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Post by Leeman on Aug 25, 2014 3:08:53 GMT -8
Please post your reviews for August 2014 here..
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Post by Marci on Aug 25, 2014 4:44:01 GMT -8
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Post by Marci on Aug 25, 2014 4:57:05 GMT -8
"Anaconda" written by Evan Peck Dunbar First, let me start by thanking you for the submissions. You and Matt are keeping this contest alive, seriously. I appreciate it a lot. Secondly, I think this is your best and worst bait at the same time. It's dumb, brainless and all over the place as you mentioned. Then it's also brilliant, genius and bright. I cannot even decide that I loved or hated your actors in it. I'm not sure I'll consider this as a BP-contender, but it was a lot of weird fun for sure!
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Post by Leeman on Aug 25, 2014 5:17:44 GMT -8
Anaconda - Written by Evan Peck Dunbar This is an interesting idea that you have posed, however the execution is not there. Everything seems a bit rushed, overdramatic and unrealistic. But, it I think its this quirkiness and weirdness that really draws me to the bait. Your awards campaign completely sums up my feelings of the bait, ’some brainless fun and a revenge flick with tons of boobs and violence’ and I am perfectly down with that! I have never really read a bait of this from you and even though I don’t its your most well-written, I see it as like a relief or a fun sort of bait, as you typically so many with as serious or somewhat dark sort of nature (and brilliantly I may add). The cast is solid, particularly Laverne Cox, who showed with her performance on OITNB that she can be anything. Not your best, but a solid bait.
Cheesecake - Written by Marci Kelemen This is pure Marci. There is just something about it that really reminds me of you and it’s utterly perfect. Its a close between the Grays and Summer Desire, in where you have a well defined conflicted and plot, however it seems very independent and fun. Finding this balance is very difficult, however you have succeeded. It reminds of films like ‘Chocolat’ or even the recent film ‘The Hundred-Foor Journey’. There always seems to be some superiority-like or exclusive qualities with cooking films and that why I love them. You introduced us to Lelia Saaik in your Dead Simple trilogy, and she was highly successful and earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. I think you may have another win for her in the future…. The remaining cast members are good also. If I made one suggestion, I would’ve loved to hear more about the George and Amy relationship and did it gradually extend into a romance. I have waiting for you to return to this genre for while and the final product has definitely been worth the wait.
Our Version of The Events - Written by Evan Peck Dunbar I love any music bait, so I definitely loved this. I am think along the lines of a sort of ‘Once’ type style, where the is a really cool blend between the music and the central storyline. It’s almost like a musical, as music is such an essential device in the development of the plot and characters. Naomie Harris is an interesting choice for Emily and I believe she could do well, however Samantha Bark really stole the bait for me. I can just imagine her voice. It would be absolute heaven. In terms of the plot, it does follow that sort of musical stereotype, but I love that as I believe it truly depicts the struggles of musicians and many other attributes. A pleasing bait and adored it immensely.
Such a Pretty Girl - Written by Evan Peck Dunbar Oooh! I like this. I think you have chosen the perfect lead actress to headline this well-casted story in Elle Fanning. She is a threat for Best Actress (after her win for The Miracle Worker in July 2013 - my first Oscar lol) and deservingly so. This is definitely most well written this month and I think could earn your 5th Oscar win. It strong, tight and well written. My only complaint would be the beginning I had was a little confused with what was going on, but when Daniel arrives; the plot really begins to move and get going. Excellent work!
Amnesia - Written by Evan Peck Dunbar Another music bait! I love it! This one much stronger plot in comparison for ‘Our Version of The Events’, but weaker in terms of music appreciation. The audience don’t really get to see Garret Tyler’s great passion for music besides at his concerts and when he just waltzes around singing his melodies. What you wrote is fine, just I want a bit more of that music side of things. You aiming for a third Oscar with Nick Roux? I believe you are in a pole position to get it! Your write his characters so well can plays them so effortlessly and beautifully. He is too good to resist. Good bait!
Once in A Lifetime - Written by Matthew Jenner This is a quirkily romcom that I throughly enjoyed. This is sort of thing like you did with ‘Insensitive Care’ last month, where the the story is a bit usual and out there, but it somehow gets you, and when it gets you, it gets so firm that you just love it. This was how I felt about this bait. The story at the beginning is a little cliché and I do wish you would have used Linda Hunt and bit more, I couldn’t help but just fall in love with it. Chris Pratt and Cristin Miloti are polar opposites to me that somehow find this weird, but glowing star power (much like Lawrence and Cooper in Silver Linings). They should be definitely receiving Oscar nominations this month. Also, I laughed with the Nastasa Lyonne scene. I can imagine her crewing that scenery and could pull of like a ‘Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaid’ type of Oscar nomination. One of the best of this month! Excellent!
Demented - Written by Matthew Jenner This is board line for me because I really like the originality the story portrays, but it is a bit to quirky for me as it makes it almost unrealistic. But, then again it’s that exaggeration that really makes the bait shine. So I don’t know where I stand story wise, however I think the casting is really good. You have catered for Paul F. Tompkin to have such a large scope and range that a Best Actor really isn’t out of the question. He definitely is a contender. There are many things I like about this bait, but there are somethings that make it a bit corny. However, I think it can win a Screenplay prize are it perfectly captures great originality and writing. Your writing is solid here and this should score some key nominations, particularly for your actors. Well Done!
Comfortably Numb - Written by Matthew Jenner I didn’t get the story of the bait and this paranoid and otherworldly being business until about the end of bait. That is only because I’m very good at understanding stories of this genre, but I think is a great departure from what we normally see you write. Something a bit more action-y. It’s very creative and structured and believe Brain Cranston would do a wonderful job as the lead. Solid Bait!
Bixby - Written by Matthew Jenner Its a short and sweet bait, that is witty, however still deals with some very important social and political underlining themes which I enjoyed. I thoroughly enjoyed Kudrow and would no question be included in the Best Actress line up. David Thewlis, as the ignorant and oblivious husband is also quite witty. There is something about Ronald Dahl’s writing that makes it so lovely and elegant, almost royal to read. You indeed capture the same essence. Well Done!
Ride - Written by Marci Kelemen I am bit conflicted here - I think this isn’t your strongest written bait, however I think you have written your strongest character in this competition. I know you are a massive Sandra Oh fan and you definitely pay her great justice with this role. It shows great emotion, empath and range; it would be a travesty if she didn’t win Best Actress. In terms of the story, it is solid - but felt at times the structure and cohesiveness are slightly uneasy. But, you have a juicy role for Sandra and that will definitely follow through to Oscar night. Solid effort!
Conversion - Written by Bobby Henry Welcome Back Bobby! Glad to see you writing again! This is great return to form for you! It is emotional, lovely, charming, funny - everything you look for in a winning bait. However, the thing holding me back it there are a few typically cliches, but then again they added consistently and flavour to the piece. I really do like Tipton and I think this is role than could crack her the Oscar! Your writing is very well done. You write very cinematically, which is actually very hard to do well and effectively and I actually think if you campaign this hard and people really find the underlying messages of the piece you could win you second Oscar! Fantastic Job!
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Post by Marci on Aug 25, 2014 5:22:07 GMT -8
"Amnesia" written by Evan Peck Dunbar I'm just so proud that authors use Naya Rivera - I give myself a little credit for it. Both one-time winner Rivera and two-time winner Nick Roux were amazing here, and I liked James Marsden as well. I didn't really get Charlize Theron's performance, though - her presence seemed unnecessary. The plot itself is fine, not outstanding, but okay. I think this bait is more like an ensemble piece, with nice performances instead of Bait of the Month itself.
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Post by Marci on Aug 25, 2014 5:25:35 GMT -8
"Our Version Of Events" written by Evan Peck Dunbar I'm familiar with the material so it was a joyful few minutes to read the bait and listen the actual songs during it. Such a strong and incredibly captivating bait! I really loved the performances & storyline & musical elements! I think this is probably the best musical you've written in the contest! Very well done!
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Post by Marci on Aug 25, 2014 6:25:57 GMT -8
"Such A Pretty Girl"written by Evan Peck Dunbar It's a very dark, but stellar bait and is your best this month. I adored your cast more than ever, except from Elle Fanning, who is a terribly boring and unimpressive actress in my opinion. The issue was handled perfectly and I liked the unfinished storyline - it's all on our imagination. Fascinating work!
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Post by Marci on Aug 25, 2014 7:07:22 GMT -8
"Conversion" written by Bobby Henry Your prologue is pure gold - it alone deserves a Plot/Synopsis award. Although there are some clichés and similarities with "Illusion", I really liked the storyline, especially the dialogs - you are really good at it. Ansel Elgort and Analeigh Tipton are the standout performers, but all of them are worthy of attention! This is one of my favorites of all time!
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Post by Marci on Aug 25, 2014 7:36:28 GMT -8
"Poison" written by Liam McWhinney It's definitely a fun adaptation and a very unexpected story in the contest, but next to baits like "Conversion" and "Such A Pretty Girl" I cannot name it as the best of the month. I think it is almost a sure bet to win Adapted Screenplay, though.
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Post by Marci on Aug 26, 2014 5:13:46 GMT -8
"Summer Flame" written by Liam McWhinney I remember when you first told me about the story and I said that it's "The Kid's Are All Right" all over again. Well, I was wrong. It's a great drama featuring women in a certain situation. It's incredibly natural and heartfelt, and the tagline is also brilliant. The cast is spot on, although I didn't like Wright in it - someone like Elisabeth Moss had in my mind on the part. It's a nice work, Liam!
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Post by Marci on Aug 26, 2014 6:22:52 GMT -8
"Bixby" written by Matthew Jenner First, it's beautifully written. Secondly, I loved Kudrow in this, but I couldn't stop thinking on actresses like Melissa Leo, Diane Lane or Julianne Moore for the role. The length was acceptable this time and made your story tight. I think the plot itself is not very baity, and the storyboard is not-so-interesting or exciting, but I do consider this bait, because of the writing and casting. I love that you are a chameleon, trying out every single genre - your effort of proving yourself as a multi-sided author is successful so far!
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Post by Marci on Aug 26, 2014 7:23:37 GMT -8
"Comfortably Numb" written by Matthew Jenner Oh I hate to be honest here. It was too similar to series like "The Walking Dead" and "Flashfoward", also to movies like "28 Days Later" and it sequel. All these post-apocalyptic projects have it common that something happens to people because of some kind of mutation or disease, or because of other creatures in the universe - the topic is overused and I hardly find anything new in your story. The cast is great (although I expected much, much more from Sarah Paulson) and the writing is outstanding, but I don't find this Oscar material at all. Lucky you, the genre is my guilty pleasure so I enjoyed it, but I will objectively decide about it when I make my ballot.
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Post by Marci on Aug 26, 2014 7:54:02 GMT -8
"Once in a Lifetime"written by Matthew Jenner Well, after Liam's review, I expected a little bit more. I think, so fair, it's the worst of your submissions this month. The story is boring and I didn't care for your characters at all. It's an actor-vehicle for Chris Pratt, and he would be awesome, but that's all I loved in the bait. Natasha Lyonne with a little more of a screentime would also be on my ballot, but unfortunately she had not much to do. Sorry, Matt, I'm not a fan of this bait, but thanking your for all these submissions this month! You and Evan make this contest happen!
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Post by Marci on Aug 26, 2014 8:24:46 GMT -8
"Demented" written by Matthew Jenner Unfortunately not many people liked the first installment, called "Deranged", but I kind of did. I supported the idea of the sequel and I'm happy you made it happen. It's really entertaining and Paul F. Tompkins is just damn good in lead! Maybe the Awards Campaign is a little bit small for a longer synopsis, but I do liked this bait. Good work, Matt!
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Evan
Member
Posts: 62
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Post by Evan on Aug 26, 2014 8:36:34 GMT -8
"Conversion" written by Bobby Welcome back, Bobby! This bait is on the fence for me. It's your most well-written, best plotted bait so far in the contest, but the casting was off for me as were some of the messages. I think those role for Ezra wouldn't be much different from his role in Perks so that seemed uninspired. The same goes for Elgort. As usual, you bait Tipton VERY well, but the rest of the cast didn't make much of an impression. I don't like dialogue in baits unless it is really good and you have way too much and most of it sounds like the hokey stuff you would hear in a Lifetime movie so that immediately makes my view of this as a film drop down to less masterpiece, more TV movie. I also think you have to be very careful with topics like this, but there is such a thing as too careful and I got a similar feeling with this bait as I did with "Illusion" like it seemed as if it was trying too hard to be politically correct and didn't really introduce me to anything I didn't already know about. I think this bait will be successful this month, and will make my ballot in a few places, but it really is very corny and cliche most of the time.
"Bixby" written by Matt Hmmmm I only wish there was more plot! I love Kudrow and Molina and think they would have fantastic comedic and romantic chemistry onscreen, but it seems so slight, not really like a full film at all. The twist at the end could be seen from a mile away, and a whole film based on her really liking a coat and needing an explanation for how she came by it and then randomly realizing (not very cinematically) that she really does love her husband is not that interesting. Great writing as usual, there just wasn't quite enough there for me.
"Cheesecake" written by Marci This is a very cute bait that you obviously put a lot of heart into. While I wasn't totally in love with the story (it felt more like a family film about being nice to people) it actually fit your director very well which is rare in this contest. y only issue there is that Faris usually does films taking place in the American south west so making it in Ireland (with no Irish leads) was a bit strange. I was not a fan of Yeun or Plaza here, they wouldn't have any chemistry, but I LOVED Saalik and Sullivan, it would be so fun to watch them trade barbs about cheesecakes and baking. I know critiquing your grammar is a bitchy thing to do since English is your second language, but there were a lot more errors than in your recent baits so be careful. Overall, it was a good bait and I'm sure it will be huge this month, it's just not your best.
"Poison" written by Liam It's always good to see you stepping out of your comfort zone of suburban drama's, Liam, so adapting a Dahl story is pretty awesome. It loses a bit of it's originality though since recently we've had other authors adapting his works as well. This is well written, but even though you said it has a short running time, it feels too short and isn't as fun as you describe it in your press section. I really like your casting of Coogan though, this is a good vehicle for him. Also, your director fits well, which as I've said is rare in this contest. Solid job!
"Comfortably Numb" written by Matt Alright the first part is almost the exact plot of "The Walking Dead" so I'm assuming you haven't seen the show (coma, wakes up, everything has changed). It's particularly hard to get past that because it starts to feel like Walking Dead lite. The whole bait is kind of silly (the idea of Bryan Cranston jumping and grabbing at floating bodies in the post Breaking Bad age is very weird). The second half of the bait is much more original but does suffer from unrealism in human actions and cliche at times. I think a different lead would have done wonders here because there are some AMZING ideas here and your mind must be an awesome place to play, it just didn't come together for this one.
"Ride" written by Marci This is a good actress vehicle for Sandra Oh (who i absolutely adore) but the overall conception is a bit all over the place. My family is all involved in journalism and publishing (I've even had articles published in nationwide magazines) so I'm very familiar with that world and am extra critical of stories involving it because of that. None of the journalism stuff had any reality in it, people don't get or lose jobs that easily (as much as movies tell you they do) so that threw me off. The whole plot was really random... why did she randomly pick Nepal? and climbing Everest without training isn't even legal. It's engaging though, and your writing and plot did keep me interested and invested in Kim. Not your best, but it wasn't boring, that's for sure!
"Demented" written by Matt I have to REALLY suspend my disbelief for this one because Chapelle in a film written by Von Trier? Ehhhh. I find that an issue I have with many of your baits Matt is that you prefer excellent and interesting plot movements at the expense of what, in my experience at least, people would actually do. It's great to have drama and shit but when a character does something totally random (the office break in is an example in this bait) and out of character it really draws the reader out of the story. I don't know any of Tompkins work so I can't comment on his casting, but your director choice is spot on, you've been on fire with your crews this month, they all seem great!
"Summer Flame" written by Liam Todd Field is an uninspired choice for director ("Little Children" flashbacks kept happening). This bait is substantially longer than it needs to be, but it wasn't boring and your writing is best this month here. I liked your Awards Campaign too, thanks for trying on them because i know it's extra work. I like Lizzy Caplan a lot here, and while your plot isn't great, it's good and engaging and there's a character named Evan so yaaaaas. I also liked Bommer and Danner. It's a very solid bait, much better than "Poison." I still want to see you do a horror bait or a war bait or something totally different though. You have the talent, you just have to take the risk!
"Once In A Lifetime" written by Matt This is what I'm talking about Matt! I absolutely fell in love with this bait. I loved all your casting and your plotting was fabulous and everything came together to make it feel like it could be a real film. I think Pratt is fantastic, and while I wish Milioti ad Lyonne's roles where switched, they were both standouts as well as Cherry Jones, someone i find is criminally underrated in film. This is one of my favorite baits you've ever done, and I can see it being a real force to be reckoned with at Oscar time! Fantastic job!
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