2015 July Baits & Reviews & Contenders

Dollhouse
First of all, I am so happy that you have submitted four baits this month. I know how difficult it is for you, and being the only non-English speaker in the contest is tough, but you handled it so perfectly and this month could be your very best first. Now it is impossible to criticize any of your baits this month, as they are all absolutely perfect. Dollhouse is my least favorite from you this month, but I still adore it so much. It is equal part terrifying as it is exciting, and you capture the real terror perfectly. I will tell you that as a young child I was absolutely terrified of dolls and dollhouses. As a bait, this is probably your most well-written ever, and reading this, I would never once guess that English wasn't your first language. Dollhouse is tightly written, and is a great bit of commentary on the idea of reality television and game shows. It is a terrifying, brilliant and very dark bait and one of the reasons I love you as a writer!


I Found the Letters
It is really great to have you back, Chris, and I have to say while I was very harsh on you last month with Pieces of the Rainbow, you do have a very interesting talent that you bring to BAO. I Found the Letters is very wrenching for me, because I have a lot of conflicting feelings about it. First and foremost, it is superbly written - your language flows beautifully and your passion shows. Your casting is also very good, as I could see each of these actors in the lead role - I just felt that you didn't give these big names enough to do. I would've liked some more background on Sharif's immigration and Na’eemah's reasons for hating Olisa. My other complaint is that there doesn't seem to be a resolution to the story - it is quite short (but not in a bad way where I think making it longer is better), and I think a short bait like this is fine, but I need to know how the story progresses, which plays an important role in how I feel about a bait. But that's just me being a persnickety English major. On a positive note, I do like historical baits like this, and you're a great writer Chris, you just need to refine a few small problems which contribute to the overall feel of the bait


I Am Not Jessica Chastain
I read most of the baits last night before I went to sleep, and for some reason, I Am Not Jessica Chastain truly stuck out to me so much, I actually dreamt about it. I could see this bait fully, every moment as if it were a real film. Of course, this bait is very strange because it doesn't have a proper story, and it is quite silly at times - which is why it is an absolute masterpiece. It isn't supposed to be taken seriously, and it isn't meant to be a meaningful story. I say that if people like Kevin Hart and Adam Sandler can make their silly, ridiculous comedies, then surely a film like this, which is actually based in more fact than anything Tyler Perry has ever done, can get a free pass. Because I am an indie lover, this might be my favorite bait from you this month. I have some small problems with the bait, such as Bryce Dallas Howard directing this film, which is an interesting idea, but just seems slightly...uninspired. However, it is an excellent bait. Bravo.


Ice Boys
I know you have a passion for hockey, Evan, which makes criticizing a bait like this very hard for two reasons - firstly, I know nothing about hockey (it just isn't a thing in my country) and secondly, someone writing about their passions is always bound to have them bringing in personal connections. So I won't criticize it too much, because it actually doesn't warrant that much criticism at all. Its a melancholic bait with some wonderfully sweet moments, and the ending is very poignant. This bait feels a lot like one of those burned-out, calm but heartbreaking young adult films, and its a mood you are brilliant at writing at Evan. Unfortunately, I don't see anything new with this bait that we haven't seen before, but that doesn't warrant criticism as I know how busy you were this month (many of us were), so you relied on doing something safe. Its not a bad thing, I also do it occasionally, and it doesn't mean you're a lazy writer, its just sometimes, inspiration can't strike us with every bait. Its a good bait, but I preferred your others this month.


The Fortune Teller
I honestly didn't think you could ever top the Dead Simple saga when it comes to series of films, but you do so very effectively with your Witches series, and these could possibly overtake Dead Simple to become your most cherished and brilliantly iconic baits. The problem with many series of films (both in the contest and in real life) is that they start out brilliantly, and then the sequels try and follow the same formula to be as good as the first one, but they hardly ever are. What you do here that is different is you see each of these films as an independent, different production using the same actors in the same roles, but removing some and adding others - it makes this bait seem less like a follow-up to the first bait, but instead makes it seem more real - characters in a bait don't go and put themselves in the cupboard when the film ends, but they also don't necessarily have to follow a single story and events. Their lives can be different and completely separate from before. This is why your baits in this series are so brilliant, because they aren't sequels at all - they're just different chapters of the same world with so many brilliantly diverse and wonderful characters. Malese Jow, Michelle Forbes and Alfre Woodard steal the show for me, and Grant Gustin is a reliable supportive boyfriend. Brilliant work


There I Said It
I love this bait Kevin - you are always so reliable in bringing very interesting and diverse stories to our contest with very little problems in them. I think Jason Reitman is a safe choice for director, but your cast is absolutely brilliant, particularly Jennifer Lawrence, who I think we are forgetting has her roots in indie comedies, and is not only a blockbuster actress, but someone who can do something small and wonderful like this. It is a quirky little bait and a wonderfully interesting story, and it is always fantastic when you submit, because you have a knack for some very interesting stories and you're a great writer.


Woods Runner
This felt way too much like Hatchet for me. I know Gary Paulsen wrote both (and he's a great writer, but my goodness he has limited range) yet I find myself a bit worried about the fact that you chose Ben Affleck to direct this. He was well-selected for the Hatchet films, but choosing him made this feel like a ill-fitting cousin of Hatchet, and it was a slight mistake, because now we are kinda forced to compare this to Hatchet, whereas it would've been a much better bait alone on its own merits. However, it is very well-written, your cast is very good and its an interesting story you've adapted. Good job


Two Little Girls
I don't know if anyone here knows of a film called Pennies from Heaven? It was a divisive little musical drama that made quite a splash, with some people hating it, some loving it. A film critic wrote that there are two kinds of people who watch this film - people who love it, and people who don't understand it. This fits in right there with Two Little Girls - if you're going in expecting a coherent, straight-forward film, you'll be sorely mistaken and have a bad time. If you are expecting an off-beat, strange little experiment, this is clearly it. While it might not be Best Picture material, it most certainly is the most inspired bait of the month, and something truly very stellar and wonderfully different. I could have easily seen this extended to be a full-length film with some more characters, but as it is, it is a bold and exciting little experiment, and has inspired me to pursue my own abandoned dream of adapting a graphic novel into an animated film for BAO. Well done, Marci!


We'll Be the Stars
This is a great bait Evan. I have minimal complaints about it. It isn't your most perfect bait, but it has a lot of heart and soul behind it. I wasn't a big fan of Josh Wiggins and his character, but I adored Rachel Weisz and Samira Wiley. Care Delevingne was also amazing, and hopefully she can get an afterglow nomination after he win in May. This will stand as one of your best baits, mostly because of the heart contained within it, and your hypnotic writing style. Brilliant job!