MEETINGS WITH HEADS OF MOVIE PRODUCTION COMPANIES

I'm back.

Where to begin...?

I meant to blog while meeting with producers, managers, etc. in LA from July 12-15, 2006, but I've been busy.

The long and the short of it was: I met. I saw. I learned.
LA's also still expensive and has lots of traffic--except on Sundays.
And I didn't notice till the first day how many songs there are with the word "California" in it when I played my rental car radio.

July 11.
I checked into my room at the Orchid Suites in Hollywood and saw my cousin who works as an events planner at Universal Studios. We caught up and she generously offered to contact an assistant she knows--sort of--at Focus Features Productions, which is co-headed by James Schmaus, who co-wrote and produced "Crouching Tiger." He also collaborates with Ang Lee. Hope he likes my Chinese Joan of Arc script.

I plan on pitching it to Focus Features after I get some distance from my script and then rewrite/revise it for the Chesterfield, Scriptapalooza, Austin, and Nichols contests next year.

July 12.
I met the people in my ScriptForSale group for the first time. They were OK. A whole mix of personalities and talent. We then met with independent producers, managers, etc. Very interesting. Lots of good stuff. They work with lower budgets and want good stories, but not necessarily high-priced A-list talent. Meetings went from 10 A - 5:30 P. Whew!

On my own, I went to L'Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills to meet with an entertainment attorney from a top talent firm. She'd contacted me on the same day the UCLA professional programs office put out a
press release in the Hollywood Reporter about the UCLA contest winners this year.

Following mapquest (ugh) I got lost a few times on the side streets, but got directions here and there and still showed up 20 minutes early for my 7:30 P appointment. I asked a few women if they were the attorney, but no dice. I had some nice conversations, though.

At 7:40 P, I called the attorney on her cell. She said she saw me then and we started talking.

Very personable.

I'd say it was a promising start and I look forward to working with her. Just have to find a manager/agent to help submit stuff.

July 13.
My ScriptForSale group and I went to Sony, where we got the big studio perspective. Big budgets, franchise movies, and big name talent and directors. If one has a period (that is, historical) or SF/Fantasy story, the odds're uphill, but ya gotta find the producer who's into that kind of genre. It'll just take longer, but it'll be worth it. James Schmaus is at the top of my list for my Chinese Joan of Arc script.

Going on 50 minutes of sleep on July 11 caught up with me. I kinda crashed midway through the meetings. I stayed awake just enough and the Sony people didn't notice. :-)

The marathon lasted from 10 A - 5 P. We were invited to watch the screening of an indie film, forgot title. I bowed out. A few later said they liked it, but more said they didn't. I didn't miss out on anything, I'd say.

July 14.
I went to another round of meetings with my associates. We saw more indies and heard more of the same.

July 15.
My final round of meetings.

My group went to the Burbank Hilton. There we attended a nice lil' memorabilia show where we chatted with actors who worked in old and recent TV shows and films. The meetings with the guests were great, too. We got the low down on the writing and directing side this time around. I also met a script consultant/agent broker. Very personable. I think I'll like working with her.

I learned from some "V" actors that the series could be coming back in the next year or so. The lizards are as bad as ever--and hungry for human munchies. And there may be other aliens who aren't too fond of 'em or us.

And I had a nice chat with Ray "Darth Maul" Parks. He shared some bits about his wushu training and what it was like on the Star Wars and X-Men sets. He says he has some upcoming projects that I'll look forward to seeing. When I told him about my Chinese Joan of Arc script, he said I should try Quentin Tarantino's production company also. Doh! I should've known since he released "Hero" in the US a few years back.

I also got 4 signed pictures from Ray and one from Marc Singer of "Mike Donovan" fame on "V" (plus another for free which Marc signed, but didn't like). All nice shots.

After our event ended at 4:30 P, the ScriptForSale group scattered to the winds. I'd followed some people to the Burbank Hilton hotel, but they didn't wait for me to follow 'em back.

Nichevo. Or c'est le vie.

I made my way to Universal Studios, where I met with my awesome cousin. She got me into the press junket for the upcoming "Miami Vice" flick. Saw where the reporters got some snacks and where Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell, and Gong Li were being interviewed. Gong Li's English has an interesting accent.

I also saw a bit of Wisteria Lane, the crashed 747 from "War of the Worlds," and other sets that showed up in umpteen some films and TV shows.

July 16.
Went home and am getting back into the groove--till I meet with TV execs and attend the Emmys in August.

Must take care of some fiction now.

FLICK REVIEW-- PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2: DEAD MAN’S CHEST

Avast, mateys!

Here be the swashbuckling sequel to that seaworthy treasure “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.”

‘Tis a long-winded tale with a plot a mite complex this be, but loaded with twists and merriment and a final hour that will blow ye down. So gather a ration of hardtack and a bottle of rum — or a hotdog and soda, if that be yer choice — and drop anchor with “Dead Man’s Chest.”

Swaying about in a constant state of bewilderment, three sheets into the wind, Johnny Depp’s second turn as our favorite, mascara-wearing prancing pirate is the prize of the seven seas — equal if not superior to the performance that won him an Oscar nomination in the first film. The thrill of discovering Jack Sparrow the first time around is gone, but it's still a joy watching him play this narcissistic, word-slurring anti-hero. Just seeing Depp run — and Capt. Jack runs a lot in this movie — is to behold a live Loony Tune chracter.

When we last saw our beloved sea dogs, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) had battled cursed skeletal pirates to retake his beloved ship, the Black Pearl, and his unwilling mates in piracy Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) were on their way to the altar. But before the happy couple can say, "I do," they're arrested by newly appointed Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) of the evil East India Trading Company for helping Jack escape the hangman's noose. To barter for their freedom, they must find Jack and retrieve his compass that doesn’t point north. But the good Captain has problems of his own. Thirteen—Thirty—whichever—years ago, in exchange for his captaincy of the Pearl, Jack offered his soul to Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), the undead, half-octopus captain who controls the sea depths and his damned, barnacle-covered crew from his ghostly ship The Flying Dutchman. Unfortunately for Jack, Jones has come to collect.

Davy Jones and his crew are fantastic, flawless creations — you can't take your eyes off them. John Knoll's Industrial Light & Magic visual effects team have gone above and beyond the call here, creating a band of characters that impeccably serve the story without needlessly calling attention to themselves.

There's a Hammerhead Shark Man, a Hermit Crab Head ... Although they're almost entirely computer creations, they feel as real as the flesh-and-blood humans.
More real, in fact. If Depp was the Oscar nomination waiting to happen for "Black Pearl," it's Nighy's turn for "Dead Man's Chest." Here, even though everything about the squid-faced Jones, even the eyes, are artificial, Nighy's performance comes through loud and clear, full of magnificent menace, a villain for the ages.

Disney put back together the filmmaking team (Elliott and Rossio, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Gore Verbinski) and set off on to film Pirates 2 and 3 (titled At World's End, and scheduled for release next summer) back-to-back. Unfortunately, it seems Elliott and Rossio, felt bigger meant better. That's not to say “Dead Man's Chest” isn't good. It's just not as good as the first “Pirates” film, but it could have been.

"Dead Man's Chest" seems to believe that there needs to be more of everything to work. We’re given two of everything — villains, self-sacrificing fathers, love triangles — when one would have been plenty. I'll sail with Captain Jack any day, and the writers have crafted a fine story with Davy Jones and his famous chest that will keep you guessing and interested, but there are too many action scenes that go on a few beats too long. Jack's lengthy rescue from gibberish-speaking cannibals is a Disney cartoon adventure come to life, but does nothing to move the film ahead that couldn't have been done an easier (and shorter) way.

Still, one mustn’t miss a three-way sword duel between Jack, Will, and Norrington (Jack Davenport) atop a runaway mill wheel.

Lucky for us, Verbinski always finds a lighthearted moment or joke to keep the audience interested, which saves “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” from getting lost in a sea of confusing plot twists and average dialogue. Plus, you get a great set up for the next “Pirates” movie.

Miss Swann, who was so fresh and rebellious the first time around, seems more like an anchor in this film. Jack is being chased by Davey Jones and his pet sea monster, the kracken, while Will reunites with his dead father, Bootstrap Bill (Stellan Skarsgård). The writers give such attention to these two stories (as well they should) that Elizabeth's mini-adventure to join their company seems pointless in comparison. She sheds the frills and finery of home for the smelly rags of a pirate, and looks prettier than a school of mermaids in doing so. And she’s learned to swing a sharp sword. But once she meets up with the rest, her intentions are cloudy and she starts showing sudden feelings for Jack (the second triangle here). She’s not the bonnie lass we thought she was.

While action and effects are plentiful, it’s the characters who drive this nautical tale. Will continues the exploration of his inner pirate and whether that's such a bad thing, and Captain Jack keeps the other characters and the audience entertained and unaware of his intentions until the very end. All the eccentric side characters from the first go-round are back as well, and Elliott and Rossio keep the jokes flying as fast as the swords and cannon shots. The film ends on such a surprising one-two punch that it may take you a full hour to realize that neither shock made much sense -- a perfect summation of “Pirates of the Caribbean 2” and its charm.

Though the script sometimes gives us too much of a good thing, when the scenes cook they’re the essence of summer moviemaking. They shiver your timbers and make you feel like a kid eager to keep a weather eye on the horizon as you wait in line for the next “Pirates” voyage. See you “At World's End.”

WEEKLY STORY UPDATE

I put on a spurt because I know I'll be busy in the next few days and I've typed up my whole 1st draft of my latest Trek short story now. It's at 5854 words and 44 pages. Woohoo!

I expect I'll fine tune it some, but this sucker's done.

Then I'll see if I can cook up another story for this year's Strange New Worlds contest.

T-minus 2 days to LA now. This should be interesting.

Weekly Update

I'm up to page 33 or 4,395 words in my latest Trek short story now. The end is in sight. Only 1/3 left of my handwritten draft to type up. I'm loving this story.

I've also been told by the UCLA Professional Programs office that a second press release for the contest results will come out in this week's edition of Variety Entertainment magazine, which is... today.

Woohoo!

I've also had another manager call me up, asking to read my Chinese Joan of Arc script. Bene as an Italiano would say.

And it's T-minus 4 days to my trip to LA with 20 or so film producers and studio execs. Things're looking busy.

I'm also planning on watching "Pirates of the Carribbean II: Dead Man's Chest," though the buzz is it's not as good or fresh as the original. :-(

Nichevo.

Later.

"Superman Returns" Review

After having viewed a 10 P showing on Tuesday night before the wide release, I come away with mixed feelings.

“Superman Returns” is heads and shoulders better than the average Hollywood summer movie, but it suffers from a variety of problems, some of which aren’t even its fault (like the high expectations that’ve been placed on it). Singer’s over-reliance on the Christopher Reeve films is nice at first, but eventually it gets a bit grating. Snippets of dialogue and entire scenes seem lifted from Richard Donner’s “Superman: The Movie.” It’s been almost 30 years since that film was released. Why not start completely from scratch with a new incarnation of our hero?

As the title indicates, "Superman Returns" isn’t a true franchise reboot like "Batman Begins," but instead, a very late sequel that builds on the events of "Superman" (1978) and Richard Lester's "Superman II" (1980). (Thankfully, "Superman III" and "Superman IV" are ignored.) This visual and emotional continuity is what's right and wrong with "Returns" IMHO.

One of the things that made last summer’s “Batman Begins” so interesting was the way in which it answered origin questions big and small, but also used these details to drive the story forward in a fresh and organic way. “Superman Returns,” by contrast, has little of this type of innovation going for it.

Screenwriters Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris — working from a story devised with Singer, their boss on X-Men 2 — have at the center of their movie a suitably thorny interpersonal hurdle in the form of Lois’ romantic entanglement and son, but the eventuality of this strand is fairly obvious from its introduction, and not just because Richard, says to Clark upon first meeting him, “No matter how close I get to her, that woman is always a mystery to me.” Trading in the same sort of elegance and high-stakes emotionalism that made his work on the X-Men franchise so enthralling, everything here seems stretched like taffy. When a big interpersonal reveal comes, we’re still more than an hour away from the finish line; when disaster for Metropolis is averted, 50 minutes; when Superman plummets to the ground in a moment of sacrificial grace and glory, 20 minutes.

The film, too, is hamstrung by a few inconsistencies, whether it’s Clark seeing Lois off in a cab, immediately donning his Superman get-up and arriving at her home after her commute, or Lois taking Jason with her when she decides to snoop around Lex’s hideout, a massive boat. Brass tacks: the film feels less essential than either of the first two Spider-Man and X-Men films, and even Batman Begins. For all its flash, Superman Returns is way too long at 156 minutes— particularly its first hour, which could stand to be trimmed almost totally.

Instead of starting off “Superman Returns” with the Man of Steel (Brandon Routh) crashing back on his mother’s farm (“Hi, Mom. I’m home”), we have to wait awhile. Not exactly an iconic entrance.

Set after a five-year absence, during which he’s traveled to the destroyed remains of his home planet of Krypton, Superman returns to Earth. Returning to work in Metropolis as clumsy and bespectacled Clark Kent, where it seems only cub photographer Jimmy Olsen (Sam Huntington) has really noticed Clark’s absence. Superman is shocked to discover "fearless reporter Lois Lane is now a mommy," according to Jimmy. Not only does Lois have an asthmatic and "fragile" young son (Tristan Leabu) and a handsome fiance (James Marsden, who plays Cyclops in the "X-Men" movies), but she's also the recent winner of the Pulitzer Prize for her essay, "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman."

In other words, Lois is suffering a crisis of faith, although her desire to believe is signaled by the fact that her boyfriend is a pilot -- another guy who can fly. (And while Lois may have earned journalism's highest honor, the first time we see her on the job, she asks a colleague: "How many f's are there in 'catastrophe'?")

On Lois’ home front, Jason believes Richard is his father. Richard believes Jason is his son. Lois has not married Richard because she is still in love with Superman. Has she deceived the worshipful Richard? I felt sorry for Richard.

What parents do not know their son? Lois and Richard take Jason to work with them. They are a close family, but they have never noticed that Jason is “different.”

When Superman returns to action in a lengthy and exciting space shuttle rescue, Daily Planet editor Perry White (Frank Langella) seems more excited than Lois. "Three things sell newspapers: tragedy, sex and Superman," he barks, ordering his reporters to find out if the mystery hero still stands for "truth, justice -- all that stuff." Note that "the American way" -- a phrase added to the Cold War-era Superman TV show but absent from Superman's earlier radio and cartoon adventures -- is left out: As TV news reports show us, this Superman is a savior-citizen of the world, which apparently doesn't worry Luthor. "Bring it on!"

Like Donner, Singer is adept at action (the highlight is a robbery with a "Wow!" moment in which a bullet flattens against Superman's cornea) but he excels at quiet. "Superman Returns" allows Superman and Lois another romantic flight together; more effective and inspired is a scene in which the lonely superbeing uses his X-ray vision to spy on Lois' seemingly happy domestic life -- a sequence that vividly literalizes the hero's outside-looking-in status.
Unfortunately, Singer, like Donner, falters in his depiction of the villains. Gene Hackman's Luthor at least seemed somewhat lecherous, which justified the presence of Miss Teschmacher (Valerie Perrine) in two films; but Spacey's female foil, Kitty Kowalski (Parker Posey), seems to serve little purpose, sexual or otherwise. Here especially, Singer's fidelity to Donner rather than to DC Comics is a mistake in my view. The comic books have seventy years of great frights and menaces, but the Singer team didn't seem to look beyond 1979 and the cinematic precedent of a toupeed and real-estate-obsessed Luthor in its search for an evildoer. You'd think a budget of $200 million could have paid for a few back issues. Dark Seid is one baddie who’d give Superman all kinds of problems.

Bosworth as Lois Lane comes across to me as too far young and over her head, and has none of the edge or aplomb of Margot Kidder’s depiction of the character.

One key star does return from the Donner film, in recycled footage: the late Marlon Brando, who again appears as Superman's Kryptonian father, Jor-El, resurrected at the Fortress of Solitude in a crystal-powered projection. "Even though you've been raised as a human being, you're not one of them," Jor-El reminds his son. "They can be a great people ... they only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all ... I have sent them you ... my only son." In case the parallels are too obscure, Singer depicts the exhausted Superman falling from orbit with his arms outspread, like a man on a cross. The religious references become redundant and distracting, and we wonder if Singer is trying to justify his serious approach to the squarest and most wholesome of superheroes.

Superman may lack the edgy, misfit cool of the X-Men, the neurotic humor of Spider-Man and the spookiness of Batman, but his uncertainty regarding Lois Lane in the new film makes him easy to identify with, despite his near-invulnerability. His cloudy frame of mind is matched by the relative darkness of the movie's handsome cinematography and even by the tone of Superman's slightly redesigned uniform: The red of his cape is now wine-dark instead of cartoon-bright, and I'd like to see it flapping through the breeze again, in a more original context.

Brandon Routh is great as Superman, though, but perhaps even more so he is amazing as Clark Kent, providing healthy doses of geekiness undercut with sadness that works very well. His Superman is as close to the mark as you can get, rivaling only Reeve’s portrayal of the character. The film’s willingness to diverge from canon – in a big way – is, well, super, and in some ways I’m surprised the studio let Singer do what he does here. And the subtext of the film, the Supes-as-savior theme, approaches real art at times, with imagery that truly, finally reflects what Superman can and should be capable of.

In the end, Superman Returns’ success relates somewhat to one’s level of expectation. Measured against the relatively high bars of other recent superhero fare, it feels uncomfortably familiar. For those looking for a slice of high-flying entertainment, however, it sure pays off.