The Douglass Film: Casting for Success

I held off on posting this for fear of jinxing the Frederick Douglass film project. The working title has been NORTH STAR: THE LIFE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS, but as we move forward, it may be shortened to DOUGLASS. Possibly with the subtitle “The North Star.”

The film focuses on 19th-century civil rights leader Frederick Douglass as a young man (mostly 18-45). As screenwriter and executive producer in the telling of this story, I have little say in the casting or direction. That will be up to the studio, an appointed casting director and the director. Whether it becomes a blockbuster depends primarily on which company gains the distribution rights to the film.

But… if I DID have the power to choose my team, these are the actors and film professionals I would choose. I welcome you to comment with your suggestions.

(First choices in bold. Other considerations follow. And there are so many talented actors and actresses out there that I don’t know about.)

Frederick Douglass
Idris Elba. – He’s powerful, has the right body type and age to make it memorable.
Jamie Foxx – This guy can do just about anything.
Shemar Moore – Not sure if he could make the jump from TV to big screen, but he’s fit enough to make the age transition
Michael Ealy – I don’t know much about him, but he’s got the right look and resume.

Anna Murray Douglass
Zoe Saldana – She captivates. Her strength would bring life to the headstrong Anna.
Gabrielle Union – I saw her in a television role and felt she’d be ideal as Anna.
Kerry Washington – She’s bold and versatile.

Hugh Auld
Sean Cullen – He’s played opposite some of Hollywood’s best. A college friend, I think he’s be awesome as Frederick’s vengeful former master.

Thomas Auld
Chris Cooper – He’d be very believable in this role as a slavemaster who commands respect and a very old man seeking redemption.

Jeff Daniels – From the outset, I felt as though he might be involved in this film.
John Lithgow – There’s a scene with Old Thomas Auld, one of Douglass’ former masters, that requires an actor with showstopping abilities. Lithgow could be it. Plus, he was born in Rochester. Not sure if he could pull off the younger Thomas Auld.

William Lloyd Garrison
John Malkovich – He makes every picture he’s in better.

Edward Covey
Edward Norton – Originally, I wrote this part with Phillip Seymour Hoffman in mind. Physically, Norton is a better match to Covey, and he plays nasty so well. Now, I can’t imagine this part with anyone but Ed Norton.

Julia Griffiths
Julia’s the brainy beauty whose (possible, alleged) affair with Douglass created a scandal in the 1850s.
Naomi Watts – She has the wit the Brit and the beauty to carry this important role. Besides, I’d like the chance to meet her.

Rachel McAdam
Mhaira Calvey
Amy Adams

Sandy Jenkins
Harry Belafonte – Belafonte has long been a proponent of our greatest civil activists, and I would love to see him participate in some fashion. A role in this Douglass biopic would cap off his illustrious career. Sandy Jenkins is a quirky “root man” with a pseudo-Jamaican accent. I think H.B. Would be perfect.

Don Cheadle

Abraham Lincoln
Jim Caviezel

12 Odd, Random Facts About Abraham Lincoln

While extensively researching the politics of antebellum America for my award-winning screenplay, NORTH STAR: THE LIFE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS, I learned many things about Abraham Lincoln that were never taught in school. These are some of the most interesting.

1. Abraham Lincoln is enshrined in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. In Illinois during the early half of the 19^th century, wrestling was a popular pasttime. The bouts were often brutal, and many a man lost a testicle, or two, in these battles. Abe was defeated just once in 300 matches as a wrestler and did not engage in trying to mutilate his opponents. He won because he was freakishly tall for the day and had tremendous upper body strength from railsplitting. He wasn’t afraid to talk trash, and once, after dispatching an opponent, bragged, “I’m the big buck of this lick. If any of you want to try it, come on and whet your horns.” Nobody took him up on the offer.
2. Abe retired from politics before running for president.
3. Lincoln is the only president to have obtained a patent. Confounded by a steamboat running aground, and having to unload its entire cargo, he invented a device that allowed boats to traverse shallow waters, and was granted patent #6469 in 1849.
4. After his election to the office of President of the United States, he hired a personal secretary, John Nicolay. Nicolay was disturbed by the number of letters threatening violence and death. Lincoln needed to sneak into Washington in disguise the night before his inauguration because of a death threat in Baltimore. The plot to kill the president-elect was uncovered by Lincoln’s friend, Allan Pinkerton.
5. Lincoln was elected in 1860 with just 39 percent of the vote. Finishing second was Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge, followed by Northern Democrat Stephen Douglas and the Constitutional Union candidate, John Bell.
6. Godfrey Hyams was offered $60,000 by the Confederate Secret Service to deliver an overcoat to Lincoln as a gift that was infected with yellow fever. Dr. Luke Blackburn was the originator of the plot. Hyams refused.
7. Lincoln often spent time away from the White House, just outside Washington at the Old Soldiers Home, considered a summer vacation spot for presidents at that time. As president Lincoln rode on horseback, alone, to the Old Soldiers Home in August 1864, a musket fired in the immediate vicinity.
   Lincoln’s account of the incident: “I was jogging along at a slow gait, immersed in deep thought, when suddenly I was aroused–I may say the arousement lifted me out of my saddle as well as out of my wits–by the report of a rifle. [He heard a bullet whistle past his ear.] Old Abe, with one reckless bound, unceremoniously separated me from my eight-dollar plug-hat, with which I parted company without any assent, expressed or implied, upon my part. At a break-neck speed we soon arrived in a haven of safety. I can truthfully say that one of the Abes was frightened on this occasion, but modesty forbids my mentioning which of us is entitled to that distinguished honor.”
   Union soldier, Private John Nichols, was sent to retrieve President Lincoln’s trademark stovepipe hat, only to find that a musket ball had created a hole in the top, knocking it off Lincoln’s head.
8. Lincoln established the Thanksgiving holiday, passing legislation Oct. 3, 1863 that the last Thursday of November would be set aside as a day of thanks. He also issued a presidential pardon to “Tom” Turkey, a ritual that has been carried on by every president since.
9. When asked if her husband had a hobby, Mary Todd Lincoln replied, “Cats.” Lincoln was a cat-lover. He also brought his dog, Fido, to the White House, and two goats, Nanny and Nanko.
   Lincoln was an avowed Animal Rights advocate, who sometimes spoke and wrote against cruelty to animals, contending that “an ant’s life was as sweet to it as ours to us.”
10. Lincoln was almost universally hated as a president until Union generals Sherman and Grant turned the tide of the war against the confederacy. It was only after his death that Abraham Lincoln became revered as a wise, just leader.
11. Though no actual proof verifies this fact, it is believed Lincoln’s last meal consisted of mock turtle soup, roast Virginia fowl with chestnut stuffing, baked yams and cauliflower with cheese sauce.
12. Grave robbers tried to steal the body of Abraham Lincoln in 1876. Chicago gang members planned to ransom Lincoln’s remains for $200,000 and the release of a convicted counterfeiter from prison.

– 30 –

Writing Comedy

Years back, I made a study of cinematic screenplays.  I dissected one in particular, because it made me laugh throughout and it had a good storyline.  I scrutinized Beverly Hills Cop from start to finish.  On average, it has a laugh line — literally, a laugh-out-loud line — every 2-1/2 minutes.  Some gags are funnier than others.  As an owner of an older car, one line that often creeps into my pea-brain is “Be careful parking it.  All this shit happened the last time I parked here.”

I have outlined and re-outlined my newest work in progress, Ballpark!  Today, I just made lists.  I listed the plot points to decide if I needed to revise what is already written.  It helped me realize one whole scene that fails to further the plot, and a few others that can be handled differently for better effect.  If you happened to drive by the Starbucks this afternoon, and saw the guy in the Rockies’ cap laughing although nobody else was around, that was me.  I created a list of gags that I want to include in Ballpark!  My goal was to get to 40 in order to reach that smile quotient of one laugh every 2-1/2 minutes.  I jotted 41 in my planner.  I’ve learned to trust my instincts that if I think it’s funny, the audience will, too.

The next step will be to create the context for the humor.  Most humor is derived from sadness, or tension.  In this case, there is more tension in the form of a romantic breakup, bad bosses, bad employees, bad dates and bad luck.  If I create the correct framework for my gags, my screenplay will provide many of those clever laugh-out-loud situations that you find in your favorite comedy films.

So, send me a comment with your favorite film comedies, and why you love them!

 

RIP, Phillip Seymour Hoffman

I heard about the death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman while working at my part-time job, which affords me the privilege of writing as a career. It saddened me deeply. Mind you, I never met Mr. Hoffman. Like millions, I was a fan of the many splendid and psychotic characters he brought to life in film. Secretly, I hoped that one day, he might act in one of my films. I was saddened as if one of my good friends had passed.

Pondering a few hours on the heartfelt strength of my reaction, it is not the passing of him that shrouded my day. It was how he passed. It is reported that he died of a drug overdose, and with a needle still in his arm. Tragic.

Here was a man who made brave choices as a professional actor. He was highly regarded by tradespeople for his uncanny ability to bring life to every character he portrayed. In the final act of his life, he bowed to a force that, to him, was greater than all the success he earned as a father, a son and a brother, greater than gold statues and klieg lights, greater than the inner drive that made his talent stand so tall, perhaps the best at his craft for our entire generation.

Whatever demons ensnared him, he gave in to drugs. Here’s where I write of that which I do not know, for I can’t comprehend giving power to substances that alter, that maim, that destroy the fabric of families, careers and lives. I can’t condone or deprecate the deadly use of drugs, seemingly for recreational purposes, because I cannot understand them. What I do understand is the pain one must feel to succumb to their allure. I can understand the lonely, dark road one travels to reach the place where those brave choices made in the light of day can be overshadowed by cowardly vices.

And that is what saddens me.

May the peace that eluded you in life be with you through eternity.
May the joy you brought to us all live on for the ages.
May your brave choices inspire others.
RIP, Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

REVIEW: The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

The Lincoln Lawyer, 2011

Review by Kerry Gleason

March 18, 2011

 

The Lincoln Lawyer begins and ends with an edgy, urban montage, and Los Angeles doesn’t seem to have changed. The characters in this story do, and that is why The Lincoln Lawyer works so well.

 

Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) is Newman-esque in his portrayal of a small potatoes, big-city defense attorney who is successful in putting most of the bad guys he represents back on the street. That puts him at odds with ex-wife Maggie MacPherson (Marisa Tomei), an assistant district attorney. A courthouse deputy, Val Valenzuela (John Leguizamo) gives Haller a line on a rich boy (Ryan Phillippe) who needs a lawyer, and Earl, fire up the Lincoln.

 

Much of the time, Haller works out of the back of his Lincoln town car, delivering wise cracks faster than the speed limit. McConaughey portrays the whiskey-swilling Haller unflinchingly, proud of his street smarts and too proud to let a bad guy get the best of him. He’s sleazy enough to be believable as a defense attorney, yet honorable enough to respect the laws. Director Brad Furman creates superb pacing for John Romano’s intelligent screenplay, based on the novel of the same title by Florida crime beat reporter Michael Connelly. The transformation of D.A. Corliss (Shea Whigham) from formidable courtroom opponent to dunce was a slight stretch, but it had to happen. William H. Macy brings intrigue and realism to the character of Frank Levin, Haller’s investigator, and Trace Adkins is barely recognizable, but effective, as Eddie, the biker.

 

Early on, I had flashbacks to “The Verdict,” and McConaughey brings many of the same qualities to the screen as Paul Newman did, even bearing a facial resemblance. The late night talk show hosts will be happy to know that he does take off his shirt, briefly, which portends box-office success. The Lincoln Lawyer is a fun ride.

 

I rate The Lincoln Lawyer four hood ornaments out of four.

 

 

Beer Pairing for The Lincoln Lawyer:

As a Tribute to the star and funniest line, delivered by Leguizamo:

 

A Matt’s Beer Ball (Matt’s Brewing, Utica, NY)

 

Oracle of Bacon

Matthew McConaughey – 2

Marisa Tomei – 1 (Starred with Kevin Bacon in “Loverboy,” 2005)

Ryan Phillippe – 2

William H. Macy – 1 (Starred with Kevin Bacon in “Murder in the First,” 1995)

More Movie Reviews at MOVIESWORTHALOOK.COM

REVIEW: Limitless

Limitless, Relativity Media, 2011

Review by Kerry Gleason

March 18, 2011

 

The idea of a cerebral boost that would allow anyone to utilize 100 percent of his or her brain capacity instead of the standard 10 percent, or 20 percent if you pay attention to the screenwriter, is thrilling. While Limitless is categorized as a “thriller,” it is not. At some points, the film dragged, and I almost wished my Sno-Caps were laced with razor blades.

The problem: Limitless has more hanging threads than a hippie sweater vest with fringe. In the end, you will wonder about many, many details.

Briefly, Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is a writer with a stalled career and an already-spent book advance who sponges off a girlfriend (Abbie Cornish) until a junkie turns him on to a clear pill, NZT, that allows the brain to reach its highest capacity. Imagine what could happen.

I entered the theater excited about the brain booster idea, and imagined all the potential that might have. In the aftermath, I identified four reasons why this film failed, for me:

1. I usually hate movies about writers. Watch me conjugate a verb. Boring.
2. I hate most movies about stock traders. Watch me buy short and sell long. Oooh! Scintillating.
3. I hate most movies that represent greed as a virtue.
4. I hate all movies that glorify drug addiction. That is what Limitless is about.

Bradley Cooper is a talented actor with uncanny ability. He stars in this film. He co-produced this film, most likely as a vehicle to elevate Bradley Cooper to leading-man status. Director Neil Burger (The Lucky Ones) made sure his producer was the benefactor of a zillion close shots that show Cooper’s dazzling baby blues. Spare me, and pass the Sno-Caps. Screenwriter Leslie Dixon (Mrs. Doubtfire, Pay It Forward) skimped on her homework with this half-witted, unimaginative script about a guy who should have all the wit and all the imagination.

She lost me in the beginning flashback, with Morra’s cheesy narrative where he claims to have a “four-digit IQ.” There is no such thing. Most standardized IQ tests use the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, which maxes out at 155. Other accepted scales peak at 190.

I might have lived with the movie and gone for the ride if Morra stayed true to his ambitions as a writer instead of making the unlikely right-brain, left-brain swaperoo and veering off as a greedy, vigilante day trader.

Enter Robert DeNiro, who must have lost a bet to take the role of Carl Van Loon. Van Loon is not fleshed out,  a character without character. His shining moment, a monologue near the film’s end, clatters by like a rush-hour A-Train without making a whole lot of sense.

Ms. Cornish will likely be nominated for awards like Best Portrayal of a Yo-Yo by an Actress in a Supporting  Role.

A better use of NZT would be to give that unlimited cranial capacity to somebody like Robin Williams, then turn him loose on open-mic night at the Imrov. That, my friends, could be a movie worth watching.

My rating:  1 roofie out of 4.

Beer Pairing for Limitless:

Bright Ale (Little Creatures Brewing, Australia)

 

Oracle of Bacon

Bradley Cooper – 2

Robert DeNiro – 1 (starred with Kevin Bacon in “Sleepers,” (1996)

Abbie Cornish – 2

REVIEW: “Win Win” (2011)

“Win Win”
Fox Searchlight Pictures (2011)
A movie review by Kerry Gleason
for MoviesWorthALook.com
March 9, 2011

“Are you okay?”
Just about every character asks this question at least once in “Win Win,” written and directed by Tom McCarthy. He’s created a realistic portrayal of a small-town, small-time lawyer, Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti), who moonlights as a high school wrestling coach. Giamatti adds texture to the film, per usual, with a flawless portrayal of a flawed character who simply wants to make things okay for his family. He assumes guardianship of Leo Poplar (Burt Young), and subsequently is visited by Leo’s punked-out dropout grandson, Kyle (newcomer Alex Shaffer). Kyle, who was kicked off his Ohio wrestling team, gives Flaherty and his assistant coaches (Jeffrey Tambor and Bobby Cannavale) something they have been lacking in the gym and out – a winner. Tambor’s priceless facial expressions and Cannavale’s childish glee need no words, and we all may know characters like them in our own lives. Add Flaherty’s headstrong wife (Amy Ryan) to the mix as Flaherty’s matrimonial conscience, and bang! You’ve got chemistry among characters who care a whole lot about each other, but can’t quite figure out how to help themselves. Or their clanking plumbing, just one of the recurring gags that make this flick memorable.
Kyle’s wrestling prowess becomes the vehicle that unifies them. But this is not a typical sports movie where the outcome of the contest drives the outcome of the film. “Win Win” is not about wrestling. Giamatti and company remind us that “Win Win” is first and foremost about life, and even when it seems you are ahead, circumstances can take you down to the mat in a hurry. The characters, so expertly acted, lift this film out of its sober depths, making it a rowdy, fun ride.
Schaffer, a New Jersey state champion in wrestling, adeptly infuses playfulness, teen angst, maturity and then the human frailty that is sparked by the arrival of his mother (Melanie Lynsky). I can’t wait to see what he will do in his second film. It is the teen who inspires the others to do whatever it takes to live, and to live with their own decisions. Ryan’s reversal and her impact on the youth pack power, and the resolution of the many conflicts in this film are plausible and thought-provoking.
Tom McCarthy, I don’t have to ask. You are okay.
“Win Win” gets four referee whistles out of a possible four. Dark horse for major award consideration for director, screenplay, best film, lead actor and supporting cast.

Oracle of Bacon —

Paul Giamatti – 2
Jeffrey Tambor – 2
Amy Ryan – 2
Burt Young – 2

REVIEW: “Red Riding Hood” (2011)

Red Riding Hood (Warner Bros., 2011)
Kerry Gleason
for MoviesWorthALook.com
March 8, 2011

The big, bad wolf may have big teeth, in the form of a spectacularly accomplished cast, but “Red Riding Hood” has no bite. Everything is wrong about this film, from the concept, to the dull, predictable, flawed script, to the misguided direction. The Brothers Grimm are grimmer in their graves than ever.
Screenwriter David Leslie Johnson (“Orphan”) and director Catherine Hardwicke (“Twilight,” “The Lords of Dogtown”) have converted the wolf that devours Grandma (Julie Christie) into a werewolf, in order to capitalize on the current vampire/werewolf craze. Given the cheesy CGI and neutered fright factor of the werewolf, Johnson would have been better advised to stick to the original script. The scariest part of the film is an attack by a real wolf, and the terror in that relies solely on a cheap jump technique, where the CGI wolf appears out of complete darkness.
The writer failed the story. Everyone knows the story of Red Riding Hood, and it has endured for centuries. “Red Riding Hood” numbs the audience with bland, cliche-driven dialogue, where all the characters sound pretty much the same. Here are a few of the flaws. There’s lovely Valerie ( Amanda Seyfried), the pretty, blonde protagonist, who is in love with her childhood chum, Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), whose contrived escape from an impossible circumstance is never explained. Ma (Virginia Madsen) arranges for Valerie to marry tinsmith Henry (Max Irons), who apparently is going to earn many shekels fashioning bracelets from tin. The conflict between Peter and Henry is barely contentious, a mere inconvenient animosity instead of the rip-out-your-throat brutal competition you would expect for the hand of the prettiest maiden in Daggorhorn. Cesaire, the father/woodcutter/drunk/derelict (Billy Burke), apparently has no say in what goes on in his house, as his wife, Suzette, makes all the hook-ups between the smithee and her daughter. Unlikely for that time period. Given the revealed history of Suzette, it is unlikely that she would force her daughter into an unwanted arranged marriage.
The scene that bothered me the most was a minor establishing scene. We come upon Grandmother’s house – in the woods, of course. Deep in the Black Forest, which despite the dense thicket, is covered in sun-loving flowers. Inside, Grandma sits by a roaring fire in a hollow-tree fireplace. I’m not a contractor, but I’m thinking that’s against code, especially in a forest. Second, where will the elves bake their cookies?
Then there’s the scene where Peter unties Valerie’s bodice, undoubtedly the best scene in the movie, and they are forced to run, yet Valerie’s Middle Ages wardrobe is instantly secured for the chase. My limited knowledge of the haute couture of the time period, and the gender, says this might take some time.
The supposed bad guy, Solomon (Gary Oldman), is barely dark enough to be a villain, especially given the talent and proven capacity for evil by the actor. His role was as satisfying as luke-warm soup.
The film is undoubtedly stylish. But it is a stylized eerieness that ill-serves the story, and the setting lacks the grittiness of the time period. People in that time wore the same tattered clothes, they carved their lives out of the woods and they smelled bad in their unwashed existence. Hardwicke’s glam wood never existed.
Red Riding Hood fails us by wasting an amazingly talented cast. I give it one-half a tin bracelet out of four.

Oracle of Bacon —
Gary Oldman – 1 (acted in JFK with Bacon in 1991)
Virginia Madsen – 2
Billy Burke – 2
Julie Christie – 2

NOTE: The popular version of Little Red Riding Hood that we know was adapted by the Brothers Grimm in the 19th century from various Euro-folklore sources, most notable, La Petite Chaperon Rouge by Charles Perreault in the 17th century.

Lincoln and Douglass

Black History Month Video No. 4

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass forged a friendship based in mutual respect that changed a nation.

North Star: The Life of Frederick Douglass (Screenplay)

The Time Is Now for NORTH STAR: THE LIFE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS

Here is my impassioned plea for producers to option and create a feature-length action-adventure film from the award-winning original screenplay, North Star: The Life of Frederick Douglass.