The Valley Wire 9-9-2011

Hollywood and the Flashback Movie Night
By Mary Beth Gentle

The blockbusters have left the theatres. The Premiere of the new TV Season is still weeks away. And the late night summer barbeque's are being packed away as we ready for the fall. Which can mean only one thing; it’s time for a Flashback Movie Night! Dust off the stack of DVD classics hidden on the back shelf or visit your local rental store and pick out a long forgotten title. There are so many movies to choose from. There are comedies, dramas and action adventures that promise hours of enjoyment to you, your family and your friends.

For my Flashback Movie Night, so many titles filled my head. Should I go with a classic screwball comedy from the thirties? It’s been years since I sat down and watched Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in It Happened one Night or Cary Grant and Irene Dunne in The Awful Truth. Maybe my flashback movie night required a trip down the memory lane of my childhood with the classic Walt Disney animation of Cinderella or the light hearted Walt Disney adventure of The Swiss Family Robinson. Or maybe my movie night required one of the movies that helped define the modern day blockbuster, Star Wars or Raiders of the Lost Ark. And then it came to me, a movie that I had not watched in years, a movie that had me on the edge of my seat, a movie that the whole family could enjoy, Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial is one of those movies that has it all; heart, adventure, humor and at its core is the bond of friendship. It is a movie that reminds of us that anything, including friendship with a wayward alien, is possible. The young hero of the movie, Elliot, perfectly embodies the innocence of childhood. We see the world through his eyes as he sits up all night with a flashlight in hand hoping to lure the mysterious creature out. It is a story of Aliens in the suburbs, of family and friendship and of the amazing power of love. As Elliot and the alien bond, Elliot knows that no matter the cost, he must save his new friend and help him find his way home. Elliot enlists the help of his siblings and friends to outwit the government powers and rescue E.T.



With its 10.5 million dollar budget, Studios today should take a lesson in how to make a movie that will make audiences everywhere line up again and again. In today’s movie making world, Studios are lucky to keep budgets under 100 million dollars and few have the heart and charm of Steven Spielberg’s classic tale. So if you are one of the few that haven’t seen E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial or like me you haven’t watched it in years, I recommend you add it to your Flashback Movie Night list and settle in for a heart warming tale filled with wonder, tears, humor and adventure. Enjoy!

The Valley Wire 4-1-2011

Hollywood Finds Inspiration
By Mary Beth Gentle

Inspiration. It doesn’t matter if you are the Director, the Writer, the Producer or even the lowly Cube Dweller; inspiration is a hard thing to come by in Hollywood. By definition, inspiration is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. I used to feel that way on a daily basis. Just walking on the Studio lot would fill me with the inspiration I needed to continue down the path I had chosen, to see my stories play out on the big screen.

I had already jumped so many hurdles and completed so many tasks to even get a job on a Studio lot. The inspiration I found there should have lasted forever. Then something I had not expected happened; I began to take it all for granted and I lost my inspiration. This past weekend I was reminded of the creative forces and creative community that I am a part of when I attended an event at the Directors Guild of America honoring Francis Ford Coppola. The event was titled, “The Impact of Francis Ford Coppola on the Next Generation” and he was interviewed by directors David O. Russell (Three Kings, The Fighter), Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Twilight) and Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Punch Drunk Love). Each one of those directors has achieved success in their own rights, but they sat there much like those of us in the audience in awe of one of the men that has paved the way for them to follow.

Francis Ford Coppola is one of the most innovative Filmmakers of our time. He is best known for directing the Godfather Series and Apocalypse Now. His films have earned multiple nominations, and he has won Academy Awards for his screenplays on Patton, The Godfather and The Godfather Part II and for his directing on The Godfather Part II. He founded his production company American Zoetrope which is where he helped launch talents such as George Lucas and where he continues to produce his own independent films.



The event at the DGA was filled with film clips of Mr. Coppola’s work. He shared stories on the making of his iconic films, and he reminded everyone in the room that filmmaking is a big gamble at best, but if you don’t play, you won’t win. He talked of days where movies were made without charts tracking potential ticket sales. He talked about the importance of the art form to him and his own need to explore its possibilities. And he talked about taking that gamble, no matter the cost, to achieve our own creative goals.

From now on when I walk across the studio lot I know I will again feel that old surge of inspiration to be a part of the movie making process and to one day take that risk to achieve my own creative goals.

Pololu Valley Lookout - Hawaii


"In the morning there was a big wind blowing and the waves were running high up on the beach and he was awake a long time before he remembered that his heart was broken." - Ernest Hemingway

The Valley Wire 2-10-2011

Hollywood and the Golden Statue
By Mary Elizabeth Gentle

Hollywood’s quest for gold has begun and there are ten films in contention for the top honors at the Academy Awards. Everyone in town from the top studio brass to the star talent to the lowly cube dwellers are trying their best to predict the outcome and root their favorites on. The titles this year are; The King’s Speech, Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids are All Right, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit and Winter’s Bone.


The British monarchy saga, The King’s Speech, is the front-runner for the best picture award with twelve nominations total. The story centers around Prince Albert (played by Colin Firth) who went onto become King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. Plagued by a stammer and considered unfit to become King, he engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue (played by Geoffrey Rush) to help him overcome his stammer for a radio address at the start of World War II. The story centers on the friendship formed between the two men. The film has surpassed expectations at the box office and has already won top awards from the Producer’s Guild, the Director’s Guild and the Screen Actor’s Guild, including a Golden Globe for Colin Firth.


The next film at the top of many “Oscar Prediction” lists for best picture would be The Social Network, nominated for a total of eight Academy Awards. The film tells the story of the creation of the world’s largest social networking site by Harvard undergrad Mark Zuckerberg. The story follows the young genius and his friends as they turn a programming phenomenon into a billion dollar success story. It has already been a big winner of many Critics Awards, Film Festivals and it has won David Fincher the best director award at the Golden Globes.



And of course, there is my personal favorite, Toy Story 3. That is not to say I think it stands a chance against top contenders The King’s Speech or The Social Network, but I think that it deserves a mention and a few hopeful wishes. The heartwarming family film tells the continuing story of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and our favorite gang of toys. Little Andy is all grown up and heading off to college and through a bit of a mix up the toys are shipped off to a Daycare Center. Woody and the Gang have to face off with sticky-fingered tiny tots and a gang of toys with an evil teddy bear leader. In the end the Toys have to say good-bye to Andy. It has already won a handful of Best Animated Film Awards.

But, no matter which title is your favorite, the Oscar show promises to deliver another chapter of Hollywood movie making history as it hands out another set of golden statues to the lucky winners. I plan to settle in with my ballot and see just how close I can get to winning the top honors in the office pool!

The Old Woman and the Bench

By Mary Elizabeth Gentle

The air was crisp with the chill of the early October morning. An old woman sat on a weathered bench in a small neighborhood park. The worn wooden planks of the bench had not invited her in with their comforting familiarity as they once had. The bench felt harder than it had the other times she had sat there. The bench knew something had changed. The old woman shifted slightly to lean her weight against the back of the bench, hoping it would again cradle her, as it had not so long ago. But, all she felt was the hard cold wood chilling through her woolen winter coat.

The old woman looked down to the rumpled brown paper lunch bag that sat on her lap. The bag was worn and had been used many times over. She moved the bag from her lap and sat it on the bench next to her. The bag was lighter than it once was, but still she felt the bench sag from its weight. It was the same heaviness that her heart had been carrying for weeks.

The old woman shifted again, she began to wonder if her trip to the bench had been a mistake. But, before her thought had been completed, the bench began to cradle the old woman, comforting her with its warmth and memories. The bench understood that there was now only one. There would no longer be two. The old woman reached into the lunch bag and pulled out her lone sandwich, she was comforted in the fact that for at least one hour a day, she could sit where they had once sat and feel what they had once felt. The bench had understood.

The Valley Wire - 1/14/2011

Hollywood’s Midseason TV Preview
By Mary Beth Gentle

The Holiday’s are over, resolutions are upon us and Hollywood has geared up a full selection of Midseason TV Shows for the New Year. The Fall Season of TV has had its successes and its failures, now its time to see what can step in and take over our DVR’s and TV’s for the coming months. There will be new family comedies, new cop shows and at least a few reality shows will make an appearance.

January brings us the return of old TV Star Favorites with Matt LeBlanc in Showtime’s, Episodes and Paula Abdul’s return to reality in Live to Dance. There is also a Comic Book adaptation, an over the top family drama, a couple of British remakes, a few family comedies and the ever-popular Cop Dramas.

Episodes is the first on the list of midseason offerings that I plan to check out. Friends Star Matt LeBlanc makes his return to the world of Series TV in the Showtime series that follows British Comedy writers as they make their big break into Hollywood with the remake of their popular TV series. Matt LeBlanc plays a less than appealing version of himself as the Actor set to star in the remake of their British hit series. Next up is the NBC Comic Book series, The Cape. Series centers on a framed cop who disguises himself as a comic-book hero to fight the villains that framed him. And finally, I can’t help but tune in to the Medical drama, Off the Map; it has been described as Lost meets Grey’s Anatomy. It is the tale of damaged Doctors staffing a South American clinic – I am sure there will be lots of medical and human drama to go around.



February thru April brings fewer entries, but also some high profile talent venturing into the TV World. Biggest hopeful on this list is the return of another Friends star to the small screen, Matthew Perry takes a turn in the February premiere of Mr. Sunshine. He plays the part of a sports arena manager in San Diego who goes through a mid life crisis when he turns forty. He will sort through his life as he tackles the unusual demands of his job and his boss. March brings the premiere of medical/cop show, Body of Proof starting Dana Delany as a Medical examiner with a unique approach to solving crimes. And April offers up the Christian Slater comedy, Breaking In, about a team of security consultants that take extreme and often questionable measures to sell their protection services.

So no matter which new shows you decide to check out, get your DVR’s ready and settle in with a bowl of popcorn – midseason TV shows are here! Enjoy!

Examiner Article - 11/19/2010

Hollywood and the Wizards
By Mary Beth Gentle

The tale of a small, orphaned boy who lived under the stairs on Privet Drive to his entry into the wizarding world of Hogwarts has captured hearts around the world. From the imagination of author JK Rowling was born a Hollywood mega franchise, the “Harry Potter” series. We have watched Harry and his friends at Hogwarts grow up in a world filled with magic and wonder, a world threatened by a dark lord and a world where a young boy can become a hero.

The first film in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was a little bit fantasy, a little bit coming of age and a little bit mystery. It offered a bright and friendly look in to the new world that Harry Potter was discovering and only glimpsing slightly at the darkness that was buried underneath. As Harry Potter grew so did the world around him and so did the intensity of each movie that came out. Without a doubt, the Harry Potter movies have successfully created a visual and captivating glimpse into the magical book series.



On Friday November 19th, the seventh movie in the Harry Potter series hits the big screen and is sure to deliver edge of your seat excitement. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is the first of two movies to bring JK Rowling’s final book to life. In this first installment Harry, Ron and Hermione decide to finish Dumbledor’s work and find the rest of the Horcruxes to defeat the dark lord. The three young wizards will face their hardest challenges yet when they go up against the evil forces surrounding them.

The Hollywood Cubicles have jumped on the bandwagon and caught Harry Potter fever. The books are being reread and the movies are being re-watched as we speak. What started as a fun movie franchise has turned into a bit of an obsession. And I have to admit that I am part of it. I have read the entire series at least twice, I have listened to the books on tape and I have watched the first six movies countless times. I even purchased my ticket three weeks ago in anticipation of opening night insanity.

Even though I know the story and I know how it turns out, I can’t help but feel like a kid on Christmas Eve, the anticipation is almost too much to bear. I can’t wait for Harry Potter and his friends to take me along on their journey through the magical world of wizarding and potions. I will be sitting in the center of the theatre with my bucket of popcorn enjoying every minute!


Continue reading on Examiner.com: Hollywood and the Wizards - Los Angeles Film Industry | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/film-industry-in-los-angeles/hollywood-and-the-wizards#ixzz1BVlMb0PT