An amateur driver beats the world record for speed and gets a chance to race for the championship and to prove the value of his life.
Logline
SPEED OF LIGHT
Tag: action
HOPE
LOGLINE:
Following her abduction, a naive activist risks everything to escape and becomes the very ideals she was imprisoned for.
Not A Memory
Logline:
In a dying world, a grieving man fights against those willing to sacrifice everything to fix the past, to save his loved ones and let go of his pain.
The False Messiah (Complete series)
This is the complete eight-episode + prequel of “The False Messiah” epic!
Alcyone (prequel):
Through the experience of visions that connect her to characters in a romance novel set in Japan during World War II, Kate confronts the melancholy holding her and meets the love of her life, only to realize a truth she’s not ready to confront.
Episode I:
10 years after Kate’s disappearance, her lonely sister Annie joins a new social network called Samsara, where participants share imaginary worlds where they can meet and, in her rise to popularity, she will have to face a conspiracy to destroy all reality.
Episode II:
After Thalia announces the rules of the stellar competition, Annie faces two competitors as she argues with Simone about the importance of bonding and finally gets a glimpse of the terror behind Samsara.
Episode III:
After her defeat, Annie prefers to stay away from Samsara, but Robert gives her the strength to return and face Jonathan, a participant who has achieved a constellation of 100 people.
Episode IV:
A girl without memory is formed from the void, in the midst of a violent and aggressive world she will create a bond to avoid suffering but her own nature will lead her to betray the affections that her heart formed.
Episode V:
Young runaway Simone drowns trying to save another person, unlocking memories of past lives that lead her to face the truth about her mother’s death and to make a decision that will change the course of her existence.
Episode VI:
After knowing Ted’s plans, Simone fights to protect Annie’s life, putting her life on the line to do so.
Episode VII:
While escorting Annie to Samsara Inc. and to safety, Robert recovers memories that lead him to understand the price of the task.
Episode VIII:
By facing darkness, Annie understands that all dreams must come to an end.
Nope (2022)
As I watched Jordan Peele’s last movie, NOPE, many things came to mind. The strangeness of experimental grounds, the political aspects of it, the apparent plasticity of story structure becoming as rigid as we all know it tends to be, and many other things I can’t even remember anymore. Yet, above all the ideas I was able to conjure, the one that stood out the most was the established relationship between dealing with dangerous animals and overcoming toxic parental relationships. And in this aspect, among many others, Nope has become the most amazing film I’ve seen all year, no question about it.
I’ve read some critics about the movie and many people say that it doesn’t compare to previous Peele efforts in cinema, mainly Get Out (2017) and Us (2019), I disagree. I think those movies don’t even compare to the scope, epicness, and power of the message this one has. Entering Nope’s world you are deceived into believing you’re watching an alien flick, which there aren’t that many of them, but in reality, you’re watching something completely different, you’re watching at least two things; the rise of African-American action heroes and action myths, and a bold take into those old giant monster movies from the ’70s. But the cleverness of the ideas stated goes beyond anything you’ve seen so far in action or monster movies.
Nope is to monster movies as J.J. Abraham was for Star Trek and the sci-fi genre, it is a groundbreaking territory, it is a contained blockbuster, but blockbuster all along. It definitely has all the elements of it. It has amazing action sequences; it has a charming protagonist (how much can Daniel Kaluuya express without saying a word). It has an awesome soundtrack, and a supporting cast that is as diverse as interesting, distinct personalities fit into what is needed from this ensemble, all in support of each other, all in support of the general idea of the film.
Nope has become the most amazing film I’ve seen all year, no question about it.
M.Light
But what is the main idea of the film?
As I said before, it is about dealing with dangerous animals, either from the animal kingdom or above, a set of rules is laid out to deal with them, so cleverly that’s even part of the protagonist’s personality. His identity is partially rooted in dealing with dangerous animals and this reflects on why he was able to deal with a “hard to swallow” father. The crazy thing is that at the beginning of the movie we kinda dislike him because of his withdrawn attitude (as if forgetting his father has just died on his watch) because it seems that he’s avoiding something. But, at the same time, we see him, again and again, facing danger on the face, not looking back, and entirely on his own. And we get to see what happens to others while facing dangerous animals because of the Gordy sequence (a must-watch), others who don’t have what he has obviously.
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I guess most people were expecting to watch an alien flick or a horror movie, but Nope is not that. Maybe that’s the reason for the name. This is no alien movie, this is the rising of a new type of hero, not the ones you’ll find in classic action flicks like Top Gun (in which the protagonist is overconfident and takes everything for himself), but something else, you’re gonna find teamwork that enhances individual courage, you’re gonna find cleverly exposed plot lines that don’t even need over the top excuses because it is in the idea ground that Nope goes beyond and above, and I can safely say that there’s no movie like this one. Haters prepare, because this is what happens when a creator gets complete freedom to explore, and I’m not surprised that general audiences are not prepared for it, they hardly ever are.
The Jackal
This one started only as an exercise, the idea was to emulate a scene from a famous movie. The thing is, as I was planning the script I went off to create a distinct scene that deserved to come to life. This was also the first time I took the time to do good pre-production and storyboard of the whole thing, which made the shooting fast and juicy!
Pig’s Day
This is one of my first short films, it was born from a colleague’s failed attempt at filming. His vision couldn’t be realized due to technical problems. Sitting in the location I had a quick idea, took the camera, and gave some instructions. The result is this entertaining piece
ECHOES
Logline:
A young A.I. researcher enters a coma-induced dream to make a copy of her ex-fiancée before losing him forever and to ask for his forgiveness.
Snake Eyes (2021)
I’m gonna be honest here, I don’t care for GI Joe, I don’t know anyone who cares for GI Joe. To me this is a dead franchise (if it ever was alive). I’m gonna go even further, I remember watching those Gi Joe cartoons as a child, they sucked. No really, I mean these “soldiers” were competing for my attention with some crazy transforming robots, with two different dudes holding a sword, and a bit later with all kinds of Japanese craziness. So, let’s be clear, I don’t like Gi Joe cartoons and stuff, even the toys sucked in comparison with all the others. But… all that said, Snake eyes is a good movie, especially when has nothing to do with Gi Joe, truth is Gi Joe ruins the movie, tones it down, makes it dumber than it has to be and, in the process, kills the creative drive of the production team (this is so palpable through the third act of the movie). And the film has so many good things going on! It’s almost unconceivable that they butchered this action-packed film by adding stupid stuff like giant snakes???? It almost t feels like two different stories nearing the midpoint, where the cobra logo is revealed (a logo that no terrorist organization with any self-proud would use).
Anyway, let’s start from the top, shall we? So, what’s the movie about? Okay, it’s about this dude, Snake eyes, I mean the protagonist. He, as a child, gets to see his father being assassinated and makes a run for it in the middle of the forest at night (more on this a bit later) in the most awful first sequence I can remember in any film. Expository dialogue of the worst kind and cliché stuff all over the place. But I understand it’s workings, because at minute 10 you already know what’s all about (or you think you do). So, in ten minutes the movie sets a revenge path for Snake Eyes, the dude, and then moves some many years into the future without even explaining how the hell a little kid even makes it out alive in the middle of a forest, or how does he manage to stay alive with literally no more family and allies (cause the movie also tells us that the father erases the kid from records to protect him from ugh, Cobra). And I know I’m being a dick about it, I actually remember an interview of Tarantino when he talks about “There will be blood” by Paul Thomas Anderson, he says that he likes the first part of the movie, yet he doesn’t understand how the protagonist survives alone in the desert after breaking his leg falling into a pit, kinda the same thing here. But anyway, the kid grows and now has become a regular cast from Mortal Kombat. He enjoys/works beating people to a pulp, which earns him the opportunity of being scouted by the bad guys. Yet being with the bad guys, Snake Eyes fails to kill a dude which becomes his ally and then a number of plot twists start happening (I’m not gonna talk about it because this is the best part of the movie by far).
So, the story literally dies by the mid-point, the part (as I already said) where the Gi Joe stuff gets forcibly thrown into the plot and instantly destroys everything. And it’s so awful because we just come from an amazing action sequence between the three mayor characters of the movie and the villain’s army, the villain himself even makes an appearance here. I have to talk about the amazing camera work in this part, the action is top notch. And not only on this particular sequence, but since the beginning (and ending where we discussed) all fights are raw and violent, almost too violent for a ugg… Gi Joe movie. There’s Thai action vibe going on all over the place, some Tony Jaa mixed with John Woo style of direction, just really engaging and entertaining stuff. Which later on gets lost into the stablishing the franchise bullshit that ruins everything. I mean, the second half of the movie is so bad that it even adds a jewel that turns people to ashes instantly and the before mentioned giant fake snakes. Some betrayals here and there, more action sequences of the boring and no stakes kind and we get to the ending where the two main guys change roles, because everyone knows that Snake Eyes is the good one and Storm Shadow is the bad one, right? (actually who cares!)
There’s only one thing I want to add before ending this review/rant, I heard somewhere that in the really great movies the plot points are hidden and are difficult to find or to spot when they’re happening. In this case they’re so obvious that a snob writer would say “this movie sucks” without hesitating. Yet for me this is not the case, I mean everyone knows the hero’s journey, it works, okay? It’s kinda childish? Yes, but it hits the right emotional spots every time and Snake Eyes does this really good, until some stupid logo gets thrown into the mix and it becomes Hiroshima all over again. So, should you watch this movie? Yes, but beware of the dumb stuff.
Halcyon Days (Chapter I)
EXT. ROAD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MOUNTAINS – NIGHT
Echoes of drifting wheels, to one side and to the other. A faint light is lit in the intense darkness.
As we get closer, the light reveals the outline of the street, the rows of trees around it.
It’s a winding road through a mountainous and tree-covered area, seen from the heights.
The light comes from the headlights of a BLUE NISSAN ALTIMA.
We continue to approach from the heights, the echo of a violent blow, the car crashes against the protective barriers and falls in the middle of the forest.
We keep descending, the car crashes into a tree. The horn sounds without stopping.
There’ s a person lying on the grass, bleeding.
We get closer.
To WILL (47), cuts on his face, shards of glass on his body, breathing hard, his eyes still, open.
CUT TO:
OVER BLACK: HALCYON DAYS
INT. BEACH HOUSE KITCHEN – DAY
The waves calmly hit the shore of the beach and recede, their sound is heard faint, low. The image of bluish tones is contemplated by Will from the window partially fogged.
Steam escapes from the neck of the kettle.
Will pours two cups, arranged on the table. He removes the bread from the toaster, places it on the plates.
EXT. OUTSIDE THE BEACH HOUSE – DAY
The door of the house opens and hits the frame, driven by the sea wind. Will comes out covered by a blanket, his bare feet in the sand.
He walks across the sand, ahead, near the shore of the beach, a small boat.
The crests of the waves rise. Cloudy, flat sky.
Will takes a deep breath, turns and looks back.
In the kitchen window of the weathered white wooden house he can see SOPHIA (45) with a cup in her hands. Next to her, CHRIS (8) waves effusively.
Will smiles, continues walking through the sand. He reaches the boat, leaves the blanket inside.
Then pushes the boat into the water, pushes hard against the onslaught of the waves.
He manages to get into the depths, until he can no longer stand up underwater.
Will climbs into the boat, takes the oars and places them in their positions.
He forcefully pushes himself out to sea, paddling again and again, pulling away with each embrace. Until the coast is no longer visible.
The boat stops in the middle of the sea.
Silence.
Will wipes the condensed water from his nose. He picks up the net from the floor, prepares to throw it into the water.
Suddenly.
A slight whistling sound catches Will’s attention, he looks around, he can see nothing but the calm sea.
The whistling intensifies.
From above. Will looks up at the cloudy sky. Nothing.
The whistling intensifies even more.
The clouds open up, a fireball pierces the sky, its downward trajectory takes it towards the sea.
Will watches in amazement, following the rapidly descending fireball until it hits the surface of the water.
The blow causes a wave, which comes rushing towards the boat.
Will has no time to hold on to the boat, the wave hits him and throws him into the water.
As the wave passes, Will returns to the surface, grabs the edge of the boat and climbs back up.
Looking up at the impact site, Will can see a SPACE SHUTTLE floating on the surface of the sea.
CUT TO:
FLASHBACK
EXT. OUTSIDE WILL’S HOUSE – NIGHT
Will’s car pulls up to the curb, he gets out, waves to a neighbor who is walking his dog.
Will walks up to the house, a BLUE NISSAN ALTIMA is parked in the driveway.
Will sighs, walks over to the driver’s window. Inside the Nissan sits Sophia, with both hands on the steering wheel.
Will knocks on the window twice, Sophia lowers it.
WILL
Honey, when did you get out?
SOPHIA
Don’t talk to me that way.
WILL
I just want to know.
Sophia turns to look at Will.
SOPHIA
I’m fine.
WILL
You don’t look fine.
SOPHIA
I just want to talk, okay?
Will nods, he looks to the side, tries to contain his emotions.
SOPHIA
Can you get in the car?
WILL
Why?
SOPHIA
Please.
Will takes a deep breath, walks around the Nissan.
Gets in the passenger side.
WILL
What do you want to talk about?
Sophia starts the engine, the Nissan backs into the street, drives away from the house.
END OF FLASHBACK
CUT TO:
EXT. BEACH SHORE – DAY
The tip of the boat hits the shore of the beach. Will jumps onto the sand, runs toward the house.
WILL
Sophia!
Will stumbles on a mound of sand, but manages to keep his balance.
WILL
Sophia, come out!
He looks toward the—
BEACH HOUSE
Where Sophia walks out the door.
SOPHIA
What happened?
Sophia looks at Will, looks towards the boat, where an ASTRONAUT, with a helmet covering the face, is lying down.
WILL
Come help me! Quick!
Sophia covers her chest with the sides of her vest, crosses her arms, walks towards Will with a serious look on her face.
Will runs back to the boat, grabs the astronaut from behind, tries to lift him up. Sophia reaches the boat.
WILL
He’s unconscious.
SOPHIA
Where did you find him?
WILL
He fell from the sky, take his feet.
Sophia grabs the astronaut by the feet, Will pulls and manages to lift him up. They both pull him out of the boat.
SOPHIA
What are you going to do with him?
Will looks at Sophia in confusion.
WILL
Help him.
Sophia looks away, both continue to move across the sand and toward the house.
(To be continued…)
Wakeup.Mau 