to…

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Winning Short Story: THE POET by Stephen Karnaghan

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wildsoundwritingfestival's avatarWILDsound Writing Festival

Performed by Geoff Mays
 
Get to know the writer:

What is your story about?

‘The Poet’ is a story about the lies we have to live in order to be accepted and praised. Even at the end of time, the protagonist has to lie to be accepted, when his truth is lost for ever.

Why should this story be read by people?

All the artists of the world, working to be recognised, and working to have their work loved by the masses have to create a body of work that is accepted. Is this the true message they want to put across? How would they react in the same circumstances?

How would you describe this story in two words?

Truth lost

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

‘Koyaanisqatsi’ by Phillip Glass.

How long have you been working on this story?

As I work on several…

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Winning Short Story: Seedy Hotel Sex by R James Turley

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wildsoundwritingfestival's avatarWILDsound Writing Festival

Performed by Geoff Mays

 Get to know the writer:

What is your story about?

A guy angered from rejection.

Why should this story be read by people?

Because I think a lot of people can relate to getting rejected by someone they lust after.

How would you describe this story in two words?

Lonely heart.

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

Major League.

How long have you been working on this story?

One day

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

No, just love fiction.

What motivated you to write this story?

I wanted to write something erotic.

What artist would you love to have dinner with?

Sir Paul McCartney

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Baseball

What influenced you to enter the Novel Festival?

An email

Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Just keep writing.

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Winning Short Story: On the Hill by Kenya Abney

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wildsoundwritingfestival's avatarWILDsound Writing Festival

Performed by Geoff Mays

Get to know the writer:

What is your story about?

The main character’s childhood boyfriend breaks up with her before they go off to college. It is about how she lets that event overshadow all the events unfolding around her.

Why should this story be read by people?

Everyone has experienced an unexpected ending of a relationship. Some people live in the emotions of loss. Others take a pause and move unto the next moments in life.

How would you describe this story in two words?

Relatable experience.

What movie have you seen the most in your life?

Love Jones

How long have you been working on this story?

It took me a couple of hours to write it. And, it took a little longer for me to cut it down to fit on one page.

Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

No.

What motivated…

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Interview with Film Festival Director Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe (British Urban Film Festival)

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BUFF wants to change the face of British film. They want it to reflect all of us, not just some of us. They have made great strides in the right direction for over a decade. There’s no reason why that shouldn’t continue for a decade more. Across the film & TV industry, Britain’s filmmakers are much less diverse than Britain itself. And that can sometimes mean it’s much more of an effort to make films and TV programmes diverse, because they have to make an effort. This, in turn, is understandable.

Contact

 
Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe: In the last few years, over 20 filmmakers have won an award through having their work showcased by the festival. Also, since 2012, over 20 festival films have been acquired for broadcast on Channel 4, BBC i-player, Community Channel and London Live.

What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)?

We’re only as good as our last festival and so for this year we have really pushed the boat out for filmmakers and audiences in general. For the first time ever, BUFF will be in attendance at Cannes to announce details about this year’s film festival and awards. Once again, the festival will run for a whole week in Central London in September. In terms of what to expect experience wise – we are planning the most audacious and memorable experience yet.

What are the qualifications for the selected films?

We don’t have specific qualifications for the films which get selected for the festival. When i’m asked what an urban film is, my response remains the same: it’s whatever you perceive the word ‘urban’ to be. It’s important that writers and directors retain the one power that they have over all of us – telling us a story that we’ll give a damn about – and not the other way round.

Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

It depends on what you mean by fair shake. For a film festival like BUFF, the main work starts after the premiere as we believe in extending the commercial and PR shelf life for a film for as long as possible. It’s the primary reason why we established the BUFF Awards to provide further incentive for filmmakers to enter their films into our festival.

What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

For as long as I can remember, I have always cared about how I am represented. This is moreso in an industry which is rapidly having to deal with such an existential issue as diversity. Films are the lifeblood for any festival and with each passing year, me and my team, along with our esteemed patrons are able to see firsthand just how passionate other people are about diversity and representation. We have a duty to serve these filmmakers and audiences in general.

How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

We offer great value for money therefore we’re not surprised by the phenomenal response from filmmakers and scriptwriters since submissions opened last November, moreso than ever before. We have also seen a greater number of countries enter submissions to our festival. It is heartening to know that our brand of diversity is universally acknowledged in places like Canada, Germany, Russia, Australia, Israel and Taiwan.

Where do you see the festival by 2020?

As the leading film festival for diversity in the world, we would like to take our brand of diversity to other countries. From a national perspective, there’s work to be done across the UK also and this will become one of our key objectives by the time we host what would be our 15th annual festival and 5th annual awards.

What film have you seen the most times in your life?

I could give you 10 as it’s a close run thing. Men In Black.

In one sentence, what makes a great film?

Attention to detail, on-screen chemistry, psychologically tortured characters.

How is the film scene in your city?

I am passionate about my city as a home for creative talent to firmly establish themselves. London is home to the UK’s biggest film and TV companies and there’s a wide variety of film festivals for audiences to attend. Its’ iconic locations are the envy of the world and continues to attract film studios and production companies from far and wide.
 

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 2 times a month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

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Rabia Khan- Inside The Chaos: The Pilot Project

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by Kierston Drier

We are often bombarded with images, messages and notices on social media. When it is flooding to us from every conceivable angle, dissecting the quality within such quantity can be overwhelming. But every once in awhile, some perfect gem surfaces- a piece of information that takes hold of us.

 

In my case, this gem jumped out of the internet and grabbed me, when Rabia Khan posted about it on a local writers’ Page we are both a part of. The piece? Her newly established The Pilot Project- an academic project where undiscovered writers can have a chance to have their work read by established Industry Professionals. Generously volunteering their time, and hand picked with great thought, these professional writers and showrunners must have produced work that is or has been on air. Their goal is to read your work and give you honest and legitimate feedback. The submitters? The just have a good script.

 

It was such an amazing opportunity I had to find out more. I contacted Rabia to have a coffee and talk about the project and how it originated. To begin, Rabia Khan herself is a graduate of the Toronto Film School and a professional writer for page and screen, working on both films and novels. I wanted the scoop on how her project got started. At a sunny coffee shop one afternoon we met and she gave me all the details

 

Khan explained the concept for The Pilot Project began as a response to Canadian writers not having anywhere to take their work. Once a great script has been created, getting it noticed can feel like an impossible task. Yet Khan faced a larger issue: the scripts she was reading weren’t up to the professional Industry standard. She would read scripts with great characters, but little adherence to form. Or she would read wonderful stories with deal breaking formatting issues. The content was there, but the basics were not.

 

Khan launched her website www.the-pilot-project.simplesite.com, a place where aspiring writers can go to gain tools to help them move their good ideas through the arduous task of adhering to industry standards. From here, The Pilot Project took its full form. Khan began reaching out to established industry professionals and built up a panel of experts. Each expert would be given the script of a selected unknown and asked to read through it and give their most professional feedback.

 

“One thing I want to acknowledge,” Khan mentioned, “was how incredibly generous this panel is. It is all volunteer, and these are all working professionals. Their donating their time to give raw, honest feedback on the work of the aspiring writers.”

 

After the panel was selected, the next step was to get submissions. Khan took on the task of reading every submission personally. The submission volume was large and the pool of writers moving forward would not be, so Khan devised a checklist to begin screening the submissions. “It’s very transparent”, she explained, “Everything The Pilot Project is looking for is clearly stated on the website.” She went on to credit her mathematical mind for her diligence is screening the applicants. “This is in no way in accordance with personal tastes in entertainment. It is an academic exercise. The scripts moving forward have to have clear adherence to format and structure.” As soon as a piece failed to meet the checklist, it was put aside. The final scripts were sent into the panel for serious professional feedback.

 

The Pilot Project was successful. The four scripts that moved forward all got Panel coverage and invaluable feedback. Further, this entire process is completely free. Why wouldn’t every writer throw their ring in the hat? It was time to ask Rabia the big questions.

 

Who Should Apply To The Pilot Project?

  • If you have an original concept that you have developed into a strong  half hour or hour pilot.
  • You have looked carefully at your piece and the story material is structured solidly.
  • It is formatted to proper industry standard and free of spelling or grammatical errors.
  • If you have put the work into creating a well polished piece, and are looking for feedback on content and quality of story.

 

What You Should Prepare

  • Review The Pilot Project website and the “Things We Look For” page.
  • Remember that the selection process is not personal- it is an academic excercise created with a rigorous industry-based checklist in mind. Only qualified participants are able to advance.

 

In keeping with the fashion of my last series Inside The Chaos, through FilmArmy, I had to end my coffee with Rabia asking her my usual question: If you could give advice to someone new  in the Industry, what would it be?

 

Rabia thought  for a moment, then answered,  “If you want in the industry- then get on set, any set! If you are new, and you want to be a writer, write for the audience, not for yourself. And take accountability for that writing. The ending you write must leave the audience feeling what you have asked them to feel.”  Then, she adds, “This might sound harsh, but if you’re in film school, then let Film school crush your dreams. Once that has happened, and the ego that is often attached to our work is stripped away, what you have left is you and your work at it’s rawest form- what makes you excited, what makes you happy, what makes you sad. Those things are your inspiration. After that, it’s just you and your hard work.”

 

​If you would like to submit to The Pilot Project, submissions for round two are opening May 15-18 2017. Find all details attached at the website http://www.the-pilot-project.com ​”