Year: 2017

Died Today: John G. Avildsen (1935–2017) (director Rocky, The Karate Kid)

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johngavilsonBorn: December 21, 1935 in Oak Park, Illinois, USA

Died: June 16, 2017 (age 81) in Los Angeles, California, USA

Married to:
Tracy Brooks Swope (27 February 1987 – 28 August 2003) (divorced) (1 child)
Marie Olga Maturevich (15 February 1964 – ?) (divorced) (2 children)

QUOTES:

When I read ‘Rocky V,’ it was a terrific story, a great script. Rocky died at the end. He has this devastating fight with Tommy Gunn, ends up in an ambulance with his head in Adrian’s lap, and by the time they get to the hospital, he’s dead.

I thought boxing was stupid.

My dream was to have my own advertising agency by the time I was 30, and that was before I got into movies.
 

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
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Film Review: ALL EYEZ ON ME (USA 2017) ****

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

all_eyes_on_meTells the true and untold story of prolific rapper, actor, poet and activist Tupac Shakur.

Director: Benny Boom
Writers: Jeremy Haft, Eddie Gonzalez
Stars: Demetrius Shipp Jr., Danai Gurira, Kat Graham

Review by Gilbert Seah 

 Those in the music industry or interested in hip hop will immediately recognize the title of the film, a biopic on rapper Tupac to also be the name of his most famous album. The film chronicles his rise to superstardom, his imprisonment and his prolific time at Death Row Records, his record label, working with the Notorious B.I.G.

For a superstar youngster shot and killed in a car shooting at the age of 25, his life story is nothing short of boring. It is filled with drama, action, romance, danger but most of all music. Director Benny Boon has created one of the best biopics in recent cinema aided by an award worthy inspirational performance by Demetrius Shipp Jr. in the tile role.

ALL EYEZ ON ME covers a lot of material from the birth of Tupac to his untimely death. His coming into the world is documented with his mother’s pregnancy while in prison. While released after acquittal, Leila Steinberg, Tupac’s mother (Lauren Cohan) angrily yells on camera on how unfairly black people are treated and how ‘we will not give up the fight” setting the tone for a very angry and powerful film.

Leila, also shown as a drug user later in the film, is not an easy person to live with. Tupac is eventually separated from his mother due to her black panther activities. The film quickly charts the years from 1971, 1975, 1982 to 1987 and 1988 when Tupac moved from the Bronx to Baltimore to Oakland, California where his sudden burst to fame in the Digital Underground is documented with spirit and energy.

Director Boom punctuates his film with an interviews with Tupac played by Shipp looking like the real thing. An interview with what follows on screen gives an impression of old footage used (though not so) of Tupac’s life. It is clear that the film is not a documentary as Tupac is currently dead for more than 20 years.

But this tactic shooting the biography in fake documentary style achieves that rare quality of making the audience feels as if they are really watching a doc on Tupac even though all that occurs on screen are re-enactments.

Tupac’s talent is effectively captured on screen thanks to both Shipp’s great acting and dance/singing mimicking as well as Boom’s well staged musical set pieces, the best of which include the studio recording of California Dreaming and his shooting of the Digital Underground sequences.

Besides Shipp’s outstanding performance, Cohan’s and Jamal Woolard’s as Tupac’s mother and the Notorious B.I.G. respectively stand out.

The film also contains moving moments such as in the film’s prison segment when Tupac learns his most important lesson in life while in prison, at a time when he almost gave up on everything.

Boom’s film moves fast and furious, just as the speed of Tupac’s life unfolded. There is hardly a dull moment in this 2 hour and 40 minute biopic.

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

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
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Netflix Original Film Review: AMAR, AKBAR & TONY (UK 2015) ***

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

amar_akbar_and_tony
Amar, Akbar & Tony follows the lives and loves of three childhood friends through twists and turns as the characters face sudden and unforeseen changes to their idealistic and trouble-free lives.

Director: Atul Malhotra
Writers: Atul Malhotra
Stars: Rez Kempton, Sam Vincenti, Martin Delaney

Review by Gilbert Seah
 
AMAR, AKBAR & TONY is a comedy/drama about three friends, a Sikh, a Muslin and an Irish Catholic. Their story takes place in London. Where else but the cosmopolitan capital of the world where anything can and does happen in writer/director Atul Malhotora coming-of age story times 3. The film boasts to be the first western film to feature a turbaned Sikh in the lead. Well, at least only for the first part of the film anyway, as the Sikh does end up going to prison and having his head shaved.

Are these three The Three Stooges or The Three Musketeers? The film starts off as the former and leading into even what the three might be deemed The Three Kings.

The film is a crowd pleaser and deals with sufficient adult offish material to make it not really suitable for commercial theatre audiences. That is not to say the film is not enjoyable – but one that might scare typical cinemagoers away. It is therefore the perfect Netflix vehicle, something like the recent WAR MACHINE by Brad Pitt where the material on Netflix can be more edgy. AMAR, AKNBAR & TONY is also the perfect light enough film, that home watchers can take a break and go grab a bite while not missing the film’s flow.

The plot involves the antics of three best friends, first shown in the film as three kids going to school and playing in the same neighbourhood. The film fast forwards to the three, now grown up, looking for girls and good jobs. Amar is the pride of his Sikh family who owns an Indian restaurant, his father being a gourmet chef, Indian style. Amar lands a top job in a law film as a solicitor because he convinces his interviewer that he can bring more business to the firm knowing many criminals. But while saving his two friends at a dance club from begin beaten up, he accidentally kills a hood and goes to prison. He loses everything including his fiancé.

Three years later, Amar is released from the scrubs, after serving his sentence. The film’s story starts off from here. This is where the drama begins and the film gets more serious, without any of the comedy diminishing. The film has an excellent blend of comedy and drama making it totally watchable and entertaining.

Director Malhotora should be credited of a faithful homage to a 70’s Bollywood classic, while setting the tone for a unique film marrying the storytelling styles of British Independent cinema. The film includes Bollywood style dances as well the typical Indian marriage jokes like wealthy older males marrying off young brides. The best jokes are the sexual ones, the two best involving Tony. One has Tony on a God-awful blind dinner date and the other has him seeking an Indian marriage councillor in search of an Indian bride. The script pokes more fun at the white Londoner, making him a biggest buffoon of the three while Amar is treated as the self sacrificing hero who goes to prison and risk his life for his two best friends.

Director Atul Malhotra is recognized in the UK for Directing award winning documentary and TV productions. His talent shows. This is one of the best Indian/British comedies sine EAST IS EAST. The film opens on Netflix on June the 20th.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIUfC3YtTfQ

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Film Review: ROUGH NIGHT (USA 2017) ***

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

rough_nightThings go terribly wrong for a group of girlfriends who hire a male stripper for a bachelorette party in Miami.

Director: Lucia Aniello
Writers: Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs
Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Zoë Kravitz

 ROUGH NIGHT is that rare chick flick that has sufficient material to satisfy both female and male audiences. Besides the bride-to-be and friends, the film also devotes a fair amount of time to the groom-to-be and his friends. The ending has everyone celebrating the wedding. This is expected in a Hollywood happy ending, so no spoiler is intended.

There are a few things that promises a satisfying comedy. One is the script that was one of the 2015 blacklisted scripts, which usually means a script that matters. The other is that the film is a first effort from female director Aniello, which means she will try her very best to prove herself, never mind a few mistakes mentioned below in this review. It is also about time a film emerged that looked at a female point of view of the HANGOVER films.

The film opens with the college days where five best friends (Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer, and Zoë Kravitz) connect at a fraternity drink party. It is 10 years later when they reunite for a wild bachelorette weekend in Miami. During their hard partying, they accidentally kill a male stripper. Amidst the craziness of trying to conceal their deed, they are ultimately brought closer together where it matters most.

The film has quite a few genuinely hilarious comedic set-ups, but there are quite a few misses as well. For comedy, director Aniello commits three mistakes, which could be considered forgivable considering that this is her debut feature and also that the funny parts make up for these mistakes. One big mistake in comedy is the explaining of a joke. During the airport scene where Alice cracks open a champagne bottle to the sound of a loud pop, everyone dives to the ground thinking it to be a gunshot. Alice remarks after, “Popping the bottle sounds like a shot and we are at the airport.”

The tampon joke is also one that is understood by both male and female. The rule is to never explain a joke. Another is the repeating of a joke. This happens when Alice toasts Jess at a dance club when Pippa pops up a piece of toast as she does not have a drink. This is done three times. The third mistake is trying too hard on a joke that is essentially a failure. This occurs in the scene where the group says solemn words and saying ok , “Dump the body”, before disposing the body of the dancer. The film also falls into the trap of stereotyping – example the activist is a lesbian.

To the film’s credit, the comedic set-ups are related and move smoothly towards the climax of the film, which is the wedding, For the few thrilling parts where the five friends have to tackle the diamond robbers, director Aniello proves her competence at thrills in keeping her audience at the edge of their seats.

Of the five actresses, SNL’s Kate McKinnon succeeds as the funniest of the lot, believable as an Australian with her accent. Jillian Bell comes a close second as the chief troublemaker Scarlett Johansson proves herself apt here in comedy as in other genres like action flicks (LUCY and GHOST IN THE SHELL), art horror (UNDER THE SKIN) and Woody Allen romantic drama comedies (VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA and MATCH POINT).

Despite the film’s flaws, ROUGH NIGHT thankfully succeeds as a satisfying comedy for both sexes. There are enough off-coloured jokes, foul language, tasteful sexual innuendo (the vibrating dildo) and a few messages about the importance of friendships (cliched though they may be) that result in a satisfying hilarious night out.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jRNDOZnGKU

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Film Review: THE HERO (USA 2017) **

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

the_heroAn ailing movie star comes to terms with his past and mortality.

Director: Brett Haley
Writers: Brett Haley, Marc Basch
Stars: Sam Elliott, Laura Prepon, Krysten Ritter

 THE HERO is directed by Brett Haley who also directed I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS another romantic drama with a senior protagonist. THE HERO is a more serious venture as its main character an ageing star called Lee Hayden (Sam Elliot) has just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and he has to comes to terms with his life and legacy.

When THE HERO begins, Lee Hayden stands on the beach watching the waves of the ocean roll on shore. It is a familiar scene to those familiar with the films of Sam Elliot. That scene is reminiscent of one of Elliot’s most successful films – THE LIFEGUARD in which he plays the title role of a lifeguard. He sports the same bushy moustache in that film as in THE HERO, a facial feature that made his Lee Hayden character famous.

THE HERO begins on a very pessimistic note. Besides just being diagnosed with cancer, Lee is a listless character, always smoking weed or getting high on mushrooms. He is trying to come to grip with his relationship with his daughter Lucy (Krysten Ritter). He does the odd commercial (like the BBQ sauce radio commercial that bookends the story). The rest of the time is spent hanging out with his drug dealer buddy.

When things get this bad, nothing can get worse. So when Lee finds a girl half his age responding to his request of a date, he slowly gets his spirits uplifted. The two eventually end up in bed. At this point in the film, the film’s pessimism disappears. And one can see why. It is an ageing man’s fantasy to have a young girl fall in love (and having sex) with him. But when he visits her at a club doing stand-up comedy, her jokes on making love with an older man turns him off understandably, and he storms off.

At one point in the film the two attend his life achievement award presentation. His speech goes viral giving him instant fame for a short period of time. He gets a film audition which he goes to read a script. The script concerns a father being rejected by his daughter, obviously a reflection of what is happening to Lee in real life. As expected, he cannot go through reading the script emotionally, breaking down and losing the part.

It is unclear where Haley’s film is leading only till the very last third of the film. It is frustrating to watch the film go from pessimism to optimism back to pessimism and then hope again. Lee’s speech at his achievement awards ceremony is preachy, him talking about life and people being grains of sand – enough of the metaphors.

The biggest metaphor of all is the film reflecting the real life of actor Sam Elliot. Elliot is himself a character just like Lee Hayden, fairly but no too famous whose life body of films could have gotten him a lifetime achievement award in some small film community.

THE HERO ends up as another sad feature about an old fart who should but cannot get a hold of his own life. It is difficult to feel sympathetic for someone who smokes weed half the time and fails to meet up with expectations when given a second chance.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiKtUnI0u4U

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Submit to the Screenplay Festival (Feature, Short) – Deadline Today

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Deadline June 15th Screenplay Festival – Get FULL FEEDBACK. Get script performed by professional actors
http://www.wildsound.ca/screenplaycontest.html

Watch WINNING Screenplay Readings – Watch videos of past winners performed by professional actors
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Watch Past Winners (winners every single month):

 
 

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Submit to the TV Festival (Pilot, Spec) – Deadline Today

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SUBMIT your TV PILOT or TV SPEC Script
Voted #1 TV Contest in North America.

Deadline: TV PILOT/SPEC Script Festival – Get FULL FEEDBACK. Get script performed by professional actors
http://www.wildsound.ca/tvscreenplaycontest.html

Watch WINNING TV PILOT Screenplay Readings
http://www.wildsoundfestival.com/tv_pilot_readings.html

Watch WINNING TV SPEC Screenplay Readings
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READ 100s of testimonials for past submitters –
TV Screenplay Testimonials from the WILDsound Festival

WATCH RECENT TV SCREENPLAY FESTIVAL READINGS (Winners every single month!)

ACTORTV PILOT Screenplay – THE SPECTRAL CITY
July 2016 Reading
Written by Arthur Vincie		ACTORTV SPEC Screenplay – BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
June 2016 Reading
Written by Linsen Oyosa		ACTORTV PILOT Screenplay – WILD MAGIC
June 2016 Reading
Written by Julie Nichols
ACTORTV PILOT Screenplay – CIVILIAN
June 2016 Reading
Written by Gina Scanlon		ACTORFAN FICTION Screenplay – SPACE 2099 (based on Space 1999)
June 2016 Reading
Written by Kevin D Story		ACTORTV SPEC Screenplay – THE MINDY PROJECT “Culture Club”
May 2016…

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Submit to the Novel Festival (Full, 1st chapter, performance reading) – Deadline Today

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DEADLINE June 15th: 1st CHAPTER/FULL NOVEL Festival.
http://www.wildsound.ca/book_contest.html

Get your story performed at the Writing Festival. FULL FEEDBACK on all entries.

NEW OPTION: Or, just submit for an actor performance reading transcript of your novel (any 5 pages of your book). Great way to promote the sales of your book if you’re already published. (see examples on the video playlist below)

Watch past winners. Winners every single month!

Watch the June 2016 Winners.
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Watch the April 2016 Winners.
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Watch the March 2016 Winners.
March 2016 Novel Winners

Watch the February 2016 Winners.
February 2016 Novel Winners

Watch the January 2016 Winners.
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Watch the December 2015 Winners. At least 3-10 winners every month:
December 2015 Novel Winners

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Film Review: THE SKYJACKER’S TALE (Canada 2016) ***

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

THE SKYJACKER_S TALEAfter five citizens of the Virgin Islands are convicted in the 1970s of a massacre at one of the island’s fancy country clubs, their ostensible leader stages a skyjacking and escapes to Cuba.

Director: Jamie Kastner
Writer: Jamie Kastner
Stars: Ishmael Muslim Ali, Isabella Carr, Bradley Gordon

Review by Gilbert Seah
 
These two years have seen a presence of excellent African American films including the Best Film Oscar winner, MOONLIGHT. The documentary THE SKYJACKER’S TALE is one of them, telling the little known story of Ishmael Muslim Ali (aka LaBeet). The film’s timing is perfect as Kastner captures Ali’s first interview since his hijacking.

Kastner cautiously plays both sides. Kastner makes it clear that Ali had been sentenced to 8 years lifetime imprisonment to be served consecutively – whatever that means. Ali was brutally tortured in jail too. So when he was transported on an American Airlines plane, it would only seem natural for him to try an escape. After all what has he to lose, but lots to gain?

The two reenactments of the massacre of the 8 people at the St. Crois’ Fountain Valley golf course (which Ali was convicted of) in he Virgin Islands and the plane hijacking make this documentary are exciting as any action fiction feature. And this is the real thing.

There are many reasons and much to enjoy in Kastner’s documentary. For one, it is short at 76 minutes and to the point. It is exciting and based on true events. The subject has his say in the interview, from start to the end of the film. Kastner shifts the audience’s point of view of the man. In the start, he is described by others as a terrorist, a truly evil person and a killer. By the end of the film, the audience sees a different person – one that is totally mistreated by society. Ali has a dream of escaping and it is difficult not to side with someone who lives up to his dream.

Kastner has also assembled an impressive list of interviewees to aid the film’s credibility. Among them are the police officials (who admit to torturing Ali), the St Crois prison guards, the prosecutor and defendant lawyers. For the hijacking, Kastner also got the pilot, flight attendant and a passenger to talk on camera.

The film is not without humour. The film ends on a funny note where Ali reveals how he smuggled the gun from prison on to the plane through the metal detectors.

As stated by one of the talking heads in the film, the issue at hand is not whether Ali was guilty of the crime. The issue was the wrong-doing done by the justice system and the prison authorities and guards – especially the torture of hanging the men from the trees, using electric cattle prods and water torture.

By the end of the film, the audience is totally on the side of Ali, hoping he is successful in his escape to Cuba. This he was. When imprisoned in Cuba for the hijacking, he claims on interview that he was glad to be imprisoned in Cuba, away from the f***ing Americans.

After the opening of this disturbing document of injustice done on the black people, the coming week will see the equally arousing bio-pic of the true story of rap singer Tupac (ALL EYEZ ON ME) who was shot dead at the age of 25. He too was imprisoned and tortured in prison.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ydbAhwJ4MI&feature=youtu.be

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

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Film Review: THE BAD BATCH (USA 2016)

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

the bad batch.jpgA dystopian love story in a Texas wasteland and set in a community of cannibals.

Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
Writer: Ana Lily Amirpour
Stars: Suki Waterhouse, Jason Momoa, Jayda Fink

Review by Gilbert Seah
 
Writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour is best remembered for her breakout animated vampire feature A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT that featured strong visuals. She returns with another female protagonist sort-of vampire horror feature, this time set in a land of cannibals.

The BAD BATCH is a gruesome watch especially in its first 15 minutes. The film is tamed down after that, fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how one looks at it. In its first 15 minutes, Arlen (British model Suki Waterhouse) leaves Texas, U.S. and enters a no man’s land of toxic waste and odd communities. One is cannibal community where she is captured unconscious. Her lower arm and leg are sawed off and barbecued as a meal.

She escapes on a skateboard, lying sideways while using her one arm and leg to propel herself. Quite the horrific sight, which is unmatched after.
Amipour has progressed to this $6 million production that displays excellent production values. The art and set direction is excellent from the crows that peck and pick out the body parts of the corpses in the desert to the piles of toxic waste that fill the landscape. Amirpour has also cast known name actors in this film – Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves and Jim Carrey. But these three are highly unrecognizable, so it is best to carefully to watch out for them.

The film is set in a dystopian future America, where undesirables – the bad batch (they have numbers tattoo’ed on them) – are banished to a fenced-in desert outside the Texas territory, their US citizenship revoked. One of the condemned is twentysomething Arlen (Waterhouse).

After Arlen escapes from the cannibals losing one leg and an arm, she stays at Comfort, a hedonistic community run by a cult leader (Reeves). Over the next few months, as Arlen adjusts to the “bad batch” life, she discovers that being good or bad mostly depends on who’s standing next to you. She enters again the cannibal community to exact revenge, killing off a mother while adopting the motherless daughter (Jayda Pink). The husband, a hunky cannibal with the words ‘Miami Man’ tattoo’ed across his chest comes hunting for them. Arlen falls in love with him. The film takes a different turn.

The main trouble with the film are the loose ends and credibility of the script. What is Arlen’s background and what was her sentence? Her falling in love with Miami Man stretches credibility. Why would the little girl who witnesses Arlen’s shooting of her mother go on to live amicably with her? And most important of all, why does Arlen have a change of heart?

The film boats a diverse soundtrack that includes oldies like Culture Club’s Karma-Chameleon, Ace of Base’s All that She Wants and a killer soundtrack by electronic duo Darkside.

The film won the Special Jury Prize at Venice 2016 and it is easy to see why. Despite its flaws it shows great originality, look and attention to set and art details.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUqfP1S-9ok
 

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