Rich Monetti
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I am, I write.
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Jodorowsky’s Dune: What Might Have Been
Frank Herbert’s Dune is largely considered the Holy Grail of science fiction novels. Serving as a cross section study of politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion, it has not lost its relevancy. The scramble for the rights would culminate with David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation, but the cup he gave us left Hebert’s vision empty and almost ended the director’s career. However, an earlier production approached the futuristic envisioning on as grand a scale as the galactic stage the story covers.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Futurism
Nocturnal Animals with Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal Will Definitely Keep You Awake
Nocturnal Animals, written and directed by Tom Ford, begins with a rather large, fat naked woman dancing the stripper pole as part of an upscale LA art exhibit. Unsettlingly paradoxical, the metaphor does reveal itself as the drama eventually unfolds. In other words, there’s much to wince at in waiting for this 2016 tale of love lost and revenge to play out.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
For New York City Actor Yaron Urbas, Late is Never Bad and Ignorance is a Strength
As good as a set up alongside the punchlines on The Jim Gaffigan Show is, Yaron Urbas has run in tangent with quite a number of roles in indie feature films and television. These include parts with Paul Sorvino, Navid Negahban (Homeland) and Michael Angarano (The Knick) as well as roles in The Blacklist and Orange is the New Black. A down to earth guy with a strong background in almost everything, Urbas got his first glimmer when he landed a part in the History Channel Mini-Series, The Men who Built America. But the "big break" stood in jeopardy after an on-set mix-up meant Urbas wasn't sent a two-page speech the night before and was given only ten minutes to memorize it before shooting. With an entire production on hold, not only did the Israeli born actor refuse to fold, he actually felt relatively secure with everything on the line.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
New Documentary Explores the 1967 Newark Riots and Racism in America
In 1967, the arrest and beating of an African-American taxi driver by a white cop sparked a riot that killed 26 people, caused millions in damage and led to a mass exodus from the beleaguered city of Newark. These racism in America impacts were easy enough to identify. But when documentary filmmaker Kevin McLaughlin begins Riot by stating that, "The week changed the world forever for everyone who lived there," he's also referring to subtleties that weren't so easy to spot - yet had far-reaching consequences.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
No Matter the Facts of Real Life Escape From Alcatraz - Clint Eastwood Does Just That In 1979 Film
Long before Tim Robbins (as Andy Dufresne) endured the injustice and indignity of Shawshank Prison and turned the tides on his duplicitous, righteous jailers, Clint Eastwood engineered his own real life Escape from Alcatraz in the 1979 prison break film.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
Anatomy of a Murder Exhibits Stark Change in America’s Sociological Perspective
Anatomy of a Murder says a lot about how much things have changed in America since it was made in 1959 and makes for a very interesting study in the vast difference in sociological perspective. At the same time, the reluctant charm of Jimmy Stewart holds up as well as ever and still finds no actor today who can carry a movie by simply asserting uncertainty.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
What Just Happened Amuses Without the Typical Hollywood Movie Excess
The front cover of the DVD case for What Just Happened declares, “laugh out loud funny.” Sorry, the 2009 Barry Levinson film starring Robert De Niro as a big wheel Hollywood movie producer does not live up and appears to have no inclination to even try. But don’t move on, that’s because the Art Linson penned comedy refuses to settle and lets the punchlines play out as if the double-take doesn’t just apply to the titular character’s downfall.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
Long Island Lawyer Recreates Williamsburg Neighborhood in the Brooklyn Banker
Five years ago, Michael Ricigliano had an idea for a mob movie script, and decided he never wanted to lament what might have been. Taking care of his part from his basement as a Long Island lawyer, the old adage of who you know got him to the next step. “I think he read my script more as a courtesy to our mutual friend,” said Ricigliano of Federico Castelluccio, who played Furio on the Sopranos cast. Of course, being able to write what he knew proved the most important factor in forever keeping any regrets at bay.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
Dani Felt Consultants Keeps Their Clients Connected
As a musician, enlisting a music consultant to amplify your career can feel like beginning a relationship that proceeds from parallel universes and distances the artist’s passion from the pragmatics of achieving success. But Dani Felt believes her unique place as both a consultant and a musician helps bridge the gap.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Beat
My Favorite Year Celebrates Real Breaking Bad Behavior but How Can We Resist?
The classic 80s movie is based on Mel Brooks’ recollection of Errol Flynn’s appearance on Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows in the early 1950s. As a young writer, Brooks was tasked with reigning in the fallen star so he’d be kept sober long enough to learn his lines and deliver the live rendition. Of course, it can be asked, how much did O’Toole really have to act to bring drunken debonair to life? Either way, the problematics both legends exhibited were often no laughing matter, and can’t help but weigh on our consciences as we enjoy.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Geeks
George Clooney Brings Us and Science Fiction Down to Earth in 'Gravity'
The relatively factual science fiction movie Gravity opens by setting us at ease in the care of Hollywood’s most reassuring leading man. Light on his feet as ever in the 2013 film written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, George Clooney nonchalantly traverses the perils of space like everything else he does in the movies and life. A drama set precariously above Earth in our always suspect space shuttle progam, is there anything new in knowing that Clooney will have it covered in the end? Disappearing 36 minutes into the film, the common place clearly doesn’t apply – that is unless it does.
By Rich Monetti9 years ago in Futurism
