Showing posts with label hollywood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hollywood. Show all posts

Thursday, September 21, 2023

Movie Night with the Novelist: Movie Reviews

Uncertain about what movie to rent or buy? Have Hollywood films let you down? Too many reboots? Too much politics? 

Avoid the bottomless pit of rerun and political party movies by tuning into Movie Night with the Novelist on Undawnted's newsletter: A Novelist Idea, as well as Movie Reviews on Undawnted's YouTube Channel. Make your date night special, instead of tedious. 

DL Mullan is the host. With her combined education and experience in literature, mythology, history, and scriptwriting (trained by a Hollywood screenwriter), then you will receive honest, objective reviews about older and newer movies. 

Don't waste your time or money, when you have Movie Night with the Novelist

A new movie review episode arrives every other Thursday on Undawnted's YouTube Channel throughout this Autumn Cider season.

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A writer at heart, Undawnted's own creative spark, DL Mullan, began writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Ms. Mullan showcases her literary talents by publishing her creative writing. She has short stories and poems published in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. In addition, she writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. Ms. Mullan produces her own book cover designs for herself and others. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet.

Currently, she has embarked on writing her multi-book Legacy Universe, Supernatural Superhero Series.

With her education and experience in writing, DL Mullan shares her knowledge via her newsletters. If you too want to become a Fearless Phile, then subscribe to one of her newsletters on Substack.

Her innovative style teaches writers how to reach their creative potential, and write more effectively.

Learn. Grow. Master… with Undawnted.



Saturday, June 24, 2023

Movie Review: The Shrimp on the Barbie... Have Shrimp? Will Travel

Australians will tell anyone that shrimp in Australia are called prawns and barbie is slang for barbecue. So, for American audiences, the title of the film became “The Shrimp on the Barbie.” Except in Europe, where the title was changed, since Mattel owns the brand: Barbie. If you want to sound cosmopolitan, be sure to say when visiting Australia to "throw another prawn on the barbie."

In this movie, the shrimp, or prawn, on the barbie is Carlos, an American transplant in Australia, who jumps from one fire to another in this romantic comedy.


*****

The Shrimp on the Barbie

Down on his luck and working in a Mexican restaurant in Australia, an American tourist is hired by an icy heiress to pose as an obnoxious new boyfriend in an attempt to make her father accept her current boyfriend.


IMDB

*****Spoiler Time*****

The Breakdown

Poor Carlos (played by Cheech Marin), he moves from America to Australia to hit it big: financially. His girlfriend stayed behind as he chased his dreams to become stable and secure, in order to marry her. After he flies Downunder, he discovers that his prospects go from bad to worse. Not only is the mansion that was supposed to be awaiting him a bust, but so is the Mexican restaurant he is employed at as a waiter. Soon, he receives a Dear John letter from his girlfriend, who is set to marry his best friend. To top it all off, he screws up a high-profile birthday at the restaurant.

Depressed, Carlos is desperate to help his boss save the restaurant from foreclosure, he ends up taking a deal from Alexandra Hobart (played by Emma Samms), a rich, entitled woman whose only goal is to marry Bruce. Her father sees that her taste in men has declined, but drives a hard bargain with Alexandra: give up Bruce and the next boyfriend, no matter how terrible, he will approve. This sets into motion Alexandra recruiting the bad waiter, Carlos, from her father’s birthday party for assistance for the sum of five thousand dollars.

Carlos sees a way to save the restaurant. Alexandra sees a way to beat her father at his own game. On the periphery, her father (played by Terrence Cooper) overhears a conversation between Carlos and Alexandra about their deal, and sets them up as well as Bruce.

In the end, Alexandra realizes that the sensitive Carlos has more redeeming qualities as a man than the exuberant and crude Bruce. With her new perspective, she admits to her father what she had done. He in turn hands her the photographs that show the real Bruce in action: sleeping with her best friend and beating up Carlos.

After showing their mutual friends the photos at Bruce’s birthday party, Alexandra rushed to the Mexican restaurant to apologize to Carlos. Unfortunately, Carlos packed his things and bought a return ticket to American. Alexandra rushes to the airport, but the plane has already taxied out. Her father calls the president of the company and has Carlos escorted to the terminal.

The pair is reunited. With the help of her father’s investment in the Mexican restaurant, it is saved. Carlos sees his dreams of helping his friend, gaining financial improvement, and finding love come true.


*****
The Review

Carlos: Who died and made you Darth Vader, huh?

The Shrimp on the Barbie is an underrated and understated film. It will never win an Academy Award, but this 90s film has its merits. The characters grow and change into better people, except for the two antagonists, of course.

The protagonists come to some personal revelations. Carlos learns that with perseverance he can achieve his goals. Alexandra learns that not everything that glitters is gold. Diamonds in the rough can be more precious. Her father learns that his daughter is a grown woman who may need guidance, but not his manipulation, and refried beans are good!

And, watch out for Joeys! They pack a mean punch.



Purchased from Prime Video.

Note: This film was released at 86 minutes with a PG-13 rating. The video version features a minute of additional footage (including nudity) and is rated R.

*****

The Tally

My review will be posted on Prime as well as IMDB.

Prime... 4.5 (4) out of 5 stars

IMDB... 8.5 (8) out of 10 stars

Have a great and wonderful day.

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Monday, September 14, 2020

The Price of Your Inclusivity May Be Your Creativity

In a mad dash to be as woke as possible, the film industry is changing its rules for inclusion into the awards season by destroying the creative process. 

Did you check off all the boxes? Did you include everyone except the people you do not agree with? About time Hollywood ditches 82.5% of America and concentrates only on the most important 4.5% LGBTQ and the 13% African American population. That is, if you are into the statistical make up of the United States.

When organizations design hurdles to control the narrative, then what is the point in participating? It looks like micromanaging at best and social engineering at worst. 

People become engaged in authentic stories that have the look and feel of real people. That movie could be science fiction or Shakespearean, but when artificial external influences change the feel of the characters, that is when the public checks out. Woke doctrine has destroyed American cultural institutions like education, sports, and entertainment. There is a reason why woke makes corporations go broke.

Maybe that is the joke? 

The vast majority of Americans are not buying into the woke revolution. So the joke is lost on them, completely. Yet, sports teams and the film industry keep pushing the envelope on a product a large swath of people have no interest in consuming. 

Are wealthy entertainers just tone deaf?
According to Deadline Hollywood, “…the Kansas City Chiefs pummeled the Houston Texans 34-20, and the ratings were down — a lot. In early numbers, the primetime NBC game scored a 5.2 among adults 18-49 and 16.4 million viewers between 8-11 p.m. ET.

“Now, those numbers for the 8:25-11:30 p.m. ET game will certainly be adjusted upward later, but right now they mark a 16.1% drop over the spectacle of the September 5, 2019 season opener in the advertiser-rich demographic. In an America and a NFL still adjusting to the new normal of live sports in the era of COVID-19, last night’s game also fell 16.1% in total sets of eyeballs from last year’s fast affiliate results.”
then there is: 
The site reported that the “Braves-Phillies earned a 0.8 and 1.20 million on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball (including ESPN2 Statcast coverage) — down 30% in ratings and 33% in viewership from week five of last season (5/5/19: Cardinals-Cubs: 1.1, 1.81M), but up a tick and 2% respectively from last year’s comparable date (9/1/19 Mets-Phillies: 0.7, 1.19M).

“Earlier Sunday,” SMW added, “a Yankees-Mets doubleheader had a 0.25 and 381,000 on TBS and a 0.18 and 303,000 on ESPN2. Cardinals-Reds had 340,000 and Padres-Rockies 231,000 on ESPN Monday.”
When there is no audience to play to, there is no revenue. No one will by dvds, jerseys, or tickets. Slowly but surely these industries will die a horrible death only to be buried as paupers. 

What is the point of this exercise? Humans are attracted to stories they can relate to and feel are organic, authentic products. Like begets like, that is your audience.

All the woke writers are following a fad that will soon fade out. Do you really want to be known for that book you wrote way back when it was cool to be exclusionary person? 

Undawnted follows mythology, literature, and original creativity initiatives. No fluff here. No fads. No woke. Just real characters that look and feel authentic. 

That is how writers should write: from their internal processes. Soon woke culture will bankrupt entertainment because the fashion of exclusion of more than 80% of Americans will soon go out of style. 

You can include anyone you want in your creativity, but once you start down the road of selective editing to satisfy an imaginary checklist: that is when your readership checks out.

The sports ratings in particular support this thesis statement.

Stop the joke now: exclusivity is not that funny.






Saturday, February 3, 2018

The Entertainment Industry is So Woke that They've Become a Broke Joke

I am an artist and writer. I am publishing my own novels and chapbooks. My art is well received as book covers for a variety of authors. 

I love giving people a good story and a fresh perspective on today's issues through the allegories and metaphors of the paranormal and supernatural. I have debated on my site about: when is art imitating life considered a plot device versus social justice nonsense? Well, I believe I have figured it out. 

When entertainment becomes the agent of misinformation, disinformation, and downright conspiracy theory, that is when the line is crossed. I would expect some blurring of the lines on a show like the X Files, but even this show went straight into having a social justice tantrum from aliens building a wall around the Earth to a Russian committee secretly under the auspice of the Executive Branch of the United States government. Click! Turning the channel on this show. 

Other entertainment like award shows have gotten into the habit of promoting one point of view and culminating it into immaturity, disrespect, and falsities. These programs end up to be not worth watching at all. Click. Again.

If the Entertainment Industry took the time to actually research and educate themselves on the facts of the history of the USA, these people would see that there is more to the story than tit for tat. The USA has been corrupted at the highest levels and cannot be trusted until we get back to our founding documents. No more NSA spying. No more software back doors for hackers to steal our information so the government does not have to get a warrant. No more guilty before proven innocent. No more CIA propaganda within the borders of the United States. No more Fusion Centers. No more wars and profiteering. No more national security used to commit crimes. No more money laundering. No more Central Banking. 

You know... reality. 

However the Entertainment Industry is too much into kissing elite criminal asses, then doing the right thing. That is why programs and series are tanking in the ratings. Americans are tired of the incompetent, social justice warrior catastrophe. 

The CW Network is one of the worst programming agendas I have ever seen. If people are not gay, then people are in biracial relationships. If you happen to be a straight and/or white character on the CW Network, then you most likely have a horrible time with life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. Talk about manipulative programming. 

On one program, a Muslim character was brought on and the Jewish one was killed off. Are we tackling the Israeli-Palestinian fight on my television set? And, did the CW just take sides? Click.

I am a Generation Xer. I don't care if you are gay. I really don't care if you date across party lines. I don't care if you are Muslim. I don't care if you are Jewish. I just don't. 

What I care about is balance. The Entertainment Industry has lost its way trying to tell me and everyone else what to think and how to live. That is not your job. The industry should be upholding American values of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Instead of reading the Federalist Papers, Hollywood in all its forms has been reading and implementing the Communist Manifesto. 

Yawn. 

You may be able to trick the Millennials with that garbage but not this Gen Xer. My grandmother fled the Bolshevik Revolution. So, I am not playin'. 

I write about the factual and hidden history of the United States in my novels. Some would call me a Truther. Some would call me a Patriot. When all I am doing is using my education to research beyond the hype and hysteria seen on the news, online, and in the predictive programming of movies, sports, and television.

I don't have cable. I don't go to the movies. I don't subscribe if a streaming service sells social justice. I am about to cut off watching my programs like Supergirl, X Files, Arrow, Flash, and Black Lightning (or should I call the show: Black Lives Matter?). 

I don't watch entertainment to be preached to, sermonized at. You are not my parents. You are creating problems where none has existed for some sadistic chuckle. I am frankly tired of it. Take the politics out of my shows. Or the next step is throwing out my television set.

Because, I hate to tell you this fact, Entertainment Industry, but your fifteen minutes are up.

Click.

 -~o0o~---oOo---~o0o~-

Original Content, Articles, and Reviews related to this topic:


As seen unedited on Variety.com in the comments section.
2/3/18


Sunday, July 30, 2017

Reimagining Robin Hood for the 21st Century

That is a tall order!

I have always wanted to write a Robin Hood inspired story. There are a few revisions I would like to make to the old, tried and true mythologies of our modern age. Robin Hood is just one of them. 

I want to do some reimaging to the likes of Dorian Gray, The Raven, Pride and Prejudice, and Taming The Shrew to keep me busy for the next decade. 

This year the muse descended on Robin Hood. I have to take modern themes and ideas to formulate a new and exciting version no one has ever seen before.

So what is out there?

I do love the Kevin Costner version from the early 1990's. Funny how I took a noncredit script writing course through a community college at the same time that the film was released. The Hollywood screenwriter helped my classmates and I breakdown the scenes, characters, and story lines. I learned so much about storytelling during those six weeks than in any creative writing class I have ever taken.

So do not pass on noncredit courses! You might be happily surprised the knowledge you receive. 

When I was sketching out some dialogue for my take on the classic tale, the main character pretty much told me his story. Scene after scene, I could tell that this type of Robin Hood was going to be a mesh-mash of elements from the original story and a few others from external sources. 

I cannot wait to get it all finished. 

I hope I can keep up the momentum and get this origin story edited for an autumn release. 

As long as the characters keep writing the story themselves, I do not see why not. Stranger things have happened.   

Have a great and wonderful day.



Thursday, October 9, 2014

On the Road Again

It's just not a Willie Nelson song.

Of course, I feel like I have traveled this road one too many times. The street names are all the same and you never cruise above 55 miles an hour. There's something wrong with this road. 

So I have to off road from time to time. I pick some unfamiliar exit and make a mad dash for it. I usually end up in some forest. 

I'm on TV! But, it's not Survivor. It's Finding Bigfoot or Call of the Wildman. 

It seems to be all about the hunt for me. Travel down a road to nowhere for only so long and you are on the prowl. Good thing in reality I do my hunting at the grocery store. 

Things could get messy if civilization wasn't so civilized. 

Still civilization has its drawbacks. We, humans I mean, don't get to nourish our primal instincts, our wild side. 

Movies, tv shows, and marketers like to psychologically target and overemphasize the sexual motivation of our species, but they do not realize that that is not the basis for our urges. It's survival. 

I know a little bit about survival. 

So the next time you write remember what drives your characters. Is it sex? Is it escape? Or, is it the basic instinct of survival? 

One of the best survival mechanisms is to know yourself, and your character. 

Have a happy haunted day! 

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