Studio Berezin Film

A complex romantic story unfolds in two parallel worlds that split apart by a seemingly unimportant event of Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow) catching or missing a subway train. In one, she comes home early and finds her boyfriend cheating on her, but not in the other. The two stories dance together all the way to the end until something else happens… Netflix , IMDB Director: Peter Howitt STC Genre : Buddy Love (Rom-Com) – despite what Blake says “Incomplete Hero”  – Helen who is not very happy in her current relationship with Gerry “Counterpart” – James “Complication” – two different ones, in fact. In one version she doesn’t even learn about him, and in the other – well, that would be a spoiler, wouldn’t it? Yes, with this movie I feel confident enough to disagree with Blake Snyder, and reclassify it as Buddy Love (instead of Out Of The Bottle). Why? Because there is really no “wish”. Helen is reason...

After FedEx systems engineer Chuck Noland’s (Tom Hanks) plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean, he finds himself fighting to survive on a deserted island with nothing but a painted volleyball — a silent partner he names Wilson. Netflix , IMDB Director: Robert Zemeckis STC Genre : Golden Fleece (Solo) – according to Blake “Road” – Starting as a flight across Pacific, and ending as Chuck’s solo sailing into the sea four years later “Team” – the lonely hero and Wilson the Volleyball “Prize” – On the surface, return home. But upon return, he finds a lot more about himself and his close ones, and learning yet another life lesson. This is a very good movie. What else would you expect from Zemeckis, after all? 🙂 However, I found it to be a bit slow in the setup, with almost nothing exciting happening for the first 30 min of the movie. Of course, given that it’s 143 min long, the beat sheet calculator gives exactly...

Today I was faced with a problem of creating an interlaced NTSC video (“30i”) from progressive HD footage, in my case 60p – that is, 60 progressive frames per second. A quick web search brought up a tutorial from Creative Cow by Marco Solorio, where he converts a 30p footage into a 60i video. Unfortunately, his process doesn’t work when the footage is already at 60p. So, here are a couple of ways that worked for me. The Apple Motion Way The most reliable, in my opinion, is to pipe the footage through Apple Motion. This flow will also work for footage other than 60p. Here are the steps: Create an interlaced (30i) sequence in Final Cut Drop your 60p footage in it and do the necessary scaling and positioning adjustments (in my case, I had to scale the HD 16:9 footage to fill the SD 4:3 frame) Control-click (or Right-click) on the clip in the sequence and choose “Send to -> Motion Project…” Choose the file name for the Motion project, make sure ...

When a reclusive romance writer (Kathleen Turner) — whose humdrum life in no way resembles the exploits of her fiery fictional heroines — learns her sister’s been kidnapped, she’s soon embroiled in a wild adventure involving hidden treasure and a dashing mercenary (Michael Douglas). Netflix , IMDB Director: Robert Zemeckis STC Genre : Golden Fleece (Buddy) “Road” – literally a road to and around Columbia “Team” – Joan and Jack “Prize” – the original goal is freeing Joan’s sister, but at the end she gets quite a bit more than that A nicely done action / comedy / romance film. The two main lead characters are perhaps the most opposite of each other, and all the great conflicts and comedic tension that comes with it. Very well done, very enjoyable movie.

To test its top-secret Human Hibernation Project, the Pentagon picks the most average Americans it can find — an Army private (Luke Wilson) and a prostitute (Maya Rudolph) — and sends them to the year 2505 after a series of freak events. But when they arrive, they find a civilization so dumbed-down that they’re the smartest people around. Netflix , IMDB Director: Mike Judge STC Genre : Superhero (People’s) “Special Power” – the smartest man on Earth “Nemesis” – the idiocy in the society, at various points represented by specific people “Curse” – can’t go back While the title and the premise scream for low expectations, the movie is actually quite good and (surprise!) not as stupid as it may seem on the surface. The filmmakers didn’t (always) give in to the temptation for cheesy toilet humor, and provided quite a few good laughs for a good reason. In other words, you do care “whose ass it is a...

Local teenagers are being haunted and killed in their dreams by a monster Freddy Krueger. Nancy is the only survivor who has a chance and willing to face the monster. Netflix , IMDB Director: Wes Craven STC Genre : Monster In The House (Supra-Natural) – obviously “Monster” – Freddy Krueger “House” – in this case the local block, the boiler room, and often literally the house “Sin” – the mob of angry parents who killed Freddy No wonder this is considered a classic of horror. While not exactly my favorite genre, I enjoyed the drama of the story (save the gore), and the way the movie created the suspense, without ever going over the top, but never losing it either.  Overall the story, acting, directing, cinematography, editing – everything was top-notch.

An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman who doesn’t believe true love exists, and the young man who falls for her. Netflix , IMDB Director: Marc Webb STC Genre : Buddy Love (Rom-Com) Quite well done movie. Curiously, it is a highly non-linear narrative, and we know the ending in the first 2 minutes. And yet, it is captivating to watch what was happening throughout the relationship. And of course, the true (surprise) ending is not revealed till the end 🙂

On a mission to make the country forget the dangers of smoking, Big Tobacco spin doctor Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) promotes his product everywhere he goes, and hushes those who bad-mouth cigarettes, all the while trying to remain a role model to his young son. Netflix , IMDB Director: Jason Reitman STC Genre : Institutionalized (Business) “Group” – the tobacco industry, along with other “killer” giants “Choice” – pay the mortgage or be a role model dad? Why, take both! “Sacrifice” – in this case, your morals, your ethics, and perhaps even your soul. Well, something has to go, right? Gotta love that movie! This is a brilliant move on behalf of filmmakers. The “good” guy is so bad, and is so good at it, that we have to love him just for his brilliance of spinning the evil, and come out making sense while denouncing those who should obviously be making sense in the first place. “The guy could disprove grav...

Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of intelligent aliens, who send plans for a mysterious machine. Based on Carl Sagan’s novel. Netflix , IMDB Director: Robert Zemeckis STC Genre : Golden Fleece (Epic) “Road” – at first, metaphorical, but by the end quite literal travel in space “Team” – her colleagues “Prize” – originally looking for contact. “If we are alone, seems like a lot of waste of space”. But finding much more – and different – than she was hoping for.

Las Vegas magician Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage) can see a few minutes into the future, a talent he uses to enhance his shows — and to win at blackjack. But when an FBI agent (Julianne Moore) wants his help thwarting a nuclear attack, Cris finds his psychic skills put to the test. Based on Philip K. Dick’s short story “The Golden Man.” Netflix , IMDB Director: Lee Tamahori STC Genre : Superhero (Fantasy) “Special Power” – Cris’s ability to see  a couple of minutes into his future “Nemesis” – the nuclear terrorists “Curse” – in part, the ability itself. I guess, it’s like knowing the ending of every movie before you watch it… However, on a deeper level, it is also the girl he meets who (unwillingly) meddles with his gift. A very well done movie, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is not too packed with action, but the pace feels good. Despite a few obvious shortcomings (what did he do with the stolen c...

When network news anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch) loses his mind on the air, his outrageous rants reach viewers at home, boost the ratings and intrigue cutthroat network executives Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) and Frank Hackett (Robert Duvall). Max Schumacher (William Holden) contrasts their avarice as an old-school TV journalist. Netflix , IMDB Director: Sidney Lumet STC Genre : Institutionalized (Business) “Group” – the Network “Choice” – in this genre, it’s always the same: go with the group or by myself. Both Howard and Max make their (opposite) choices, and each of them pays the corresponding price. “Sacrifice” – often “death”, in this case literally murder of Howard, and death of relationship for Max This should be considered a classic of our time made 30 years too early. The television has become a heartless business of emotional drugs feeding its viewers with a daily fix while pumping their brains and ...