winning stories

Winners – 75th GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS 2018

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With January comes the first big Awards ceremony – The Golden Globes.

Compared to the Academy Awards, the Globes are less formal and arguably more fun to watch, with less speeches giving thanks to almost everyone involved.

With a table and food and drinks, many Hollywood celebrity guest will be ‘more relaxed’ and give lighter acceptance speeches.

The host this year is late night show host Seth Meyers.  My favourite host is still Ricky Gervais who has insulted a record number of winners and celebrities.  His response to all this: “I don’t care!”

One of the issues this year is women nominated – clearly with no women nominated in the Best Director category.  Still, there are noticeably more women films this year – like “Three Billboards”, “I, Tonya”, and “Lady Bird” all excellent movies.  The other, obviously is the sexual abuse harassment issue.

To gauge how well Seth Meyers did as Golden Globes host is to judge his opening number.  Meyers looks really sharp in his tuxedo, confident with his wide smile and delivery of jokes and smart with the jokes on sexual harassment (seems to be one in every three, at least) and women in the film/TV industry.  He gets to have his say on the celebration of women in film that at the end, which sums up the success of him as a host.

The best acceptance speech is clearly James Franco’s who brought his bother Dave Franco and Tommy Wiseau (director of THE ROOM) on stage with him.

Are the acceptance speeches too long?   The orchestra music would come on to indicate time is up.  But when the music came on for Guillermo del Toro’s speech for Best Director for THE SHAPE OF WATER, he silenced the music with the words: “It took me 25 years, give me another minute!”

Good moments include Carol Burnett, Barbra Streisand and Kirk Douglas’s (in a wheelchair) standing ovations and Allison Janney’s acceptance speech (for Best Supporting Actress in I. TONYA) celebrating women’s voice in film.

Oprah Winfrey received the Cecil B. DeMille ward for Contribution for the Film and TV.  She delivered an arousing crowd audience speech praising women and denouncing the sexual harassment abuse from men in power that was the highlight of the evening.

Below is the full list of nominees with the winners marked by two asterisks (**).  Many usually go on to be Oscar winners or at least nominees.

Movies

Best Motion Picture – Drama

“Call Me by Your Name”

“Dunkirk”

“The Post”

“The Shape of Water”

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”     **

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

“The Disaster Artist”

“Get Out”

“The Greatest Showman”

“I, Tonya”

“Lady Bird” **

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

Jessica Chastain, “Molly’s Game”

Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”

Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”  **

Meryl Streep, “The Post”

Michelle Williams, “All the Money in the World”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”

Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”

Tom Hanks, “The Post”

Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour” **

Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Judi Dench, “Victoria & Abdul”

Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”

Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird” **

Emma Stone, “Battle of the Sexes”

Helen Mirren, “The Leisure Seeker”

Best Director

Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water” **

Martin McDonagh, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Christopher Nolan, “Dunkirk”

Ridley Scott, “All The Money in the World”

Steven Spielberg, “The Post”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Steve Carell, “Battle of the Sexes”

Ansel Elgort, “Baby Driver”

James Franco, “The Disaster Artist”      **

Hugh Jackman, “The Greatest Showman”

Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”    

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”

Hong Chau, “Downsizing”

Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”     **

Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”

Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”

Armie Hammer, “Call Me by Your Name”

Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”

Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”

Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”   **

Best Song

“This is me” from The Greatest Showman  **

Best Original Score in a Motion Picture

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

“The Shape of Water” **

“Phantom Thread”

“The Post”

“Dunkirk”

Best Screenplay in a Motion Picture

“The Shape of Water”

“Lady Bird”

“The Post”

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”   **

“Molly’s Game”

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language

“A Fantastic Woman”

“First They Killed My Father”

“In the Fade” **

“Loveless”

“The Square”    

Best Animated Film

“The Boss Baby”

“The Breadwinner”

“Ferdinand”

“Coco” **

“Loving Vincent”

TV

Best TV series – Drama

“The Crown”

“Game of Thrones”

“The Handmaid’s Tale”   **

“Stranger Things”

“This Is Us”

Best performance by Actress in a TV series – Drama

Caitriona Balfe, “Outlander”

Claire Foy, “The Crown”

Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Deuce”

Katherine Langford, “13 Reasons Why”

Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”   **

Best performance by an Actor in a TV Series – Drama

Sterling K. Brown, “This is Us”        **

Freddie Highmore, “The Good Doctor”

Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”

Liev Schreiber, “Ray Donovan”

Jason Bateman, “Ozark”

Best TV series – Musical or Comedy

“Black-ish”

“Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” **

“Master of None”

“SMILF”

“Will & Grace”

Best performance by an Actor in a TV series – Musical or Comedy

Anthony Anderson, “Black-ish”

Aziz Ansari “Master of None” **

Kevin Bacon, “I Love Dick”

William H. Macy, “Shameless”

Eric McCormack, “Will and Grace”

Best performance by an Actress in a TV series – Musical or Comedy

Pamela Adlon, “Better Things”

Alison Brie, “Glow”

Issa Rae, “Insecure”

Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”   **

Frankie Shaw, “SMILF”

Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

“Big Little Lies”  **

“Fargo”

“Feud: Bette and Joan”

“The Sinner”

“Top of the Lake: China Girl”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Robert De Niro, “The Wizard of Lies”

Jude Law, “The Young Pope”

Kyle MacLachlan, “Twin Peaks”

Ewan McGregor, “Fargo” **

Geoffrey Rush, “Genius”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Jessica Biel, “The Sinner”

Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies”       **

Jessica Lange, “Feud: Bette and Joan”

Susan Sarandon, “Feud: Bette and Joan”

Reese Witherspoon, “Big Little Lies”   

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Alfred Molina, “Feud”

Alexander Skarsgard, “Big Little Lies”   **

David Thewlis, “Fargo”

David Harbour, “Stranger Things”

Christian Slater, “Mr. Robot”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies”        **

Ann Dowd, “The Handmaid’s Tale”

Chrissy Metz, “This is Us”

Michelle Pfeiffer, “The Wizard of Lies”

Shailene Woodley, “Big Little Lies”

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Short Film Movie Review: MOUSSE (Sweden, 40min. Comedy/Crime)

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MOVIE POSTERMOUSSE, 38min, Sweden, Comedy/Crime
Directed by John Hellberg

MOUSSE is a medium length droll and blackly comic tale of an honest criminal and police ineptitude.

MOUSSE was the winner of best film at the 2014 FEEDBACK Film Festival. 

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of MOUSSE:

Movie Review by Amanda Lomonaco:

Absolutely brilliant. I’ve seen this movie 3 times already and I can’t get enough of it. After watching it the first time at WILDSound, I could not stop thinking about how great it was, I even hunted parts of the soundtrack down, until finally I had to hunt down the film itself. This is especially surprising considering this film is one of the longer selections I’ve seen at WILDSound, standing at 41 minutes. Even if you’re not a lover of subtitles, I would give this film a try.

To begin with, the acting in this film is exceptional, particularly for a film with such a wide diversity of cast, and an equal diversity of languages. Every character in Mousse is meticulously developed and well rounded, and every performance throughout the film feels nothing but genuine. The casting of the elderly policemen could equally not have been more perfect as it added a surprising element of hilarity to the film.

It’s hard to call John Hellberg’s picture a “short film” given its ambiguous length, standing somewhere between a feature and a short film, but at no point during the film do you find yourself disengaged or uninterested. Hellberg propels the story forward through a series of juxtapositions that intertwine seamlessly into the main story line, and prevent any semblance of boredom. Moreover, the production quality gives no sense of cutting any corners, giving Mousse an almost feature like quality.

Between the odd translations and awkward pauses in communication, the age and attitude of the policemen, & the jokes the actors tell each other, it’s hard to say what part of Mousse isn’t hilarious. It’s almost as if Hellberg is trying to cover all his bases in the humour category, from visual, to verbal, he even throws a couple of fart jokes in there just in case.

If you haven’t caught on by now, I think this film needs more visibility. Heck, if it were a part of a DVD collection I would buy it right away just to show others. It will take a little more of your time than most short films, but you’ll be laughing so hard the whole time you’ll hardly notice it passing. This is the first of Hellberg’s films that I’ve ever encountered, but I hope to come across many more in the future.

 

Movie Review: FAMILY ON BOARD (Award Winning Short Film) 2015

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Family on Board played to rave reviews at the November 2015 FEEDBACK Film Festival. 

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video from the Festival:

MOVIE POSTERFAMILY ON BOARD, 15min, USA, Drama
Poetry by George Pogatsia

On his way to report to prison, Mike Petito reflects on his life and anticipates what lies ahead … that’s when catastrophe strikes.

Review of the Short Film by Amanda Lomonaco:

Family on Board encompasses so many different elements and genres that it seems almost impossible to put it all into a few reductive paragraphs. In fact I find it difficult to even fit it into one single genre. Despite all this confusion, or perhaps exactly because of it, most of the audience seemed to really enjoy it. Considering the ominous title and the manner in which the film ends I have a feeling that the mish-mash of genres was very much intentional to make the twist ending even sharper.

People’s reactions to this film seem to be largely dependent on how they interpreted the ending. Like many of the films shown at WILDSound, Family on Board ends quite ambiguously, leaving viewers to imagine for themselves how they believe the story ended. This became all the more evident during the  feedback session, where several audience members voiced a plethora of opinions about the end, that I would have never even considered.

Many people also seemed a bit taken aback by how the film begins. Some were put off by the intense violence depicted, others seemed to find the beginning weak, and the performance of the thieves to be unconvincing. I have the feeling this beginning also weighed heavily on how people imagined the films’ ending. With a film that has so many turns and shifts it’s hard to say which points actually influenced the audience’s reaction the most.

Although George Pogatsia goes through a lot of effort to convince us that the main character is a positive member of the community with nothing but good intentions, at times his benevolence seems a little forced or exaggerated. Despite the crime he committed and his ownership of a gun, the main character seems like the kindest and most caring person in the world, going out of his way to help every stranger that crosses his path. The need for this juxtaposition is understandable in order to attract audience sympathy, but it perhaps could have been carried out a little more subtly and had the same, if not a greater, impact. Nevertheless, the familiar famous faces scattered throughout the main character’s “benevolent” sequence do help distract from this exaggeration, if only a little.

Family on Board is definitely a film for lovers of crime dramas and unsolved mysteries. Certainly Tony Sirico’s presence is bound to bring a smile to many a lover of The Sopranos or Goodfellas. There’s a lot to absorb in this film, and it will take you through a bit of a roller-coaster, but who doesn’t love a good old fashioned roller-coaster ride?

Movie Review: LEGEND (UK 2015)

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

legend_posterLEGEND (UK 2015) ****
Directed by Brian Helgeland

Review by Gilbert Seah

The second film about the notorious Krays, (the first was called THE KRAYS in the 80’s directed by Peter Medak) the gangster twins that terrorized London the 50’s and 60’s is given a glossier more modern approach.  But just as violent.  The Kray twins in LEGEND are both played by Tom Hardy.

Written and directed by Brian Helgeland (L.A. CONFIDENTIAL his best film) and based on the book The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins by John Pearson, the film is told from the point of view as well as narrated by Frances Shea (Emily Browning) the wife of Reggie Kray.   She met Kray at 16 and married him aged 22 in 1965 . She committed suicide in 1967, and narrates the film from beyond the grave.  “It took a lot of love to hate him the way I did,” were her famous words.

When the film begins, the Krays are already established gangster princes.  The script does not detail how they got to be such prominent gangsters except by having them usurp the turf from Charlie (Paul Bettany) and his brother Eddie, childhood friends of the Krays and the leaders of notorious south London gang (also known as the Torture Gang).  That was when Reggie met Frances.  The film that goes on to deal with the further rise and fall of the Kray twins; the relationship that bound them together, and charts their gruesome career to their downfall and imprisonment for life in 1969.  And all from Frances’ angle.  

LEGEND is necessarily violent.  The best segment is the well executed fight between the two brothers (made trickier to shoot as both brothers are portrayed by the same actor) which is guaranteed to make you cringe in your seat.

The script is set up to have the audience take the side of Reggie, the sane brother.  The other, who is ultra violent and homosexual and certified insane not once but twice is the script’s set up for the downfall of the Kray’s empire.

Hardy does an exceptional job playing the Krays, definitely proving to be Oscar material here.  He creates two very different characters in the Krays, one sane and the other insane.  Though the film uses the tactic of Ronnie’s glasses to distinguish the twins apart, Hardy creates different nuanced behaviour for each.  Of the other performances, David Thewlis stands out as the Krays business and lawyer connection who wants to make the business more legitimate, thus running foul with Ronnie.

Ronnie’s homosexuality is treated in the film with campy seriousness.  He justifies his gay sexual acts by claiming to be the giver and not the taker.  One difference between the two KRAY films is that Medak’s dwelt on the Kray’s doting mother’s influence, the mother played by Billie Whitelaw in THE KRAYS.

The 50’s and 60’s London atmosphere is effectively created, complete with the period posh suits, vehicles and Burt Bacharach songs like ‘The Look of Love’.

Hard to fault, LEGEND belongs to the genre of excellent British crime thrillers of the 70’s that used to be popular.

 

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

Movie Review: THE FORBIDDEN ROOM (Canada 2015)

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

the_forbidden_room_posterTHE FORBIDDEN ROOM (Canada 2015) ****
Directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson

Review by Gilbert Seah

Another weird and wonderful film by Guy Maddin with co-creator Evan Johnson – and one of Maddin’s best and most structured, which is not saying much.  And the film is in colour instead of black and white.

The film begins, humorously with a man in a bathrobe (Louis Negin) giving lessons on how to draw a bath.  This vignette is linked to another concerning a submarine crew in dire distress.  The captain is missing and the air supply is running out.  They chew on flapjacks to utilize the oxygen bubbles in the batter.  Does not make sense?  It does not matter.  All this is part of the weird pleasure that is abundant in a Maddin film.  A woodsman (Roy Dupuis) suddenly appears and the crew figure if there is a way in the sub, there must be a way out.  It turns out the woodsman is one of many out to rescue a damsel in distress from a pack of forest bandits.  And so it goes on.  

The way in which one scene leads to the next is impossibly funny.  A bust of the God Janus leads to possession of the carrier transforming him into Lug Lug.  To get rid of the bust, he finds a night auction to sell it to.  But he ends up bidding with his double but finally winning the bid and buying the bust back.  He turns into Lug Lug again to kill his double.  This is one example.  But it is the most hilarious segment.  And beware – the ASWANG!  – a black rotten black cone shaped rotting banana aka the jungle vampire.  (The aswang actually is the devil in the banana tree in Philippines folklore.)

Shot in Paris, which is the reason the film contains a more than impressive cast of French and Quebecois actors including Roy Dupuis, Udo Kier, Mathieu Amalric, Geraldine Chaplin, Charlotte Rampling, Maria de Medeiros, Jacques Nolot and a few other surprises.  Shot in various old gothic styles of films of old, Maddin’s film is terribly funny, nostalgic and the perfect vehicle to watch while under the influence.  A real treat that might be too weird for everyone’s taste!

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Movie Review: OUR LAST TANGO (UN TANGO MAS) (Argentina/Germany 2015) ***

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

our_last_tango_posterOUR LAST TANGO (UN TANGO MAS) (Argentina/Germany 2015) ***
Directed by German Kral

Review by Gilbert Seah

This documentary tells the story of love between the two most famous dancers in tango’s history – María Nieves Rego (aged 81) and Juan Carlos Copes (aged 84).

When the film begins, a closeup of Maria has her say that if she was given the chance to do it all again, she would not change a thing – for tango. The only thing is to do it without Juan. The camera moves back to show Maria and Juan standing very close, face to face. They begin to tango. This is a powerful start. Why did Maria make that statement about Juan. Did she bare that much hatred fro him? Or did she love him too much that she cannot handle it? The doc goes on to reveal the reason.

The film would naturally have a slow feel with two aged subjects. Director Kral (who got his film experience working as assistant to Wim Wenders) tries to counteract this by animating his film as much as possible. This is most evident in one scene where Maria’s two interviewers more than act out their surprise at Maria’s answers to their questions.

OUR LAST TANGO is less a film about the tango than about the relationship between Marian and Juan. And it is not a love but more a hate relationship. It becomes a bit tedious, with each complaining about the other, from start to finish of the film. Director Kral offers two sides of the story, so that the audience takes no sides. Often each would complain about the other at great length. Maria loves Juan too much but not unconditionally. Her pride is terribly broken she Juan bears a child with another woman. On the other hand, one can sympathize with Juan when he says he cannot stand Maria. It is not easy to live with someone whom one cannot stand despite the fact that that someone loves you.

The film has quite a lot of tango dances but not many shown in great detail or to great length. Rather many different types are shown during the different stages of their lives. The duo exported their dance to Broadway with ‘Tango Argentino’.

One wishes that there be more archive footage of Maria and Juan dancing together. Young dancers perform too many re-enactments so the film has too much of a made-up feel.
There is little said in the film of how the two became so famous and how rich or successful they became. Their dances on display in the film reveal very little of their talent as well.

OUR LAST TANGO is also a film about ageing, though not much is said of the subject. But one can see on the faces of both Juan and Maria – their past glories and regrets. Maria is also suffering from some nerve problem, evident in her old age. She cannot stop shaking her head.

It is difficult to imagine OUR LAST TANGO being interesting to those with little to do with dance, for the love/hate relationship of the couple is also not something that audiences will flock to.

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

Top 10 Films of 2015 by Gilbert Seah

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TOP 10 FILMS OF 2015

The end of the year arrives with the best 10 lists of everything.  As for films, it is always the same each year.  For the first 11 months of the year – nada.  Almost nothing good is screened and come December, a host of excellent, inventive and entertaining films arrive.  Guess it is Santa’s reward for filmgoers pumping good old fashioned money into the economy.

My best 10 films are listed below (in alphabetical order).

TOP 10 (in alphabetical order):

ANOMALISA (USA 2015) ***** 

Directed by Charlie Kauffman

Animated feature about a lone soul (voice of David Thewlis) who finally finds the love of his life.  The entire film is narrated by only three actors because there are only three people in Michael Stone’s life.  Himself,  Anomalisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and the rest of the world (Tom Noonan).  A most interesting film about the most boring person on the planet.

THE BIG SHORT (USA 2015) *****

Directed by Adam McKay

A smart, hilarious look at the housing mortgage bubble burst in the U.S. and the few people that benefited from it.  An all-star cast joins in the fun with cameos from Salena Gomez and Robbie Margot who help explain some financial jargon.  

CAROL (USA 2015) *****

Directed by Todd Haynes

Openly gay director Todd Haynes delivers another first class gay drama about the love affair between an older wealthy woman (Cate Blanchett) and a  struggling store clerk, Carol (Rooney Mara).  Set in the 50’s when gay relationships were taboo, CAROL is nevertheless moving, disturbing and ultimately still relevant.

THE FORBIDDEN ROOM (Canada 2015) ****

Directed by Guy Maddin

The Best Canadian film of the year and another weird and wonderful film by Guy Maddin with co-creator Evan Johnson – and one of Maddin’s best and most structured, which is not saying much.  And the film is in colour instead of black and white.  The film begins, humorously with a man in a bathrobe giving lessons on how to draw a bath.  This vignette is linked to another concerning a submarine crew in dire distress.  The captain is missing and the air supply is running out.  They chew on flapjacks to utilize the oxygen bubbles in the batter.  Does not make sense?  It does not matter.  All this is part of the weird pleasure that is abundant in a Maddin film. 

THE HATEFUL EIGHT (USA 2015) *****
Directed by Quentin Traction

Shit-disturber Tarrantino’s latest film, a western is another winner.  Bounty hunters and an assortment of characters are put up at Minnie’s Haberdashery during a winter blizzard.  They do not come here without a reason.  Chaos ensues.  The film runs 3 hours with a 6-minute longer version in 70mm, complete with overture and intermission.

HOUSEBOUND (New Zealand 2014) ***** Top 10

Directed by Gerard Johnstone

HOUSEBOUND is my guilty pleasure.  The film came out of nowhere turning out to be the biggest surprise of the year.  This is the story of story of Kylie Bucknell (Morgana O’Reilly), an ill-tempered delinquent forced to return to the house she grew up in when the court places her on home detention.  Her punishment is made all the more unbearable by the fact she has to live there with her crazed mother Miriam (Rima Te Wiata) – a well- intentioned blabbermouth who’s convinced that the house is haunted.   Horror comedy at its best, all neatly explained at the end.

JOY (USA 2015) *****
Directed by David O. Russell

Joy is indeed a great joy!  David O. Russell’s latest family/business drama sees desperate housewife Joy (Jennifer Lawrence) take on the business world with her invention, the miracle mop with the help of her immediate and extended family.  Hilariously satirical at times, this movie belongs to both Russell and Lawrence who delivers the best performance this year.

LEGEND (UK 2015) ****
Directed by Brian Helgeland

LEGEND is about the notorious Krays, the gangster twins that terrorized London the 50’s and 60’s.  The Kray twins in LEGEND are both played by Tom Hardy.  Written and directed by Brian Helgeland (L.A. CONFIDENTIAL his best film) and based on the book The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins by John Pearson, the film is told from the point of view as well as narrated by Frances Shea (Emily Browning) the wife of Reggie Kray, making it part crime and part love story.

THE REVENANT (USA 2015) ****
Directed by Alejandro Inarratu

A tracker (Leonardo DiCaprio) is mauled by a bear and left for dead by his fellow travellers.  The man survives and after a long track, gets his revenge.  A great wilderness adventure with a very strong performance by DiCaprio, this violent  \film might not be for everyone but it is quite the unforgettable movie.

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (USA 2015) *****
Directed by J.J. Abrams

The most anticipated film of the year lives up to the hype and expectations.  Abrams pumps new blood into the series with characters like Rey, Poe and Finn joining the legendary Star Wars characters Hans Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in taking down the Dark Side.  Great special effects, action sequences and musical score add to the the best that this series has to offer.  The Force has awakened and is here to stay!

Movie Review: THE REVENANT (2015)

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

the_revenant_posterTHE REVENANT (USA 2015) ****Top10
Directed by Alejando G. Iñárritu

Review by Gilbert Seah

Mexican director Alejandro Iñárritu’s (AMORES PERROS, 21 GRAMS, BABEL and last year’s BIRDMAN) THE REVENANT is a no-holds barred almost 3-hour wilderness adventure complete with all the violence of the wild west frontier set in the 1820’s. If one does not have the stomach for the grisly, avoid at all costs.

The film is based on the life of frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) based on a 2002 novel of the same name by Michael Punke. The plot of the film can be summarized in one line, remarkable considering the length of the film. Hugh Glass is left for dead by his fellow travellers after a vicious bear attack and subsequently seeks revenge on them for abandoning him.

The story contains a few subplots, like the one involving his quest for revenge. One of his fellow travellers is John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), a vicious, hardened criminal who ends up killing Glass’s son. Another youth, Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson) is a good hearted drawn into the drama.

The film begins with a 15-minutes attack of the Indians on the fur trappers. It is an extremely violent segment, inspired no doubt by the similar lengthy beginning segment of the D-Day landing in Steven Spielberg’s SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Both sides suffer heavy casualties. Glass, Fitzgerald, his son and Andrew escape with a few others before the crucial bear attack.

The bear attack sequence is no less violent and occurs not once but twice in all its horror. Silly rumours by some press describe the scene as a bear rape but one thing for sure is that there is no love in this attack.

Despite the simple plot, there are a few details that occur so fast that they are difficult to follow. But these are not essential to appreciating Iñárritu’s film.

Director Iñárritu is a well respected artist who have proven himself apt at working with different genres including Hollywood drama as in last year’s acclaimed BIRDMAN. In THE REVENANT, he workers with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, together creating some of the most stunning images seen on screen this year. One has the men crossing the top of a water fall, another running across the shallow waters of tall trees and another at the film’s climax during a chase when an avalanche can be observed in the background. One can question the purpose of these, as the waterfall and avalanche have nothing to do with the story. But Iñárritu has earned his artistic licence to indulge in such excesses. But a few of his traits like the beginning chase camera shots used in AMORES PERROS are duplicated here in the chase scenes in THE REVENANT.

The performances of the entire cast is nothing short of superb. DiCaprio and Hardy excel, and credit should be given to these artists for working under the extreme conditions as shown on screen.

THE REVENANT succeeds admirable in being a stunning looking violet wilderness adventure. The film comes complete with a satisfactory ending, a fight between hero and villain with some spiritual highlights thrown in for good measure.

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:www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

Watch the September 2015 Feature Screenplay Winner. Submit your own script by Sept. 15th

festreviews feature screenplays, screenplay festival, september story winners, wildsound festival review, winning stories , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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

FEATURE SCRIPT Reading of LEGACY
September 2015 Reading
Written by Marc W. Johnson

Interview with the writer:
http://wildsoundfestivalreview.com/2015/08/31/feature-script-reading-legacy-by-marc-w-johnson/

SYNOPSIS:

After a werewolf slaughters the family of a pregnant newlywed and she loses her child, she becomes a cold-hearted hunter and uncovers it’s her best friend.

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Val Cole
ROSE – Erynn Brook
VIRGINIA – Pip Dwyer
GILES – Neil Kulin
BETH – Alissa DeGrazia
VINCE/MULDANO – Ryan Anning
TALBOT – Steve Rizzo

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Watch WINNING Screenplay Readings – Watch videos of past winners performed by professional actors
http://www.wildsoundfestival.com/feature_script_readings.html

READ 100s of testimonials from past submitters –
http://wildsoundfestivalreview.com/feature-screenplay-submission-testimonials-wildsound-screenplay-contest-review

Read the Twitter Short Story Winners for September 2015

festreviews 140 characters, september story winners, twitter short story, winning stories , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

FREE – TWITTER SHORT STORY FESTIVAL
Submit your 140 character story and have it performed by a professional actor
Deadline September 30th: http://www.wildsoundfestival.com/140_characters.html

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Read the 10 Twitter Short Story Winners. These winning stories will now be made into a YouTube Video:

Twitter Story, by Curtis Threadgold

Twitter users will be hit hardest under new Tory austerity plans with cuts of up to 50 charact

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I Am the Blues, by MC

My skin brings blessings to everyone save me. I sing heaven to earth yet, remain in misery. I AM thunders, “Your being helps others to be.”

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You Need Love But You Don’t Need That, My Lass!, by Linda Bates

My mother’s caustic tongue made advice sound like a curse. Now death stuck in the back of my throat as I looked up at the monster I’d married.

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Final fears, by Deena Douara

She clung to life, fearing mediocre adjectives like “nice,” “friendly,” “good-natured.” She pleaded with God for a chance at better words.

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Rinse, Lather, Repeat, by Bud Scott

The time machine is ready!

I’ll set it for ten seconds into the past.

Whiz, Whirl, Bam

The time machine is ready!

I’ll set it for ten seconds into the past.

Whiz, Whirl, Bam

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The Alibi by Erik Wollschlager

When the cops showed up, I knew they were looking for you. I’ll never know if they caught up to you, or if you had a good enough head start.

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Immaculate, by Hussain Hameed

I was quite surprised when the doctors told me I was pregnant. It wasn’t just that I was still a virgin but that I was also a boy.

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The Crappy Tuesday, by Amie Ryan

“Just tell me the truth”
“All right…I cheated on you”
“I thought you’d just stolen my money?”
“Well yes, that too.”

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Roses are Red, by M Sawyer MCIJ

She stood, alone, dark against the cold November sky, a red rose dangled at her side as she looked without seeing in to the grave.

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The Breakup, by Victoria Sarda

The coffee grew cold, the table an ocean between them. She gazed at the cup, a napkin, not him. His hands moved, eyes, table, ear, pocket.

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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