Last Evening Television

So many of us now have better image and audio in our homes than what you can experience in a theatre. This has pushed the envelope for better set & sound design as well as image quality. Clearly each of us has our own opinion on what we find interesting or entertaining.

Lets review last nights Oscars. What did you like about the show?

Did the issues about diversity get addressed, or is this an attempt by the pampered elite to stay culturally relevant? How do they make sure the right films or people get recognized based on a proportional contribution?

How do you think Chris Rock did in hosting the Oscars? Did he also fall into the stereotype of racial slur?

Highest paid actors of 2105.

What did you think about the environmental message Leonardo DiCaprio gave in his acceptance speech?

Actor Mark Ruffalo has declared certain questions off limits to the media, regarding the sincerity of the actors who advocate a low carbon footprint. Ruffalo was asked in a one-on-one interview with Climate Depot if celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, who boasts that he will fly around the world to fight global warming and former VP Al Gore, are the best spokesmen for global warming, given their huge carbon footprints.

Last nights Oscars amassed a 15-block-radius of limos; “.. chauffers are captains of a sleek, passing fleet of more than 1,200 cars and SUVs that will navigate police perimeters, barricades, bomb squads, helicopter searchlights, hundreds, maybe thousands of fans and probably a few stalkers lingering beyond the paparazzi flash.”

Many attendees were moved by Lady Gagas song from Spotlight. After her musical presentation, many former victims stood hand in hand with the entertainers, but in light of all the revelations about actors, producers, directors and agents who have been accused of numerous sexual abuse crimes, do you think this was another of Hollywood’s attempt to be perceived on the right side of this issue?

High profile Hollywood power players accused of being paedophiles, include Bryan Singer.

Stephen Collins’ Wife Calls Him a ‘Pedophile’.

Molestation Scandal: Hollywood’s Child Sex Abuse Coverup.

Bill Cosby’s accusers tell their stories.

In a recent (2016) movie role, “Dirty Grandpa“, Robert De Niro plays a lecherous former Army Lieutenant-Colonel, a despicable grandfather, for comedic effect. Quite a different message than that of the Academy award winner, Spotlight.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

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I Am Not What Happened to Me. I Am What I Choose to Become ~ Carl Jung

 

 

Why do comic book and fantasy films dominate?

Why are comic book and fantasy films so predominate today?

Everywhere you look there’s a new article or movie about some imaginary being or comic book character filling the screen and our imagination. Is there no room left in our collective psyche for drama, mystery or suspense?

Spiderman, Superman, Batman, the Avengers, Iron Man, Hulk, Fantastic Four, Green Lantern, Wolverine, X-Men, Hellboy, Zombies, Vampires, Wizards and the list goes on…

1932 film poster

It’s as if we have a collective writers block going on simultaneously combined with a Nerd & Geeks eclipse. Surely there have to be more than one or two token movies of realism other than Captain Phillips? Oh, there were others? I can’t recall their names.

I have to wonder if all of this entertainment genre is going to suddenly disappear like the old monster movies? What do you think?

Related articles

• The Golden Age of Comic Book Films (patrickhallwrites.com)
• Gal Gadot to Play Wonder Woman (Variety Online)
• Superhero Movie News: “X-men,” “The Avengers 2,” “Batman vs. Superman” (popinsomniacs.com)
• 10 Movie Franchises Set to Hit the Big Screen in 2015 (Wall Street Cheat Sheet)
• Jason Momoa to star in the forthcoming Superman vs Batman film (telegraph.co.uk)
• Comic books make heroic return to popularity (calebhennington.wordpress.com)
• How “The Avengers” Is Ruining the Superhero Movie (thenerdsofcolor.org)

 

 

Latest Project

The film production industry of course is primarily a business. 

HELL’S GATE – THE RISEN visit us on Facebook

In order for any film to be made, there’s always a need for financial support. Investors understand the significance of investing in any project comes from a perception of demand. If a film seems to be potentially attractive at the box office, the likelihood of investment becomes more attractive.

Having said that, please indicate your interest of helping this project push forward by clicking on the LIKE button down below. Check us out on Facebook for –>

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Making Movies – Way back when . .

In 1999 we shot a trailer for a potentially ‘pending’ movie with a working title of HELLION (THE JESUS GENE). Later it was cut into my first short that I’d originated on Super16MM film: PHOENIX (1997)- becoming the 2006 DragonCon (USA) ‘first prize’ winning wee movie of HELIX.

I recently found some pics from that era… here is Hellion (the trailer) and Helix (the extended DragonCon winner).

Long ago…

HELLION: Future thieves steal the soul of Christ… at the moment of his death!

 

HELIX: The world’s first genetic time traveler David Sumner (Robert Pulvertaft) is a chess piece, a pawn to be sacrificed in the name of science. Dark forces unleashed by ‘The Client’ (Prunella Scales) prey upon this vulnerable man.

Some images from that time period

Hellion – Martin Hobbs

Hellion – Martin Hobbs – closeup

The lights – Hellion

Hellion – walking the vista

The old gang – Hellion

Hellion – directing Miss Blackburn

Hellion crew-6

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C’mon – We All Do It

Doing it may mean different things to different people. So, before your imagination runs wild, I’m talking about singing in the car. I bet everyone that reads this post has accompanied their music playing in the car. The next likely place would be in the shower. I’m sure I’ve annoyed more than a passenger or two singing in the car…

Unless you have lived completely removed from modern entertainment, you know about the movies which star Tom Hiddleston. Here’s a segment from a German talk show with him in it.

A German talk show called “Stars in Cars” gets Tom Hiddleston to sing “Stand By Me”.
Let’s see if he does it in a low key… Sorry, couldn’t help that…

Does this video make you want to break out the Lederhosen and practice your yodels?

Next thing you know, you’ll be looking to find — Shrek Karoke Dance Party lyrics.

So tell us, where have you sang your heart out? Don’t be shy!

 

 

A little bit of this & that . .

P H O E N I X

(later re-cut as – H E L I X)
My first film was PHOENIX… I’d shot skits for LWT (ITV) for years, but this was my first Super16mm shoot- ever… It went on to be broadcast 15 times and won two international awards. It starred Prunella Scales, Gillian Tully, Robert Pulvertaft, Victor D Thorn, the much missed late Lex van Delden… and many others. 1997…

Victor Thorn quote: “It is always better to get out of a Landrover, when it is on fire.”
Duly noted . .

 

They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To…

One of the many commonly used phrases to describe a myriad of things which change and are often compared unfavorably to the past.
I use this phrase to refer to movies of 40 to 60 years past in comparison to as they generally are today. The movies of the 60’s & 70’s with a message weren’t fixated so much on an agenda or defining a group as bad. Typically they pointed to social conditions, sometimes with an embellishment on history where the point was thought to require a bigger hammer.

Different eras contain movies that show what was popular or on the public conscience. The 1950’s and through the 60s and part of the 70s became the era of the message movie. Social change was in the air.  In the 1960’s some film makers were willing to explore it, while others exploited it.

Some of the message movies other than those mentioned in this video are;

Shane
Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
The Intruder
The Ugly American
A Child Is Waiting
One Potato, Two Potato
Privilege
Teenage Mother
In the Heat of the Night
The Graduate
Catch-22
MASH
Solder Blue
Little Big Man
Billy Jack

Stanley Kramer was a director with creativity and longevity who might be considered the leading Hollywood Director for movies with a message.

Kramer receives award for Inherit the Wind

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Lex van Delden

It is almost the second anniversary of the death of this little known Dutch actor called Lex van Delden. He was the first ‘professional’ actor that worked for me (17 years ago…).

He was cast in two of my early ventures ‘Phoenix‘ (NBC Universal Sci Fi Channel) and ‘The Reckoning‘ (NBC Universal Sci Fi Channel/Sky Movies etc).

He taught me how to be an auteur…
The son of a same-named famous Dutch composer, Lex was a generous actor and more so; as a human being.

He was an excellent artist and an excellent friend.
Still missed.

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Note:  Auteur— filmmaker whose individual style and complete control over all elements of production give a film its personal and unique stamp.

 

You want who for Batman?

Oh c’mon, please, these can’t be the finalists? Of course it’s too early to tell and the media is in full speculation mode on who will play the next Batman. The problem I have with even thinking about these two are, one of them looks to be great for the next western or gangster film and the other has the reverse midas touch. I can’t recall a movie of late, where the other brought anything of significance to his role. If you can’t figure out which one I’m describing, that’s just as well because I don’t see either of these as the next caped crusader.

from a graphic drawing ~ francis tsai deviantart.com

There have been problems in selecting the right person for this role numerous times. Some of the earlier Batman films should have had a different group of writers than the ones that ended up with the project. We are all still asking ourselves, what were they thinking about when they selected the Clooney and O’Donnel duo?

Meanwhile, Screen Rant has a different take on who might or should be the next Batman.  I agree with Screen Rant, these two would be a better choice, Matt Bomer or Richard Armitage. We have seen the artful and nuanced performance of Matt Bomer in the TV series, White Collar. Equally adept in performance plus the right body type as well as possessing on-screen fighting skills, Richard Armitage portrayed a troubled spy in MI-5 (Spooks).  Richard Armitage would be my first choice to play the Batman / Bruce Wayne dark mystery man.

I’m curious what you might think about who should be the next Batman.

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