Naming Your Baby: How to Find a Great Title to your Screenplay | BlueCat Screenplay Competition

Naming Your Baby: How to Find a Great Title to your Screenplay | BlueCat Screenplay Competition

http://www.bluecatscreenplay.com/article...

BlueCat Screenwriting Help Article: Naming Your Baby: How to Find a Great Title to your Screenplay by Gordy Hoffman.

Thomas Jane is back as THE PUNISHER!!!

The day after the conclusion of Comic Con is typically one of nothing newsworthy to note. Actor Thomas Jane decided to break that expectation by releasing Dirty Laundry, an unofficial and unashamed "love letter" to fans of Marvel's The Punisher.

This 10-minute short film is unapologetically unrated and filled with ultra-violence (once Tom Jane's Frank Castle gets going.) In short, if you were somewhat unsatisfied by the PG-13 approach of Jane's first portrayal ofThe Punisher in the 2004 movie, or the last big screen outing of the character (Punisher: War Zone), then "Dirty Laundry" is the grim, gritty and gory Punisher story that you've been dying to see. And who's that also showing their face in the short? Hey, it's Mr. Hellboy himself, Ron Perlman!

From what I've gathered, Jane and his creative team made this film for no money. I know that the guy is a bonafide comic book fan (he co-created the Heavy Metal-esque Bad Planet comic series with Punisherartist Tim Bradstreet) and he's not ashamed to show his geek pride. I have no doubt that he made "Dirty Laundry" just to step in the soul of Frank Castle one more time, but it's also a damn good Punishertale.

Here's the short, and again, it's NSFW/mature audiences material:

The full-featured mobile screenwriting app you’ve been waiting for is here!

Scriptly is a free screenplay formatting app that takes full advantage of the iPad’s fluid interface, allowing the creative aspect of screenwriting to take center stage. Its elegant, uncluttered workspace utilizes familiar keystrokes so you’ll be up and running on a feature film, sitcom or one-hour script immediately.

Unlike other apps that charge a premium and only allow you to edit scripts and view a scene list, Scriptly is a free app that lets you use its full-featured interface to create a complete screenplay. 

Scriptly for iPad on the iTunes App Store

Screenwriting FAQ page is up!!!

Hi guys,


The Screenwriting FAQ Page is up on the blog. Just follow the TAB and instantly get access to EVERYTHING u wanted to know about screenwriting!


*Courtesy of Alex Epstein from his URL, Muse of Fire.

WHAT IS THE NEXUS?

 

The Nexus Group is an association of freelance Nigerian screenwriters with years of experience writing for feature film, TV, and new media – aimed at developing brand new entertainment content for the “New Nollywood” experience. The Nexus is an exclusive club of the best Nollywood writing talent, who plan to equip Nollywood Producers, Directors, and other industry professionals with the next generation of blockbuster entertainment storytelling from the heart of Africa and beyond.

VISION:
Nigeria is the third largest film making nation in the world with its lucrative movie industry dubbed Nollywood churning out an ever-increasing number of films made monthly (if not weekly). However, most of these cheaply made films lack vision in their storytelling and boast sub-standard filmmaking techniques. This is further fueled by the unwillingness by those who have entered into the business with little or no filmmaking pedigree to begin with to quit.

Thus, the Nexus Group is geared towards raising the standards in Nollywood scriptwriting nationally and internationally by penning the next generation content for Nollywood.

MISSION:
The mission of the Nexus Group is to lift the standard of Nigeria scriptwriting and promote African stories for a global audience. The Nexus will provide a platform for writers to cross-fertilize ideas and create stories to entertain the world with lovely Afro-themed stories and concepts.

THE NEXUS IS COMING SOON!!!

HOMEVIDA SHORT SCRIPT COMPETITION ENDS JULY 31ST!!!

Homevida Awards Online

Submission for the HomeVida 2012 Short Script Competition ends July 31, 2012. So hurry now and submit your script and stand a chance of winning One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000) Grant, see your name rolling on the Big Screen and qualify for a Genevieve Nnaji Scholarship. Visit www.homevida.org alternatively, you can submit your script to info@homevida.org

HOMEVIDA issues criteria for winning scripts and films for 2012 

 

Screen diva, Genevieve Nnaji appointed as HomeVida Brand Ambassador

Enter for a chance to have your screenplay become a published novel!

Screenplay Replay Where Your Winning Script Gets a Publishing Deal LEARN MORE

If you've got a finished spec script on your hands, then you could be steps away from being a best-selling author! Screenplay Replay is an international competition calling for submissions of complete full-length screenplays in any genre. From these entries, one lucky winner will be chosen by our panel of esteemed judges to work with a successful ghostwriter to adapt his or her screenplay into a novel, which will be published through an imprint of F+W Media, and sold through major distribution channels. This is an amazing opportunity for screenwriters looking to transition into novel writing, or those who want to add this in-demand skill to their writing repertoires. Plus, a published novel is a fresh and exciting way to get your story out there in front of Hollywood buyers and possibly get your film made! The Screenplay Replay contest winner will: Receive 25 personal copies of the novel Enjoy royalties from the book's sales See the book in physical and e-book form available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other retailers And our twenty-five finalists won't walk away empty handed. Each one will be awarded: Storymill Software, a word processing and story development program for fiction writers An exclusive webinar with authors Charlotte Cook and Jon Miller, and a copy of their book, Adapting Sideways, on turning your script into a novel A free edition of The Screenwriters Market and a 1-year subscription to WritersMarket.com Ready for your chance to add "published author" to your resume? Click here for complete contest details and to enter Screenplay Replay now!

The Dark Knight Rises: Film Review

Hollywood Reporter Social Reader on Facebook

Christopher Nolan's Batman finale stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne and features performances from series newcomers Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

The real world threats of terrorism, political anarchy and economic instability make deep incursions into the cinematic comic book domain in The Dark Knight Rises. Big-time Hollywood filmmaking at its most massively accomplished, this last installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy makes everything in the rival Marvel universe look thoroughly silly and childish. Entirely enveloping and at times unnerving in a relevant way one would never have imagined, as a cohesive whole this ranks as the best of Nolan's trio, even if it lacks -- how could it not? -- an element as unique as Heath Ledger's immortal turn in The Dark Knight. It's a blockbuster by any standard.

Read on here:https://apps.facebook.com/thrsocial/review/dark-knight-rises-movie-review-batman-349354

*SPOILERS INCLUDED!!!

Pitch a Movie | Submit a Short Film | Web Series and more | Greenlightmymovie

Pitch a Movie | Submit a Short Film | Web Series and more | Greenlightmymovie

Have a short film, web series, book, pilot script or screenplay? Maybe you just have a movie pitch or an idea for a TV show. If you're looking for representation or a buyer for your project, submit and/or pitch your material directly to Hollywood production companies, studios, agencies and management companies via Greenlightmymovie – for aguaranteed response!

Welcome to Nollywood

Welcome to Nollywood

Nigeria now has the world's third largest film industry after Hollywood and Bollywood. Most of the movies are dirt cheap, straight-to-video voodoo horror flicks - but millions of fans can't get enough of them.

Read the whole article in The Guardian newspaper by Jeevan Vasagar reporting from Lagos: Welcome to Nollywood | Film | The Guardian

The Making of Nigeria’s Film Industry - NYTimes.com

The Making of Nigeria’s Film Industry - NYTimes.com


Well they had to eventually discover it sooner or later; but now that they have, all is right with the world. I'm referring to the Sunday New York Times article today about the Nigerian film industry and the Times' surprise that they've gone movie crazy over there.

The Myth of Nollywood and the Rise of Nigerian Cinema | Sydney Levine

The Myth of Nollywood and the Rise of Nigerian Cinema | Sydney Levine

Nigeria should be proud of the quality of their new crop of theatrical filmmakers. I have visited Nigeria as a guest of their film community several times and maintain close contact with many of the practitioners there. The Nigerian film industry is moving past Nollywood. Nigerian filmmakers are currently producing a limited but growing number of high quality films for theatrical audiences. Directors like Kunle Afolayan (The Figurine), Jeta Amata (the musical Inale)

Caroline Chikeze, star of Inale Chineze Anyaene (Ije), Izu Ojukwu(The Child), Jeta Amata (Black Gold)...

and others are making films with budgets between $250,000 and $750,000, often with international casts and locations. It is predicted that at some point in 2011 a Nigerian film will be budgeted at over $1,000,000. In 2010 there were perhaps only 5-6 films made in this range but that number is growing along with the screen count.



The number of screens in Nigeria is increasing at an incredible rate (by some reports it is doubling every year though there are still fewer than fifty high quality screens in about ten venues in Lagos, Abuja and a few other cities), and Nigerians are filling cinemas at $6-10 a ticket to watch home-grown films.

Nigerians have proven their leadership in writing (Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinke and internationally acclaimed novelist, Chinua Achebe), music (Fela, , King Sunny Ade) and the visual arts (from Benin Bronzes to Ben Enwonwuand a thriving contemporary art scene) and now they are proving their potential in film.

Much has been written over the past several years of the status of “Nollywood” (Nigeria’s direct-to-video industry) as the #2 film producer in the world based on a very flawed UNESCO report comparing the number of extreme low budget films produced by Nigeria’s producer/director/star/marketers to the films theatrically released in the U.S., U.K. and other countries. This has done a disservice to the emerging theatrical Nigerian film industry by emphasizing quantity over quality.

I was prompted to write this piece because of a recent article in The Economist, “Lights, Camera, Africa”, December 10, 2010 (http://www.economist.com/node/1772312) again citing this production figure with no thought to whether it even made sense that Nigeria produced more films than the U.S. or letting readers know that the figure dates from 2006. As this excerpt makes clear, the report is clearly flawed in comparing major films to direct-to-video films:

According to the [2006] survey, Bollywood produced 1,091 feature-length films in 2006 compared to 872 productions (in video format) from Nigeria's film industry, which is commonly referred to as Nollywood. In contrast, the United States produced 485 major films.

To cite such a report in late 2010 is ridiculous, particularly since my sources in Nigeria tell me that the number of films produced peaked in 2008 and has been in steep decline ever since due to piracy and changing consumer tastes. The article presents a neo-colonial vision of African film (damning with faint praise) that does not do justice to what is really happening in Nigeria any more than analyzing straight-to-DVD features in the U.S. would tell you anything about the quality of U.S. films.

I hope this is the last article focusing on how many low-budget films were produced in 2006 and that serious magazines like “The Economist” will start to recognize the emerging, high-quality theatrical film industry quickly growing there. The theatrical filmmakers owe a debt to their Nollywood forefathers but the future of Nigeria’s film industry is clearly in their hands.

Matt Damon Open To 'Bourne 5,' But If 'Legacy' Is A Hit, He Expects The Franchise To Move On Without Him | The Playlist

Matt Damon Open To 'Bourne 5,' But If 'Legacy' Is A Hit, He Expects The Franchise To Move On Without Him | The Playlist

Poor Matt Damon's got to be somewhat sick of answering questions about the Jason Bourne series, a franchise he's ostensibly not in any more. Or at least, not for now. In case you're living under a rock, Damon and Paul Greengrass walked away from a "Bourne 4" in late 2009 for several reasons, but one of them being a chief creative one: Jason Bourne had discovered who he was, no longer had full amnesia and his story arc had been completed.

No one seemed to know where to take the story next and after commissioning two different screenplays, that neither the actor nor director liked, the duo said thanks, but no thanks. So fast forward to present day. Tony Gilroy, the screenwriter who masterminded the entire trilogy, stepped up, conceived of a new idea without Jason Bourne, created "The Bourne Legacy," and found a new star in Jeremy Renner ('Legacy' deals with the ramifications of "The Bourne Ultimatum" and how it affects other Treadstone-like Black Ops programs and its assassins).  While Jason Bourne, the charater is still alive and referenced in "The Bourne Legacy," outside of mug-shot photos, he's not in it, presumably gone into hiding somewhere. Gilroy and Universalhave left the door open for Damon to return.

And as he's always said, Damon is open to returning to the franchise, if, and that big if, is if there's a good script. “Look, I’ve been interested in doing another one for five years,” Damon said during the "Elysium" panel at Comic-Con, sounding somewhat annoyed at Crave for suggesting he'd suddenly changed his mind. “We just can’t figure out the script. I’m up for it, but again it’s all about the script, It’s got to be a good one."

In a separate interview with ComingSoon, Damon reiterated the same sentiment, and again, stressed the story has to justify its existence and there cannot simply be a sequel for sequel's sake. "I really want to do another one and I think Paul Greengrass does too," he said, "But I think it's the same question we've had after each one. If we really feel we can do it and that it will deserve to live with the other three that we did. If we can make one where we go into it feeling it can be even better than those, and it ends up being in that same ballpark, then we should do it. But If we can't, then we really should leave it alone."

OK, so check, two interviews of what Damon has said all along since he and Greengrass walked away from the series. But in a separate interview with E!Online in San Diego, Damon suggested that if "The Bourne Legacy" breaks out in its own right, Gilroy and Renner could ostensibly move on without him. 

"I think the movie will be really good," Damon said of this new 'Bourne' iteration. "Tony [Gilroy] is really smart, he's a really good writer and a really good director and I'm sure he made a good movie. The question will be if they can franchise that movie, because if they can, then they'll be done with me. They'll just keep making those."

And franchising the new series is definitely the plan, something that Gilroy confirmed to us in an interview last month that will roll out closer to August 10th when "The Bourne Legacy" hits theaters. But perhaps Damon is just being modest. If "The Bourne Legacy" is a huge hit, he's probably correct that the series can move on without him. But surely throngs of fans of the series would love to see Jason Bourne return one day. Like longtime 'Bourne' series producer Frank Marshall said, his "dream" is to have a Bourne film that stars both Renner and Damon.

That may be easier said than done considering the past friction between Damon and Gilroy, not to mention the fact Damon's gone on record several times saying he'll only make another 'Bourne' film with director Paul Greengrass. But if 'Legacy' is a hit, and Gilroy then owns the keys to the franchise, how does Damon step back in? And why would Gilroy step aside, take momentum away from his own new trilogy, just so Damon and Greengrass can tell their own story? Complicated stuff to say the least. One thing's for sure, if 'Legacy' is a hit and Damon wants to return (something Universal would be over the moon about), there's going to have to be a serious come to Jesus moment by a lot of parties involved. 

Nigerian Musical 'Inale' To Make South Africa Big-Screen Debut (Starring Caroline Chikezie, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Ini Edo)

Nigerian Director Jeta Amata's musical Inale has been screening around the world since 2010, but it's only just now making its way to Johannesburg, South Africa for a special screening on July 26. The film will be screened at Jo-Burg's STER-KINEKOR Cinemas; first for an exclusive audience on July 26, and then opening for general audiences on July 27. Inale features a very impressive cast, including Caroline Chikezie (Footballers Wives, Torchwood), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (24, Last Flight To Abuja), and Nollywood superstar Ini Edo.

Here's all you need to know about Inale, from the film's website:

The story of Inale is a folklore told in Otukpo, Benue state. Inale is a tale about true love, betrayal, family, duty and tradition; the first Nigerian musical ever on the silver screen.

Shot in Los Angeles, CA, USA and in the fruitful lands of Benue state, it centres on the life of the Princess of Otukpo, Inale (Caroline Chikezie) the “treasure” of the land, who found happiness and true love in the heart of Ode (Hakeem Kae Kasim).

The film starts with a grandfather telling his granddaughter a tale he had heard from his many journeys to the great land of Nigeria, which would serve as her lullaby for the night. The story starts with Inale and Ode’s admission of love for each other and how tomorrow will be the first of many of their lives together after he wins the wrestling competition.

Tradition states all eligible men of the village can display their strength, stealth, wisdom and compete for the hand of the princess. King Oche (Dede Mabiaku) was just and showed his people that any man can state their own destiny if he just tried. Whoever wins the competition will win the hand of not only the kingdom but the heart and hand of the princess, which was the best price of all… Ode is determined to win.

Ode conquers all competitors of all shapes and sizes, and as he is about to claim his victory and the heart of his true love, the short lived merriment was obstructed by a masked stranger asking for a chance to compete against the about to be named hero.

Unknown to all, the stranger’s intrusion will set in motion events that Inale nor anyone in the land of Otukpo would have ever contemplated or foreseen. With her love for Ode and her kingdom put to the test Inale’s adventure begins…

Lousika, Epitome of finesse

Lousika, Epitome of finesse. | OMG! Ghana

Lousika, The epitome of finesse.

One look at Lousika and it’s not hard to tell that she was born for the limelight. With her 5 foot 8, curvy body and light skin, you will most likely put her in the video vixen/model category than in the rapper/singer category but this strong lady never plays the secondary role. Born Christelle Akua Sika Amankona to Adwoa Amankwatia and Kofi Obeng Amankona , she adopted the moniker Lousika – which is a fusion of Lou (the French word for wolf) and Sika her middle name – to represent her french/Ghanaian backgrounds as well as the wolf’s protective nature and her love for all the finer things in life.

EARLY LIFE

Lousika was born in La Garennes Colombes, Paris on 24^th March, 1993. Since her parents are of Ghanaian ancestry (her dad hails from Brong-Ahafo and her mom from Manso-Nkwanta in the Ashanti Region) they moved her to Kumasi when she was very young so she could have a feel of her roots. She has however spent most of her life in Paris with her mom and dad. After her parents separated in 2001, she dropped out of high school and run away from home to experience life on her own because she couldn’t deal with the stress that came with the separation.

MUSIC CAREER

On the streets she had to fend for herself so she took a job as a barmaid at a nightclub. She got recruited into the street team of ASPROD; an event organising company, and started distributing flyers for them. While working for ASPROD, she took advantage of their industry contacts and recorded 6 songs, one of them ‘Stop Hating’ which was in French and Twi garnered her buzz among the Ghanaian community in Paris. She moved to Toulouse to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Paris streets where she met Mike Santino, an industry big wig who introduced her to La Fouine and The Game leading to a cameo in their videos. After a while, she moved back to Paris and started MCing at nightclubs. She metFrench rapper Greene Money one night at a club and did a freestyle which impressed him. Greene Money invited her to feature on his mixtape ‘Vol.3 – Greenologie’ and after hearing her song ‘Stop Hating’ offered to shoot a video for her and get her a deal with Rolls Royce Music – an indie label in Miami – the deal couldn’t materialise however because she had to come to Ghana on a family emergency in April 2011. In Ghana she hooked up with Lloyd ‘Peewee’ Baffour, a founding member of The Cue who she knew through a mutual friend in Paris. She has become a member of The Cue family ever since and has been making music with them.

MUSICAL STYLE AND IMAGE

Heavily influenced by artists like Missy Elliot, Beyonce, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Michael Jackson and Chris Brown, she does a blend of Hip-hop, RnB, Zouk and Afro-Pop music. She raps and sings in four languages (French, Twi, English and Spanish), dances very well and expresses herself through her music. She uses music as tool for motivation and empowerment of women. Her songs are mostly about love, partying, enjoying the finer things in life and being comfortable in your own skin without letting hatred from other people bring you down. She aims at making African woman more comfortable being sexy, confident and content with their bodies.

With the support of The Cue and her family, she is targeting the Ghanaian entertainment scene and eventually Africa and the rest of the world as well. She plans to go back to school to get her bachelors in Business and Commerce, and also chase a career in theater which happens to be her second passion.

Read more: http://omgghana.com/lousika-an-epitome-of-finesse/#ixzz20luOEChA

International Film Festival Rotterdam 2013 - IFFR

Project Entry - International Film Festival Rotterdam 2013 - IFFR

HOW DOES IT WORK?

STEP 1: Please first read the regulations below.
STEP 2: Fill out the CineMart online entry form via MyIFFR.

Entry deadline CineMart 2012: 1 September 2012. The entry form is now availablevia MyIFFR.

Selection Criteria:

• The main criteria for selection are the viability and quality of the plans and the demonstrable talent of the directors and/or producers.
• The projects have to be new or recent and not have explored all possible avenues of financing.
• A project should not have been presented at any other market or festival, except when linked to one of CineMart's partnering organisations.
• Applications should be in English.

The CineMart is open for film projects:

• That are feature films with theatrical potential (minimum length of 60 minutes)
• From all parts of the world
• In all stages of pre-production, from script development untill production.
• For which a complete screenplay will be available during CineMart
• Which are new or recent and have not yet made the round of all financiers and other festivals & markets
• For which there is a potential international market
• With artistic and other special qualities by demonstrable talented film makers
• Which have a producer and a director attached, preferably producers or directors who are deemed capable of getting films off the ground

Specific Conditions:

• There is no entry fee for applications
• None of the submitted materials can be returned to the sender
• Once a project has been selected, at least one representative should be present during the 4 days of the market
• CineMart requires a line or the CineMart logo to be taken up in the credits of the film once finalised. The following sentence should be mentioned in the credit list: "[film title] has been presented at the CineMart of the International Film Festival Rotterdam". The CineMart logo can be sent upon request.

How to apply / entry submission deadline:

The deadline for CineMart 2013 is 1 September 2012.

In order to make a sound selection, the CineMart expects applicants to provide:

For projects in development/(pre-)production:

• Synopsis (1-2 pages) in English
• Treatment (8-10 pages) in English, NB: full scripts are not accepted as replacement of the treatment
• Statement of the director on the project
• Biography/filmography of the director
• Biography/filmography of the producer
• Company profile(s)
• Budget outline
• Finance plan
• (Pre-)production schedule
• Previous work of the director on DVD (2 copies) or available online (Vimeo/Youtube)

For Crossover & Transmedia Projects:

• Synopsis (1-2 pages) in English
• Project outline (8-10 pages) in English
• Statement of the director on the project
• Biography/filmography of the director
• Biography/filmography of the producer
• Company profile(s)
• Budget outline
• Finance plan
• (Pre-)production schedule
• Previous work of the director on DVD (2 copies) or available online (Vimeo/Youtube)

Applications should include all the above requested documents. Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration for selection.

The chance of making successful contacts during CineMart in case of selection is increased by a clear presentation of the project and the concrete description of the participation sought.

STEP 2: The CineMart Online Entry Form (via MyIFFR) 
Please follow the steps of the application procedure. You will be able to upload your project dossier (preferably a single PDF file) and it is possible to include the URL of previous work available online.

Project Entry (no hard copy is required)
After filling out the online entry form, please send all additional information tocinemart@filmfestivalrotterdam.com or to:

By normal (air)mail: International Film Festival Rotterdam
Attn. CineMart
P.O. Box 21696
3001 AR Rotterdam
The Netherlands

By express courier: Please mention 'Without commercial value, for cultural purposes only' and mark 'No value', or not more than '10 US$'.

International Film Festival Rotterdam
Attn. CineMart
Karel Doormanstraat 278 B
3012 GP Rotterdam
The Netherlands

For more detailed information, please contact: International Film Festival Rotterdam
Attn. CineMart: Marit van den Elshout, Jacobine van der Vloed
Phone: +31 10 8909090
Fax: +31 10 8909091
E-mail: cinemart@filmfestivalrotterdam.com

Dear Filmmakers With Short Films (Old And New), We Want To See Them... | Shadow and Act

Dear Filmmakers With Short Films (Old And New), We Want To See Them... | Shadow and Act

Just a quickie request of you filmmakers reading this site...

I know many of you have short films on your resumes - whether made this year, last year, or 5, 10, 20, 30 years ago. If you're not in any way monetizing them, and they're just sitting on some hard drive somewhere, or in a DVD stack on a shelf in your home - essentially, if you're not doing anything further with them, why not put them online so that we can share them here on S&A? Especially if you're proud of the work. 

I love that some of you are already doing that, as we continue to share short films here with our Short Shoutsfeature. There could be a treasure trove of work made in the last several decades that very few of us have actually seen, and need to see. Yes, NEED to see; so let's see the films! What do you have to lose?

You could even fit this under the Notes On Creating A Fanboy/Girl Culture In Black Cinema series.

Unless I'm just missing something...

Harvey Weinstein Talks 'Intouchables' Remake; Leaning Towards Casting Latino In Omar Sy's Role | Shadow and Act

Harvey Weinstein Talks 'Intouchables' Remake; Leaning Towards Casting Latino In Omar Sy's Role | Shadow and Act

I gotta say that despite everything I hear and read about Harvey Weinstein, and my own first (and only) time meeting him in person several years ago, I almost always enjoy listening to him in conversation - specifically in interviews.

He's so much a fanboy, and his love, passion (and knowledge) of cinema is infectious and endearing.

But that's not what this post is about :)

In the below interview with Elvis Mitchell, they talk film (what else), specifically The Intouchables, which is The Weinstein Company's latest international hit - the multiple award-winning feel good French blockbuster that stars our man Omar Sy. 

During the conversation, the remake of the film that Harvey is already developing, came up, and Mitchell asked what the approach would be with regards to Omar Sy's character (who's Senegalese), versus the real life man he played in the film, who is Algerian, and the conversation delves into matters of immigration as experienced in France, compared to the USA, and how all that will factor into the USA remake.

Here's that segment of their conversation:

HARVEY: "Originally, the intention was to have a black actor do it, but you talk about immigration, and the whole Latino thing that's happening right now, it's opened up our eyes, and obviously there's an explosion of thought."

He then goes on to talk about the unreliability of the Republicans on the immigration issue here in the USA, before Elvis jumps back in with this:

ELVIS: "In that way it could be a political film... the president decided to grant special status to people who live in this country... it felt like it could be a way into the story that you never thought about."

And Harvey agrees with Mitchell on that, further talking about what he felt was a misunderstanding we here in the USA have had about the French film, essentially that we don't get it, and we're looking at it through American eyes, if you will, and losing the message of the film in the process - one that's been embraced not only in France, but all over the world.

If you read our interview with Omar Cy (HERE) along with interviews we've posted with the filmmakers of The Intouchables, I think you'll see a similar kind of response. On one hand I actually sympathize with people like Omar Sy who make films in their native countries (France in this case), the films travel (to the USA notably) and the actors are hit with an unexpected range of questions about race, and representation, history, identity, etc, that they didn't have to address in their home countries, where there's maybe a different understanding altogether. But that's a post for another time that I'm actually pondering and plan to put together with some help.

A lot to consider in all this, and a closer look is warranted, but let's see how Harvey runs with this remake; as noted in previous posts, the real-life story the film is based on, the character played by Omar Sy, Abdel Sellou, is Algerian in real life. But they went with the Senegalese Sy. And there was question of whether the actor chosen to play the role in the American remake may not be African American/African.

Omar Sy himself said that the Stateside equivalent of the relationship between the countries that two men in the original film/real life are from, would be akin to the relationship between the USA and Mexico; so the character he plays in the original film should really be played by a Mexican actor in the Hollywood/Weinstein Company remake - if they wanted to be 100% authentic as Omar Sy described.

So leaning towards casting a Latino actor instead of an African American actor as previously believed, shouldn't be all that difficult to understand.

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the ongoing debate about the term "Latino," and its convenient (some would say lazy) use (often interchangeably with "Hispanic") as an umbrella label to describe all Spanish-speaking people in America, even though no Latino state exists, as there are many different national identities (as well as shades of skin color and heritage) that exist under that umbrella term.

There are after all *Black Latinos.*

But that's also another discussion for another post.

It was reported about a month ago, that Jamie Foxx, Chris Rock and Idris Elba were all on the short list of actors to play the lead role in director Paul Feig's remake. None of that was confirmed by Harvey, however. So we can't say with certainty which way he's leaning, and if those actors mentioned really are/were in the running. 

He did say in the interview that they originally planned to cast an black (African American) actor, and have since considered NOT doing so, therefore, maybe Foxx, Rock and Elba were indeed in the running. 

And what if Idris Elba, who's British, was cast in the role? How does that alter the story's immigration theme?

Let's wait and see how this all shakes out. But at least, now you know, so when the cast is finally announced, you shouldn't be surprised by whichever way they go with the part. 

Watch Now: 3-Part BBC Documentary 'Racism: A History' Narrated By Sophie Okonedo | Shadow and Act

Watch Now: 3-Part BBC Documentary 'Racism: A History' Narrated By Sophie Okonedo | Shadow and Act

Some "light" viewing, if you happen to be at home this weekend, and need something to watch, and have about 3 hours to kill :)

Titled Racism: A History, the 2007 BBC 3-part documentary explores the impact of racism on a global scale. It was part of the season of programs on the BBC marking the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the British Empire.

It's divided into 3 parts.

The first, The Colour of Money...

Begins the series by assessing the implications of the relationship between Europe, Africa and the Americas in the 15th century. It considers how racist ideas and practices developed in key religious and secular institutions, and how they showed up in writings by European philosophers Aristotle and Immanuel Kant.

The second, Fatal Impact...

Examines the idea of scientific racism, an ideology invented during the 19th century that drew on now discredited practices such as phrenology and provided an ideological justification for racism and slavery. The episode shows how these theories ultimately led to eugenics and Nazi racial policies of the master race.

And the 3rd, A Savage Legacy...

Examines the impact of racism in the 20th century. By 1900 European colonial expansion had reached deep into the heart of Africa. Under the rule of King Leopold II, the Belgian Congo was turned into a vast rubber plantation. Men, women and children who failed to gather their latex quotas would have their limbs dismembered. The country became the scene of one of the century's greatest racial genocides, as an estimated 10 million Africans perished under colonial rule.

It's definitely worth while, even if you think you know everything there is to know about slavery; I especially like it's global perspective.

By the way, Sophie Okonedo narrates.

Our Man of Steel, Henry Cavill, at San Diego Comic-Con.

‎"It's a dream come true and an honor to be here." - Henry Cavill on hisMan of Steel role and his visit to San Diego Comic-Con.

A tale of two bombs, John Carter and Green Lantern | Too Short To Be A Storm Trooper

A tale of two bombs, John Carter and Green Lantern | Too Short To Be A Storm Trooper

I semi recently watched both Green Lantern and John arter and was struck by the difference in the two films despite the commonality of both being box office disappointments (and also both featuring legendary villain performer Mark Strong whomSujoy recently had an encounter with on the Tube).

It wasn’t my first time watching Green Lantern but I managed to pick it up cheap on blu-ray and wanted to see if it were truly as bad as I had thought originally or if watching it again I might find some fun in it.  I’d also started reading and enjoying the new Green Lantern books so I was also feeling warm towards the character, maybe even more forgiving.

This time I also dragged Tracey in front of the television.

Seriously, if our marriage can survive that then we’re pretty rock solid because yeah it was as bad as I remembered it and no amount of new found love for the character was going to help.  That being said I did like both Sinestro and Kilowog for their somewhat limited appearances.  Ironically Mark Strong isn’t actually a baddie at this point but of course we all know he’ll become one, just like Sean Bean he’s a bit of a walking spoiler.

I don’t even know if I can put my finger on the problem with the film.  The constructs are all a bit stupid and the script is really weak. I can see what they’re going for but it just doesn’t happen. It actually became a game of how I would have shot that scene better.  The explosion scene wehere his dad dies for example, rather than showing the explosion I would have focused on the young Hal and showed the reflection of the explosion in his eyes.  It’s just all a bit uninspired and doesn’t make me want to see any more.

Of course this wasn’t supposed to happen, this should have been a massive hit because Marvel are kicking goals left right and center so there was a discussion around whether or not Warner Bros would cut their losses or invest more into a sequel in order to keep the character going especially as it’s one of the A characters of the DC universe.

Problem is that this film doesn’t deserve a sequel, they should focus on their other characters such as Aquaman, Flash and Wonder Woman.  Let Green Lantern gather a bit of dust before relaunching Incredible Hulk style in five or so years.

Now the other film John Carter I had not seen and now I really wish I had at the cinema because whilst it was a commercial failure at the box office it is a really fantastic and fun film.  Sure I may be biased because in part it is Tim Riggins goes to Mars (anyone who hasn’t seen the series Friday Night Lights needs to get on to that) but everyone I talk to who has also seen it echoes my sentiments.  Even Tracey liked it and it has to be generally entertaining for her to enjoy a science fiction film (she’s a good yard stick when I’m letting fanboy’ism take over). The film is family friendly, the cast is likeable, there’s a strong female character and the special effects are just enough on the right side of space opera that whilst no Avatar I still thought it all looked a bit cool.

I’ve started reading the books too and the differences haven’t really irked me like die hard novel fans might be. One of the reasons why I started the books is that I want to know what happens after this film. The awful reality is that whilst Warner Bros are contemplating bringing out a sequel for Green Lantern, Disney are taking a sequel off the table for John Carter.

It’s a huge shame because I would love to see the story continued and it was only a combination of timing and bad advertising that Carter wasn’t successful. It deserved to be watched and as a whole franchise a sequel could save it.  The problem is that it’s a gamble and we’re talking a lot of money.  The same thing happened with Serenity, great reviews, wonderful film not enough cash to guarantee a sequel thus no gamble made.

Green Lantern gets itself a 

John Carter earns itself a 

So do these films deserve sequels?  Would you rather they cut their losses and try out other properties? Let me know in the comments!