FEATURED ATTRACTION:


FLASHES OF LIFE is a story of true love… but it’s a strange story, to say the least. That is not to say that it’s a bad thing that it’s a strange tale, it’s just different enough to keep you captivated.

Screenwriter TED FROATS, hot off his Best Screenplay win at the GMAs for his work on CAROUSEL, brings us the tale of Ryan & Sara, a love lost… and a love yet reborn again. It seems 25-year-old Ryan is quite the thrill seeker since he had graduated from high school. He has traveled the world, and lived life to “the fullest”.

While skydiving in Belgium, a tragic accident that should have claimed his life, somehow miraculously doesn’t… and he gets to reclaim something that he lost so long ago. The love of the only person he ever truly loved… other than himself. That person was Sara, someone he really hadn’t given much consideration to since they were both 15.

The story has many twist and turns and strange paradoxical flashbacks, but eventually by the end of this picture, the story is about finding one thing… sometimes you get to find out the answer to the greatest, burning question of all… WHAT IF?

All in all, this film is a great tale… but the flashback sequences may seem to be too numerous to some moviegoers. For me, I could have done with a little less. I think that the overuse of the FLASHES OF LIFE’s major “gimmick” detracts a bit from the story. True, it’s a major theme throughout the entire film, but its overuse takes a bit away from the overall scope of the story.

But, aside from that one minor setback, TED FROATS has written a great love story here, and I rate FLASHES OF LIFE like this….

Originality of Screenplay




Interest Of Storyline




Casting




Although I really feel that Emma Roberts was a really solid casting choice for the 15-year-old Sara… I feel that possible someone like Anne Hathaway would have been a far better choice for the matured, 25-year-old Sara. This is not to say that Natalie Portman wasn’t a sound choice… just that I feel Anne Hathaway would have been a better one. But, what do I know? I’m just a movie fan… and a critic.

NOW AVAILABLE FROM CRAZY MOON PICTURES ON DVD, HD-DVD and BLU-RAY DISC:

HARRY STARK has said in a press conference recently that CRAZY MOON PICTURES is going to continue to produce dramas and comedies… even if there is a possibility of them becoming a minor drain financially. Well, I for one am glad to here it!!! We need to see more tough, hard-hitting dramas like the film NO EVIL. This was an artistic masterpiece, and with the Golden Moon Awards having just completed their celebration of the past season of films, I think that NO EVIL has already begun to get people talking about the current one.

This film is a real winner in my book, and a great addition to your movie collection. It’s not a film for the feint of heart, and deals with some very difficult subject matter… but it’s a movie worth seeing. Some have said that it would have been far better as a “made for TV movie”, but I disagree. Screenwriter MARCUS TRAX brings you such a well-crafted story, that strikes a hard chord to hear… but you also can’t help but listen to. NO EVIL will keep you riveted to your seat, but you’ll probably be riveted to the edge of it. It’s a difficult, yet thought-provoking look into an extremely cynical world… and a world that should be a much happier place.

My recommendation for NO EVIL…

BUY IT -or- RENT IT

But if you missed it, you should at least see it… at least once.

ALSO AVAILABLE FROM CRAZY MOON PICTURES…

In a nutshell… 22:01 was just plain awful.

Poor writing quality and a predictable storyline… never mind the plot/story inconsistencies.

But I have never stopped wondering something about 22:01…

How much of this film was the original script by MARCUS TRAX, and how much did QUENTIN TARANTINO “re-write”? I guess we may never get the answer to that question… or will we?

My advice for the DVD release of 22:01…

AVOID IT… AT ALL COSTS!!!

What more can I say? It’s QUENTIN TARANTINO at his worst.

NOW APPEARING, AT A THEATER NEAR YOU…


SYNDROME: PARADISE LOST suffers from a severe malady. It’s something that we have seen in movie making over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over… We saw this movie before, and it goes by many names:

- DAWN OF THE DEAD
- DAWN OF THE DEAD (remake)
- DAY OF THE DEAD
- DAY OF THE DEAD (remake)
- DAY OF THE DEAD 2: CONTAGIUM
- LAND OF THE DEAD
- NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
- NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (remake)
- 28 DAYS LATER
- 28 WEEKS LATER
- THE OMEGA MAN
- ZOMBI

Do you get the point that I am trying to make here? This film is nothing new and, has nothing really to add positively to the genre. IT HAS BEEN DONE TO DEATH!!! Perhaps, like the undead zombie… it just won’t stop coming. YOU CAN’T KILL THEM ALL!!!

Here’s the plot of SYNDROME: PARADISE LOST summed up in two sentences:

It’s the year 2012, and zombies have begun to rise from the ground. This brings about a total collapse of government, with only a few people who survive… banding together to fight each day against the ever-increasing hoards of zombies.

So you’ve seen this one before? Well, I’ve seen it at least 12 times… the 12 films that I mentioned previously.

Will people go see it? YOU BET THEY WILL!!! Just like the mindless zombie they will flock to the cinema.

How do I rate the film SYNDROME: PARADISE LOST…

Originality of Screenplay: -0-
Interest of Storyline: -0-
Casting: -0-

You know what, any film made by ED WOOD, JR. is a far better film that this film… So here’s my advice to you…

Instead of spending your hard earned money on going to see SYNDROME: PARADISE LOST… why not buy or rent yourself a copy of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE on DVD? You’ll be better entertained, and you’ll probably feel you got your moneys worth.

So long for now, but until next time;

Head out to the lobby, get yourself a large popcorn, a drink and…

SEE YOU IN THE MOVIES!!!

JUNE, 27

MOVIES RELEASED

1-22:01

Action
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Christian Bale, Michael Madsen, Ray Liotta, Steve Buscemi, Josh Hartnett
Box Office: 46 mill.
Net Gains: 12 mill.

CMP Reaction: Poor box office. Considering the names involved in it, the movie should have been more profitable… and much better.

2-NO EVIL

Drama / Tragedy
Directed by David Mamet
Starring Edward Norton, Tea Leoni, Gary Sinise, Robert Downey Jr., Julianne Moore, Ariel Gade, Johnny Depp
Box Office: 21 mill.
Net Loss: 5 mill.

CMP Reaction: Forget about box office, have said Harry Stark (more about it below). CMP wants to produce dramas and you bet this one was a dramatic story.

THE CRITICS CORNER

1-22:01

“The formula: Reservoir Dogs + Kill Bill. Tarantino has put up together the best and the worst of his style. Ninjas and mobsters (!!) get together in a wild violent show where a group of tough guys try to kill each other. That’s it. And there’s nothing more. There’s not really a storyline, there’s not a development of the characters, there’s not any depth in the plot. It is just Tarantino’s freak world at his best. And you may either love it or hate it.”
-Bob Felton

“A failed movie. Just quoting a pop song… ‘Blood is all around me, it’s everywhere I go…’ Yes, Tarantino knows how to film violent sequences. We already knew that. But he also loves B-series movies at their worst. And he has used a great cast just to shoot a B-series karate and mafia movie all mixed up. We always hope for something new and different in each Tarantino’s movies. Forget about that this time.”
-Anne Roman

“Ok, I accepted Tarantino directing the sequel of ‘Wild Cards’. He loved the saga and he did a very good movie with it. Of course, he could do something more challenging than that, but we all know how he is… I can forgive him for this failed experiment, ’22:01’. But what really scares me is what he can do directing a new Ace Banner movie… Quentin, I think you are going the wrong way.”
-Jackie O. Callaghan

2-NO EVIL

“Let’s imagine this dialogue:

A: Hey, shall we go to the movies? I’ve heard there is a great drama showing…
B: Oh, great! What is it about?
A: Well, a girl is attacked by a wild dog and, due to the injuries, she becomes blind, deaf and mute so her father finally kills her to avoid the suffering…
B. Oh… em… you know… why don’t we stay at home and watch a silly action comedy DVD?

Well, that’s the problem with this movie. You have to be in a very special mood to go and watch a story like this. It is too painful, too sad, too depressing…
I’m not saying that this is a bad movie. Mamet knows how to tell us this drama without excesses and with a certain suspense. And the cast is absolutely great. Edward Norton makes an extraordinary job and the girl, Ariel Gade knows how to express all her feelings with just a glance. Everyone plays superbly their roles: Depp, Downey, Moore… (maybe Tea Leoni does not reach the dramatic intensity that her character needs). Everything is perfect.

But the premise, the main storyline… it just keeps audiences away. This story may work for a tv film, but it is so difficult to take the decision of going out and pay a ticket to watch this heartbreaking drama.

We all know that CMP is not good at selling dramas, but this production was really difficult to sell. So, after all, just losing a few millions is not as bad as it could have been”
-Charlie Kiggs

AWAITING RELEASE

1-SYNDROME: PARADISE LOST

The Cast: Ben Affleck, Kate Bosworth, Guy Pearce, Thomas Haden Church, Bill Paxton, Emma Watson, Shia Lebouf, Sara Paxton, Abigail Breslin

The Director and Screenwriter: Matt Kubrick

The Plot: The year is 2012 and the world we know it has changed forever. The zombies have risen from the ground and began to kill. The military tried to put a stop to this strange event but it was useless. Whoever was bit began to change. Every day there were more wandering around. Within months the government has crumbled and people tried to flee the major cities, where the Syndrome hit worst. A group of rag tag survivors have banded together to try and survive in this world, no more credit cards, no more TV, no more major corporations none of the things we took for granted. Here are our survivors.

Stephen (B.Affleck), a 40 something year old man who was homeless when the Syndrome struck.

Amber (A.Breslin), an 11 year old whose whole family was killed by zombies and Stephen ended up saving her life after he found her wandering all alone. She bonded with him and they became like father and daughter.

Mark (B.Paxton), an ex lawyer from the south kind of paranoid about the people he's been living with and keeps to himself as much as possible.

Tara (E.Watson) and Samantha (S.Paxton) two teenage sisters from NewYork city who managed to escape with their lives but Tara lost a boyfriend.

Christopher (T.H.Church), a 50 year old ex veteran of the Iraqi war he lost alot of good friends fighting in Baghdad. He owns the RV the survivors travel in.

Sean (S.Lebouf), a 20 something year old who goes to great lengths to help the survivors get food.

Kevin (G.Pearce) and Kara (K.Bosworth), a husband and wife the survivors meet along the way in their car and save them from a zombie attack.

The Comment: Kubrick has always liked to base his movies in a fresh B-series spirit mixed with visual challenges (remember his brilliant directing work in the flopped ‘Sam & Twitch’ or the first ‘Wild Cards’). Probably, there’ll be more of that in this one. Let’s just hope that this time box office responds.


2-FLASHES OF LIFE

The Cast: Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emma Roberts, Josh Hutcherson, Sally Field, William H. Macy, Tom Wilkinson

The Director: Cameron Crowe
The Screenwriter: Ted Froats

The Plot: Since graduating high school, 25-year-old Ryan (Gyllenhaal) has had an adventurous life, travelling the world, experiencing its many thrills...until he jumps out of a plane in Belgium and both his main and reserve parachutes fail to open. As he plummets to his death, he passes out and begins to flash back on his life...but instead of seeing his entire life, and his many adventures, he only sees a period of several months when he was 15 (J.Hutcherson is the 15-year-old version of Gyllenhaal), when he had his very first girlfriend, 15-year-old Sara (E.Roberts, 15-year-old version of Portman).

He awakes to find that he has miraculously survived...albeit a little worse for the wear. He's broken several bones, and had minor surgery, but in the weeks that it takes him to heal in a Belgian hospital, he realizes the significance of his fall. He realizes that Sara was the only woman he has ever loved, and he's ready to give up his adventuring ways to be with her. When he is released from the hospital, he calls her old number from memory. Her dad (W.H.Macy) answers...and tearfully tells Ryan that Sara has been diagnosed with stage III osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and only has weeks to live. Knowing this, Sara has chosen to leave the hospital and spend her last weeks on Earth in the house she was raised in, with the people that loved her.

Ryan races home, staying with his parents (S.Field & T.Wilkinson). He goes to Sara's Dad's house, but before knocking on the door, he peeks into her bedroom window. Instead of seeing a 25-year-old woman dying from bone cancer, he sees a 15-year-old still full of life, reading a bible. This doesn't seem to surprise him as he knocks on the door and Macy lets him in. As he enters her bedroom, Sara is suddenly 25 and dying (N.Portman)...but Ryan is now 15.

The movie continues in this fashion, with Ryan and/or Sara appearing to be 15 present day, and sometimes appearing 25 during flashbacks to when they were 15. Through flashback scenes and present day, the story of how Ryan and Sara dated and broke up is revealed: Sara's mother was diagnosed with bone cancer while Ryan and Sara dated. Sara's father was strongly against the relationship, believing that Ryan was too rebellious, and that Sara ought to be spending as much time as possible with her mother. Sara and her family were also very religious, while Ryan was not, which caused further problems.

When 25-year-old Ryan returns to be with dying Sara, he attempts to accept religion as a means of saving Sara. He attends her bible study, and prays with the group members over her body, but it apparently does no good, causing him to question the existance of God again.

The final climactic scene flashes back and forth between present day and ten years ago...the night Sara's mother passed away, she snuck into his room and lost her virginity to him. He asked her to marry him, but she said no because she knew he would need to travel the world, and she couldn't leave her dad now...which causes their break-up. In present day, he sneaks into her room where they make love once more.

The two love scenes, ten years apart, are spliced together...at times, 25-year-old Ryan is with 15-year-old Sara in present day...15-year-old Ryan is with 25-year-old Sara ten years ago...and every other combination you can imagine.

The following morning, Sara dies...having survived only one week.

Ryan goes to her funeral, but is surprised that his parents do not show up, despite their plans to do so. On his way out of the cemetary, he spots their car, and circles back...where he finds them not at Sara's tombstone...but at his.

He then realizes that he actually did die when his parachutes failed to open. He turns from his tombstone, and sees 25-year-old Sara's ghost. She reaches out to take his hand...and they both transform into 15-year-olds again, walking off into the sunset.

The Comment: A love drama with Froats’ favourite starring couple returning. Flash backs to tell us a story full of tears, both in the screen and in the seats. It won’t be a box office hit for sure (dramas never are), but it may work well enough. There’s a lot of romantic people out there…


THE MAKING OF… ‘SYNDROME: PARADISE LOST’
By Matt Kubrick

Hi loyal CMP movie buffs and welcome. Today I will reveal some things about this movie and where my idea of it came from. It's part zombie, part Mad Max and part sci-fi. I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't inspired by George Romero's zombie trilogy but I was thinking a lot about it. Those movies are mostly confined to s relatively small space, a farm house in the middle of nowhere, a mall, underground bunker, Land of the dead is the first one that takes place in a big city. I'm going to take that further and we'll be exploring hundreds of miles. I originally wanted this as a small budget movie but Harry convniced me we have to do this big so now we have a pretty sizeable budget for the series and there is going to be a lot of CGI done but only for the back drops of a ruined world. You'll see a lot of ruined building, cars. All the zombies though, will be done old school with makeup effects and we've hired an awesome stunt director and I'm not skimping on the zombie carnage either. This is the first part of a trilogy hopefully and the survivors of this one will be taken into the movie and you'll see them grow and change and we are leaving the door open for a sequel so the first movie won't really come to an end I hope that you will all come to see it because I want to create an incredible experience for everyone. Thanks for reading.

THE STAR PROFILE – GMA’S BEST PICTURE WINNER MOVIES

Let’s take another look back to the History of the GMA. This 4th edition has confirmed a very peculiar rule for these awards: the most nominated movies usually lose when it comes to winning the awards. Ceremony awards are usually a most predictable event, but the GMA always keep some final surprise.

Also, there’s a certain pattern if you want to win a GMA for Best Picture: the story never takes place in our time. From the times of the Crusades to a long, long time ago in a galaxy far away, Best Picture winners have always avoided the 21st Century. Let’s take a look at those Best Picture awarded movies.

THE CRUSADES (Paul Verhoeven / Joey Stark): The production process of this epic adventure wasn’t an easy one. Director Ridley Scott and star Russell Crowe abandoned the production when the shooting was ready to begin. Paul Verhoeven and Ethan Hawke came to rescue the movie. And box office thanked it with a superb box office. There were no surprises in this first edition. ‘The Crusades’ and ‘Deadly Sins’ got 6 nominations each and both of them won 3 statues.

UNCOMMON VALOUR: THE FRIGATE CAPTAIN (Ridley Scott / Jack Hammer): The first episode of another epic adventure, this one starred by Pierce Brosnan and Keira Knightley, made a correct box office. It got 4 nominations in the GMA. Three movies were ahead of it with 5 nominations: ‘Wild Cards’, ‘Chevrolet’ and ‘Cathedral’. So it was very difficult to figure out that finally ‘The Frigate Captain’ would win Best Picture and a total of 3 awards. The main defeated of this 2nd Edition? ‘Chevrolet’: 5 nominations and not a single award.

STAR WARS: NEW ORDER (Steven Spielberg / Marcus Trax): The movie had been the major hit ever for CMP with HM’s v38. And although it got 5 nominations, it was not the classic award winner type of movie. ‘The Toymaker’, with 6 nominations, another epic adventure taking place in past times in the line of previous winners, looked as the undisputed favourite. But again surprise, surprise… ‘The Toymaker’ just won one award and ‘New Order’ won 3, Best Picture included. By the way, ‘Darkening Skies’ lost in all its 5 nominations.

THE GREAT WAR SERIES: STORM BREAKS (Peter Weir / Jack Hammer): Usually, Best Picture winner has also been the movie that wins more statues. But not this time. ‘Storm Breaks’ had it all: again an epic adventure, superb box office, second episode of a critically acclaimed saga… And it made it: Best Picture winner. But only 2 awards. ‘Carousel’ became the first movie to win 5 statues. A bittersweet victory for ‘Storm Breaks’. The only sure thing is that the major disappointment of the night was for ‘South East’: 6 nominations and only one award.

MOVIES IN DEVELOPMENT

THE GUARDIANS: Best Actress GMA winner Jennifer Connelly joins Cruise and Crowe in this allstars cast. Connelly will play a woman with her heart split between both lead and antagonistic characters. She has been seen before in other CMP movies such as ‘The Crusades’ and ‘Smoke Signals’ and, usually, she’s been a sure bet for the Studio.

LIEUTENANT USA AND HIS WARM STEEL GANG: The Zucker brothers, Jerry and David, have been working together in the production of this comedy spoof. But it has finally been David who has directed it. And new names have joined this kind of Comedians Convention: Zach Braff (‘The Mogulers’, ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’, ‘Contract Killing For Dummies’) and Owen Wilson (‘Styx and Stones’, ‘Calvin and Hobbes’). And a surprise: Charlize Theron will be in the movie. ‘I was tyred of drama. I wanted to try comedy for once’, she has said to justify her surprising presence in this weird production. And another surprise: a few major CMP’s stars will make a cameo in the movie making a parody of their most famous CMP’s characters. Their names have been kept in secret.

WILD CARDS: ACE IN THE HOLE: After the disappointment of ‘London Underground’, Liv Tyler will have another chance of proving her acting skills in this production. Other name joining the cast is Elijah Wood, who had never worked in a CMP movie before.

LEGEND OF THE LAST LAWMAN: As it was planned from the beginning of this saga, Gene Hackman (‘Deadly Sins’, ‘Checkmate’, ‘Red Light’, ‘The Last Lawman’) will return to the franchise in this third episode playing the same character he did in the first movie. Hackman will be again the main villain of the function.

NATHAN ZACHARY AND DRAKE’S GOLD: Cast completed for the Jack Hammer’s adventure. Together with Thomas Jane and Milla Jovovich, we will meet in the movie with Ian McKellen, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Clarke Duncan, Ashley Scott, Justin Long and Taryn Manning. The shooting of the movie has recently finished in locations in Hawai.

THE STORY OF ME: Tom Hanks and Robin Willians worked together in the acclaimed ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’. And, while shooting that movie, they started to talk about this one as a new chance to work together again. And, finally, it has become a reality. Tom Hanks works again behind the cameras, as he did in ‘September’s Gone’ and ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’, and Robin Williams will be in front of them playing an old comedian in this melancholic dramedy written by Matt Kubrick.

PLANETSIDE: James Cameron is slowly announcing the long list of talents working in his new movie. The first ones? Liam Neeson and Sean Connery, who had previously worked together in 'The Bridge'. Also, we have known about two talents that have rejected to be in it due to other commitments: Halle Berry, now shooting ‘Get Christie Love!’, and Ian McKellen, alredy committed to ‘Nathan Zachary’.

72 HOURS: We have a name and a face for the Ex Murderer. Willem Dafoe, whose only previous work for CMP was in the flopped ‘The Passion Beneath’, returns to the Studio to play one of the major villains of the Season.

GET CHRISTIE LOVE!: Another villain confirmed. James Woods will be the mean guy in this one. And the only white talent in the cast. ‘After all, it’s a tribute to blaxploitation movies. No discrimination in that’, he has joked about it. Woods will play the powerful head of a drug dealers gang.

ACE BANNER 3: Quentin Tarantino has already released ’22:01’ and, as he had planned before De Niro convinced him to direct that one, he has started working on a new adventure of Ace Banner. It will mean a complete change for the franchise. In fact, Hugh Jackman, who played Ace Banner in the two previous movies of the saga, is not returning this time. Matt Kubrick, creator of Ace Banner, will produce. Sounds risky… but intriguing.

COMING SOON – THE ADD


RUMOURS AND GOSSIPS

According to very confidential CMP’s internal sources, Harry Stark is quite worried with ‘Nathan Zachary and Drake’s Gold’. The movie is a pretty expensive production. And Starks considers that Thomas Jane and Milla Jovovich are not big enough stars to sustain this production (that pretends to be the beginning of a new franchise). He has respected Jack Hammer’s desires for the cast, but Starks is afraid that the absence of any really big name in the cast may affect the box office breakdown of the movie.

‘No Evil’, as most of CMP’s dramas, did not make it at box office. But Harry Stark made it very clear in a recent press conference: ‘I love producing dramas and comedies. We make enough money with our major action and sci-fi productions, so I don’t care if quality movies as ‘No Evil’ lose a bit of money. Even with minor losses, it’s worthy. Benefits cannot be everything in life and the Studio makes benefits enough to allow us produce little movies like this one’.

Two screenwriters team up. Matt Kubrick and Joey Stark will work together in the screenplay of a spin-off movie from ‘Wild Cards’. They’ll write an adventure for Yeoman, the character played by Samuel L. Jackson seen in the two first movies of the saga. Yeoman is not returning in the upcoming ‘Wild Cards: Aces High’, but he’ll have his own movie probably next Season.

Kubrick might also get involved in another ambitious project. He has showed Harry Stark his interest in writing a screenplay for the Avengers. The story would be a kind of sequel to ‘Captain America: Destiny’ and it would begin right in the very same moment than this one ended: the death of the superhero.

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN SPECIAL – GOLDEN MOON AWARDS
By Jackie O. Callaghan

The weirdest GMA edition ever! You voters are strange people… ‘Carousel’ became the first CMP’s movie ever to win 5 awards. But it wasn’t even nominated for Best Director or Best Picture! Does that make any sense? And ‘Storm Breaks’ did not win any minor or acting award. But then it won Best Director and Best Picture! Weird, so weird…

As it already has become a tradition, once again most nominated movies – ‘Storm Breaks’ and ‘South East’ – were not the most awarded movies. Predictions just blew up as ‘Carousel’ started to win one award after another. By the time the ceremony reached the Best Director award, I just didn’t know what could be expected. At least, the good thing is that it wasn’t as predictable as awards ceremonies usually are.

Well, here is my Heaven or Hell judgement for this crazy edition…

HEAVEN

-CAROUSEL / STORM BREAKS: Which one should be considered the winner of the edition? A movie that wins the unique number of 5 awards, but not Best Director, Best Actor or Best Picture? Or a movie that wins the two major awards, Best Director and specially Best Picture? Debatable, very debatable, isn’t it? I won’t pronounce myself. Either way, I think this edition was heaven for both.

-CLAIRE DANES: Danes had an obvious risk this time: being nominated in three different categories, votes for her could split between them and make her lose the three of them. But fortunately that did not happen finally and Danes won two very much deserved awards.

-JOHN GOODMAN: Funny. For what I’ve been told by the people of CMP, Goodman was a most than clear favourite to win right since nominations votes. It was almost unanimous at winners voting.

-DANIEL RADCLIFFE: The young actor had to fight with two heavy-weights such as Colin Farrell and Robert De Nio. It was a kind of David and Goliath fight. But he finally made it. Hooray for him!

-SEAN CONNERY: The best of the ceremony? The introduction. Connery talking to a younger version of himself was a great idea from the organizers of the event.

HELL

-SOUTH EAST: 6 nominations and only one award was a sad balance for this little great movie. But I think the real victory was just being there. ‘South East’ was a modest production that found its way between the blockbusters to become one of the top nominated movies of the Season. A reason to feel proud of.

-DAKOTA FANNING: Everyone expected Claire Danes winning Best Supporting Actress. So an audible surprise whisper crossed the room when Dakota’s name was announced as the winner. Probably, a hell of a fight for her to get more votes than Danes in this category. Congratulations, Dakota!

-COLIN FARRELL: Ok, I admit that the GMA ceremony has become a casual event, more in the line of the MTV Awards than the Academy or the Golden Globe ceremonies. Not many tuxedos are seen. But, hey, did you see the looks of Farrell? That silly cap he went with to the press room… That shirt… He loves the ‘bad boy’ look but maybe this time he went too far…

4th SEASON - THE FINAL WRAP

Well, I have finally returned back from the GOLDEN MOON AWARDS, and it was nice to see this gala spectacular first hand. You know, you can see something on TV so many times, but you never really get to appreciate it until you actually get to soak it all in, by actually being there live.

I had a blast of a time… and I am looking forward to next season’s ceremony. I plan to be there again, next time as well.

So lets take a look at my predictions, and who actually took home the awards… shall we?

Best Marketing:
MY PREDICTION:
> DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

GOLDEN MOON WINNER:
> DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

I don’t really see that it was any surprise in this category…. Great Promotions = Financial Success.

Most Wanted Sequel:
MY PREDICTION:
> MCMILLAN & WIFE

GOLDEN MOON WINNER:
> DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

I’ll admit it… this was somewhat of a surprise here… but not a particularly big one. Like I said before, and I will quote myself from my AWARDS PREVIEW article:

“DUNGEONS & DRAGONS… again, it’s a forgone conclusion that there WILL be a sequel… so for me; it’s a waste of an award presentation. Big box office, action film usually translates into a high percentage of there being a sequel already in the works… and probably already is.”

I still feel that MCMILLAN & WIFE was still far more deserving winner of the GOLDEN MOON AWARD, but the voters indeed have spoken. I’ll still be very disappointed if MCMILLAN & WIFE doesn’t see at least one sequel though… It really deserves it (BTW… BIG HINT HERE!!! ;-)).

Best Supporting Actress:
MY PREDICTION:
> Claire Danes – THE GREAT WAR SERIES: STORM BREAKS

GOLDEN MOON WINNER:
> Dakota Fanning – CAROUSEL

Everybody who has read my articles knows how I felt about CAROUSEL. I really disagree with this one though. This is mostly because I am tired of the alarming trend that Hollywood has of heaping praise and adulation onto children… in the form of achievement awards. Sure… they’re cute, but I don’t believe that they are the actually best. I’ll admit, that there may be differences of opinion on this debate. I’m just tired of the award presentation being based on… “THE CUTE-NESS FACTOR”, but that’s just my opinion.

Best Supporting Actor:
MY PREDICTION:
> John Goodman - WARLAND

GOLDEN MOON WINNER:
> John Goodman – WARLAND

Again, no real surprise here… John Goodman was well deserved here.

Best Cast:
MY PREDICTION:
> CAROUSEL

GOLDEN MOON WINNER:
> CAROUSEL

Again, no real surprises in this category either. CAROUSEL was just the whirlwind hit of the season.

Best Starring Couple:
MY PREDICTION:
> Rene Russo & Harrison Ford - MCMILLAN & WIFE

GOLDEN MOON WINNER:
> Claire Danes & Jim Carrey – CAROUSEL

I was really torn when I voted here. As much as I positively loved CAROUSEL, I still thought that Rene Russo & Harrison Ford was still the better pairing in a film, but by the smallest of margins. Like I said before in my AWARDS PREVIEW article… this was a tough choice, but the voters again have spoken.

Best Villain:
MY PREDICTION:
> Christopher Lee - DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

GOLDEN MOON WINNER:
> Christopher Lee - DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

No real surprise here as well. Christopher Lee proves yet again that he is truly one of the best at his craft!

Best Actress:
MY PREDICTION:
> Claire Danes - CAROUSEL

GOLDEN MOON WINNER:
> Claire Danes - CAROUSEL

With the true whirlwind swept up by CAROUSEL, was there really any doubt? Not in my mind, and apparently not in the minds of the voters as well!

Best Actor:
MY PREDICTION:
> Colin Farrell - THE GREAT WAR SERIES: STORM BREAKS

GOLDEN MOON WINNER:
> Daniel Radcliffe – SOUTH EAST

Okay, who stuffed the ballot box here? I think that perhaps someone wouldn’t accept that the film SOUTH EAST was going to get shut out of the awards… so they “rigged the ballot box”? There’s a possible conspiracy here? Somebody contact Oliver Stone… he’ll probably want to make a motion picture on the subject.

Okay, all silliness aside… I’m a little puzzled, to say the least?

I still feel that Colin Farrell was still the far better choice. His role was far more demanding, and was superior in his performance than was that of Daniel Radcliffe. The voters made their choice, even though I personally feel it was not the best choice… it was only just the popular one.

Achievement Awards are not for who is the most popular, but who had the better performance within his or her role… and Colin Farrell was indeed the better choice.

Best Screenplay:
MY PREDICTION:
> Jack Hammer - THE GREAT WAR SERIES: STORM BREAKS

GOLDEN MOON WINNER:
> Ted Froats - CAROUSEL

Let me preface my explanation with… a little explanation. When I look at the category of Best Screenplay, I look at it as Best “Original” Screenplay. As much as I feel that CAROUSEL deserves all the nominations and awards it receives… As much as I feel that Ted Froats did a marvelous job in his adaptation of the great, Rodgers & Hammerstein musical… it was not actually “original”, it was an adaptation.

This is not to say that Ted Froats’ work was any less of an achievement than Jack Hammer’s work. It just was not, in a word… “Original”.

So, maybe there needs to be a new category, maybe “Best Adaptation or Remake”? Just my opinion, but anyway… THREE CHEERS for TED FROATS, for bringing back the musical. Here’s my personal hope, maybe an all-new adaptation of perhaps the musical… CAMELOT?

Best Director:
MY PREDICTION:
> Peter Weir - THE GREAT WAR SERIES: STORM BREAKS

GOLDEN MOON WINNER:
> Peter Weir - THE GREAT WAR SERIES: STORM BREAKS

Well, yet again, no real surprise in the category. This film was by far the best directed film of the lot, and also leads us to…

Best Picture:
MY PREDICTION:
> THE GREAT WAR SERIES: STORM BREAKS

GOLDEN MOON WINNER:
> THE GREAT WAR SERIES: STORM BREAKS

Well… What did I tell you? THE GREAT WAR SERIES: STORM BREAKS wins for BEST PICTURE. The cinematography, special effects… were all just amazing. You felt like you were actually observing these events first hand. It’s amazing to see this film win best picture, but you really have to wonder… What if CAROUSEL had been nominated for best picture? What if THE LIBRARY had been nominated for… anything? I guess we’ll never know.

THE FINAL WRAP…
Well everyone, the Fourth Season is finally over, and the final tabulation is as follows…
MY PREDICTIONS:
> RIGHT – 7
> WRONG – 5
MY PREDICTION ACCURACY
> 58.33%

I’m actually pretty happy, although I though my predictions would have been a touch more accurate… perhaps closer to 75%. Again, I still don’t consider it too bad a showing… for my first ever awards predictions. Awards predictions can be a difficult thing… you are trying to predict the popular vote will be, and not always what you actually thought was indeed the truly best out there.

It’s has been a fun season to watch develop, and an even better bonus for the average moviegoer to enjoy. The GOLDEN MOON AWARDS ceremony was a lot of fun too, and Radio City Music Hall is such a great venue. There really is not a bad seat in the house. I’m looking forward to next year, and the Fifth Season’s GOLDEN MOON AWARDS. If this season was any form of a “feature attraction”, then I want to see the sequel.

The entertainment was splendid, and the stars do indeed truly shine so bright… On Broadway!!!

Well, until my next issue,

Go to the lobby, get yourself a large popcorn as well as a drink, and…

SEE YOU IN THE MOVIES!!!

THE 4TH GOLDEN MOON AWARDS CEREMONY

Enjoy the summary of the Golden Moon Awards Ceremony!

ON LOCATION
RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY

The Golden Moon Awards move to New York after visiting London. The glamour of the old Radio City Music Hall was the perfect place for an event like this. Appropriately decorated for the occasion, the surroundings of the classic building were full of fans since the very first hour in the morning waiting to see their idols as they stepped out from their limousines to walk down the red carpet.


THE RED CARPET
Sam Mendes, Director of 'Carousel', and his wife, Kate Winslet

From 'Nagasaki Daydreams', Gong Li
From 'Crooks', Eva Longoria and her boyfriend


From 'Visionaries', Hillary Swank

From 'Nathan Zachary and Drake's Gold', Thomas Jane with Patricia Arquette

THE CEREMONY

Lighst went down inside the theatre. A giant screen came down to the stage and Sean Connery appeared in it giving a warm welcome to everyone watching the awards show both live and on tv. The surprise came when a black and white digitally generated image of a young Sean Connery from Bond’s times appeared on the screen, together with the real Connery.


This was the dialogue between both Connerys:

Elder S.C.: So… what are you doing here?
Young S.C.: I was invited to introduce the Golden Moon Awards.
Elder S.C.: Me too. There must have been some kind of mistake…
Young S.C.: I beg you pardon, but I don’t know who you are… My name is Bond, James Bond.
Elder S.C.: I guess I could say mine too…
Young S.C.: Oh! I see! Nice to meet you! I’ve heard a lot about you… You must be… em… Roger?
Elder S.C.: No.
Young S.C.: Oh… Then it must be… Timothy? Pierce? Daniel?
Elder S.C.: It’s a long story… I think I better explain it to you later…

The giant screen was lifted up and Sean Connery was live on the same stage seen on the screen.

Sean Connery: The problem with youngsters is that they do not respect elders anymore… Welcome to the 4th Golden Moon Awards Ceremony! We are here to celebrate the latest Season from Crazy Moon Pictures. And to have a great time… at least, all of us except Claire Danes, who will have to suffer the thrill of the envelopes once and again during the night. Good luck, Claire! And here is a remembrance of the movies from this Season…

The giant screen returned and a clip with images from the 30 movies included in CMP’s Season 4 was shown.

An off-voice introduced the presenters for the 12 categories.

BEST MARKETING

He has starred in one of the major blockbusters in Season 4, ‘McMillan & Wife’ and is nominated tonight for Best Starring Couple. She is having a rough time with the Dark Side of the Force lately as we saw in ‘Mysteries Of The Sith’, but she also showed us how well she can sing and dance in ‘Nine’. Two GMA winner, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Harrison Ford!


H.Ford: You know, Catherine, I was thinking… You play a descendant of the Skywalker family in the new Star Wars movies…

C.Z.Jones: Right. I’m the great-daughter of Luke Skywalker.

H.Ford: So, presuming I finally married Princess Leia as Han Solo, that means that I’m something like your great-uncle…

C.Z.Jones: Yes, Harrison. You are much older than me. It only takes a look to notice.

H.Ford: That’s sweet from you, Catherine… Let’s go with the nominees for Best Marketing…

CAPTAIN AMERICA: DESTINY
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
THE GREAT WAR SERIES: STORM BREAKS

And the Golden Moon goes to…

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

Sheila Wannamaker, Marketing Director of the movie, took the award.

MOST WANTED SEQUEL

Here is a great couple of comedians. Directly from ‘Crooks’, the latest action comedy released by CMP, Eddie Murphy and Steve Carrell!


S.Carrell: You know, Eddie, we survived to the legendary Cursed of the Hosts. We are here presenting an award and our movie did not flop. It’s almost a miracle.

E.Murphy: Yeah, but watch out… You are releasing soon another one, that Lieutenant USA movie where all the greatest CMP’s comedians are...

S.Carrell: Not all, Eddie, not all…

E.Murphy: You bet… Ok, nominees for Most Wanted Sequel are…

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
MCMILLAN AND WIFE
STAR WARS: MYSTERIES OF THE SITH

And the sequel you all want to watch is….

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

Marcus Trax and Peter Jackson came up to the stage to take the statue and promised that we will be watching that wanted sequel very soon.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

After Catherine Z. Jones, the complete new generation of the Skywalker family is visiting us tonight. Please, give a warm welcome to Tobey Maguire!

T.Maguire: I know you will all be there… but anyway I want to remind you that there’s a new Star Wars movie coming up soon!

Nominees for Best Supporting Actress are…

CLAIRE DANES – The Great War Series: Storm Breaks
DAKOTA FANNING – Carousel
SCARLETT JOHANSSON – Paperback Story


And the winner is…

DAKOTA FANNING – CAROUSEL

Dakota came up so happy to accept the award and dedicated it to her whole family for their support.

BEST CAST

You saw them together in CMP’s first Season starring ‘Bullitt’. They are too regulars in the Studio. His latest work for CMP has been the megahit ‘Dungeons & Dragons’. Her latest work for CMP has been the musical ‘Nine’. And they are together here tonight: Monica Bellucci and Bruce Willis!


B.W.: Nice to see you again, Monica.

M.B.: I’m still waiting for the ‘Bullitt’ sequel, Bruce.

B.W.: Don’t tell me about sequels… I have new episodes from ‘Wild Cards’ and ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ coming, you know… Maybe some day I’ll work again in an original movie… The nominees for Best Cast are…

CAROUSEL
SOUTH EAST
UNCOMMON VALOUR: A SHOW OF CONFIDENCE

And the Golden Moon goes to…

CAROUSEL

Jimmy Dunlop, Casting Director of the movie, came up to the stage and dedicated the award to all the talents that worked in the musical.

A pause in the ceremony for a live music performance. Amy Winehouse took the stage to perform live her latest hit ‘Rehab’.


BEST STARRING COUPLE

They are quite a starring couple. The chemistry between them has been checkable in three movies: the complete Captain America’s saga. They are both alive and they are here… Kate Beckinsale and Heath Ledger!

H.Ledger: You know, Kate, I was nominated in this same category together with Nicholas Cage for ‘Captain America vs Superman’…

K.Beckinsale: Yes, I know, there was something sick in it… I always thought it was me the one to be there together with you.

H.Ledger: Yeah, I can tell Nick Cage does not kiss the way you do…

K.Beckinsale: Wow… Ok, let’s get to work. Nominees for Best Starring Couple…

CLAIRE DANES & JIM CARREY – Carousel
HARRISON FORD & RENE RUSSO – McMillan and Wife
ROBERT DE NIRO & SEAN PENN – The Heirs – Part 3

And the Golden Moon Goes to…

CLAIRE DANES & JIM CARREY – Carousel

Danes and Carrey took the award and made a few jokes dedicating it to Gordon McRae and Shirley Jones as the starring couple of the 1956 movie version and Rodger and Hammerstein. ‘If they would have written ‘Piece Of My Heart’, Claire and I would not be here tonight’, said Carrey.

BEST SCREENPLAY

Past Season, she was seen in the funny comedy ‘Eureka!’. This Season, he will star in his first CMP’s movie, ‘Syndrome: Paradise Lost’. Heather Graham and Ben Affleck!


B.Affleck: Personally, I think that the main reason of CMP’s success are his wonderful screenwriters…

H.Graham: Yes. They write this wonderful dramas and comedies that later the Studio does not know how to make them succeed…

B.Affleck: Heather, I don’t think Harry Stark will be happy hearing that…

H.Graham: Oops… I think I better shut up. Nominees for Best Screenplay…

JACK HAMMER – The Great War Series: Storm Breaks
JOEY STARK – Warland
TED FROATS – Carousel

And congratulations to…

TED FROATS – Carousel

Froats came up, took the award and gave his famous war shout: ‘Take that, sayers of nay! You… sayers of nay, you!’

BEST VILLAIN

An award presented by a man that loves to be a villain… The director of ‘Wild Cards: Aces High’, and the upcoming ’22:01’… Mr. Quentin Tarantino!

Q.Tarantino: I love villains. I wished this was considered the main award of this ceremony. At least it is for me. And the best villains of the Season according to voters are…

AL PACINO – The Law
CHRISTOPHER LEE – Dungeons & Dragons
DONALD SUTHERLAND – The Grotto


And the best of the best is…

CHRISTOPHER LEE – Dungeons & Dragons

Christopher Lee said: ‘I have been acting for something like 60 years. Could just anyone offer me a non-villain role for once before I die?’

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Here is an elegant and sexy lady that made an outstanding work this past Season in ‘McMillan and Wife’… Rene Russo!

R.Russo: Here we have three very different kind of actors but the three of them made a wonderful job this Season and they are deservedly here tonight. Nominees for Best Supporting Actor are…

DON CHEADLE – South East
ERIC BANA – Paperback Story
JOHN GOODMAN – Warland


And the Golden Moon goes to…

JOHN GOODMAN – WARLAND

John Goodman took the award and said: ‘I was the only man in the cast that didn’t kiss Julia Roberts in the movie. I’m not sure if this award compensate that but, anyway, thank you very much!’

As the nerves keep growing waiting for the major awards, a new musical pause was needed. Justin Timberlake made everyone stand up singing his latest single ‘Summer Love’.


BEST ACTRESS

Past edition, he won the Best Actor award for ‘Hitman: Two Ways To Die’. He also starred in the next movie of that saga, ‘Hitman: Thicker Blood’, and also in the successful ‘The Great War Series: Storm Breaks’ and that has meant another nomination for the upcoming Best Actor award. He is one of the big names for CMP… Colin Farrell!

C.Farrell: My character may have died in ‘Storm Breaks’, but you bet I’m not dead and gone. I promise you, you’ll keep hearing from me in CMP. Here are the best actresses of the Season in a leading role:

CLAIRE DANES – Carousel
JULIA ROBERTS – Warland
KIRSTEN DUNST – South East


And, please, come here and kiss me…

CLAIRE DANES – Carousel

Claire Danes returned to the stage and said: ‘Thank you. This was a tough night for me. If I would have lost in my three nominations I think I would have run to a desert island before facing my family and friends…’

BEST ACTOR

We also have the winner of the previous edition for Best Actress. And she’ll give us a nice surprise soon that is still being kept as a secret… Jennifer Connelly!

J.Connelly: It must have been difficult to choose the winner of this award. The three nominees have given all of us a lesson in the art of acting. Nominees for Best Actor are…

COLIN FARRELL – ‘The Great War Series: Storm Breaks’
DANIEL RADCLIFFE – ‘South East’
ROBERT DE NIRO – ‘The Heirs – Part 3’


And the winner is…

DANIEL RADCLIFFE – SOUTH EAST

Daniel Radcliffe took the award and modestly expressed his surprise and honour for being awarded with two other nominees he admires so much as Farrell and De Niro.

BEST DIRECTOR

He is a prolific screenwriter, he has created his own Production Company and he has also a solid directing career, with a new movie coming up, ‘Syndrome: Paradise Lost’. Three times GMA nominee, Mr. Matt Kubrick!

M.Kubrick: It’s my pleasure to be here tonight to present this award. As a movie director, I must say I’m the number one fan of the three gentlemen that have been nominated this edition. And they are…

NEIL JORDAN – South East
PETER JACKSON – Dungeons & Dragons
PETER WEIR – The Great War Series: Storm Breaks


And the Golden Moon goes to…

PETER WEIR – THE GREAT WAR SERIES: STORM BREAKS

Peter Weir took the award and dedicated it both to his family and to the whole crew and cast of The Great War Series movies.

BEST PICTURE

Watch out for this couple. They will try to kill each other soon in the upcoming movie ’22:01’. But tonight, they have agreed in a truce to be here as good friends presenting this award: Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.

R.De Niro: I did not win in any of my nominations tonight, Al.

A.Pacino: Me either, Bob.

R.De Niro: Do you thing it will affect our careers?

A.Pacino: It’s the end, Bob, it’s the end…

R.De Niro: Three nominees for Best Picture Award…

THE GREAT WAR SERIES: STORM BREAKS
SOUTH EAST
WARLAND

And only one winner…

THE GREAT WAR SERIES: STORM BREAKS

Douglas Sollum, producer of the movie, took the award and promised that they’ll be back in the next GMA’s edition with the third episode of The Great War Series.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS!
GOOD BYE, NEW YORK!
AND WE’LL WAIT YOU ALL IN THE 5TH GMA EDITION!

THE PRESS ROOM GALLERY

Best Supporting Actress, Dakota Fanning
Best Starring Couple winner, Jim Carrey with Best Cast member, Kathy Bates
Best Villain, Christopher Lee
Best Supporting Actor, John Goodman
Best Actor, Daniel Radcliffe
Best Actress, Claire Danes

THE HALL OF FAME