American Express Could Make Your Hollywood Dreams Come True

American Express Launches “My Movie Pitch” in Search of Next Great Idea for Independent Film

Winning Idea Brought to Life by Indie Director for Big Screen Debut at 2011 Tribeca Film Festival

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Express announced today the launch of My Movie Pitch, a contest to bring one great movie idea to life as an independent short film that will debut at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. In the true spirit of great storytelling and independent cinema, film enthusiasts everywhere can visit www.amexfilm.com today to upload their 60-second, dream movie pitch in hopes of seeing their idea brought to life on the big screen.

In each of two rounds, five finalists will be selected by viewers and a panel of Tribeca Film directors to win an American Express Filmmaker’s Toolkit, including a laptop, movie editing software package and an HD video camera. A special panel of Tribeca Film Directors including Brian Hill, Dev Benegal, Julien Kemp, Måns Herngren, Tarik Saleh, Jacob Tierney, David Russo, Jac Schaeffer, Julien Nitzberg, Mat Whitecross and Josh Appignanesi will select the grand prize winner, who will have his or her pitch made into a 15-minute short film by one of the Tribeca Film Directors. The winner will receive a trip for two to New York City and VIP access to see the short film debut at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival.

Everyone is encouraged to rate the movie pitches at www.amexfilm.com with either a “thumbs up” for the idea they believe would make the best movie or a “thumbs down” for an idea that they believe should not make the cut. The public vote will be calculated into the finalist selection as the judges help determine the top picks.

My Movie Pitch Competition Calendar
Everybody has a film idea, a story made for the movies, and American Express wants to hear it. Whether it’s funny or tragic, romantic or sci-fi, cinéma vérité or surreal, the My Movie Pitch competition provides the chance to win.

My Movie Pitch: Take One
Pitch Your Movie: From May 27 to June 24, 2010, upload your 60-second movie pitch at www.amexfilm.com.

Vote for the Best: From June 25 to July 24, 2010, film fans everywhere are encouraged to visit www.amexfilm.com and rate pitches with a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down.”

The Judges Weigh In: From July 25 to August 8, 2010, American Express’ panel of Tribeca Film directors will judge entries based on creativity/originality of the movie pitch, creativity/originality of the delivery of the movie pitch, popular vote and overall box office potential. Five winners will each receive the Filmmaker’s Toolkit and move on to the Grand Prize Winner judging period.

My Movie Pitch: Take Two
Pitch Your Movie: From August 15 to September 15, 2010, you have another chance to win. Upload your 60-second movie pitch at www.amexfilm.com.

Vote for the Best: From September 16 to October 15, 2010, visit www.amexfilm.com and rate pitches.

The Judges Weigh In: From October 16-30, 2010, American Express’ panel of Tribeca Film directors will judge entries based on creativity/originality of the movie pitch, creativity/originality of the delivery of the movie pitch, popular vote and overall box office potential. Five winners will each receive the Filmmaker’s Toolkit and move on to the Grand Prize Winner judging period.

The Final Cut: Grand Prize Winner Selection

On December 1, 2010, the panel of Tribeca Film judges will select one of the 10 finalists to receive the grand prize and see their dream movie idea made into a reality by a celebrated independent filmmaker. The grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to New York City to attend the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival as a VIP and see their story brought to life on the big screen.

To learn more about My Movie Pitch and American Express’ continuing support of independent cinema and Tribeca Film, visit http://www.amexfilm.com/.


Terms and Conditions
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. and DC, who are the age of majority in their state of residence (19 in NE and AL, 21 in MS and 18 years of age or older everywhere else) at the time of entry, and have a YouTube account. YouTube accounts are free. Entries for Cycle I will be accepted between May 27, 2010 at 9:00:00 AM ET and June 24, 2010 at 11:59:59 PM ET and for Cycle II between August 15, 2010 at 9:00:00 AM ET and September 15, 2010 at 11:59:59 PM ET. Prizes: Cycle Winners (10 total, 1 prize each): one “Filmmaker Toolkit” which consists of: one laptop computer, one movie editing software package, and one portable video camera. ARV: $3,500.00 each; Grand Prize: A trip for two (2) to the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. ARV: $4,828.00. See Official Rules, which govern, for complete details, including submission requirements, use of entries, judging criteria and procedures, and prize details. Official Rules are available at www.youtube.com/americanexpress. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., American Express Tower, World Financial Center, New York, New York 10285. Tribeca Enterprises LLC (including its subsidiaries and affiliated companies) is not responsible for the collection, submission or processing of entries, the administration of this Contest or the selection of winners. YouTube is not a sponsor of or in any way affiliated with this Contest.

About American Express
American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at www.americanexpress.com and connect with us on www.facebook.com/americanexpress, www.twitter.com/americanexpress and www.youtube.com/americanexpress.

Review: "Near Dark" is a Unique Vampire Flick

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 66 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Near Dark (1987)
Running time: 95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow
WRITERS: Kathryn Bigelow and Eric Red
PRODUCER: Steven-Charles Jaffe
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Adam Greenberg
EDITOR: Howard E. Smith

HORROR

Starring: Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein, Tim Thomerson, Joshua John Miller, and Marcie Leeds

Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar), an innocent Texas country boy encounters a mysterious beautiful girl named Mae (Jenny Wright) one dark summer night. A night of kissing and necking turns weird when Mae bites Caleb. When the first rays of morning arrive, Caleb discovers that the sunlight burns his skin. Before long, the girl returns with her “family,” a band of outlaws, and kidnaps Caleb, but these aren’t just any outlaws. They’re a vicious pack of vampire drifters, and Mae has seduced Caleb into their hellish lowlife of murderous mayhem and ceaseless evil. Led by a soulless murder named Jessie Hooker (Lance Henriksen), who claims to have fought in the Civil War, these killers sate their bloodlust in the most brutal fashion. Now, Caleb’s father, Loy (Tim Thomerson), and young sister, Sarah (Marcie Leeds), travel across the dusty heart of the American southwest looking for him, but will his new “family” let him leave.

The bankruptcy of its distributor assured that Near Dark would flop at the box office. However, its subsequent release on VHS introduced many to what remains one of the most original vampires movies. Director/co-writer Kathryn Bigelow and co-writer Eric Red originally conceived this film as a Western, and it also retains some of that flavor. There aren’t any great performances, although Bill Paxton brings an air of fun to this gruesome narrative as the gleeful killer, Severen.

What is memorable is Near Dark’s gritty realism, jagged pace, its thick layered nights, the raw gun violence, and how Bigelow makes the sun seem so darn terrifying every time it comes roaring back to dispel the inky blackness of night. Although the film never uses the word “vampire,” Near Dark stands as a unique treatment of the vampire story. Those final images of Jesse and his down-and-dirty lover, Diamondback (Jenette Goldstein), burning in their funeral pyre are fine art.

7 of 10
B+

Sunday, April 22, 2007

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James Cameron to the Rescue

James Cameron, the Academy Award-winning director of Titantic and Avatar, joined scientists and other experts at a meeting with U.S. officials Tuesday in Washington to come up with possible fixes for the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  The oil spill is the result of the destruction of the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform owned and operated by Transocean on behalf of oil company British Petroleum, and the spill has so far has resisted BP's attempts to plug it.

The 55 year-old Cameron is an ocean-technology buff.  He has been an expert on underwater filming and manned submersible vehicles since working of his films, The Abyss and Titanic.  Cameron has reportedly also spoken with BP officials about the leak.  This People.com article has more details on the meeting.

Review: James Cameron's "Aliens" is Still a Blast

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 162 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Aliens (1986)
Running time:  137 minutes (2 hours, 17 minutes)
DIRECTOR: James Cameron
WRITER: James Cameron; from a story by David Giler & Walter Hill and James Cameron
PRODUCER: Gale Anne Hurd
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Adrian Biddle (director of photography)
EDITOR: Ray Lovejoy
COMPOSER: James Horner
Academy Award winner

SCI-FI/ACTION/THRILLER with elements of horror

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Carrie Henn, Bill Paxton, William Hope, and Jenette Goldman

One of the landmark action films of the last two decades is James Cameron’s Aliens. With it’s heart stopping plot twists, quick-cut editing, and nerve shattering suspense, Aliens almost killed the idea of cerebral science fiction films, and, to this day, sci-fi and action are synonymous terms when applied to film.

Aliens is the sequel to the film Alien, the 1979 Ridley Scott film that was easily one of the best of that year and spawned countless imitators. The film also introduced to a larger audience to the work of one of its visual effects creators/designers, European surrealist H. R. Giger (who earned an Academy Award for his work on the picture).

A giant corporation has colonized the planet that first appeared in Alien and where a group of interstellar miners of the Nostromo mining ship encountered the horrific alien life form. When earth loses contact with the colony, they send a group of space marines to learn what’s happened at the colony. Lt. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the only surviving member of the Nostromo crew, goes along as a consultant. The mission turns disastrous after the aliens slaughter most of the marines. Ripley has to use her familiarity with the aliens to lead the rest of the remaining crew to safety, including a little girl who is the sole surviving colonist.

The performances in the film are excellent, in particular Ms. Weaver who’s Lt. Ripley must act as warrior to save her group from the relentlessly attacking creatures and as a mother to the little girl Newt (Carrie Henn). Bill Paxton as the whiny and frantic Pvt. Hudson made his first big screen splash with a wild-eyed, inspired, and memorable performance. Michael Biehn, (as Cpl. Dwayne Hicks), however, should have earned leading man status with his role, but never did, and Paul Reiser (as the dishonest, evil, and murderous corporate weasel Carter J. Burke) was decidedly out of character with the kind of roles that would later make him famous in the early to mid-90’s.

Several filmmakers ably assisted James Cameron in making this film a classic. James Horner’s Oscar-nominated score would be so well appreciated that nearly two decades later, many studios still uses pieces of it as background music in movie trailers and commercials to sell other action, suspense, thriller, and horror films. Stan Winston won one of his several Oscars as one of the SFX artists on this film who adapted Giger’s work from the first film to better suit Aliens, which was more kinetic than its atmospheric predecessor. Film editor Ray Lovejoy’s achievement in helping to create this film’s frantic, breakneck, and breathless pace also shaped how action films would look from then on.

Aliens was the picture where Cameron first started getting notice for the difficulty of his film shoots and for being a hard man to please. He’s a creative director and a great filmmaker, regardless of his temperament. He got the most out of what he had to make a great film, for instance, cutting away and shooting at angles that would hide the fact that many of the actors playing aliens were only wearing half of a suit. It didn’t matter. All that camera movement created the intensity for which Aliens is so celebrated. The film suffers from one of the faults that mar most thrillers and suspense films. It was too long, and, as good as every part of the last act is, it was a bit too much. Lovers of sci-fi, action, thrillers, and horror films, however, should not miss this film.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
1987 Academy Awards: 2 wins: “Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing” (Don Sharpe) and “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (Robert Skotak, Stan Winston, John Richardson, and Suzanne M. Benson); 5 nominations: “Best Actress in a Leading Role” (Sigourney Weaver), “Best Art Direction-Set Decoration” (Peter Lamont and Crispian Sallis), “Best Film Editing” (Ray Lovejoy), “Best Music, Original Score” (James Horner), and “Best Sound” (Graham V. Hartstone, Nicolas Le Messurier, Michael A. Carter, and Roy Charman)

1987 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best Special Visual Effects” (Robert Skotak, Brian Johnson, John Richardson, and Stan Winston); 3 nominations: “Best Make Up Artist” (Peter Robb-King), “Best Production Design” (Peter Lamont), “Best Sound” (Don Sharpe, Roy Charman, and Graham V. Hartstone)

1987 Golden Globes, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Sigourney Weaver)

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VIZ Cinema to Screen Four Crime Films by Akira Kurosawa

SUMMER HEATS UP AS VIZ CINEMA CELEBRATES ICONIC JAPANESE FILMMAKES IN NEW UNTOLD LEGENDS FILM SERIES

Month Kicks Off With Four Crime Noir Films By Akira Kurosawa

VIZ Cinema and NEW PEOPLE present a cinematic theme of Untold Legends for the month of June by offering audiences a rare chance to glimpse the lesser known sides of several of Japan’s most iconic filmmakers.

The summer season heats up with a celebration marking the centennial birth of Japan’s most beloved film director – Akira Kurosawa – and presents four of his acclaimed crime noir films. Kurosawa masterfully combines thrilling storytelling with conflicted characters to depict the desperate human conditions and tense drama of post-war Japan in timeless movies like Drunken Angel, High And Low, The Bad Sleep Well and Stray Dog.

Tickets, screening times and more details are available at: www.vizcinema.com.

Drunken Angel, June 4th – 6th
(1948, 98min, 35mm, English Subtitles)
In this powerful early noir film from the great Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune bursts onto the screen as a volatile, tubercular criminal who strikes up an unlikely relationship with a jaded physician.

High and Low, June 7th – 8th and also June 10th
(1963, 143min, 35mm, English Subtitles)
Toshiro Mifune is unforgettable in his role as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a cold-blooded kidnapper in Akira Kurosawa’s impactful film that is a compelling race-against-time thriller and a penetrating portrait of contemporary Japanese post-war society.

The Bad Sleep Well, June 8th – 10th
(1960, 151min, 35mm, English Subtitles)
Continuing his legendary collaboration with actor Toshiro Mifune, Kurosawa combines elements of Hamlet and American film noir to chilling effect as a young executive hunts down his father’s killer.

Stray Dog, June 6th – 7th and also June 9th
(1949, 122min, 35mm, English Subtitles)
When a pickpocket steals a rookie detective’s gun on a hot and crowded bus, the cop goes undercover in a desperate attempt to right the wrong. Kurosawa’s thrilling noir film probes the squalid world of postwar Japan and the nature of the criminal mind.

VIZ Cinema is the nation’s only movie theatre devoted exclusively to Japanese film and anime. The 143-seat subterranean theatre is located in the basement of the NEW PEOPLE building and features plush seating, digital as well as 35mm projection, and a THX®-certified sound system.

NEW PEOPLE offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan and is the creative vision of the J-Pop Center Project and VIZ Pictures, a distributor and producer of Japanese live action film. Located at 1746 Post Street, the 20,000 square foot structure features a striking 3-floor transparent glass façade that frames a fun and exotic new environment to engage the imagination into the 21st Century. A dedicated web site is also now available at: http://www.newpeopleworld.com/.

My First Negromancer Movie Review: "The Ladies Man"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 of (2001) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Ladies Man (2000)
Running time: 84 minutes (1 hour, 24 minutes)
DIRECTOR: Reginald Hudlin
WRITERS: Tim Meadows, Dennis McNicholas, and Andrew Steele
PRODUCER: Lorne Michaels
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Johnny E. Jensen
EDITOR: Earl Watson
COMPOSER: Marcus Miller

COMEDY

Starring: Tim Meadows, Karyn Parsons, Billy Dee Williams, John Witherspoon, Jill Talley, Lee Evans, Will Ferrell, Sofia Milos, Eugene Levy, David Huband, Kevin McDonald, Tiffani Thiessen, and Julianne Moore

When I first saw advertisements for this movie, The Ladies Man, I really wanted to see it. I wasn’t just another movie on my list; I craved seeing this movie. From the ads, it looked as if it would be filled with those obnoxious pimp daddy retro-60’s/70’s blaxtiplotation stereotypes that are in vogue, and at the moment, I wanted some of that.

I got it, but in a sort of wishy-washy, screwed up way. You see, black folks can be funny and entertaining to white audiences, if they know how and what to deliver. I watched Eddie Murphy and Chris Tucker satisfy whatever that craving for silly Negroes is to different generations (though Murphy returned from his early to mid 90’s slump as a family movie comic actor). Black and white audiences expect the same thing from their black funny guys and gals, they just want it prepared differently. One group might flock to Booty Call and the other prefers Dr. Dolittle.

The Ladies Man, a film by Reginald Hudlin (House Party, Boomerang, and the Great White Hype) attempts to deliver the colored goods to a White audience. I honestly believe that upon reading the script, they knew that black people would see through this limp-wristed minstrel charade.

Based on an ongoing “Saturday Night Live” skit, the lead is Leon Phelps (Tim Meadows, who originated the character on SNL) as a radio advice show host who gets himself and his producer, Julie (Karyn Parsons, “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” Major Payne), fired from the major Chicago gig because of his insistence on using crude language to discuss sexual topics (although kind of language keeps television talk shows on the air). During their difficult and unsuccessful hunt for other employment (the first point upon which this movie turns), Phelps receives a letter from a wealthy former lover who wants to take care of him; he must however discover her, as the letter is unsigned (the second point). Meanwhile, the husbands of Phelps many lovers have banded together to find and bring harm to Phelps whose identity is unknown to them because the only glimpse they ever got of him was of his ass and the distinct tattoo upon his right buttock (his unknown identity being the third point). This movie is actually not without possibilities. It is, after all, simply product, and if you make a good cheeseburger, garbage food though it may be compared to gourmet food, if made well it can be a satisfying meal.

When the writers moved Phelps from sketch character to full-length movie character, they forgot to fully develop him. In the movie, he’s stuck somewhere between cipher and character – almost, but not quite where he needs to be. Phelps is supposed to be some kind of fantastic lover man, but the audience must assume that because the script darn well never shows us why. If we suspend our disbelief, we still have a hard time convincing ourselves that his character’s silly “make out” lines are meant to be attractive and inviting to women. Phelps is undeniably dumb, dull-witted, and slow. He has a giant Afro that screams fake like Astroturf, and his wardrobe is porno movie chic. There should be some attempt to humanize him and make him attractive to the audience. There should be something real about him that makes him attractive to women. We can assume from a few scenes that he possesses massive genitalia, but we never see that; instead we see men gawking at his off screen groin area. We do see his ass a few times, which is nicely shaped and sculpted, whether it belong to Meadows or a butt double.

The actors certainly seem up to the task; they’re all earnest even with a bad script. All the cuckold husbands are quite convincing, especially the delightful Will Ferrell (SNL and A Night at the Roxbury) and Eugene Levy. Midway through this movie, you can sense that the actors are ready to bust out, if only they had the material. Karyn Parsons is willing passionate and believable, but she is largely reduced to playing lady in waiting to Meadows’ clueless Phelps. It was good to see Billy Dee Williams as the bar owner Lester. He is as handsome and as talented as, say Richard Gere. I wonder why we see so much of Gere, who has one flop after another, while we see almost nothing of Williams on the big screen.

But in the end, so much is left to assumptions and playing upon stereotypes. One can see in Meadows face the ability to give this character life, but he’s left with a caricature, a minstrel man. When the audience can identify the characters and then sympathize with them, they can better accept not only dramatic situations concerning the characters, but also comedic situations. The audience will giggle at a few situations that they might recognize because they are familiar with the stereotypes. However, a fully developed story with surprises that delight and familiarity that hits home will make for a fine cinematic experience. The writers should take the time to ground the story in reality, not necessarily make it realistic, but give it a sense of verisimilitude.

2 of 10
D

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Negromancer Casts Another Spell

Welcome to Negromancer, the rebirth of my former movie review website as a movie review and movie news blog. My name is Leroy Douresseaux, and I also blog at http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/. In addition to my blogging, I write for the Comic Book Bin, which has its own iPhone app.

All images appearing on this blog are © copyright and/or trademark their respective owners.