Studio Berezin Film

Gwen Cummings (Sandra Bullock) never met a drink she couldn’t quaff. But when her drunken buffoonery ruins her sister’s wedding — and does some major property damage — a judge orders her to choose between rehab and jail. Netflix , IMDB Director: Betty Thomas STC Genre : Rites of Passage (addiction) “Life Problem” – alcohol (and pills) addiction “Wrong Way” – “I don’t need any help, I can do it myself if I wanted to” “Acceptance” – well, literally that, and then some Really funny beginning, and overall well done film. Basically, a classic rite of passage, and rightly so included in the Save the Cat Goes to the Movies book. To be honest, I liked Sandra much better when she was drunk – she’s so much more fun. It seems, serious and especially “enlightened” character is not her best type. In fact, because of that the ending is somewhat less of a “triumph” than ...

When an asteroid slams into the moon, it sends debris hurtling through Earth’s atmosphere. The damage seems minor — until unusual electromagnetic glitches begin to occur, leading scientists to a shocking discovery. With only 39 days to prevent Earth from colliding with the moon, astronauts set out on the most important space mission ever. Netflix , IMDB Director: Michael Rohl STC Genre : Dude with a Problem (Epic) OK, I actually watched it. I admit it. ( See my previous post for context.) I watched it with one and only purpose – to find out how low  a movie can go while still be a relative commercial success. Now I believe I discovered an entirely new movie genre – a Comedy-masquerading-as-Thriller . No, seriously, just like a bunch of reviewers on IMDB, I was laughing my ass off in all the wrong places at the incredibly ingenious idiocy of the screenwriters and the rest of the filmmakers of this, err… film. To the filmmakers’ credit, the story struc...

Computer scientist Hannon Fuller, the creator of a virtual reality world, has discovered something extremely important. He is about to share this discovery with his colleague and friend, Douglas Hall, when he is murdered. Douglas continues in Fuller’s footsteps to uncover the mystery, but what he finds is beyond anyone’s imagination. Netflix , IMDB Director: Josef Rusnak STC Genre : Whydunit (Fantasy) “Detective” – Douglas Hall “Secret” – on the surface, the secret life of Hannon Fuller “Dark Turn” – the real secret I think this one nearly trumps The Matrix (note – the same year). In fact, the model of the world is better thought through and is somewhat more believable in this movie. It is not as packed with action, but it has just as good a pace and a stronger sense of mystery, suspense, and a good B story (an actual love story) all throughout. I’ve really enjoyed it.

Bewildered astronaut George Taylor (Heston) crash-lands on a strange planet ruled by intelligent apes who use primitive humans for experimentation and sport. Taylor quickly finds himself among the hunted as he struggles to escape the apes’ power — and uncover their darkest secret. Netflix , IMDB Director: Franklin J. Schaffner STC Genre : Golden Fleece (Epic?) “Road” – first space travel, than travel to the “forbidden zone” “Team” – Taylor and the ape-scientists “Prize” – Taylor’s proof of intelligence = his freedom. Only he finds something more… As they say, this is classic, and a very good one. The film is over 40 years old, and yet it’s idea is still as fresh and timely, if not more acute today than it was back then. It is a bit long and slow at times, but if you discount for the time period, it would be quite packed with action. The costumes and special effects are awesome – they ma...

Шерлок Холмс и Доктор Ватсон – Знакомство (Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson – the Introduction) Director: Igor Maslennikov STC Genre : Whydunit (law enforcement) – it’s elementary, Watson! IMDB: this episode , and more from this series . From a user review: When you visit museum of Sherlock Holmes in London, Baker St., first thing that you see on the second floor is a number of pictures of all actors who ever played Holmes in the movies, and in the middle of that compilation you can see the biggest photo – the photo of Vasiliy Livanov. All world cinematographers (including British ones) have admitted that Vasiliy Livanov is the best Sherlock Holmes that ever appeared on screen. And it is true. … There is nothing much to add to that – it is totally true. The series produced 5 seasons in 7 years, total of 11 episodes (really, high quality feature movies) based on some of the best Conan Doyle stories. I loved the series since I was a kid (I watche...

When a blonde sorority queen is dumped by her boyfriend, she decides to follow him to law school to get him back and, once there, learns she has more legal savvy than she ever imagined. Netflix , IMDB Director: Robert Luketic STC Genre : Fool Triumphant (“out of water”) A surprisingly well done movie for such a silly-sounding premise. Really, two thumbs up! While it has all the blonde and hot chick rosy cliches and then some, in this film they are well placed and perfectly serve the story. The story itself is well written, well structured and well paced, and the actors did a fabulous job at playing the characters. All in all, good movie.

The crew of the ship Serenity tries to evade an assassin sent to recapture one of their number who is telepathic. Netflix , IMDB Director: Joss Whedon STC Genre : Superhero “Special Power” – the weapon of a girl “Nemesis” – the Alliance “Curse” – the girl cannot control her power Very nice movie, at least for my tastes. A few usual Hollywood overkills like the Reavers, and some details perhaps are unnecessarily graphic, but otherwise quite well done.

Everything farmer and former priest Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) believes about the world changes when he finds an intricate pattern of circles carved into his fields, mysterious markings that cause a media frenzy and test Hess’s faith. Ultimately, he uncovers the circles’ origins, which will forever alter his and his family’s lives. Netflix , IMDB Director: M. Night Shyamalan STC Genre : Monster In The House “Monster” – the aliens “House” – literal in this case “Sin” – loss of faith MILD SPOILER ALERT

In the future, criminals are caught before the crimes they commit, but one of the officers in the special unit is accused of one such crime and sets out to prove his innocence. Netflix , IMDB Director: Steven Spielberg STC Genre : Whydunit (law enforcement) Well done movie, obviously very successful. A bit of “too much pipe” in setting up, and some parts were dissonant with the rest of the visuals and tone. For instance, the precogs floating in “photon milk”, the back-street doctor’s “office” – that’s certainly too much. But most of the rest is very well done.

A Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him. Netflix , IMDB Director: Todd Phillips STC Genre : Whydunit Very well made movie. It sets the tone as a silly comedy, and totally exceeds all the expectations of that. In a good way 🙂 Apparently, setting the right expectations for the audience is half the battle – at least I’m willing to take a few corny jokes if I expect plenty of them, and otherwise the movie kept me laughing my ass off, yet on the edge of the mystery. Quite a delicate balance. SPOILER ALERT – the movie beat by beat

A seven-mile-wide space rock is hurtling toward Earth, threatening to obliterate the planet. Now, it’s up to the president of the United States (Morgan Freeman) to save the world. He appoints a tough-as-nails veteran astronaut (Robert Duvall) to lead a joint American-Russian crew into space to destroy the comet before impact. Meanwhile, an enterprising reporter (Tea Leoni) uses her smarts to uncover the scoop of the century. Netflix , IMDB Director: Mimi Leder STC Genre : Dude with a Problem (Epic) I find it one of the better “apocalypse” movies, with the focus mostly on the drama and relationships more than on the technology shebang and action. I even thought of marking it as “Buddy Love”, but then I couldn’t pinpoint the main hero for it. While the “epic dude” is the entire human kind represented by a few groups of characters.

Sometimes I wonder how far can Hollywood push the grandiosity of a world catastrophe before the viewers scream in disbelief and leave the theaters. Well, it appears that just as it is nearly impossible to create a half-witty artificial intelligence, it is just as nearly impossible to underestimate the limits of natural stupidity. When I saw Armageddon (1998) , I thought this is just about it. OK, an asteroid the size of Texas might hit the Earth. Granted. It is also marginally possible that a nuke can do something to a fragile rock, even if its surface is iron-clad. And perhaps most people wouldn’t notice the physically impossible fits the technology performs in the movie. But a rock size of Texas is not even peanuts compared to the Moon – yes, our own bloody Moon going off orbit on a collision course with Earth ( Impact, 2008 ). And guess what? Turns out, even though human race does not have enough technology to destroy the Moon (they tried, believe me), at least we can put...

According to Blake, every good script should have a certain structure, certain beats at certain places. The beats should be roughly proportional to the script length, and he gives the numbers for a 110-page script. This simple calculator translates the beats to any page count. And while you’re at it, check out my Screenplay Treatment Generator . Loading…  

Detective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England. Netflix , IMDB Director: Guy Ritchie STC Genre : Whydunit (obviously). Though overstretched towards superhero, in my opinion. “Detective” – clearly, Sherlock “Secret” – the magic of Blackwood “Dark Turn” – Blackwood’s evil plans that turn out to be more evil than the “magic” itself Oh, by golly… This is another “Inception” style movie – supercool special effects in complete disregard to the story and other minor nuisances of filmmaking. I guess, I’m as much pissed at butchering the great classic as I’m impressed with the CG dazzle. It wouldn’t be half as bad if they simply called the main characters different names and removed any explicit references to Conan Doyle. However, even then the Holmes character who’s supposed...

Will Lightman (Hugh Grant) is a rich, hip, irresponsible Londoner who, in search of available women, invents an imaginary son and starts attending single-parent meetings — confident in both parties’ inability to make a commitment. But when Will meets Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), the troubled 12-year-old son of a depressed single mother (Toni Collette), a quirky and unexpected friendship blooms as both Will and Marcus help each other grow up. Netflix , IMDB Directors: Cris Weitz, Paul Weitz STC Genre : Buddy Love (rom-com) – are you surprised? 🙂 “Incomplete Hero” – Will “Loser” Lightman (what a choice of name!) “Counterpart” – the boy Marcus “Complication” – no shortage of those Surprisingly well made movie. Why surprisingly? I didn’t realize the main hero could be such a loser, and the unlikely friendship could be such a big deal. In real life it’s usually much more boring and mundane. Somehow, ...

[TV mini-series] After Detective Joe Miller (Peter Krause) finds a key that opens a mysterious motel room, he discovers it’s a portal to an alternate universe with contents of immeasurable power. When his young daughter Anna (Elle Fanning) disappears inside, he desperately tries to save her. But Miller must contend with a host of bizarre characters who also want access to the room. Netflix , IMDB STC Genre : Whydunit “Detective” – well, the detective “Secret” – the “objects”, what they do, who has them, how to put them together “Dark Turn” – the ultimate magic and the price to pay Fabulous movie! It is basically a 4.5 hour feature split into 3 episodes, or 6 “mega-beats”. What I find the most refreshing is a very strong and well-thought story. Every single element is there for a reason, every open loop is closed and tied by the end, every character plays a crucial role, small or large. The acting is awes...

As he nears the end of a lonely three-year stint on the moon base Sarang, astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) begins to hear and see strange things. It’s not long before Sam suspects that his employer — the conglomerate LUNAR — has other plans for him. Netflix , IMDB Director: Duncan Jones STC Genre : Whydunit (Fantasy) – kind of like Blade Runner or Ghost It’s a very interesting idea, and the visuals are very well done. The story, in my opinion, is progressing too slow, or alternatively, doesn’t have enough emotional pool to keep me on the edge. I watched it to the end as I was curious how it would end, but I kept looking at the clock… Pretty good for the first feature of the director though.

Bruce Willis reprises his role as John McClane, an off-duty cop gripped with a feeling of déjà vu when on a snowy Christmas Eve in the nation’s capital, terrorists seize a major international airport, holding thousands of holiday travelers hostage. Renegade military commandos led by a murderous rogue officer (William Sadler) plot to rescue a drug lord from justice and are prepared for every contingency except one: McClane’s smart-mouthed heroics. Netflix , IMDB Director: Renny Harlin STC Genre : Dude with a Problem (law enforcement) Bruce is in trouble – again! And the trouble keeps growing with every sequel. It was a building in the first, now it’s an airport. John McClane’s famous words: “why does it keep happening to me?” I bet cast and crew had a blast on set with those remarks. In my opinion, this is one of the rare exceptions when a sequel is better than the original. They really nailed the emotional pull and kept the suspense and believab...

As a massive asteroid hurtles toward Earth, NASA head honcho Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton) hatches a plan to split the deadly rock in two before it annihilates the entire planet, calling on Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) — the world’s finest oil driller — to head up the mission. With time rapidly running out, Stamper assembles a crack team and blasts off into space to attempt the treacherous task. Director: Michael Bay STC Genre : Dude with a Problem (Epic) – according to Blake. I’m thinking, it has very strong elements of Monster in the House (asteroid being the monster). Go figure… Overall, the SFX are amazing, acting is quite decent, but the story is not as strong, and scientific goof-ups are unbelievably bad. Also, too much pipe ! Bruce appears for the first time 12 min. in – another long stretch goes for characters intro. Paradoxically, the movie feels rather slow moving despite the supposedly fast action setup, and the actual fast action ...

Improvised Entertainment (originally Gang of Five Production) has released their first short film “Improvise”:

From the pages of David Lloyd and Alan Moore’s groundbreaking graphic novel springs the enigmatic “V” (Hugo Weaving), a masked freedom fighter who’s taken up arms against the totalitarian government in a futuristic Britain. Finding an unlikely ally in a young woman named Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman), V urges the citizenry to fight the oppression of the state. Netflix , IMDB Director: James McTeigue STC Genre : Superhero (fantasy) – according to Blake himself. I personally lean towards Rites of Passage – I guess it depends on who do you consider the main hero, V or Evey. And for that matter, Evey changes a lot more than V. A really well done movie. What else can I say? Powerful, timely, impactful. Remember, remember the leaks of December the fifth of November …

Unpolished and disheveled, FBI agent Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) needs a serious makeover before going undercover as a Miss United States beauty pageant contestant to catch a psychopathic terrorist who’s threatened to blow up the proceedings. A beauty consultant (Michael Caine) is hired to transform Hart from “Dirty Harriet” into a beauty queen — with hilarious and surprisingly effective results, much to her partner’s (Benjamin Bratt) shock. Netflix , IMDB Director: Donald Petrie :stc-genre: Fool Triumphant (Undercover fool) “Fool” – Sandra Bullock as an undercover FBI agent “Establishment” – the pageant contest and this whole “woman thing” “Transmutation” – well, kinda obvious I’ve debated whether this movie’s genre is “Institutionalized” – it also seems to have all the needed elements (“group” being FBI, “choice” – follow “t...

After a lifetime of dreaming of traveling the world, 78-year-old homebody Carl (voiced by Ed Asner) flies away on an unbelievable adventure with Russell, an 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer (Jordan Nagai), unexpectedly in tow. Together, the unlikely pair embarks on a thrilling odyssey full of jungle beasts and rough terrain. Netflix , IMDB Directors: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson STC Genre : Golden Fleece (Buddy, I’m guessing) Funny how two movies in a row I’m hitting Golden Fleece where the hero is stuck in one place for a long-long time before starting to move. A coincidence? Well, there is no such thing as coincidence in the movies… 🙂 But seriously, a very, very well done movie. It doesn’t even feel like animation – it is really an animated feature film with all the necessary beats and plot turns, themes and layers of meaning – everything a good movie needs. The opening image and setup are fabulous – the entire Carl’s life story is told in a...

Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) is a man without a country; his plane took off just as a coup d’etat exploded in his homeland, leaving it in shambles, and now he’s stranded at Kennedy Airport, where he’s holding a passport that nobody recognizes. While quarantined in the transit lounge until authorities can figure out what to do with him, Viktor simply goes on living — and courts romance with a beautiful flight attendant (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Netflix , IMDB Director: Steven Spielberg STC Genre : Golden Fleece (Solo, I think) “Road” – from the plane to the New York hotel lobby with a lo-o-ong stop on the way “Team” – the airport workers (and then some) “Prize” – the last autograph A MILD SPOILER ALERT

Another movie I’ve worked on at Scary Cow : Written by Sara James, directed by Sabrina L. Nelson, camerawork by Sergey Berezin and Samir Sinha, editor Sergey Berezin (yes, me again). Sara is also the lead actress, together with Tony Sommers. This project was screened at the 12th Scary Cow Film Festival in San Francisco on June 6th, 2010 at the Victoria Theatre.

NYPD cop John McClane’s (Bruce Willis) plan to reconcile with his estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), is thrown for a serious loop when minutes after he arrives at her office, the entire building is overtaken by a group of pitiless terrorists. With little help from the LAPD, wisecracking McClane sets out to single-handedly rescue the hostages and bring the bad guys down. Netflix , IMDB Director: John McTiernan STC Genre : Dude with a Problem (Law Enforcement) “Innocent Hero” – John McClane “Sudden Event” – the terrorists “Life or Death Battle” – quite literal Really well made movie, a classic of its genre. Great structure, elaborate yet engaging setup, and every single detail has been used towards the end. BTW, what do you think is the B Story? It’s the black cop on the ground! Of course, John and his wife is yet another sub-story, but we learn next to nothing about them, while the cop  resolves one of his problems, ...

Fed up with her boyfriend, live-wire Arkansas waitress Louise Sawyer (Susan Sarandon) persuades her friend Thelma Dickinson (Geena Davis), a naïve housewife burdened with a negligent, sexist husband, to hit the road with her for a simple weekend of freedom. But after accidentally killing a man, the two friends wind up outlaws blazing a cathartic trail across America. Netflix , IMDB Director: Ridley Scott STC Genre :  Golden Fleece (Buddy Fleece) “Road” – literal “Team” – the two women “Prize” – freedom A very, very powerful movie. The opening image in a way summarizes the entire movie in one minute. Starting out as a dull black and white dirt road landscape, it gradually brightens up and  fills in color, becoming a beautiful postcard picture. It then gains ominous “dusk” colors and fades away… After analyzing a few movies with “Save The Cat!” structure in mind, I’m starting to notice the setup in m...