African American History – That Should Be A Movie

That Should Be A Movie: Saints in the Broken City

By C. W. Johnson, Jr. on Monday, February 12, 2024

It is called Saints in the Broken City

It is a sports drama

In the vein of Remember the Titans

It is like The Blindside meets Invictus

It follows the long-suffering but passionate Who Dat fanbase

And the powerful national corporation the National Football League

As they seek to rebuild New Orleans after a disaster using the New Orleans Saints and the Superdome as symbols of hope.

Problems arise when the Saints lose games and the NFL seeks to exert its power over the local economy

Together the power of the local community will win over corporate commoditization and inspire the nation

The idea came to me when the Saints won the Super Bowl, and it inspired me that anything was possible as I headed to college.

African American History American Revolution

That Should Be A Movie: The Philadelphia Campaign of 1777-1778

By C. W. Johnson, Jr. on Tuesday, July 4, 2023

It’s called The Philadelphia Campaign

In the vein of Braveheart

It is like Rock IV meets The Patriot.

It follows strong tempered but firmly diplomatic General George Washington

And young idealistic French aristocrat Marquis de Lafayette

As they battle to keep the British Army from capturing the American capitol at Philadelphia and the colonial fight for freedom.

Problems arise when the British capture the capitol after the Continental Army cannot hold its own against the better trained royalist forces and must face a brutal winter at Valley Forge.

Together they will face the king’s troops, weather the elements, survive political conspiracies, and train to become a force that go the distance against the British Army on the battlefield.

The idea came to me when studying the iconic moments American of history like Valley Forge and Monmouth Courthouse I realized that the campaign had the inspirational themes of a sports movie, like the Rocky franchise.

My unique approach to the subject matter would be telling the epic scale of the campaign through the human relationships of the participants with the themes similar to those in sports movies like going the distance, training, determination, and a strong mindset.

A set piece would be when Lafayette gets the word out that officers are trying to get Washington replaced with Horatio Gates. General Gates is considered the hero of Saratoga, having captured an entire British Army. Many of the Continental Soldiers have seen Washington walk among them and view their suffering. They have observed him do his uttermost to alleviate their sufferings. They have watched him shame inactive Congressmen into taking off their own shoes in the snow and giving them to the soldiers. The soldiers come out of their huts and hovels, shivering as they clutch rags to their malnourished bodies. Then they fill the hollers and dells of Valley Forge with “Washington or No Army! Washington or No Army! Washington or No Army!” Washington remains in command.

Target audiences would be teenagers, men and women 20-90, history nerds, gamers, military buffs, veterans, Americans, South Koreans, Eastern Europeans, and fans of action movies and blockbuster summer releases.

Audiences would want to see it for its themes of determination, resilience, motivation, inspiration, survivalism, brotherhood, friendship, the relationships of historical characters, like the father-son relationship of Washington and Lafayette, excitement, epic scale, romance of another era, fighting for freedom, strong women figures and cameos of characters from the hit musical Hamilton.

FFFRRRREEEEEDDDDDOOOOMMMMM!!!!!

African American History Christmas

That Should Be A Movie: An Invisible Thread

By C. W. Johnson, Jr. on Friday, December 16, 2022

A set piece would be when Laura takes Maurice to visit her sister Annette’s family in the suburbs on Christmas Eve. Her niece comes home crying from a friend’s house. When she had mentioned Santa Claus, her friends had laughed at her, saying Santa Clause was not real. She asked her brother and sister if that was true, and they said yes. She began wailing. Later that evening she was dressed in wings and a halo to play an angel in the church pageant, but was still inconsolable, making the family run later. Maurice watches her throw a tantrum expecting that at any moment she would be shouted at or hit by someone. He thought, “She better quiet down before she gets a whipping.” He sees her father, Bruce, approach and just knows she’s going to have a whipping. Instead, Bruce sits next to her, picks her up, puts his arms around her and strokes her hair. Instead of punishing her, he was loving her. Maurice could not believe what he had just seen. He vows to be a father like that someday.

African American History Korean War

Movie Review: Devotion

By C. W. Johnson, Jr. on Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Go see Devotion in theaters! You will consider it time well spent and will not regret the $7-$15 price of a ticket. I do not usually do movie reviews, but since I have written a blogpost about Adam Makos’ book, I have decided to give my thoughts on J. D. Dillard’s adaption. Who knows, I …

African American History Hurricane Katrina Louisiana

That Should Be A Movie: Last Bus Out

By C. W. Johnson, Jr. on Thursday, August 25, 2022

It is called Last Bus Out
It is a Rescue Drama.
In the vein of The Blindside.
It is like Hotel Rwanda meets The Pursuit of Happyiness.
It follows determined basketball player Courtney Miles
And streetwise drug dealer Jabbar Gibson
As they seek to help their friends and family escape the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina.
Problems arise when police block the highways.
Together they will trust in God and refuse to be stopped as they rescue over 300 people.
The idea came to me when I read Last Bus Out by Beck McDowell and thought it would make a great movie portraying the victims of Hurricane Katrina positively .
My unique approach would be showing the people of the New Orleans as their own saviors instead of helpless victims just standing around as portrayed by the media.
A set piece would be when Courtney is driving down an empty stretch of Highway 90, heading northwest away from New Orleans. Suddenly a Crown Vic, the car of a police officer, appears. Courtney slows down. He has no driver’s license, so if the police pull him over, he will be charged with a crime. There will go his clean record, along with his academic and sports future. The police officer looks up, does a double take, glances over his shoulder at the empty highway. Then he looks up at the jampacked bus and scans the faces of the passengers looking out of the windows at him. Then he makes eye contact with Courtney. He smiles, nods his head, and lets the bus continue.
Target audiences would be teenagers, educators, basketball fans, faith-based audiences and the people of the Gulf Coast region.
People would want to see the movie due to its universal themes of faith, determination, community, personal responsibility and making the right choice.

African American History Louisiana Saints

That Should Be A Movie: Patron Saints

By C. W. Johnson, Jr. on Sunday, August 14, 2022

It is called Patron Saints
It is a Sports Drama
In the vein of The Blindside.
It is basically American Underdog meets Invictus.
It follows a determined football franchise with an abysmal track record called the New Orleans Saints
And their downtrodden storm victimized fans The Who Dats
As they rebuild the team and the Golf Coast area after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
Problems arise when the team loses games and the longsuffering Who Dats began to wonder if the franchise has really improved.
Now they must feed off each other’s determination and faith as they show the world that the Gulf Coast is coming back.
This idea came to me when The Saints won XLIV 44.
My unique approach is the symbiotic relationship of a city and a football franchise as they recover from disaster and build a team of champions.
A set piece would be when the team is playing one of their first games. A dejected fan sits in his FEMA trailer looking at his damaged house that contractors have still not shown up to clean out. The team scores two field goals and a touchdown in the first quarter. The fan sits up. Then the team scores two more touchdowns in the second quarter. The fan stands up and starts pacing back and forth in his trailer. In the third quarter the team scores two field goals. The game is close. The fan leaves the radio blaring as he runs into his house and begins cleaning it out. By the time the team has won, 34-27, the fan has completely cleaned out his house.
Target audience would be football and sports fans, men and women 30-65 years, the faith-based market, and residents of the Gulf Coast region.
People would turn out to watch the film in theaters because of the universal themes of recovery, healing, and overcoming adversity and the indomitability of the human spirit.

African American History War on Terror

That Should Be A Movie: Into The Fire by Dakota Meyer

By C. W. Johnson, Jr. on Monday, May 30, 2022

Short Pitch
It’s called Into The Fire.
It is in the vein of Lone Survivor.
It is like Eye In The Sky meets 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.
It follows a young grunt eager to see combat named Corporal Dakota Meyer.
And professional veteran advisor Captain William Swenson.
As they battle to win hearts and minds and save their comrades as they battle the Taliban in the mountains of Afghanistan.
Problems arise when local villages began taking sides with the Taliban and high command refuse to give Meyer and Swenson the reinforcements and artillery support needed when they are trapped in a valley of crossfire.
Together they will defy their commanders and drive the Taliban from the valley.

African American History Hurricane Katrina Louisiana Saints

That Should Be A Movie: From Bags to Riches, Part 2

By C. W. Johnson, Jr. on Sunday, February 13, 2022

There is so much potential for a movie about the Saints’ Super Bowl Victory. It is a Cinderella story of underdogs. It is the comeback story of a great American city. It is a story of healing. It is a triumphant story of overcoming divisions. It is a story of the power of faith, belief, hope and community. Universal themes that transcend cultural and national barriers.

African American History Hurricane Katrina Louisiana Saints

That Should Be A Movie: Home Team by Sean Payton

By C. W. Johnson, Jr. on Saturday, January 29, 2022

The story of the Saints and Super Bowl 44 has many great elements that would make a great movie. It is combination of underdog, comeback, and Cinderella stories. It is a story of hope and inspiration, of rebuilding and rebirth in the face of devastation, themes that resonate with people across the world and time. It is a story of racial and economic healing as people unite in their common goal to overcome adversity The language of film offers many apropos montages of New Orleanians and the Golf Coast Who Dats cleaning up and rebuilding intercut with the Saints training to become a better team and winning victories on the field.

African American History American Revolution

That Should Be A Movie: The First Rhode Island And The American Revolution

By C. W. Johnson, Jr. on Monday, May 24, 2021

The official register of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment would list two hundred and twenty–five men, one hundred forty listed as “negro, mulatto, or mustee.” Many of the Native Americans who enlisted were from the Narragansett Nation.