Month: July 2022

That Should Be A Movie: Destiney of the Republic by Candice Millard

The train ride to Elberon, New Jersey was peaceful. All the engineers and conductors in the region switched off their engines and waited for the president to pass so that no sound of bell or whistle would disturb him. Along the train tracks thousands of ordinary men and women stood in silent respect. When the train reached Elberon it continued on 3,200 feet of track laid by two thousand people the night before so the president could be taken to the door of where he was staying, Franklyn Cottage. However, the train could not reach the cottage due to its steep hilltop location.
A crowd had been waiting all day for the president’s arrival. As soon as the problem became apparent, two hundred men ran forward. They grabbed ahold of the train cars and silently rolled them up the hill.

That Should Be A Movie: As The Crow Flies by Curt Iles

A teenage girl fleeing her criminal past finds love and redemption in the Outlaw Strip of western Louisiana.
Now that should be a movie
Short Pitch.
It’s called As The Crow Flies.
It is a western romance.
In the vein of Redeeming Love.
It is like Tom Sawyer meets Anne of Green Gables.
It follows a book loving petty thief Missouri Cotton.
And teenage Redbone country boy Daniel Moore.
As they eke out a living and search for love and redemption in the No Man’s Land of Western Louisiana.
Problems arise when tensions between whites and the Redbone people turn violent and some of Daniel’s relatives think Missouri is not a good fit for him.
Together they will prove that no matter how wretched someone’s past or family background, love and redemption are stronger.
The idea came to I saw that Curt Iles had just published a new book. Having read and written blogposts about his other books and even grown personally from the messages in Iles’ books, I immediately thought “that oughta be a movie.”
My unique approach would be how the messages of the sophisticated novels like Les Misérables that Missouri likes to read share much in common with the unassuming back wood folk of western Louisiana.
A set piece would be at a bonfire on May Day. All the boys and men are jumping over the fire. Missouri has just learned that all the letters that she had written Daniel had been hidden from him by a family member. She has now realized her sadness and anger toward him were misplaced. Before anyone can stop her, she runs and jumps over the fire. “Feet don’t fail me now,” she yells as the flames leap up and singe her dress. As she comes down for a landing on the other side of the fire, she falls right into the arms of Daniel. “Girl, you are some kind of crazy,” he says. All is forgiven.
Target audiences would be men and women, 30 to 80 years old, fans of westerns and period romances, faith-based viewers, and Louisianans.
People would want to see it due to the themes of love, redemption and grace as well as its western and period piece settings.

That Should Be A Movie: The Yazidis at Sinjar

An evil not seen since the Nazis is carrying out a medieval genocide in the Middle East until modern technology and American representative democracy comes to the rescue.
Now That Should Be A Movie
Short Pitch
It is called Sinjar.
It is a survival drama.
In the vein of Defiance.
It is like 13 Hours meets Dunkirk.
It follows poor Yazidi widow Alifa Murad living in Iraq
And young professional reporter Dakhil Shammo living in America.
As they try to survive and alert the world of the genocide being carried out against the Yazidi by ISIS.
Problems arise when the Yazidi people are trapped on Mount Sinjar without food and water and the world does not seem to pay any attention to the unfolding crime against humanity.
Together they will survive and work with government agencies until the American military and its allies come to the rescue.
The idea came to me when I was thinking about great moments of humanitarianism in American history and vaguely remembered something about a rescue in northern Iraq in 2014.
My unique approach would be the juxtaposition and cognitive dissonance of representative democracy and comfort and security in America and Europe as modern forms of communication alert people to the medieval holocaust unfolding against the Yazidis in the harsh environment of Mount Sinjar.