Some thoughts on HBO's "Project Greenlight" (1 Viewer)

[Jon_B]

Brandon, thanks for clearing that up. I can understand why they wouldn't want that.
Jon

 

[David Oliver]

If you go to the Project Greenlight website you cna read the script to Stolen Summer as well as all the others. I haven't had the chance yet, however.

 

[Derek Miner]

David,
Thanks for checking up on that. I immediately went over to the Project Greenlight site and downloaded the Stolen Summer script. I'd be interested in others' thoughts on the screenplay, since we now know it's still up for download.
The script was pretty good. I was impressed with the writing of the two main boys and I thought Pete did a decent job intertwining the circumstances of the two families of the story.
Going back to everyone's criticism of Pete and his holding out for Chicago and 1976... The screenplay unfortunately gives me little reason to feel these elements are deal-breakers. Pete said in the show how these things were familiar to him, kind of like a security blanket. Obviously this screenplay came from a personal place and has resonance in his own childhood, hence the period nature. I was surprised to find that the only period references in the script had to do with baseball. Nothing on the bicentenial, even, which I thought would have been there since it was 1976.
I have to fall on the side of those of you who think Pete is being unreasonable. And this comes from my belief that creatively overcoming limitations - be they budget, time, or whatever - can make your work stronger. It's a recurring theme from the making of many of the films I love and absorb through DVD supplements. I will say that trying to set the lake scene in a swimming pool to save money is ridiculous, however.
I am curious how things will go once we see production start up on the show, as I wouldn't want to be in Pete's shoes directing this many kids in a first ultra-low-budget film. I wonder if he's going to be using his own baby as the one in the film?
Oh, and in case anyone was interested, the HTF upcoming movie release list (http://www.hometheaterforum.com/movies/releasedates.htm) has Stolen Summer down for a NY/LA release on March 1st but nothing beyond that.

 

[David Oliver]

I finally got around to reading it, and I agree it is a pretty good script, but I think there is a major problem (for me at least) that I will address below. I think the review committe was spot on when they said this movie was a fine line between being really good and being movie of the week material.

I agree that Chicago is not at all a neessity, not a fight they needed. I do think 1976 is important,not so much for the imagery, but the father's attitude toward his son's desire to go to college. Speaking of that, I thought that was resolved a bit too cleanly, I think there needs to be a strong scene between the father and Peter about the scholarship. It seems to me that it just goes too quickly from the mother berating the father to "Hey, let's go get that scholarship".

However, the weakest part of the script is the development (or lack thereof) of the main character Danny. Danny is a bit vaccuous, he loses a friend, but does he really gain anything over the course of the movie? Is he just a vessel to teach others? It left me a bit cold because Danny simply isn't that interesting, he is the same throughout the movie. His struggles are minor. The religious issues he never seems truly interested in and by the end he hasn't learned anything about them. Maybe it's just the way it reads to me, and hopefully it plays better on the screen.

 

[Derek Miner]

David,

When you say the main character of Danny, do you mean Pete?

I see your point about the development of the father. On the page, there are some interesting possibilities for development. When we first see him outside the firehouse at the open, the writing indicates he is a bit burned out on the large family and probably less involved with his kids. I think over the course of the story, the family becomes closer, but it needs a bit more development.

The only thing that nagged at me as I read was how things got off to a start very, very quickly with Pete at the synagogue where I thought the Rabbi should have talked with the boy a bit more. Those scenes are almost a cheat, because Pete obviously has preconceived notions about Jews but he doesn't address them with the Rabbi. They just go unspoken because they would get in the way of where the story is going.

Of course, this is the draft of the screenplay that won the contest. I would certainly hope that two or three drafts elapsed to get to a "shooting script." I guess the finished film will be the next stage I'll get to see, but it would be nice to see the shooting script.

 

[Ike]

Really, I thought Pete, aside from his constant, "I'm going to cry..." lines, is a pretty funny guy. I guess I'm in the minority.

I just caught last night's episode, so I can't wait for next weeks! (And man, I didn't see the promo! You guys sort of spoiled it after I managed to miss it. Oh well...)

 

[David Oliver]

Derek,

Yeah, I got all my names confused. When I said Pete I meant the older brother who wants to go to college and when I said Dany I meant Pete.

 

[Derek Miner]

Okay, guys, next week is the first day of shooting, and boy, does Pete look like he's got a handful...
I'm sure those of you who don't like the guy too much will want to see this.
I can't wait - it looks like a completely engrossing half-hour next week (not that this week's episode was bad).

 

[Jon_B]

It looks like there are too many people trying to make the final decisions. Pete does indeed look over his head. It's scary to think about what Pete is working with: a first time director of photography, a first time actor playing the lead role, and himself being a first time writer/director. At least he has a few good actors to work with. I am somewhat suprised he didn't try to get some young twin brothers to play the part of the boys in the movie. Using twins in movies seems to be the norm for kids of that age.

Jon

 

[MickeS]

"Stolen Summer" will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Jan 12th. Read more at http://www.sundance.org
Here's what the text there says about the film:

Stolen Summer is one of those remarkable films that manage to move and delight, all the while challenging us to ask the big questions. Writer/director Pete Jones beautifully explores difficult issues--family, loss, tolerance, faith--through the prism of two families, one Jewish, one Catholic, during a turbulent summer in a Chicago suburb in the mid-'70s.
Eight-year-old Pete O'Malley is on a quest. After a tumultuous year in the second grade, he vows to take the advice of his beleaguered teacher, Sister Leonora Mary, and spend the summer making amends to God. After earnest reflection, Pete decides that the best way to improve his spiritual standing is to successfully convert a Jewish person to Catholicism. He sets up shop outside the local synagogue and becomes friends with Rabbi Jacobsen and his small son Danny.
Initially disapproving of his son's new friendships, Pete's father eventually comes to know the Jacobsen family as well. The two fathers, one struggling with his children growing up in ways he hasn't expected, and the other coming to terms with his child's mortality, begin a delicate, tentative friendship that teaches both the true meaning of understanding.
Jones's script, full of humor and poignancy, is matched by powerful, nuanced performances from a stellar cast, including Aidan Quinn, Kevin Pollak, Brian Dennehy, and Bonnie Hunt. Stolen Summer shows us that the innocence and fearlessness of childhood make religious differences an opportunity for compassion and growth, not an insurmountable barrier to meaningful connections.
-Elizabeth Richardson

This is a great show, by the way, I only caught up with it last night on tape, will watch the 4th episode tomorrow.
I actually like Pete Jones, and i think he's handling things pretty well. He stands up for his ideas, and I don't think he's obnoxious. Ben Affleck is pretty funny, but then again he seems drunk most of the time. I loved the phone call to Harvey and subsequent conversation with Jon. Affleck's description of Chris Moore's memos was hilarious too.
/Mike

 

[MickeS]

This is what it says on the Sundance website in Pete Jones' bio:

Pete Jones

DIRECTOR BIO

A native of Chicago, Pete Jones attended the University of Missouri, where he majored in broadcast journalism with a minor in theatre arts. Jones followed his father into the insurance business, but his real dream was writing. With his wife, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he spent his days working as a production assistant and his nights writing screenplays. Stolen Summer is his sixth screenplay and was largely inspired by his childhood.

They don't mention Project Greenlight, and they say he's worked as a production assistant. Is this correct? It hasn't been mentioned on the show so far, and he seems completely green at this.

/Mike

 

[Phil O]

Oh man....I just saw the Project: Greenlight first day of shooting.
That was pretty bad how the day went down. It was kind of embarrassing to watch. I kept finding myself cringing and wanting to change the channel. Pete got way in over his head. He stubbornly scouted a seemingly great location but didn't account for the loud noise the train made going over head. He wouldn't listen to his people when they told him this was a bad location. They didn't send a sound guy to scout the location where he would have spotted the problem with the location. You can't here anyone...it's hard to concentrate and shoot a scene...especially one with dialogue. I didn't think they were going to make it and keep to schedule but I guess they got their shots for the day. Some of the kids' dialogue didn't seem to go well for an intense scene in the movie. Can you say reshoot? I don't think Pete handled the pressure all to well but it was a tough situation to be in. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of all that decision-making that makes or breaks the set. So, they wrapped the day of what appear to be subpar shots and huddle around with the producer, etc. discussing how the location was a big problem that wasn't forcefully addressed(or else they would have probably found another location). Oh...but perhaps horrific and funniest of all were previews to next week when everyone is going crazy, people are seen yelling at other people, several people are losing their cool, and heads are rolling. At least, it looked like that.
But, damn...I'm rooting for everyone. That is one pretty nutty set. I hope it finishes with some level of professionalism but most of them are rookies so their learning. Go Team!!! I can't wait to see the final product . Great show, though. I've never cringed, smirked, paced, talked out loud, grabbed the remote, jumped to another channel and back, mute, and crazed over a show like this ever before. I'm an emotional wreck when watching this show. Wow....what a rush. Wooooo.........
Phil

 

[Jon_B]

What a terrible first day of shooting. He barely made it through it. I question how good the movie is going to be with the way the frist day went. The acting looked terrible. I hope the rest of the filming gets better. :frowning:
Jon

 

[Jason Merrick]

I'm encouraged by the review that was posted earlier in the thread. I know what you're talking about with the acting Jon, but editing goes a long way to make acting seem better... have you ever watched the unedited extra footage sometimes included on DVDs? The straight video/film footage of even major actors doesn't always look so hot. I bet that same scene in Stolen Summer will look fine when viewed in the final product.

 

[David Oliver]

I think one prob;lem we are seeing is that Pete's supporing cast is not giving him the support he needs as a novice director. They are probably so used to deferring to the director when it comes down to brass tacks that they are not really confronting him with problems and issues that he is not that fully cognizant of.

 

[MickeS]

Well, day 2 was a disaster, but they got their footage!

It was interesting to see how people behaved with Chris Moore around... they were obviously not comfortable with the "big boss" looking over their shoulder. I agree he had some points, but some things they just couldn't help, like the caterer not showing up. What kind of backup are they supposed to have for that, 2 caterers?

It was a relief to see they got all the footage they needed though, and even some more, I started to feel bad for them... had they been delayed I'm pretty sure Moore would have thrown a complete fit.

GREAT show! I wonder if it'll be included as an extra on the DVD.

/Mike

 

[Jon_B]

This episode was very uncomfortable to watch. The crew kept making bad decision after bad decision. I think the problem may be that the crew has become too close to Pete Jones. They see him as a friend and they are not taking this film as serious as they probably should be.

Jon

 

[MickeS]

There was one thaing that absolutely amazed me: nobody had thought about the fact that there would be modern cars on the streets? Or if they had thought about it, which they must have, nobody had done anything about it?

/Mike

 

[Al Rebchook]

It’s really fascinating watching this movie come along.

I went to the website and read the script synopsis. I must say, this is the dumbest idea for a movie I’ve ever heard. A Catholic boy decides to convert a Jew to Christianity. That won’t offend anyone, right? Then a series of bizarre coincidences. Finally we conclude that religion doesn’t matter as long as we are good.

Yuck.

 

[Shawn C]

I'm only basing this on what I saw last night (day 2 of shooting).

That Chris Moore guy, executive producer, from what I have seen, is a complete and total a-hole. Rather than coming up with solutions to their problems he seems content to come down on everyone around him. He likes to point out mistakes and problems but doesn't offer anything constructive to fix the problems.

Bitching about lunch not being there, but not offering any sort of solution other than "There should have been a backup"?? He was there when they realized lunch wouldn't be there on time but did nothing but bitch about it.

Also, at the end of the day, you see him riding around on a kids bicycle and shooting hoops while shots are being setup. What kind of example does that set for the rest of the crew especially when you are bitching about time being wasted?

Just because you can yell at people and point out their mistakes doesn't make you a good leader. Their problems are at the top and it shows.

Apprently, he apologized for his actions on the Project Greenlight website.