SHORT FILM REVIEW: A Bad Feeling

(Image: imdb.com)

A BAD FEELING— 4 STARS

Star Wars fans will quickly have their sensors triggered when they note the title of this short film from Charlotte Barrett and Sean Fallon, the team behind 2011’s Virgin Alexander. It is a nod to a running gag that is said as often in Star Wars films as the classic line “May the Force be with you.” The phrase alludes to a character’s audible dread and the heebie-jeebies warning of something awful, visible or invisible, on their horizon. The characters in those movie moments say it and mean it. In A Bad Feeling, the husband and wife central figures know their trouble, entirely feel it, but don’t announce their fears when they should.

The lingering destructive force in question for Karen and Jim, a spousal unit of Star Wars cosplayers played by American Horror Story actress Lily Rabe and prolific TV character actor Eric Laden, is something very real and not from a galaxy far, far away. It’s miscarriage. They are sitting in the parking lot of a convention center in full costumes a day after the loss of an unborn child. Eye contact isn’t happening as they struggle to discuss where they are in each other’s headspace.

Karen is reeling and all of Jim’s feeble attempts at conversation only seem to dig holes deeper. Neither want to go home and they talk themselves up into hitting the convention floor. He keeps trying to make the best of it, memorabilia hunting, posing for pictures, and scoring autographs from the likes of Star Trek’s Robert Picardo and Rosana DeSoto (nice cameos). She, however, is in malaise of increasing frustration that manifests in little daydreamed moments of harsher penalties towards Jim.

LESSON #1: THE REALITIES OF MISCARRIAGE — For those expectant parents who have experienced one of the 10–25% of pregnancies that reach this unfortunate end, you know what Karen and Jim are feeling. You know the sudden grief. You know the physical aftermath like a D&C and the bleeding. You know exactly how impossible the smallest things become for a while and how that can fracture a loving relationship. For those that don’t, look up an article or two and have your eyes opened wider than the widescreen scrolling title crawl.

LESSON #2: SAY WHAT YOU HONESTLY FEEL — As hinted at earlier in the opening paragraph, we have two people not saying what they mean when they need to. They fear that the spoken truth will hurt more than it does being suppressed and ignored. To paraphrase Darth Vader, their “thoughts betray them.” Jim catches on to the empathy and patience he’s missing and expresses himself better. Karen finds a safe way and place to vent her bottled emotions to a prepared and listening ear. Honesty brings compromise and that’s this couple’s first real step forward.

Even with the constricted communication of Lesson #2, A Bad Feeling speaks its own volumes. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Film Invasion LA and the Jury Award of the Pensacon Short Film Festival, these are eight minutes of sheer bravery from to present comedy alongside such a heavy topic as miscarriage. Pristine and intimate cinematography from Aaron Meister (Sushi Girl) stays tight on the lead duo while soaking up the chatter-filled ambiance of the comic-con location. Much appreciation is earned by Sean Fallon and Charlotte Burnett to deal with this weight in a frank, honest, and tidy fashion. Even in contracted form, the timing and pacing is excellent. This festival short is unafraid to reach a point of returned love while dropping a real “I know” to follow. See it for yourself.

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GUEST EDITORIAL: How filmmaking companies make money

HOW FILMMAKING COMPANIES MAKE MONEY

While the film industry is one of the sectors where budgets are impressively high, the question of finances stays open. It’s not enough to earn the money on tickets, and the movie-making companies find other ways of filling their accounts.

How Does the Movie Industry Make Money?

We all love to watch films and feel as if we’re the part of movie-making art. And every time we go to the cinema we try to imagine what stands behind all these scenes and how the magic is done. Well, only film-makers know these secrets but we definitely know that they cost a lot of money. Movie production companies know that you won’t cover all the expenses with the help of ticket revenue. Filmmaking doesn’t only include the involvement of celebrities, cameramen, and other staff but also development, production, promotion, etc. So, let’s find out how people make money in this industry.

How the Film Industry Grows Its Budget?

The era when producers of the industry counted only on the success of the film is far gone. Today, they look for alternative ways of attracting money to the project and these methods really work, you can check it here. Let’s look through a few variants of earning money in the industry of filmmaking:

• TICKET SALES: The number of people who want to watch the film at a cinema is still high in the industry. Studios have to pay the commission from sales to theaters and distributors. Filmmakers of the industry get a larger portion of the income during the 1st week since the movie has been released. Usually, the budget is shared according to this scheme:

  • 60 % goes to a studio that created the film;

  • 20-40 % goes to the distributors operating theaters.

Notice that sci-fi and fantasy movies are more popular than independent films in 2017, for example. They gather a larger audience and that is why they get more money in the industry. We can say the same about such films released overseas;

• DISTRIBUTORS OF THE INDUSTRY: Film producers interact with people who are responsible for the movie release in different parts of the country. They sell distributors the right to show it on this territory and expect to get the percentage from this deal. Usually, the producer in the film industry gets back around 30 % of the money he invested in the movie. If it’s successful in the territory, distributors share the income with partners by 2.

• OVERSEAS FILM SALES: International communications and promotions are highly appreciated in this business and people having jobs in the film industry know how to make money in this segment. Producers earn around 25 % on selling the rights overseas.

• DISTRIBUTION: Distributors of the industry have to promote the film on their territory somehow and they take the mentioned commission of around 25 %. As we mentioned, they also share the income from the release.

Film industry jobs cover many segments and can be connected with any process starting with casting and ending up with commercial operations. You can become a part of Hollywood life and help to create movies with a $ 500 000 000 budget. Or you can enjoy the greatest films in the industry at a cinema and try svenska casino while waiting.

Final Thoughts on Film Industry

The financial scheme in the filmmaking industry performs a complicated chain of processes. We described the most important methods of money earning in the industry but there can be even more of them. Besides, are you interested in how to get into the film industry? Or, maybe, you already work there? Tell us about your experience connected with the filmmaking industry!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JOSHUA SHERMAN

Photographer and cameraman, he likes to travel and get new experiences. He captures the scenes of the lives of local people and their traditions to establish the exhibition in his native city New York. Studies the history of cinematography of each country he visits. In his free time, he adores playing 100 free spins utan insättning.

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INFOGRAPHIC: Vacation destinations that are out of this world

Every town and city in the world employ various strategies to attract tourists to helps boost the local economy. If certain towns were lucky enough to be the backdrop of some of the most famous TV shows and movies, it’s only natural for the city councils to capitalize on the recent trend of tourists visiting set locations based on their favorite shows.

Let’s take a minute or two to imagine how the travel brochure for Luke Skywalker’s homeworld Tatooine would look like. Now, how about King’s Landing? The Shire? Diagon Alley?

Alpharooms, an online travel booking agent, has created travel brochures for FOUR of the most iconic TV and movie locations so fans can immerse themselves into these ‘out of this world’ holiday destinations browsing. Take a tour of our all-new destinations and book your dream holiday in our faraway lands:

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TATOOINE

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DIAGON ALLEY

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THE SHIRE

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KING’S LANDING

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MOVIE REVIEW: Extra Innings

(Image: baseballlife.com)

EXTRA INNINGS— 4 STARS

The expression “heart in the right place” is normally used as a smallish complement to counteract some obvious flaw or as a baseline pleasantry when something does not achieve its goal fully. Albert Dabah’s intensely personal independent film Extra Innings carries that expression with neither of those dismissive caveats. Its heart is indeed in the right place, with that position being right next to its soul. That soul is wearing cleats, a ball cap, a weathered glove, and a stirrup-ed uniform patrolling the grasses of center field on a baseball diamond on a sunny summer day.

The love and draw of baseball creates family complications for preteen David (Aiden Pierce Brennan of Netflix’s The Punisher) in early 1960s Brooklyn. He is a Little League dreamer soaking up the irascible advise of his aging greaser coach Nicky (character actor Ed Bergtold). The dirt and dust of the ballfield are this boy’s place of solace from a strict upbringing at home, and he’s becoming quite good at the game.

David’s home life is a completely different world from the playful sport. He is the youngest of a devout Syrian Jewish household seeped in old traditions. His exasperated parents Ester (Geraldine Singer of Get Out and Mudbound) and Eli (the director himself) stress religion and tradition while most of their children reflect some fractured disappointment. David’s cherished older sister Vivian (Mara Kassin of Rootz) is an uncouth free spirit living whimsical indulgences in California. David’s older brother Morris (newcomer Robby Ramos) is a troubled schizophrenic savant confined to his room and vinyl records of classical music to calm him.

Eli and Ester don’t speak of the hand-washed failures and flaws right in front of them, creating a tense household and their own unrecognized depression. They pin their hopes on their straight-arrow daughter Rita (TV actress Natasha Coppola-Shalom) and young David. However, all that boy wants to do as he approaches his bar mitzvah is play baseball. Extra Innings tragically turns on a dime when Morris commits suicide by means of pill overdose.

LESSON #1: THE EFFECTS OF SUICIDE ON A FAMILY — Morris’s death further hollows out a family that was already stretching its empty limits. This loss only adds more sullenness and blind hope for most of them. For David, as he ages forward into a young man and a high school senior now played by Alex Walton, it only increases his desire for the athletic place he feels most free of that dread. Extra Innings never goes clinical or preachy when observing this lesson through storytelling. Its rawness to portray different aspects of untreated grief and incomplete forgiveness is impressive, especially when this film is based on the life of its writer and director Albert Dabah.

LESSON #2: FAMILY FIRST, DREAMS SECOND — To Eli and Ester, baseball is a frivolous waste of time, even many years later when David is being courted to play at the college level. They’ve never seen David play and repeatedly emphasize that he needs to mature into a contributing adult following his father into business with a proper family of his own. The pressure of that forced-upon rigidity of cultural expectations is a weight throughout the film.

LESSON #3: ASSERT YOURSELF — David refuses to let go of his passion for baseball. He gravitates to the encouragement of his sister Vivian to head west to California and a growing romantic attraction to a non-Jewish Natalie (Simone Policano of Auggie). One could almost add the phrase “even if people are telling you you’re wrong” to the title of this lesson as David bucks and shuns his domestic restrictions to follow where his heart and soul feel best.

For a small film of emerging rookies in lead positions presented with thick drama, Extra Innings features some standout performances. Mara Kassin impresses the loudest with her gypsy frost that breaks the hardened rocks of tension in the movie. She is a welcome energy. Like a page out of Tyler Hoechlin’s playbook, Alex Walton isn’t faking his baseball prowess yet carries a quiet heft as a romantic lead and family rebel. His scenes with the fetching Simone Policano often feel like a miniature Brooklyn all their own. Don’t let the resumes fool you. This is far from amateur hour and the increasing collection of festival awards for its filmmakers and cast prove that.

The narrative threads and patches of Extra Innings may match or borrow from commonalities you have seen before in a few subgenres, but its expression of them is wholly its own. Dabah’s film is completely unshy and that is a soaring strength where most movies soften to melodrama. Honest crudeness from characters destroys any possible sugarcoating. Extra Innings challenge suicide with a very virtuous balance of wrought drama and disarming brevity. This is can be a hard watch, but an overwhelmingly heartwarming one as well.

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INFOGRAPHIC: America's most popular Pixar movies by state

A generation has grown up with Pixar, starting with Toy Story way back in 1995. Now that Toy Story 4 is upon us, it’s safe to assume that Buzz Lightyear wasn’t kidding about taking it “To infinity . . . and beyond!” In celebration of the June 21 release of Toy Story 4, the fine folks at CableTV.com toyed around with Google Trends to determine the most popular Pixar movie in each state. Let’s see what everyone ages three and up has been searching for in the Pixar world this year.

MAP LEGEND

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Big ups for Up

In a dramatic ascendance over last year, 2009’s Up is a favorite in 17 states. The tale of octogenarian Carl and his flying house (and, of course, Dug the dog) claimed only a couple of states last year but ballooned by nearly 750% in 2019. Ellie would be proud.

Up-worthy states: Alabama, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Feeling Brave

Trailing behind Up with the love of eight states is 2012’s Brave, followed by 2015’s Inside Out with five.

Brave’s flame-haired Scottish Princess Merida sparked the interest of Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington. Meanwhile, Inside Out’s colorful crew of emotions felt the feels from Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, and Utah.

The toy stories

The original 1995 Toy Story is still a favorite with Florida, but Idaho prefers 1999’s Toy Story 2. Meanwhile, Connecticut, Delaware, and Nevada like 2010’s Toy Story 3, wherein teenaged Andy heads off to college and his toys are inadvertently sent to the trash. In our opinion, TS3’s harrowing incinerator scene alone qualifies it as the Empire Strikes Back of the franchise.

One-state wonders

Several Pixar flicks scored just a single state: 1998’s A Bug’s Life  (Louisiana), 2011’s Cars 2  (Arkansas), 2017’s Cars 3( Kentucky), 2003’s Finding Nemo (Hawaii), 2015’s The Good Dinosaur (Wyoming), and 2008’s WALL-E (Alaska). Of them all, only Hawaii stood by their 2018 favorite.

An Incredibles slight

The Incredibles (2004) lived up to its name, but last year’s Incredibles 2? Not so much. California and Texas love the original outing of the fantastical superhero family, but 2018 sequel Incredibles 2 couldn’t even register interest in Municiberg (state unknown). Newness is probably a factor here; maybe Incredibles 2 will show up next year.

Dory (still) rules

Iowa, Kansas, Montana, and Rhode Island won’t give up on fish tale Finding Dory, the 2016 sequel to Finding Nemo that went on to become the third-most successful Pixar movie of all time (sorry, Nemo). In fact, billion-dollar Dory swims behind Toy Story 2 (Pixar’s top earner) and Incredibles 2 in overall box-office receipts.

Of monsters and rats

What do Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Ratatouille (2007) have in common? Besides both scoring a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 96%, they’re also loved in two states apiece. Monsters, Inc. scared up sympathy from Arizona and New Mexico, while Ratatouille fricasseed feelings in Massachusetts and Vermont.

MIA in the USA

Unfortunately, three Pixar movies from CableTV.com’s 2018 popular Pixar movies list didn’t make the cut this year: Cars (2006), Monsters University (2013), and Coco (2017). We can understand Cars, since it—and its sequels—aren’t exactly critical darlings. But Monsters University and especially the charming Coco? Here’s hoping for a 2020 comeback for both. What do you think about the most popular Pixar movie in your state this year? Does it match up with your own? Do you want justice for Coco? Let us know in the comments below.

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MEDIA APPEARANCE: David Ehrlich's IndieWire Critics Survey on July 8, 2019

Notable and notorious IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich recently put out a social media call for film critic peers to join a weekly survey to discuss movie topics, answer questions, and highlight their work.  Representing Every Movie Has a Lesson, I, along with over 60 other emerging and established film critics including some of my fellow Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle members and Aaron White of Feelin’ Film, accepted the invitation to participate.  I'm honored by the opportunity, and I hope my responses are chosen each week.  

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THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: What is the best ever horror performance and how did it leverage the genre to accomplish something that might not have been possible in a more grounded type of film?

Horror is not my cup of tea, coffee, cocktail, or even water, and I didn’t see Midsommar which inspired this week’s survey question, but I have dipped my toe in enough good and classic horror to pick out a great performance or two. I’ve seen no one unravel under the fictional stresses better than Mia Farrow in Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby. I was between her and the sympathy created by Boris Karloff in Frankenstein. For those folks that are horror aficionados, this is a solid collected list this week from the IndieWire survey.

THE FULL INDIEWIRE ARTICLE THIS WEEK MY "BLINDSPOT" VINTAGE REVIEW OF "ROSEMARY'S BABY"

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DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable

(Image: outsideonline.com)

BETHANY HAMILTON: UNSTOPPABLE — 4 STARS

At the penultimate moment of comeback surfing accomplishment for Bethany Hamilton in Unstoppable, there is this colossal shot that is simply heaven-sent. Flying down from a towering and clouded height of serenity and scope above the green Maui coastline, the overhead camera drops more and more into a maelstrom of big waves below. It picks up a speck, a point of focus, riding across this monstrous wave. It’s her, slaying this natural beast with talent unbound by any age or disability. With the woman’s faith always leading her in all things, it’s as if this swooping gaze comes from the approval of heaven itself.

The light produced by this documentary matches the inspirational shine of the subject herself. Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable is an admirable and impressive chronicle of its sunlit sporting world of “calculated chaos.” Over and over, with every step she takes forward as a woman and as a competitor, Bethany Hamilton remains undefined by the famous shark attack incident that claimed her left arm. Instead, her actions and stature make her the pillar worth celebrating.

In his third surfing-centered documentary following The Pursuit and Lakey Peterson: Zero to 100, director and lead cinematographer Aaron Lieber takes his camera into turbulent natural and personal currents. The culminating challenge described above is previewed to open the film. Bethany Hamilton, 26 at the time of this film, thirteen years after losing her arm which temporarily derailed her budding professional surfing career, is looking down the Jaws surf break of Maui, a renowned place powered by a seasonal El Nino and known for some of the biggest waves in the world. On this day, it’s not about scoring or competition. It’s about conquering where people said you cannot.

Before we reach that climax, Unstoppable swirls through Bethany’s life story. Between her equally competitive sibling and ever-supportive parents, the documentary astutely describes the layers of support from this upbringing that would define Bethany’s high personal standards. Through the keen splicing of editor and co-writer Carol Martori (From Here to There), the multitude of home videos from the Hamilton family offer the genuine article in all her steadfast action, in and out of the water. The attention that came to her life after 2003’s calamity only increased the camera material covering Bethany, including 2011’s excellent dramatization Soul Surfer.

LESSON #1: DEFYING HANDICAPS — Of the many adjectives one can use to describe Bethany Hamilton, do not call her “disabled” or call her condition a “disability.” She aimed to compete on the same level as her peers, period, and even declined a 2016 ESPN ESPY Award nomination for Best Female Athlete with a Disability twelve years after being the Comeback Athlete of the Year at the same annual gala. Each time she goes out and achieves something “heavy,” as her sport says, be that personal or professional, big or small, dream or reality, or equal to someone with two hands or arms, she is proving her equivalence and not her handicap.

Most stories would tail off once the heights of fame die down. Like Hamilton’s own path, Unstoppable goes further. The girl we saw going on talk shows to answer the same questions and accept awards and multiplied praise went on to become her own young woman, marrying her sweetheart Adam Dirks in a whirlwind and becoming a first-time mother to her son Tobias (she would later welcome a second son, Wesley, in 2018). Even with familial victories, the drive for as-yet-unattained athletic accomplishments puts Bethany on towards a list of goals that comprise this cinematic observation.

LESSON #2: GO OUT AND SHOW PEOPLE — For over a decade, Bethany Hamilton stood as a impressive example of survival. She lived through a near-death experience to continue a life. She could have stopped right there and been done. Instead, Bethany wanted to do better and continue the possible path of a professional surfer. Through the risks and new responsibilities, Bethany put herself out there to either succeed or fail. She called it a reminder to all competitors that she’s for real. Viewers will look at this and marvel that a nursing mom months after giving birth, is out there schooling teenagers on the curls and pipes. Who do you know in the same womanly situation does all this and still makes time to write books, make appearances, and lead a charity program for other injured children? Then, do all that with one arm.

As a big screen experience, Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable has a drive to match this second lesson. It is out to show people this remarkable and special person, inside and out, as she cuts through all of the sound and fury of ocean waves and unexpected stardom. The Kris Bowers musical score and the soaring drone, helicopter, and action cam cinematography is eye-popping for the silver screen. Still and matching her Hollywood biopic, the soulfulness of Bethany Hamilton is the reason to watch this film. Her earnest thankfulness and her indomitable will are greater than the oceanic wonders.

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