The musings of Sean Paul Murphy: Editor, Producer, Screenwriter, Author. Or, Hollywood -- and beyond -- as seen from an odd little corner of northeast Baltimore, Maryland.
Here's another exciting ZOOM edition of the Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast, a lively discussion of the movies that sometimes devolves into a group therapy session.
This episode Podmember Drew brings the Oscar-favorite film Oppenheimer to the table. The film was a massive box office and critical hit. Will we think it lives up to the hype? Watch and find out:
My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.
I am awfully quick to give advice about screenwriting in this blog. And some people actually accept it. The funny thing is that none of those people have ever read any of my scripts! They might have seen one of my films, but, with a finished film, it is difficult to say who contributed what. Therefore, to help people decide whether my writing advice is any good, I am posting some pages for your pleasure and perusal.
Inspired by the three-page challenges on the Scriptnotes podcast by John August and Craig Mazin, I have decided to post the opening of some of my scripts in a series of blogs. However, rather than three pages, I am going with five pages because I feel that will provide a more accurate appraisal of my writing and the stories. I am not posting the scripts of any of my produced films. That would be complicated legally since those scripts now belong to their respective production companies. These scripts are either new or part of my back catalog. Some are ready to be pitched. Others need a little polishing. But you can read the first five pages now.
The Mark is my second script, and the first one to receive major Hollywood attention. It is a thriller inspired by the Bible's Book of Revelations. Hollywood had previously mined this territory with The Omen, however, the subgenre of End Time films hadn't come into being yet. Had I pursued this script, I might have beat Left Behind to the punch -- both the books and the movies. And I had the chance....
The Mark got genuine interest. An agent at a mid-sized agency that handled directors read it. He really liked it, but they didn't handle writers. Still, he tried to set it up with one of his directors, but he was unsuccessful.
I found the agent's attitude about the project fascinating. He was Jewish, but he wasn't put-off by the Christian content and themes. He never viewed it as a Christian film. He looked at it as a futuristic Twilight Zone-ish allegory of the Holocaust set in the United States. In fact, he said he felt the script was perhaps a little too Jewish for him!
That would never happen today. In those days, Christian content and themes were acceptable in projects as long as the story would appeal to the mainstream movie-going public. Nowadays, more Christian films than ever are being made. However, they are considered a small niche and marketed predominately to Christians mainly through outreach to the megachurches. The need for church approval severely limits what is "acceptable" content. It also severely limits the audience. Don't expect mainstream crossover hits anymore.
I think The Mark would have crossed over. I wish I would have pursued it. I tossed this script into the back catalog because I wrote Then The Judgement, which got a much stronger response. (Then I backed off that script because I was getting an even stronger response to The Long Drive....)
Oh well. That's the problem with always chasing what's new and shiny....
Here are the first five pages:
I hope you enjoyed those first five pages, If you're interested in reading more, send me an email.
My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble. Chapel Street is the tale of a young man battling a demonic entity that has driven members of his family to suicide for generations. It was inspired by an actual haunting.
Here's another exciting ZOOM edition of the Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast, a lively discussion of the movies that sometimes devolves into a group therapy session.
We already inflicted the first two Lord of the Rings films on our fantasy-hating podmaster Ralph. It was inevitable that we would bring him the magnificent capstone of the trilogy, 2003's LOTR: Return of the King. How will he react? Watch and find out:
My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.
Here's another exciting ZOOM edition of the Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast, a lively discussion of the movies that sometimes devolves into a group therapy session.
This week we put our India Cine-maniacs hats back on and watch the film My Name Is Khan, starring Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan. It's the story of a Muslim immigrant from India to the United States, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, that faces harassment and travails after 9/11. An interesting look at America from an Indian viewpoint. Here's our review:
My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.
The Yippee Ki Yay Mother Podcast was unexpectedly invigorated during our "Never Seen" series, where members of the group brought films to the table that they had never seen. Mother Podcaster Drew brought the Indian film RRR to the table and it blew us all away, and brought us a legion of Indian fans. We decided to take a deep dive into Indian cinema, guided by the suggestions of our YouTube audience.
The viewers have shared a number of wonderful films with us, which have taught us a great deal about India and its diverse culture. We sometimes made culturally ignorant or insensitive remarks in our reviews, but fortunately most of our viewers have forgiven us. They know we're on a learning curve!
One thing we have learned is not to refer to all Indian films as Bollywood. The term Bollywood only accurately describes a portion of the Indian film business. India has many official languages and each major language group has its own cinema. In addition to the language differences, the cultural differences from various sections of the country also show up in the films. There is no one "Indian" film.
This list consists of my ten favorite films we have reviewed to date on the podcast. For the most part, it reflects my own personal taste. However, I do take into account the "accessibility" of the film for the American audience. There are certain films I believe are better entry points into Indian cinema than others. This list reflects that opinion.
Omkara is a gripping and faithful adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello set in modern day rural Uttar Pradesh, where a powerful political enforcer's loyalty is tested when he becomes entangled in a web of deceit, betrayal, and tragic misunderstandings.
In the podcast, we've watched a few Indian Shakespeare adaptations. This is my favorite because of the powerful performance by Ajay Devgn, who has become my favorite Indian actor. He has tremendous charisma.
Udham Singh, a revolutionary freedom fighter, goes to England to avenge the infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre through assassination.
The scope and seriousness of this historical drama will come as a surprise to people who dismiss Indian cinema as strictly musical, romantic comedies. This is a film that asks important questions like when does violence become justified in face of cruel oppression.
Mumbai has a unique delivery system set up that allows wives to send hot lunches to their working husbands. An unexpected and heartwarming friendship through handwritten notes arises after an emotionally neglected housewife's lunches are delivered instead to a lonely office worker.
This soft-spoken romantic drama is anchored by great performances by the late, great Irrfan Kahn, who appeared in Hollywood's Jurassic Park and Spiderman franchises, and the lovely Nimrat Kaur. Very touching.
Dangal tells the inspiring true story of Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former wrestler who defies societal norms to train his daughters Geeta and Babita in wrestling, challenging gender stereotypes and guiding them to become world-class athletes.
It seemed like every other Indian film we watched on the podcast features Indian superstar Aamir Kahn. He tends to play in lighter fare with music and humor, but he is very serious here, and the training techniques the character uses hover on the border of child abuse. Still, it is an inspiring film that deals with female empowerment in Indian culture.
When a young man is killed by a gangster who is interested in his girlfriend, he seeks revenge when he is reincarnated as a housefly.
Eega is a film you have to see to believe. You might think a gimmick like this wouldn't sustain a whole film, but it is one wild ride. S.S. Rajamouli is a instinctual filmmaker. He always seems to know where the place the camera for maximum effect. He can also direct the heck out of an action sequence. That's a skill he also displayed in his two Baahubalifilms -- and a film we will be discussing later.
Kumbalangi Nights is a story of four feuding brothers who come together to help one of them win the girl of his dreams against the backdrop of a picturesque village in Kerala.
I believe this film was the first Malayalam language film we watched on the podcast. I don't want to over-generalize but the Malayalam films tend to be more realistic -- and very beautifully shot. I found this tale very compelling -- like an American indie movie.
Pather Pachali is a classic film that follows the struggles of a poor Bengali family as they navigate life's hardships and fleeting joys in rural West Bengal, capturing the essence of human resilience.
This is the film that put Indian cinema on the world map. Ray tells this tragic story of a poor family in the Italian neo-realist manner. The faces alone, in this beautifully shot black and white film, practically tell the whole story. This is the first film of the Apu trilogy, which follows the boy Apu from his childhood in this film through college and its aftermath. I saw this film, and its sequels, at my local art house during the 1980s. It set the bar pretty high for Indian films.
Drishyam is a gripping thriller where a common man's quick thinking and resourcefulness are put to the test when his family becomes entangled in a crime, forcing him to use his wits to outsmart the police and protect his loved ones.
This is not the original version of the film. Because of the many languages in India, successful films are often remade with different casts in different languages. I saw the original film and I liked that version too. However, this version features Ajay Devgn, my favorite Indian actor, and Tabu, my favorite Indian actress, so I am including this one.
I am not surprised this film has been remade repeatedly in India. It has also been remade in China. What surprises me is that it hasn't been remade in America yet. This film would be a huge success in the United States as well.
Andhadhun is a darkly comedic thriller where a supposedly visually impaired pianist unwittingly becomes embroiled in a murder, blurring the lines between reality and deception in a twisted tale of crime and consequences.
I don't want to say too much about the plot, but this is a highly-entertaining film. It's both funny and suspenseful. I have discovered that Indian filmmakers aren't afraid to make huge tonal changes, but the plot of this film takes a few surprising left hand turns too. You will find yourself saying, "Whaaaaaat?" But it all pays off, even if the narrative viewpoint can't be entirely trusted. Great performance by femme fatale Tabu.
This is another film begging for an American remake. I'd be happy to write the script!
In this historical fantasy, director S.S. Rajamouli wonders what might have happened if two Indian pre-independence freedom fighters, who never met in real life, teamed up to fight the British. Imagine George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, both endowed with superhuman fighting skills, taking on the British army by themselves. That's what we have here.
Although this was the film that won me over to modern Indian cinema, I hesitated putting it at the top of the list because I am not sure it is as accessible as the previous two films. For example, early in the film the mother of a child being stolen by the British governor is brutally beaten. I think a lot of folks would stop watching the film right there. Like many Indian films, this one undergoes huge tonal shifts that might be off-putting to Western audiences.
Primarily RRR is a serious film about colonialism and oppression, but it is also an action film, and the action sequences are amazing, but it is also a romance and, more importantly, a bromance laced with comedy and dance numbers. In fact, one of the songs won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Check it out:
If that number doesn't make you want to see the film, I don't know what will.
I decided to place this film at the top of the list primarily because it exemplifies so many of the passionate strengths of Indian cinema. It is a must see.
My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.
Here's another exciting ZOOM edition of the Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast, a lively discussion of the movies that sometimes devolves into a group therapy session.
My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.
