The Third Draft

I haven't been marketing my script lately. Between the web series I'm working on (and the learning curve on new media and social networking that comes with it), looking for a partner on the project I'm considering optioning (I think I found one), two script translations  (one for a well-respected producer here in France),  preparations for DreamAgo's writer's workshop in May (I'm on the organizing team),  an online class I'm taking with Philippa Burgess, my own scripts that need re-writing, my teaching, a novel edit I started working on when things were slow (ah, those were the days!), and a non-profit I help run, I've been swamped!

HOW did this happen? What's the point of living in Paris if I can't while my hours away in a café? This feels like…like…New York!

I'm not complaining, really I'm not. I love everything that I do, and I seriously don't mind that I do it round the clock, seven days a week. It's a challenge and a learning process. Even though I'm not marketing my script right now, I am networking and building my career in ways I never would have thought of if I hadn't just jumped in and taken on some projects.

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Reviewed by Coach Patton
©D. Patton, All Rights Reserved

Directed by Ridley Scott
Screenplay by Steven Zaillian
From an article "The Return of Superfly"by Mark Jacobson

Running Length: 2:37 Rated: R (Violence, profanity, nudity, drug use, sexual situations)

PLOT: Based on the life of drug-kingpin-turned-informant, Frank Lucas, who grew up in segregated North Carolina where he watched as his cousin was shot by the Klan for looking at a white girl. He eventually made his way to Harlem where he became a heroin kingpin by traveling to Asia's Golden Triangle to make connections, shipping heroin back to the US in the coffins of soldiers killed in Vietnam. He soon made upwards of one million dollars a day in drug sales. Lucas was shadowed by lawman Richie Roberts, who finally helped bring the kingpin to justice. The two then worked together to expose the crooked cops and foreign nationals who made importing heroin so easy

Cast: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Brolin, Lymari Nadal, RZA, Ted Levine, Ruby Dee, Armand Assante, Carla Gugino

American Gangster is the real-life, New-York-City-crime chronicle of the rise and fall of charismatic inner-city drug kingpin Frank Lucas, played by Denzel Washington.

A devoted family man -- but a murderous drug lord, born and raised in North Carolina, Lucas rose from the streets of Harlem to the height of criminal power in the late '60s and early '70s. Most notoriously, he smuggled heroin into the United States inside the coffins of slain American soldiers returning from Vietnam, a "product" branded Blue Magic, which the entrepreneur, cutting out the middle man, trumpeted as twice as good as that of the competition (the Mafia) and half as expensive.

Meanwhile, on the film's parallel police-procedural track, Russell Crowe plays ex-Marine Richie Roberts, the driven, tenacious New Jersey cop.

Incorruptible on the job, but a womanizing husband and an absentee father, he is assigned by the feds to investigate Lucas with anti-narcotics operatives of his own choosing, on an undercover basis. This is to the consternation of Josh Brolin, who plays the head of New York's blatantly corrupt anti-drug task force, the Special Investigations Unit (who pretty much chews up the scenery when doing so).

Given that the film stars two powerhouse Oscar-winning actors, it's almost astonishingly colorless. When the collision course finally plays out, and Washington and Crowe, neither electrifying but both efficient in their roles, finally appear together -- as the sociopathic overachiever is confronted by the intrepid bulldog -- we're grateful for the duo's performing skill and style.

But their “ Superfly-meets-Serpico” scene also serves to remind us of what all that preceded it has lacked. For all the time that we've spent with the two central characters, we haven't really gotten to know them very well at all.

While the decision to focus on a black gangster isn't original, the way in which Frank is developed is unique, and that's the primary reason the film works. Characters whose personalities mix so many contradictory and volatile elements are always the most interesting - that's what has made Michael Corleone one of the all-time best screen gangsters, and there's more than a little of this in Frank. As in Training Day and Malcolm X, where he portrayed less-than-perfect individuals, Washington rules the screen. His portrayal is one of many things that elevates this film to the level of being consistently entertaining and occasionally compelling.

Veteran director Ridley Scott ( Alien , Thelma & Louise , Gladiator , Black Hawk Down ) lacks his usual glossy command: he's barely at the middle of his game. Perhaps that's because he has chosen to focus on character rather than action, but he's done so without dipping very far beneath the surface.

And even though the script by Steven Zaillian (based on Mark Jacobson's New York Magazine article, "The Return of Superfly," but festooned with considerable dramatic license) acknowledges the damage that Lucas's empire causes, it still glorifies his exploits not to excess but to an uncomfortable degree.

We exit wishing the ironic turn of events in the last reel, which depicts a new relationship for this pair of movers and shakers, had been the focus of the film, rather than an anticlimactic throwaway.

American Gangster is compelling in the same way that many mob-related motion pictures are compelling, but it fails to achieve the greatness that the best of them attain. The problem with American Gangster may be that it tries too hard to provide balance between the protagonist and the antagonist but never really achieves it. While the story is rarely dull and there's plenty of material to fill up the more than 2 1/2 hour running time, there's an overall absence of dramatic tension. Ridley Scott rarely creates an uninteresting motion picture, and this is no exception, but American Gangster will not go down as one of the respected director's best efforts. Or at least that’s How It Seemed from Where I Sat.

What’s it worth?
For film buffs -- matinee price at your local cinema.
For the average viewer --- this will view nicely on your home TV (via cable or DVD).

Roll credits

American Gangster
Director: Ridley Scott
Screenplay: Steven Zaillian
From an article "The Return of Superfly"by Mark Jacobson
Cinematography: Harris Savides
Music: Marc Streitenfeld

CAST
Denzel Washington --as-- Frank Lucas
Russell Crowe --as-- Richie Roberts
Chiwetel Ejiofor --as-- Huey Lucas
Josh Brolin --as-- Detective Trupo
Lymari Nadal --as-- Eva
Ted Levine --as-- Lou Toback
Roger Guenveur Smith --as-- Nate
Clarence Williams III –as-- Elmore "Bumpy" Johnson

FADE TO BLACK
In The Name Of Truth, Justice and In the Service of A Higher Good, I Remain Your Friend, Movie Reviewer and Spiritual Advisor, Coach Patton

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I love crazy challenges, things that are at the outer edge of what I know I can do. Like when I was asked to write a book of screenwriting tips in 6 weeks. My automatic response was, "Ha, ha, that's crazy. Sure, count me in!" I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I knew I was going to try.

I've had two such challenges appear on my plate within the last few months. One is a partnership with an international producer to create a series either for web or for TV. Another materialized just this week, and as a result I'm negotiating to option the rights to a true story. Luckily, I have a fabulous mentor who is also an entertainment lawyer. She's been egging me on to become a writer/producer for about a year now. I didn't know what that meant at first, but I'm beginning to learn. My view of the business is rapidly expanding, and with it my view of myself.

As a result, I've started thinking about marketing my script as less of a slog and more as a challenge. What's crazier than selling a spec to Hollywood? Suddenly, marketing fits.

Six queries went out this week. I've had 3 rejections so far. Six isn't a lot, but I've also learned that I have an easier time marketing when I do a little each day. Otherwise I get cross-eyed and find myself unable to make intelligent decisions.

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Reviewed by Coach Patton
©D. Patton, All Rights Reserved

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
Written by Guillermo Arriaga
From an idea by Guillermo Arriaga and Alejandro González Iñárritu

Runtime: 2:22 Rated R for violence, some graphic nudity, sexual content, language and some drug use.

PLOT: In the remote sands of the Moroccan desert, a rifle shot rings out--detonating a chain of events that will link an American tourist couple’s frantic struggle to survive, two Moroccan boys involved in an accidental crime, a nanny illegally crossing into Mexico with two American children and a Japanese teen rebel whose father is sought by the police in Tokyo. Separated by clashing cultures and sprawling distances, each of these four disparate groups of people are nevertheless hurtling towards a shared destiny of isolation and grief. In the course of just a few days, they will each face the dizzying sensation of becoming profoundly lost--lost in the desert, lost to the world, lost to themselves--as they are pushed to the farthest edges of confusion and fear as well as to the very depths of connection and love.

Featuring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Adriana Barraza, Gael García Bernal, Rinko Kikuchi, Kôji Yakusho

If you want to be understood . . . Listen

In the Bible, the story of Babel is a cautionary tale of hubris. The whole world had a common language until God, seeing that the people were building a huge tower together, "confused their speech." They could no longer understand each other, and so they scattered all over the world, each with the people who could speak their language.

And so, Babel is the name of this last in the trilogy from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu about connections and disconnections. (21 Grams and Amores Perros are the first two). This time, he has expanded to global scale, with a story that unites Moroccan herders, American tourists, a deaf Japanese girl, and a Mexican living illegally in San Diego. There is a shooting and there is a wedding. In all three locations, there are cops, there are journeys, there is despair, there are people who cannot make themselves understood, and there is some realization, some increased understanding.

Richard (Brad Pitt) and Susan (Cate Blanchett) are the American tourists, a couple whose brittle conversation about whether it is safe to have ice cubes in their drinks lets us know right away that they have some trouble communicating. Two boys herding sheep show off with their new rifle, fire at the tour bus and Susan is hit. There is not much that feels further from home than being seriously injured in a place where you don't know anyone and hardly anyone speaks your language. Being Americans, they demand to speak to the embassy. But the possibility that the attack could be terrorism turns it into an international incident. While bureaucrats write memos and politicians make statements, Susan lies injured on a dirt floor in a village with one phone.

Their children are cared for by a loving nanny, Amelia (Adriana Barraza, Oscar nominated), whose son is getting married in Mexico. She cannot bear to miss the wedding, so she takes the children with her, spends the day and most of the night at the wedding, then foolishly rides back to the US with her nephew, who has had too much to drink. He raises the suspicions of the border guards on the way back and the nanny and children end up lost in the desert.

And in Tokyo, Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi in a brilliantly unselfconscious, Oscar-nominated performance) is at home but she also feels isolated and alienated. She is deaf, shunned by the boys she wants to flirt with. And she is a teenager who feels misunderstood by everyone. Her connection to the story is not revealed until the end.

Inarritu expands the themes of his earlier films but relies on the same technique, a mosaic of scenes that gradually assume shapes and patterns. He uses non-professional actors for most of the roles and elicits beautifully natural performances, especially from the adolescents. The film's sympathy for all of its characters is in itself the answer, or at least the beginning of one, to the questions it raises. Or at least that’s How It Seemed from Where I Sat.

Nominations: Oscars:

Best Achievement in Directing Alejandro González Iñárritu
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Guillermo Arriaga
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Adriana Barraza
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Rinko Kikuchi
Best Achievement in Editing
Best Achievement in Music, Original Score Gustavo Santaolalla

Winners at the Cannes Film Festival

Best Director Alejandro González Iñárritu
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Alejandro González Iñárritu
Technical Grand Prize

Roll credits

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Screenwriter: Guillermo Arriaga and Alejandro González Iñárritu
Cinematographer: Rodrigo Prieto
Music: Gustavo Santaolalla

CAST
Brad Pitt --- Richard
Cate Blanchett --- Susan
Gael García Bernal --- Santiago
Kôji Yakusho --- Yasujiro
Adriana Barraza --- Amelia
Harriet Walter --- Lilly
Rinko Kikuchi --- Chieko
Trevor Martin --- Douglas Babel

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Reviewed by Coach Patton
©D. Patton, All Rights Reserved

 Written & Directed by Martin McDonagh

Running Length: 1:47 Rated : R (Profanity, violence)

PLOT: Bruges, the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travellers from all over the world. But for hit men Ray and Ken, it could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple of weeks. Very much out of place amidst the gothic architecture, canals, and cobbled streets, the two hit men fill their days living the lives of tourists.

Cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Clémence Poésy, Jordan Prentice, Thekla Reuten

Ray: If I'd grown up on a farm and was retarded, Bruges might impress me, but I didn't, so it doesn't.

The Bruges Chamber of Commerce (Bruges, West Flanders, Flemish Region, Belgium) should be delighted with at least part of Martin McDonagh's film In Bruges, as it provides an unprecedented and absolutely ravishing look at the architecture of this elegant Belgian town that appears to have been dropped into the 21st century from a immaculate, fairy-tale version of the Middle Ages. They should be happy as a good number of people, after seeing the film, will be tempted to hop on the next flight to the little jewel box of a medieval village, all canals and pristinely preserved Gothic architecture.

Such Bruges advocates will be less delighted with other aspects of this dark-as-night comedy, in which a pair of hitmen hiding out in the town spend their time arguing over whether or not the town is, in fact, "a shithole." Later on, the guns come out, large quantities of blood are spilled, and a story that had been weaving a fairy-tale ambience up until that point turns into an entirely different kind of fairy tale—one that doesn't exactly cater to tourists.

There is quite a bit more to In Bruges than these hitmen nattering on about the town and their comic interactions with locals, ranging from charming drug dealers to a dwarf American actor, and it's in Ray's occasional bursts of frightful sadness that it starts to come out.

McDonagh starts teasing away the layers to the characters' pasts, the real reasons why they've come to Bruges, and the judgment that awaits when they receive a phone call from their boss, Harry. (It's not giving anything away to say that Harry is played by Ralph Fiennes, and when he finally appears it's as though he's channeling the soul of Ben Kingsley's Don Logan from Sexy Beast and added a dash more psychotic fury.)

Ray (Colin Farrell) is all twitches and elbows, supremely uncomfortable in this village that's the definition of "quaint," continually nonplussed by the jaw-dropping architectural beauty on display everywhere he looks. Ken (Brendan Gleason) is the more seasoned of the two, a hulking and squash-faced type who is endlessly enthralled by everything he sees, dragging Ray along on tourist outings like they were an old married couple.

It's no surprise that Gleeson proves so adept in this delicate balance of comedy (he's not an actor one is ever disappointed by) but his talents are no less appreciated here. Farrell, however, is something of a revelation. An actor who showed great promise years back but who has been less than smart about his roles, too often submerging his considerable charm in overproduced vehicles like Miami Vice and—shudder—Alexander. With In Bruges, though, Farrell's dippy wit shines through like a spotlight, playing Ray with a winning mix of bloke-like common sense and utterly vulnerable childishness.

The film is content to amble along with these two for quite some time, as they've got nowhere to go—they've been sent to Bruges to lay low after a job—so it's fortunate that McDonagh has not only the ravishing town as backdrop (captured with pristine clarity by cinematographer Eigil Bryld), but Farrell and Gleeson to carry what there is of a story. Incidentally, the soundtrack music is outstanding—much like a fusion of classical and rock & roll.

There's a love interest in In Bruges—which arises during that period when Ray and Ken are waiting for Harry to call, a sequence in which McDonagh's writer-talents shine. It's not a plot-driven passage; it's the opposite— boredom-driven, maybe. The weirdness that accumulate in this limbo section of the film (Dutch prostitutes, dwarves, hilariously distracted-but-character-revealing conversations, and the shady Chloe, played by Clémence Poésy) are entertaining.

The whole thing is a masterfully handled act of suspense, and one that the film manages with even more surprise since most viewers are going to be busy enough enjoying the banter between Ray and Ken that they won't even notice the story's pitch-black underpinnings until they've already been enveloped by the entire film.

Colin Farrell, who seems to be gravitating increasingly toward smaller films, effectively focuses his manic energy. He and Brendan Gleeson display chemistry in the Odd Couple vein. Ralph Fiennes plays one of the most twisted roles of his career, a perfect accompaniment to his portrayal of the chief Harry Potter villain, Voldemort. Clémence Poésy provides a nice romantic diversion for Ray, but may be most noteworthy for a strong resemblance to Claire Danes. (She, like Fiennes and Gleeson, is a veteran of the Harry Potter series -- she played Fleur in The Goblet of Fire.) As Jimmy, Jordan Prentice is fine, proving that Peter Dinklage is not the only talented dwarf actor.

McDonagh has dabbled in fairy tales before, in his grimly funny and ultraviolent stage plays like the Tarantino-esque “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” and, above all, “The Pillowman,” which knocked Broadway audiences for a loop back in 2005 with its mix of bloody, Grimm-like Germanic storytelling and anonymous, Kafkaesque modernity.

McDonagh’s short film, Six Shooter, won an Oscar in 2006. This feature film directorial debut takes his particular theatrical affinity for finding cockeyed laughs in horrendous situations and creates a precisely structured and knock-you-down hilarious comedy of violence with a film that announces a great new cinematic talent.

Writer/director McDonagh may have some distance to go as a filmmaker—the final confrontation that rages through the postcard streets of Bruges is perhaps over-choreographed and too lengthy—but In Bruges should be considered a fantastic start to a new career.

The dialogue Gleeson and Farrell are given makes language something to cherish. Not just that, but McDonagh has made a hit-man movie in which you genuinely don't know what's going to happen, and can't wait to find out. The contract killer might be a cliché elsewhere, but not in Bruges. Or at least that’s How It Seemed from Where I Sat.

What’s it worth?
For film buffs—the price of the evening show
For the average viewer—matinee price at your local cinema.

Roll credits

Writer/Director: Martin McDonagh
Cinematography: Eigil Bryld
Music: Carter Burwell
CAST
Colin Farrell --- Ray
Brendan Gleeson --- Ken
Ralph Fiennes --- Harry
Clémence Poésy --- Chloë
Jordan Prentice --- Jimmy
Thekla Reuten --- Marie
Jérémie Renier --- Eirik
Eric Godon --- Yuri