Category: Movie

Interview with Mr. Brian Gunn and Mr. Mark Gunn, screenwriters of Brightburn

5/3/2019

He's Not Here To Save The World

Story-line from IMDb: What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?
Director: David Yarovesky. Producers: James Gunn and Kenneth Huana. Starring: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, and Matt Jones.

Mr. Brian Gunn and Mr. Mark Gunn are both screenwriters and producers (with the exception of Brian Gunn, who is also acted, while Mark Gunn worked on soundtracks).Together, they worked on such projects as 2gether, Bring it on Again, and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. Now, Brightburn is their latest feature film and just by the trailer alone you can tell this movie will be brilliant. So, take this time to get to know these superb screenwriters and the genesis of Brightburn.

1. How did you guys come up with Brightburn?

One day at work the two of us got to talking about this tradition - from Moses all the way up to modern-day superheroes - of people finding infants out in the wild somewhere, and raising them as their own. In the classic telling of these tales, the infants grow up to be noble and heroic. We started to wonder: what if they grew up to be sinister instead? Hence Brightburn was born.

2. Who came up with the title Brightburn? Were there other titles you guys have in mind?

Truth be told we came up with a zillion different titles before we settled on Brightburn. Early on the film was called RECKONING, which is sort of a limp title. Then we changed it to the kid’s name - which at the time was XANDER. Then it changed again a few times before we settled on BRIGHTBURN (one of our fine producers, Simon Hatt, came up with the title).

3. What was the most difficult thing about writing the screenplay of Brightburn?

There was a key subplot in the movie that we had to rethink and rewrite. We probably went through dozens of ideas and drafts before we landed on the right take.

4. What was the most surprising thing you guys learned when writing Brightburn?

We did a couple test screenings for the movie, and the feedback we got from the audience members was almost always very thoughtful and engaged. Sometimes people like to write off moviegoers as young and stupid, but we think audiences are much much smarter than people typically give them credit.

5. What was your writing schedule when you guys wrote Brightburn?

We wrote the first draft on spec in a few weeks, while writing another script for which we were getting paid. Then we went back and did many rewrites - producer and director drafts, actor drafts, budget drafts, etc., etc.

6. What writers inspired you guys to become screenwriters?

Mostly guys from the ‘70s and ‘80s like Bo Goldman, Robert Towne, Robert Getchell, along with lots of others.

7. On average, how many draft scripts do you find yourself writing until you are happy and satisfied with your work?

There’s wild variation project to project. And tricky to count b/c most of the time we may rewrite some scenes dozens of times and other scenes not much at all. But for a project that gets to production let’s say on average 10 full drafts.

8. What piece of advice do you guys have for screenwriters starting out?

Write write write write write. It’s a cliche, but it’s the best way to learn. Like Beckett said, “Try again. Fail again. Fail better."

9. What is your favorite line from one of your screenplays?

We honestly have no idea.

10. Have you guys ever considered writing a short story, novella, or novel?

Yes. There are a few big world-building ideas we’ve had for TV that we think may be better suited for a novel. But novels require so much time and dedication (we’d be learning as we go) that it’s unlikely we’d find time to do it outside of our screenwriting work.

11. Which fictional character (besides yours) would you like to sit down and chat with?

Quint from Jaws. The man could tell some tales.

12. Did any of your writing experience help you guys, in any way, with Brightburn?

Not sure we understand the question. Our writing experience helped a ton.

13. Were you guys ever on set for the making of Brightburn? If so, could you tell me what scene you were present at?

Yes, we were in Atlanta for the shoot for a couple days. We saw a scene in a principal’s office, along with a few others that we can’t mention b/c of spoilers and all!

14. How were you two able to get Mr. David Yarovesky involved with the project? What are your overall thoughts about him directing Brightburn?

Dave is an old friend of both ours and James. It was great having someone who we trusted so much and who seemed to ‘get’ the project from the beginning.

15. What are your thoughts on Elizabeth Banks and David Denman playing Mrs. Breyer and Mr. Breyer respectively?

They’re both phenomenal. Elizabeth is able to combine steeliness with warmth in a way that’s essential for the character (and rare for an actor). And David has a great haunted quality that never feels remotely forced or phony. We’re so lucky to have them.

16. If a self-published author is seeking a screenwriter, how would one get you guys to read his or her story to see if it would make a compelling movie?

Most likely reach out to our agent. He’s pretty good about passing along promising material to us and filtering out the rest.

17. What would it take for you guys to be interested in translating a self-published story into a screenplay?

Depends on the story, but we’re not really in the business of translating material like that.

18. Could you guys give a sneak peek about your next project Journey 3: From the Earth to the Moon?

We wrote Journey 3 years ago. Who knows what’s going to happen with it. It seems Dwayne Johnson has moved on to other franchises, but again, who knows.

19. Last question, who would you guys get to play as you in the movie of your life?

The other day someone compared Brian to Michael Gross, the dad from Family Ties. So how about him? And for Mark, let’s maintain the theme and go with Michael J. Fox.

There's no doubt Brightburn will be an amazing experience in theaters. You should definitely check it out when it comes out Friday, May 24th 2019. I truly appreciate Mr. Brian Gunn and Mr. Mark Gunn for getting off their busy schedule to answer my questions. To get the Brightburn experience just visit the website by clicking here: https://www.brightburn.movie/ Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you are having a fantastic day so far. Take care.

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Interview with Mr. Edward Mensore, director and screenwriter of Mine 9

2/20/2019

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Two miles into the earth, nine Appalachian miners struggle to survive after give after a methane explosion leaves them trapped with only one hour of oxygen.

Here is the synopsis to Mr. Edward Mensore's intensifying film Mine 9:
Mining country in Appalachia has been declared The Devil's Playground. A close-knit group of veteran miners, all friends and family, commence what would be a normal day's work--except today a rookie, the son of one of our veterans and the god-son of the Section Leader, joins them, 18 year-old Ryan.
With ever-growing safety concerns at the mine, Zeke (Section Leader and long time coal mining veteran), struggles with the correct course of action, weighing on one hand the safety of his men, and on the other, the need to earn a steady wage in an economically depressed region.
Today, however,fate takes matters into its own hands when a huge methane explosion rips through the mine. Smoke engulfs the men, forcing them to rely on nothing more than brains, brawn and faulty self-rescuers(oxygen tanks that afford them one hour of air).

Mine 9 is the story of the struggle for survival against all odds; men trapped in hell as the result of exploitation, greed and circumstance.

1.     If you had to describe yourself using three words, it would be…?

Intense, loving, conflicted

2.     What is the genesis of your movie Mine 9?

I grew up in West Virginia, which is coal mine country. I took elements of a handful of coal mining accidents that happened during my youth and weaved them into one story.

3.     What was your writing habit when you wrote Mine 9?

I write everyday, so it was a routine. Writing the script was fast, probably three months. The idea was concise and well researched ahead of time. It helped to write a long treatment before beginning the script.

4.     What research did you do when writing Mine 9?

Extensive research on coal mine explosions, coal mine operations, and mine rescue. It is very technical. I had to find a coal mine expert to help me lay out the story, attempting to keep it realistic. Even with that assistance, it was like learning a new language.

5.     Do you ever get writer’s block when writing Mine 9? What do you do to get back on track?

I never got writers block during the creative writing aspects. I did get writers block/flustered from the challenging technical aspects, when the coal mine expert would tell me what made sense, did not make sense, and why. Simplicity always got me back on track. Overthinking something is easy to do and it doesn't seem to help much.

6.     What is the biggest surprise that you experienced during or after making Mine 9?

No matter how hard you work on something, you might not ever sell it for the dollar amount that it is worth to you.

7.     Did you ever listen to music while writing?

Absolutely! Nimrod Workman. Appalachian ballad singer.

8.     What piece of advice do you have for screenwriters starting out?

Keep your locations contained with minimal characters. After you complete the first draft of any script, start cutting characters and locations. If there are four people talking and they all sound similar, condense the conversation to two people. You will start to see the characters come alive.

9.     What’s the best advice you have ever received about writing?

The script is never finished. Writing is the only time that you get to make changes for free. Do it now, before you get on set.

10.  What was the last great film you saw? What was the last great book you read?

The last great movie was The Rider, by Chloe Zhao.
The last great book was, Can't Hurt Me, by David Goggins.

11.  In one word how would you sum up mine 9?

Done!

12. What do you love about directing in general?

Getting to be a fan of actors who make the words on the page come alive with greater meaning than I ever imagined.

13. What was your reaction when you first watched the trailer of Mine 9?

I got excited, because I knew that it worked.

14. If a self-published author is seeking a screenwriter, how would one get you to read his or her story to see if it would make a compelling movie?

Just contact me. I have helped two self-publishing authors turn their novels into screenplays.

15. What would it take for you personally to be interested in translating a self-published story into a screenplay?

A solid paycheck with the understanding that it takes time.

16. What book (or movie) had the most influence in your life?

Spike Lee's, Do The Right Thing, made me want to create art.

17.   If you could be a “fly on the wall” anywhere at any time, where would you like to be?

On the set of Magnolia with Paul Thomas Anderson.

18.   Last question, if a genie granted you three wishes, what would they be? (can’t ask for more wishes)

The very best filmmaker, husband, and father that I strive to be.

I really like to thank Mr. Edward Mensore for this interview and I urge those reading this to check out Mine 9. To know more about the film or take a sneak peek of the movie stills or behind the scene photo click on the website:www.mine9movie.com  Thank you for reading this and I hope you have a great day.

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Interview with Mr. Wilson Coneybeare, director and screenwriter of American Hangman

2/14/2019

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Synopsis to the nail-biting thriller titled American Hangman:
A kidnapping, broadcast live on social media, turns into the trail of a judge who presided over a botched criminal case. This time, however, the audience gets to play judge and jury, deciding if the judge himself gets to love or die.

Directed and written by Mr. Wilson Coneybeare, his latest feature has a unique approach to police drama as well as an intense, worthwhile thriller that shouldn't be miss. Donald Sutherland's performance in this movie is a delight to witness. Moreover, his superb and potent acting as Judge Straight is among his finest work yet. So, go ahead and get to know this great director/screenwriter who made American Hangman, and afterward watch the film.

1. If you had to describe American Hangman using three words, it would be…

That is actually a very tough question. The publicity answer – the thing that describes the movie succinctly and you could put on a poster -- is “social justice thriller”, which is to some degree what the movie is. But the first thing that comes to my mind when you ask the question is “justice gone nuts”, which was certainly the emotional basis of the story and where it came from.

2. What is the genesis of American Hangman?

I started fooling around with the story in 2010. That’s when we were all starting to not just hear but see – on the news --cops killing civilians who posed no serious threat to them, predominately in black communities in the USA, and the rise of what I would call the ‘occupying military force’ look of local police department – cops tricked out in riot gear, and acting like they’re on TV. That’s a theme in the film. I remember being particularly horrified by how the Toronto police department handled itself during the G-20 summit that year. What intrigued me was that we were seeing all this for the first time through the lens of social media. So I began to think about taking it to what I thought was the next level: justice live on social media, administered by the public.   So I imagined a story about a judge being kidnapped and put on trial live, with the public able to vote as judge and jury. I wanted to say something about the American justice system, but also how our view of what’s acceptable and what’s not is changing. Outrage is a great place from which to start writing pretty much anything, you know. It usually helps your subconscious dream up what you need.

3. What research did you do when writing American Hangman?

I had to delve into three areas that I didn’t particularly want to research: the nature of the criminal mind, the nature of modern policing, and the nuts and bolts of death penalty cases. None of this is really cozy bedtime reading. I had always admired Stephen Williams’ terrific book about the Paul Bernado case, “Invisible Darkness” (at one point I was hired to do the screenplay), and I found myself drawing a lot from there, especially his psychological insights. I also studied the Paul Morin case in Ontario, which I turned on its ear because Morin turned out to be innocent, which is not the case in my film. These elements were key to me building the story.   Then I had to delve into botched death penalty cases – which Morin’s would have been had he faced the absurdity of the death penalty – which are prevalent since the introduction of DNA evidence. That material is all over the net. The most surprising material involved modern policing methods. The numbers quoted in the movie are real: there is a crisis when it comes to modern police work, in the United States in partiuclar. Part of that is because they’re not given the real resources they need, part of it is because of political pressure and expectations, and part of it is just crappy police work.

4. What kind of routines do you tend to have when writing? How does a typical day (for you) begin?

This is why I love what you’re doing: you talk about the mechanics of writing, which is what I was always interested in as a young person trying to become a writer. Inspiration and the muse are lovely ideas, but it’s more interesting to hear the meat and potatoes of the writing life.
Like almost everyone, I believe you do your best work in the morning and you have to work every day. I am a “pages per day” guy, and you simply have to get your pages done per day no matter what or you aren’t allowed to get on with life. In my case, on a screenplay, I do seven pages a day. So I’m up early, coffee, eat breakfast while at the desk, and start work.   I usually write in longhand, and I did on “American Hangman.” I don’t review what I did yesterday. I just keep going. If I’m done early, I’m a hero. If I have to slog it out, then slog I must. I write a lot of drafts and do an excessive amount of revision. I see writing as a work-a-day thing, a disciplined profession. I admire people who feel the same way.

5. Could you give any interesting, fun fact about your experience working with Mr. Donald Sutherland and any other actors in American Hangman?

Donald is a very dedicated professional. It’s about craft and art with him, and that is a gift to any writer or director. I didn’t know him when I sent the script to him, and was delighted when he responded so positively to the material and agreed to come aboard… and believe me, he hung in there a long time. We had some setbacks in financing and other areas, but Donald stayed in there for more than a year, with everyone working around complex schedules.

     Here’s the thing about working with Donald. The man was in “The Dirty Dozen.” He was in “Mash.” He was in “Kelly’s Heroes”, “Klute”, and “Ordinary People” – which I feel was his best performance ever. Should have got the Oscar. My point is, that’s a lot of history. In comparison, I know nothing. I have zero experience. So all you can do is collaborate with him, let him go where he wants to go, and course correct if something feels off – but that’s seldom going to happen. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
     What I didn’t expect from Donald is that the man knows more jokes than any person I’ve ever met. I mean it. And I mean hard-to-remember “two nuns walks into a bar” jokes. An amazing memory, and fortunately many of them are really ribald. It’s this charming side of the man that I didn’t expect, and oftentimes he’d offer one up between takes, perhaps to relieve the tension because much of what we were doing was absolutely depressing and grim and exceedingly dark material.
     I love the cast of American Hangman, but certainly the hardest part of the film was what we called “the basement room” section, which is more than half of the story. There are three actors involved who were simply stuck with one another: Vincent Kartheiser, Paul Braunstein, and Donald Sutherland. For that reason, we rehearsed that section as a stage play, but when we got on the set, the thrill for me was to see how respectful the actors were of each other. They came from varied backgrounds, but they handled each other with total professional and regard. They wouldn’t even do coverage without the other actor being present. There is no cheating in the film.
     Vincent Kartheiser is a very intense actor who really takes over the part from the writer and the director, which is what a great actor often does. I thought of Montgomery Clift or Brando or someone of that ilk. He was really in that character. But Vinnie is also remarkably technically proficient, so he knows how to get what he needs to get. I have also never seen an actor more ready to go. “Let’s go! Let’s shoot!” That’s Vincent. And he nailed the character.

6. What is your favorite line from American Hangman?

“You get as close as you can.” I can’t explain it, and it’s certainly not the line I thought I would love when we started the movie, but Donald made that moment happen. It’s toward the end of the movie. Amazing performance. And in doing what he did, he summed up the unresolved contradictions within the script -- which were purposeful – simply by the power of performance.

7. What director or screenwriter or film influenced American Hangman?

I failed miserably, but one of my favorite American directors of all-time is Sidney Lumet. Hands down. And I wanted to make a quasi Sidney Lumet movie… alas, at 1/100th of a Sidney Lumet budget! (laughing)   My favorite screenwriter is Paddy Chayefsky – they collaborated on “Network”, obviously – but really during “American Hangman” my head was with the 1950’s TV writers I admire: Reginald Rose, Horton Foote, Abby Man, Robert Alan Aurther, Tad Mosel, and others. I wanted the movie to have that feel. The height of that era, other than Chayefesky, woulld be Rose’s “12 Angry Men” (again, Lumet) and “Judgment at Nuremburg” by Abby Mann. They were both plays for live TV. Philco Goodyear, I think, Studio One, or Playhouse 90.

8. What’s your favorite childhood memory about developing your craft?

If we’re talking screenwriting, then it’s reading William Goldman, which led me to a strange activity: I typed one of his screenplays out. On a typewriter. I wanted to physically see what it looked like, to get a sense of where and when things happened on the page. An extremely useful exercise.
If it’s writing in general, the best childhood memory is wasting perfectly beautiful summer days lying around in the basement of our house reading paperback novels one after the other. Best way to learn your craft.

9. If a self-published author is seeking a screenwriter, how would one get you to read his or her story to see if it would make a compelling movie?

I believe the entire future of writing is self-publishing, by the way. And I like the idea of adapting other people’s work. So put the two together. I guess someone could send me a twitter or email me with a one sentence pitch. They can send it to Stirling Bridge Entertainment.   If a story can’t go into one sentence, it probably can’t be turned into a movie.

10. What would it take for you personally to be interested in translating a self-published story into a screenplay and perhaps directing it?

Story.

11. What was the last great film you saw? What was the last great book you read?

My view is that there are far more good movies out there than people think, but few great ones. Great is a high wall. This probably isn’t right, and I’m sure I’m not being fair to so many good films, but I remember a few years ago simply being slack-jawed when I saw Suzanne Bier’s “In a Better World.” I was knocked out. That’s a great movie. More recently, “Leave No Trace” impressed me. On the good scale, I loved the “Wreck it Ralph” sequel, thought “Vice” terrific and sat like an idiot enjoying every second of “Mary Poppins Returns.” I thought Thomas Vinterberg’s last movie terrific.
     As for books, I truly admired “Lincoln in the Bardo”, but also just finished Maya Jasanoff’s book about Joseph Conrad, the new Flavia De Luce novel, loved it as usual, and John Grisham’s new book “The Reckoning” and a great first novel, C.J. Tudor’s “The Chalk Man.” I reread Dickens’ “American Notes” because I’m losing my mind with what’s going on in the country at the moment, and for comfort reread “Anna Karenina.” I think everyone ought to read “The New Deal” by Michael Hiltzik, a terrific achievement. In fiction, I likes story.

12. If you have your own talk show, who would your first three guests be (besides me, of course)?

If I don’t care about ratings? Vladimir Putin, and I promise him we will only talk Russian history. Think about that. “Vlad, what are your thoughts on Ivan the Terrible?” Think what the answer would tell us. My next guest would be Giles Martin, who remixed “The White Album” and listened to all the outtakes. I need to know everything he knows.   Then I want to talk to Guillermo Del Torro but only on the subject of Universal monster movies of the 1930’s.

13. What piece of advice do you have for aspiring filmmaker starting out?

Don’t watch other movies. Live life and make movies based on that. We’re done with movies based on other movies.

14. If you had the ability to do two major tasks at the same time, what would they be?

Sing opera and bake pastries like a master French baker.

15. If you were a genie, what wish would you absolutely not grant?

I would grant nothing involving money, would grant everything involving sex.

16. Last question, if you were to create a slogan for your life, what would it be?
“Stop counting things.”

After reading this interview I hope you really go see this movie. I would like to thank Mr. Coneybeare for this excellent interview. You can check American Hangman at Amazon.com, iTunes, and Vudu now! Finally I really want to thank you for vising my blog. As always come again to read more posts and blog interviews. Have a wonderful day and stay blessed.

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Interview with Mr. Andrew Bowler, director and screenwriter of Time Freak

11/9/2018

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We all love to imagine what we'll do if we can time travel. Well, Mr. Andrew Bowler-- the director and screenwriter of Time Freak--will take you on a trip like no other time travel movie have done before. From an amazing, Oscar-nominated short film comes the feature-length movie, Time Freak, that stars Asa Butterfield (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Journey's End ) , Sophia Turner (Game of Thrones, Dark Phoenix), and Skyler Gisondo (The Amazing Spiderman, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb). So, take this time to know Mr. Andrew Bowler and definitely watch Time Freak as soon as you can.

1.     Congratulation on your short film Time Freak being nominated for an Oscar. Could you explain how the genesis of the project and how it got a nomination?

My wife, Gigi Causey, and I had been talking about making a short film together for a while. I wrote a few short scripts that were just okay and then I wrote the Time Freak short in just one night and when I showed it to her, she instantly started planning how we would make it.

The short showed at a lot of great festivals during that year but we won the Seattle International Film Festival and if you win what’s known as a qualifying festival, you are then eligible to submit you film to the academy for consideration.

2.     Were there other titles you came up with before Time Freak (when making the short film)? If so what were they?

I don’t know, I think Time Freak came to me pretty early and stuck. I don’t think we ever considered anything else.

3.     Could you give us an interesting fun fact about being interviewed on CBS This Morning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCoJAqjpraY) about your Oscar nomination?

That all started because the husband of my wife’s friend was a cameraman on that show and he pitched the story. So we owe it all to Dave Cabano. Thanks Dave!

4.     Any word of advice for aspiring young directors who are trying to make their first short film?

The advice I always give is, be nice to yourself, be hard on the work. It’s really hard to make a good movie. Harder than most people realize. So probably are not gonna get everything perfect the first time around and you will most likely have lots of stops and starts in your career so try not to sweat that too much. But also, the best way to really move your career along is to be honest about when your work is working and hitting the mark and when it’s falling short of what you want it to be. The people who can be honest about that I think go the furthest. It’s hard to do but it’s important.

5.     What was your writing process like with the feature-length movie of Time Freak?

Hard. Time travel movies bend your brain. Writing is hard enough just on it’s own and adding in the layers of time travel logic while still trying to explore new territory emotionally is a real challenge. And then of course, even when you finally get all the time travel stuff worked out, it’s still really just the set up because making the lives of the characters feel real and compelling is still the most important thing.

6.     Did you have writer’s block on the Time Freak screenplay? If so, how did you get over it?

I get it all the time but to me it just feels like not wanting to write or not having any good ideas. The best way I know how to get out of it is to write something, anything. Just move those fingers on the keyboard and make the letters into words. You can judge the quality another time, just be active, not passive.

7.  Growing up, did you want to be a director or screenwriter first? Who inspired you to become either one?

I wanted to be director first but only because I didn’t really know what it meant to be a screenwriter. I didn’t really start to learn about that and develop a respect for the craft til film school. I was 80s kid so Steven Spielberg was the first name I remember being aware of as a filmmaker. It seemed like he made everything from our childhood so everyone looked up to him.

8.     Did you have to deal with rejection on the journey to becoming a director or screenwriter? If so, how did you handle it?

This business is full of rejection or really the way it works is that people are either really excited to speak with / work with you or you don’t hear from anyone. No one really says no, you just stop hearing anyone say yes.

I like to tell people to act like this business is a meritocracy, even if it’s not really. Just focus on the idea that if your work is good, you will be successful and if it’s really good you’ll be really successful. The rest is just distracting noise.

9. What was your experience working with Asa Butterfield and Sophie Turner?

They were both dreams to work with. They are such pros, always prepared and with a great point of view but also willing to pivot to something new if the scene needed it. Asa is in every scene in the movie, except two. That is a tall order and very hard to do on a smaller movie. And it’s a pretty dialogue heavy movie which can be a challenge for any actor but it was pretty rare that either of them went up (forgot their lines). And when they did, it was always funny because neither of them take themselves too seriously so they would usually do something silly and then slide right back into character .

10. What is your favorite line from any of your favorite movie?

Whenever I get scared and really nervous about something I can hear Doc Brown in my head. There is a moment in Back to the Future just before Marty goes back to 1985 when Doc lays out all the things that have happen and how the car has to hit at precisely the right time, and the tracks back with him and then he stops says “…everything will be fine.” That’s what I think of to bring me some peace when I need it. “Everything will be fine.”

11.  If you could direct or write a film-adaptation of any novel/novella/short story which one would you like to do?

Boy would I love a crack at The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. That is just a masterpiece that I think people want to see as a movie at some point. And of course I am anxiously awaiting Dune, one of my all time favorite books. But I don’t know that I would have wanted to take on that challenge. I’ll just be first in line when it’s done.

12. If you have one chance to travel back through time to ask someone a question who would it be? What would you ask?

I think I would to hang out with Lord Buddha. I put a line about that in Time Freak cause I think that would really be my first trip.

13. If you could choose a movie title for the story of your life what would it be?

Are Those Cookies for Everyone?

14. Would you like to share any special moment on set while making the feature-length of Time Freak?

I have a picture(timefreak.jpg) from the morning of the first day of filming. Gigi and I got their super early and I took a picture of sign pointing us in the direction of set. It has been six years since she and I started this journey and to be walking onto that set together on that first morning was pretty special.

15.   Last question, in one word how did you feel when you saw the complete feature-length of Time Freak for the first time?

Proud

Thanks again to Mr. Andrew Bowler for accepting this blog interview. I'm glad to see that his noteworthy short film is made into a feature-length film. No doubt the film will be absolutely remarkable. Time Freak comes out today, Nov. 9th 2018, so check it out:). Take care and I hope your day is going great so far. Thanks for stopping by as well.

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The Mule Trailer (based on a 2011 The New York Times article "The Sinaloa Cartel's 90-Year-Old Drug Mule")

10/16/2018

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Wagging away is A Dog's Way Home Trailer

10/13/2018

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Interview with Mr. Greg Neri, author of Ghetto Cowboy

8/31/2018

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From Chess Rumble, Yummy: the last days of south side shorty, Tru & Nelle, A Christmas Tale, Surf Mules to Hello, I'm Johnny Cash and When Paul met Artie, the Coretta Scott King honor-winning writer Mr. Greg Neri has captured the mind of teens and adults alike. Before being a writer, he was an animator, digital media producer, and a filmmaker. Now his YA novel, Ghetto Cowboy, will be made into a feature film with Idris Elba attached to the project. So take a look and see why Ghetto Cowboy and the author should be on your radar.

1.      What is the genesis of Ghetto Cowboy?

Stumbling across an article in LIFE magazine (gneri.livejournal.com/124473.html ). Those photos really stopped me in my tracks and I immediately thought: what a great world to set a story in.

2.      Was Ghetto Cowboy the original title or where there other titles?

It was one I quickly settled on. It was a term I heard one of the kids use and it perfectly described the story. I love titles that grab and make you think: What is that?

3.      What was the most difficult thing about writing Ghetto Cowboy?

Getting to the end. I did two passes, relatively easy until I got about 70% in and then totally blanked, twice. Had to put it away for months on end each time. Then I realized the issue. Originally, I had Cole born into that world but it was more powerful if he was an outsider, a fish out of water, who has to figure that world out and find his inner cowboy. Once I had that, the 3rd pass worked.

4.      What is something memorable you have heard from your readers/fans about Ghetto Cowboy?

So much love for this book. I’ve heard over and over—“This book is about me”, “This is my world” “You understand us more than anyone.” I’ve had teens show up on their horses at school—the real deal!

5.      Congratulations on your book Ghetto Cowboy being made into a feature film, what are your thoughts on Idris Elba being casted as Harp, Cole’s father?

A perfect fit. In fact, when I first wrote it, I was a big fan of The Wire and there is a bit of his character, Stringer Bell, in Harp, for sure.

6.      Would you like to make a cameo in the film adaptation of Ghetto Cowboy?

I better be a cowboy.

7.      Do you write every day, and for how long do you write for?

I work 5-6 days a week. Could be writing a first draft, doing revisions, proofing, doing all the business end of things. But I try to work all day like a regular job.

8.      Which author would you love to invite over and chat with? And why?

John Fante (Ask the Dust) because he was a crazy Italian who wrote big, with passion, lust and anger; a real poetry for life. He was quite a character. Put him in a room with his friend Bukowski, and that’d be a night you’d never forget.

9.      Do you recall the first story you ever wrote?

Hmm. Not specifically. Probably some short story in high school. I do remember staying in college over Christmas break and writing my first screenplay on a typewriter in an empty dorm.

10.  What do you like to read in your free time?

Graphic novels and non-fiction

11.  Where was the farthest you have ever traveled to?

Antarctica! www.gregneri.com/home/#/antarctica/

12.  Silly-Game question: From Ghetto Cowboy, could you please leaf through the pages and point at a random place. What is the full sentence? And what is the page number of this random sentence?

“I think of running, but that’s rule three: Never run.” p. 29

13.  Which other books of yours would you like to see adapted into a film?

My new one, Grand Theft Horse, and my series on Tru & Nelle.

14.  What is the scariest thing you have ever done for fun?

Jump out of a plane.

15.  If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

To erase hatred from the world.

16.  What’s your motto in life?

Always say YES to life.

17.  Last question, what is the one thing that anyone should do/eat/try if one is visiting Tampa, Florida?

Walk on the river walk, visit the museum of art, eat at one of the artisanal eateries on the north end, then end up seeing a movie at the old school movie palace, the Tampa Theatre, complete with organ music!

All the best to Mr. Greg Neri on his writing endeavors. I also want to express my greatest appreciation for him doing this interview. I hope each and everyone of you would check out his novel especially Ghetto Cowboy. Furthermore, make sure you keep a look out for the film adaptation as well. Take care and I hope everyone is having a wonderful day.

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