2015 April Baits & Reviews & Contenders

First batch of reviews - the rest will come tomorrow

Case Inferno
I can't deal with this bait Marci - its just too good. Most people will call this too similar to Dead Simple, but I think its a perfectly unique film. I love Sandra Oh, and I love Marcia Cross in it. I think its some of your best work, and while it doesn't reach the dizzying heighs of Dead Simple, it is still an excellent bait. A

Connecticut Secrets
Bobby, you have a penchant for crime stories, and I love it. This is one of your most unique baits, and I adore it. I love Patina Miller in the lead role, and I also think Dan Ackroyd is an absolute standout. Brilliant work - one of your best ever, and a good return to form for a great writer! A

Nothing to Lose
Lisa Kudrow and Bobby Cannavale are enough reason for me to love this bait. Gavin Macintosh is also excellent, and I think its one of your sweeter and more heartfelt baits. I love the emotion you bring to your baits Evan, and I think you did a great job here. Could you be contending for your seventh award this month? Quite possibly! B+

Pretty Vacant
Okay, so here's a little story - in December last year, I wrote a bait called Yellow Fever. It was a bait about the creation of The Simpsons. It wasn't baity, but there was passion, and that passion brought it some acclaim. This is how I feel about your bait - I adore The Sex Pistols. I think music biopic baits are very rare, and I am planning my own (Lou Reed is coming next month). This could quite possibly be my favorite bait of the month - your casting is stellar, and you tell the story of the Pistols in such a wonderful way. Bravo. A+

Revenge
First of all, this is the greatest awards campaign in the history of humanity. Because it was so short, I should honor you and leave it at that - but I won't. Good job on casting Channing Tatum in a wonderfully complex role, and bravo on Colin Ford's fantastic character. Brilliant work, and one that is quite unique and wonderful (that awards campaign though...). B+

Toby
Oh boy, I so wanted to like this. You told me about this bait months ago, and let me read a rough draft of it. I did tell you that while it was a step in the right direction, you needed to tone it down, and make it less overtly sexual and disturbing. I am not going to give you trouble for this bait, because you did submit thankfully, but I have to say, I didn't like this. It was interestingly written - it has a very unique method of writing which I've never seen from you. But unfortunately, it is quite sickening - that has nothing to do with you as a person or a writer, but just the story went a bit too far. I found myself cringing at many moments, and while I do enjoy baits that push the envelope - my personal favorite of my own, Strange Creatures, being a prime example. But I felt you went a bit too far with this, and you could've (and should've) kept the spirit of the story, and not made it so explicit. I understand what you were going for, but I just wish you just kept it in control a bit more. Not a bad job, and Evan Bird is inspired casting. But overall, I wasn't a fan. D

APRIL 2015 REVIEWS

*All reviews are written from an unbiased perspective and are rated for bait quality, how interested the plot kept me, and how each casting and crew choice gives the film a vision. Any criticism is purely intended to be constructive and helpful. All baits will be reviewed fairly.*


CASE INFERNO
Denis Villeneuve was a safe choice for director as the story is dark and mysterious like his previous work Prisoners. It was a decent mystery, but I did find it to be a bit slow paced at times. Definitely a well chosen cast that shines light on great actors who have not been noticed by the Oscars previously. The ending was pretty creepy and I appreciated the themes of family and the measures they would go to protect each other. The ending involving the father was very depressing, but its good that you didn't go with the most conventional ending and left it on a rather dark note. The pacing could have flowed better, and while the story is something that has been done a lot in the film industry, it wasn't bad at all. (B)

CHASING THE SUN
That was a very moving, heartfelt story that really had an identity with its setting. I saw a beautiful portrait of NYC and the way you wrote those characters gave so much life to them. I really liked the character arcs. A great film about NYC that speaks of hope for the human race. I see this being a huge box office success and a winner with critics. It speaks out to a universal audience. If there is one small criticism, it does at times seem like a typical heartfelt film such as The Blind Side or The Pursuit of Happyness. (B+)

CONNECTICUT SECRETS
Damn, this was dark and eerie. I really like that you explored a very seedy side of Connecticut and I did appreciate this being almost like a revenge film from an LGBT perspective. As a supporter of gay rights, I did like that you approached gay characters with a dynamic aesthetic, showing the struggles they go through at the hands of ignorance, but also showing they can also be flawed and make mistakes in desperate situations. The story and characters were great, but I did find the bait to have a few flaws. I'm not sure how I feel about Curtis Hanson directing. I think this story could have easily been given to a much more worthy director. Don't get me wrong, I like LA Confidential and The River Wild, but I think as a filmmaker, he has become wildly generic. I think a more artistically unique director would have fit better. The payoff was definitely a surprise, but the final scene felt a little too typical. The cast and characters were wonderful, and so was the story. (B)

NOTHING TO LOSE
This is definitely new ground director Peter Berg and I definitely envisioned this as a technically gritty coming of age story that is fueled by Berg's directing style. I liked that choice. Really great cast and characters and Kudrow and MacIntosh are serious contenders for Actress and Actor respectively. Kudrow's character really caught my attention and her casting was pretty much perfect. I love her arc and how it dealt with her focusing so much attention on Collin and overlooked Cara's talents. The way you developed these characters are their feelings became more exposed was great. I like surfing films and this is definitely a good one. I love that you cast Bobby Cannavale because I think he is such an underrated actor. I wish you would have given him more attention, but I understand that he is more of a background character in the plot and the majority of the attention had to be focused and Kudrow and MacIntosh as they are the primary drive of the story. A great coming of age story that is heavily elevated by a great director choice. As I was reading, I really had a great picture in my head. (B+)

PRETTY VACANT
As a Sex Pistols fan, I was very excited for this bait. It started off very strong I love the casting of Thomas Turgoose. He was a great selection! The bait really captured the attitude, arrogance and nasty nature of Lydon. Easily one of the film's biggest highlights. Sangster as Vicious is also a great choice! You really did well in casting small actors in the main roles and having well-knowns like Coogan appear as supporting characters. This is a true music biopic at heart. I see the performances being well-captured by Anton Corbijn's experience in music videos. I will say that the choice of Corbijn to direct is appropriate, but given that he directed Control in 2007, a film about Joy Division, I feel has perhaps worked to explore new territory over the years such as A Most Wanted Man. But, I don't know Corbijn personally and have no idea what he is thinking, so I'm going to stay with my true feelings that he is an appropriate director. Like I said, the film started very strong and captured the subject matter so well, but I feel it sort of left out some of their story towards the end and I was a little bummed out that it ended right when they first achieved major label success. One event I wish was covered is when they eventually signed with A&M Records in front of Buckingham Palace and then spent a majority of their advance on booze and got piss drunk in the studio in just one night. I also wish you would have mentioned the band's performance on Top of the Pops, as that was a golden moment for the band. A deeper focus on Sid and Nancy was also somewhat absent, as I was wondering if the film would cover their eventual deaths. But, given that films like Alex Cox's Sid and Nancy have also covered this, I can understand your desire to separate this film from other works on the subject matter. The actors are very much the highlight here and I am fully supporting nominations for Turgoose and Sangster. (B)

REVENGE
Wow! That was one very intense film! It had me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. Tatum was great! Really liked seeing him play such an unlikable and heartless character. Perhaps the best supporting role I've seen in this contest so far. I really liked how the story pieced itself together exposing the motive and displaying a dynamic set of characters. Great ending and I liked how you fast forwarded a couple of years later as to not let Troy's future remain a mystery. Again, Tatum was fantastic! A huge step for the talented actor. I do wonder if the film is intended to a religious film, but I assure you it didn't break the experience for me as I am an open-minded individual. I also appreciated how the spirituality covered in the film was from a forgiving perspective. The chemistry between Clint, Troy and Brick was great. (B+)

SNOW OWL
That was quite a story! Depressing, disturbing, but above all, it turned out to be hopeful. Hawke and Sheridan were excellent. I love what the title of the film symbolized and this was certainly risky and mature subject matter that was handled well. The twist at the end was certainly unexpected. I didn't see it coming. The setting and the way you described it were really depressing, but fit the film's story and subject matter very well. Hawke and Sheridan are strong contenders for nominations and your directing choice was fitting. (B+)

SOUNDS OF SILENCE
A great period piece that expresses a few interesting theories surrounding its mystery. I like that you chose a theater director to helm the director's chair and it really fit the mood and setting of the film well. I love British dramas and this one fully embodied that type of film. Nighy and Staunton were great choices. A well-written mystery that keeps you wondering and the fact that you left the ending open was definitely a risk, but gave the film a deep-thinking finale. (B+)

THE KILLING JOKE
I am a huge Batman enthusiast and I know this was based on a great graphic novel, but to be honest, I don't think it translated onto the screen very well. That being said... I have two major praises for you... Sam freakin' Rockwell! Great performance! He is an incredible Joker and Bryan Cranston as Gordon was an excellent choice as well. Both those guys were wonderful. They were a huge savior for the film. I think Armie Hammer was an uninspired choice for Batman/Wayne. He mainly came off as bland and cheesy. I think the levels this graphic novel goes to are difficult to bring to the screen in a proper way. I liked the way you portrayed Gotham and its inhabitants, but I felt really underwhelmed by the storytelling. I do applaud your efforts and I think you have a way with writing that is great, but this particular film just didn't work out as well as I'd hoped it would. (C+)

THE REMAINS OF THE FEAST
What a deep, moving and sometimes surprisingly funny film. Burnett was fantastic while Eisenberg has never really achieved my liking as an actor most of the time, I will say that this performance is up there with his more respectable efforts in films such as The Social Network and The Squid and the Whale. I liken this to a family-driven version of Harold and Maude and seeing this dying woman find unexpected joy in her final days from her equally misanthropic grandson was very well done. A wonderfully told story! (B+)

THE UNDISCLOSED
Hoooooly shit! I really liked this film! Gritty, controversial and above all, an epic crime story with so much happening. These characters are horrible, despicable people and you certainly did not approach them tamely. Horrible things happen and I see this seriously shocking audiences. Great cast and while at first I was a bit skeptical about Aronofsky directing, I truly embraced him more and more as the plot moved forward. I see this having the mood of Black Swan, but telling the story of the Russian mob, instead of the NYC ballet. This is a very ambitious project for Aronofsky and its execution was almost flawless. The final scene of the film was brilliant and golden! (A-)

THE WEIGHT OF A MAN
This film its a little close to the story of Crazy Heart, but I can see the musical aspect of it containing some great songs. I liked vision of a parade of fans following Keith to the concert that played in my head as I was reading, but the story was a little too typical and generic. Big ups on Crowe as I feel he has it in him to perform in great roles and I liked the exchanges between Keith and Leonore. This wasn't a bad bait, but I think it could have been a bit more separated from other films about musicians. (B-)

TOBY
I see where this is a story about a young kid who develops a sex addiction at a young age through his discovery of self-pleasure, but at times it sort off felt like a very depressing prequel to Don Jon. I felt there was no depth to the character of Toby and I wonder how much of the film's run time would be footage of him pleasuring himself. I got a bit bored with all of it. I felt there was also no real resolution, but simply some mysterious implication that he killed himself because he couldn't get off anymore? I was a bit confused by the ending. I have to be forward and honest and say that I'm not a big fan of this bait and it needed to give its title character a little more than a plot focusing on the different ways he pleases himself. Any criticism I have for this bait is purely intended to be constructive. I think you are a great writer but every great writer has a bad bait or two in them. Sadly, this is one of those. I have much hope for your future work and I think this one is just a small fork in the road. (D+)

Sounds of Silence
While director Matthew Warchus completely misses the mark in terms recreating the this mysterious, dark murder story, the terrific ensemble makes up for the film’s stylistic faults, led eloquently by the great Bill Nighy and other seasoned pros.

Case Inferno
Those who think this is ‘Dead Simple 2.0’ are wrong. While it doesn’t exactly live up to the hype or quality of Dead Simple, the story is challenging and captivating with a strong, winning performance by Sandra Oh.

Chasing The Storm
While the story is simple, the emotional complexities are so eloquently portrayed through a true ensemble headed by the underrated Taryn Manning who steals the screen.

Connecticut Secrets
Broadway sweetheart Patina Miller tears up the screen in a role destined for Oscar Glory. Solid work and return to form by the lovely Bobby Henry.

Nothing to Lose
Lisa Kudrow soars in this emotional and passionate bait, well crafted and eloquently written.

Pretty Vacant
While definitely entertaining, the bait suffered from slightly uneasy structuring and writing mechanics. However the pure passion-project developing over the stories over the ‘Sex Pistols’ is enough to satisfy audience and move past these small, alms insignificant flaws.

The Undisclosed
Excellent writing by up incoming writer Gizmo that I think deserves him the BP Prize. Well written and a great cast!

The Remains of the Feast
Carol Burnett, a vertan actress lead this emotional, gripping story. Kinda of reminds of Seasons of Life in a weird, but great way. This is a very ME bait and I love it! One of the best of the months!

The Killing Joke
I have never been a fan on superheroes, so I didn’t get this bait, but I do see the fun-filled passionate sensibility you demonstrated for it . Sam Rockwell also gives one of the most inspiring performance of the month.


The Weight of A Man
While I usually like baits about music, I must say this is an exception. While it is well-written, it lacks heart and captivity for the audience, often drifting into plots and characters that don’t seem have much importance or scope. Solid bait though.

The Squared Circle
You write very well. I must agree if what a couple people have said and say you write very eloquently and it flows very well. I don’t think this a particularly interesting or challenging stories (sort of followed the same points of many other wrestling movies) but I think they way you wrote it made it captivating and I think that’s a very good quality to have.

Snow Owl
Nothing sort of brilliant. Well written, great cast… When you think Evan can’t get any better, he suddenly does! I would start clearing room on your BP mantle

The Absurdists
I love this sorts of baits, dealing with creative people and there struggles for survival, from only only from a physical stand point, but psychologically also. Great cast! Solid job!

Revenge
Definitely intense, with a glowing surprising turn by Channing Tatum, who I will surely be supporting in his respective category. Solid bait!