After cramming in so many live screenings at theaters in the run up to the SAG Awards, it’s refreshing to curl up on the couch and tackle my Netflix queue. In keeping with the FBC Films target genres, I watched a creature feature, horror film and a thriller recently.

Blackfish is absolutely a creature feature, though it’s a documentary on a serious issue – the treatment of killer whales at water shows, particularly Seaworld. Details of how killer whales are captured and treated are heartbreaking. Footage of the attacks on trainers and details from eyewitness, medical reports and victims’ family and friends capture the tragedy and horror, without being too graphic or sensationalist. Being a fan of the creature feature, I was anxious to see Blackfish given the buzz. I was not disappointed and totally sucked in, though it’s definitely heavy on the side of blaming Seaworld. Seaworld responds on its own site and has an interesting rebuttal from one of the trainers featured in Blackfish who feels he was quoted incorrectly.

Devil is a tight 90-minute horror film about 5 people stranded on an elevator, one of whom is the devil. The story is by M. Night Shyamalan, but I had’nt heard of this 2010 film till it popped up on my Netflix – oh well. I was glad I watched it. I am an easy audience and love satanic horror movies in general. It was fun watching how Chris Messina is a dead ringer for Dylan McDermott and thinking about who else could have played what part if the movie had a bigger budget – I’m thinking Ving Rhames, Estelle Harris, Rachel McAdams, Jeremy Renner, and Michael Nouri would be my 5 in the elevator.

Side Effects is another movie with a name (lots of names, in fact, including Steve Soderbergh, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum, and Rooney Mara) where I hadn’t heard of it except via Netflix. Maybe I’m just inundated with other news, but what does a film have to do to get some marketing behind it? Maybe that’s why it just barely covered its production budget. This is a fun movie. I was expecting a morality play on society’s overreliance on pharmaceuticals and instead got an extended episode of Law & Order (in a good way, as I like Law & Order).

In short, a hearty Yes to all 3, in terms of fun factor. If you want more than just a popcorn flick, watch Blackfish (without kids in the room).

I was lucky enough to get a free ticket to an advance screening of the documentary, If You Build It (thanks NY WIFT!). If You Build It is directed by Patrick Creadon and tells the story of Studio H, an alternative education program launched by two designers, Emily Pilloton and Matthew Miller, in a woefully under-resourced area of North Carolina. As a business person and a creative, I was swept up in the elegant brilliance of the idea: high school students design and build a structure that is actually erected in the community. The back stories of the students are engaging, without being syrupy. The frustrating bureaucracy is palpable, but the film doesn’t stay there too long. This is an enjoyable film that is also important and inspiring.

It’s not the typical science fiction or horror fare covered at FBC Films, BUT it still fits:

• Diversity in film is not just about race (though Pilloton is half-Asian) but also diversity of thought, ideas, and socio-economic status which If You Build It has in spades;
• This isn’t a horror film but the treatment of these brilliant educators is horrible, horrifying and horror-inducing;
• This isn’t science fiction but there’s a good dollop of science in the lessons they learn around building sound structures.

If You Build It finished its limited run in NYC and is now heading for LA. Please support this excellent movie. Facebook link is https://www.facebook.com/IfYouBuildItFilm and Studio H, which had to leave NC for lack of funding and is now in Berkeley, takes donations: http://www.projecthdesign.org/donate/

Renita Kalhorn – dead ringer for Dr. Walker in Helix

Is anyone watching Helix? I was definitely intrigued by the trailers, which seemed to suggest zombies in outer space. I am impressed enough by the pilot that I’ll watch this week. It’s nice to see Billy Campbell in a star turn again. I had to look up Jordan Hayes, who plays 26-year old genius Dr. Sarah Jordan, because I spent the whole episode wondering if she was related to Anna Kendrick. Turns out, Hayes has appeared in a bunch of sci fi/ horror I’ve recently seen on Netflix (House at the End of the Street, Exit Humanity) and yet I struggle to place her in any of those movies. That’s not a dig — I like her acting — but I guess she just has one of those faces where she can play anyone (especially Anna Kendrick’s sister). In another freakish resemblance, the other female lead, Kyra Zagorsky, looks and sounds like a good friend of mine, mental toughness coach Renita Kalhorn. Kalhorn (pictured right) would actually be good for the Helix team, as she is a black belt and coaches Navy SEAL candidates. Maybe she would have had better luck fending off Peter in that shower scene.

I watched The Europa Report and Apollo 18 on Netflix at the peak of the SAG Awards screening season. I had been watching tentpole movies at the various screenings (my favorites are Rush, Philomena, Saving Mr. Banks, and Her). I needed some fun action movies. I was very pleasantly surprised. The Europa Report is not the most original or the most thrilling movie, but it’s solidly acted and a terrific weekend popcorn selection. I especially loved how you had diversity in race and gender without any pandering – the Asian captain had no stereotypical accent, and the co-ed cast worked together without flirting!

Apollo 18 really surprised me in how much I enjoyed it. It’s a tight 90 minutes, which just goes to show you don’t have to be long-winded (I’m looking at you Wolf of Wall Street and Invisible Woman). Maybe I’m just personally biased, as Apollo 18 hit on my creature feature obsession – those aren’t just moon rocks! I so wish they could have had a little more budget (pull just 1% out of Oblivion or Gravity) to shoot the crater scene with some real light. The documentary, Blair Witch style of filming is way overdone.

Of course, I watched the Golden Globes. It just reminded me how little TV I watch. I couldn’t comment on any of the TV categories. On the film front, there is lots of good acting this year, so hard to argue with any of the winners. I’m sorry that Rush didn’t pick up anything. I’m thrilled that Her got a screenplay award, especially since Scarlet Johannsen was overlooked. Nominations were far more diverse than the winner’s circle, but it’s a step.

Blue Jasmine is the sort of movie I should love. I’m a personal finance/ business news junkie, and this film tells the story of the scorned wife-turned-widow of a Bernie Madoff-like financier. Cate Blanchett puts in a great performance, and Alex Baldwin phones it home playing every other role he’s played recently, except here he’s in finance. It’s an enjoyable movie to watch actors chew up their parts, but if you actually know this sector, it will be too superficial – like a finance story told from the eyes of a 12-year old. I also couldn’t stand how Blanchett’s character, as unlikeable as she is, turns out to be a bigger bad guy over her husband, even in the eyes of her son. If you want a good story set in high finance, check out Arbitrage with Richard Gere or Rogue Trader with Ewan McGregor or Margin Call with Demi Moore or Boiler Room or even Wall Street. Just watch something else, except if you’re a Cate Blanchett fan.

Philomena made me cry, in a good way. Beautifully acted, poignant without being overly sentimental, funny in the face of a tragic story line, this movie is one of my favorites of the season. Judi Dench is so good that I’ll leave it at that, otherwise I’ll sound hyperbolic, and Steve Coogan, who also co-wrote and co-produced, holds his own and then some.

One Chance is a fun movie, a Cinderella-story for today’s reality talent show generation. As a conservatory-trained musician, I loved the fact that this wasn’t just someone who showed up for 15 minutes of fame, but actually sang his whole life and trained in opera in Italy (love the Luciano Pavarotti scene). This is a great choice for when you want a feel good, underdog wins type of movie.

12 Years A Slave is a tough movie to watch. The ensemble cast is almost perfect, though I was so distracted by Brad Pitt showing up in the middle of a period piece. I didn’t know he would have a cameo, so when his character showed up, I spent all the time thinking, “Why did they cast someone who looks like Brad Pitt?” This is not how you want an important movie like this to drive to its conclusion. I loved how subdued and restrained the performances were in roles that easily could have been overdone.

In sum: a big YES to Philomena, a nod to One Chance for entertainment and inspiration value, a nod to 12 Years A Slave for its important theme and great casting minus Brad Pitt, but a NO to Blue Jasmine.

DAN CHEN co-stars with our own Bruce Faulk in an upcoming episode of Memorable Minorities.

Best known for his work as an actor, Dan has guest-starred on television in the hit HBO series “The Sopranos;” “Third Watch” (alongside Bobby Cannavale and Kim Raver); and opposite rap and hip hop stars Fabolous and Red Café in the music video for “Tonight.” He also played the lead in the official music video for Moby’s hit song “The Right Thing” featuring Inyang Bassey; and was the Chair Umpire in the music promo (“Sean Price Plays Tennis”) for underground rapper Sean Price’s album “Mic Tyson”. Film credits include: the title role in THE FORTUNE WRITER by Eric Gross (winner, Best Dramatic Short at the LES* Film Festival); Zeyen in ZEYEN AND NAZIA (which won Best Undergraduate Film at the inaugural Greater Philadelphia Student Film Festival); and an unlikely demon in the horror/comedy feature HELLBENDERS (in 3-D) by JT Petty, which premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. Stage work includes regional theatre performances in August Strindberg’s Miss Julie; Neil LaBute’s Bench Seat (from Autobahn); and Arthur Miller’s A View From The Bridge (directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer).

As a playwright, Dan has been represented in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles with his Strangers Till Now trilogy of plays (Dick and Jane, Yes Before Goodbye, and Dear in Headlights). His play Road Test was featured as a focal piece at the Mid-America Theatre Conference in 2009 and has since been licensed to high schools, colleges, and universities around the country. A graduate of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and Brooklyn Law School, Dan is also an entertainment lawyer who has served as production counsel for feature films and as in-house counsel for NYRA, WRNN-TV, and dGenerate Films where he was Distribution Director and Counsel. He is currently the Director of Legal Education for the National Law Institute, coaches varsity tennis, and chairs the Girls Varsity Tennis Committee for the New York City Athletic Association of Independent Schools (AAIS).

You graduated from Cornell and have a law degree. How did you get involved in writing and acting? Do you have training in any of your creative pursuits, or are you self-taught?
I actually began acting at Cornell, took theatre classes there, acted in local productions (including at the Hangar Theatre), moved to NYC upon graduation to pursue acting, went to law school to have a sensible backup career and, in law school, decided to write legal-themed plays as a fun way of supplementing my study. (My recent projects BLACKACRE and THE REMAINDERMEN are remnants of that practice.) After law school, I completed a certificate program in filmmaking at The New York Film Academy (NYFA) while I was working as in-house counsel and Director of Special Projects at WRNN-TV. At NYFA, I had to write and direct and sometimes act in my own projects — and ever since my first project as a filmmaker, which was a short film called BIRD BOY, I have continued on occasion to write, direct, and act in my own projects. Later, while still at WRNN-TV, I enrolled in (and later graduated from) The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (which, at the time, had an evening conservatory program) to further my training as an actor.

You’ve acted in several music videos. How did you get selected for these projects?
I think I have to thank rap/hip-hop artist Fabolous for that. Because ever since I appeared in his video for the song TONIGHT, the floodgates opened in terms of me being featured in other music videos of the genre (including opposite Lil’ Kim in a song called JAY-Z, and, most recently, opposite R. Kelly in an upcoming new track from his album “Black Panties”). I also got to cross over genres to star in Moby’s official music video for THE RIGHT THING.

On the creative side, how do you choose your projects? How do you choose between writing and acting?
I generally look for projects with three-dimensional characters. For example, is the character flawed? Does he make a genuine connection with someone else in the play? Does he have the capacity to change? These are the sort of roles that I’m artistically drawn to. But sometimes there are just people and/or companies I want to work with. As between acting and writing, I tend to prefer acting because there you get to improvise with other people, whereas in writing, you’re improvising with yourself.

How, if at all, has being Asian-American impacted your creative career?
Well, I think there are generally fewer opportunities for Asian-Americans in this industry (at least in front of the camera). There’s simply not much written for us, and so my career strategy has to be to submit for every role I reasonably think I could play and hope that one casting director or producer in ten will think outside the box and consider casting non-traditionally. This reality has helped me make bolder choices in my auditions and not take things as personally if I’m not cast.

You’re an actor, playwright, lawyer, and high school varsity tennis coach. What does a typical day/ week look like for you? What time management tips can you share?
I build my schedule around meetings. Commitments that involve other people come first and then work that I can do on my own gets done during the midnight hours, at home, or remotely, or whenever/wherever I’m on my own. Deadlines are based on my next appointments with the people involved in that project. This keeps me accountable, organized, and motivated.

You seem to balance both business and creative. What advice do you have for readers who want to do what you’re doing?
Never pigeon-hole yourself. You have enough people out there trying to do that to you. With casting, as with any employer, there will always be those who think you have no business interviewing, auditioning, or trying out for a part, but all you need is one person to believe in you and give you a chance. And then the best thing you can do for them in return is to justify their belief in you by graciously accepting the role, doing the best you can with the opportunity, and always being professional.

What’s next for you, either business-wise or creatively? What’s the best way for people to learn more?
Next for me is really to do more leading roles in features and/or television. I keep doing shorts and student projects because that’s what my schedule allows right now, but I don’t want Broadway and Hollywood to think that that’s all I’m capable of. For more information about me, please visit my website at www.DramaLaw.com. Am also on Facebook and Twitter @DramaLaw

Nebraska is an Alexander Payne movie, starring Bruce Dern as an elderly man heading to Nebraska to cash in a winning lottery ticket that is really just one of those magazine subscription advertisements. It’s a well-acted ensemble movie, but way too indulgent for me. I don’t really want to spend 2 hours watching two adult children spending time with their parents. Maybe this is unusual for Caucasian families, but I’m Asian and see this every day.

Kill Your Darlings is a well-acted movie and quite disturbing because it’s based on true events. I don’t know my literary history so I had no idea that Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and Edie Parker were wrapped up in a murder. I felt like I was watching a train wreck unfold right before my eyes. Daniel Radcliffe stars as Ginsberg and made me forget he was Harry Potter. After getting over the shock of the events of this moving having actually happened, I still find myself shocked over how Radcliffe grew up to be so much more than Harry Potter. Kudos to him and this movie!

The Fifth Estate may have gotten lukewarm reviews but I liked it. I’m a fan of Daniel Bruhl already because of Rush, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange provided a spooky fun counterpoint. I could have done without everyone but Assange being so one-sidedly positive. But if that’s the price to shine a spotlight on just how beguiling and confounding Assange and the Wikileaks story is, then so be it. I enjoyed the film. I appreciated the weight of the subject matter. I loved the acting.

Do I dare criticize Fruitvale Station? I wish the movie started with the shooting and fanned out from there. I found the subway scene beautifully shot with nuance and balance. The rest of the film felt Hallmark-light by comparison. I get that the director (Ryan Coogler) wants us to empathize with Oscar (the lead played by Michael B. Jordan) but did we need everything including a dying dog? I almost expected Jordan’s Oscar to break out into song.

Maybe I’ve been seeing too many movies but I’m getting bored with the 2013 line-up. Rush is still my favorite so far. Next up: Blue Jasmin, Philomena, One Chance, and 12 Years A Slave. What have you seen and loved?

Our latest project filmed last week and here is a behind-the-scenes tour:

Bruce Faulk, Director, and Benton Greene, actor (Webisode 1 – The Museum). Benton also starred in FBC Films’ first project, The Battle Below, and was interviewed in an earlier post

Director of Photography, Steve Gladstone, and Melody Cooper, actor (Webisode 1 – The Museum). Melody also wrote The Museum

Production assistants, Emily and Akeem, in one of many action shots

Sound expert, Joel Sterns, and Dan Chen, actor (Webisode 2 – Game of Thrones)

Co-stars for Webisode 2 – Game of Thrones, Dan Chen and Bruce Faulk, who also directs, edits, and can apparently do it all while texting!

The Butler was good like Luna bars are good (i.e., super tasty but you won’t mistake this for dessert). I appreciated The Butler, but didn’t enjoy it. Of course, the subject matter is super difficult to tackle and the film did an admirable job here, successfully navigating the delicate line between being too preachy and romanticizing uncomfortable subject matter. Still, it was no Life Is Beautiful. I was never swept away into the story of The Butler, as I was with Life Is Beautiful. I couldn’t shake the feeling I was in history class, albeit with a very engaging teacher. Maybe it would have helped not to cast Oprah – some people are just too big to play everyday people. (See my musings on celebrities and horror movies for this reason!). So, yes, see The Butler, if nothing else than to participate in what should be good water cooler talk at the office, and try Luna bars too.

Rush is my favorite of the fall movies so far. I loved it so much I covered it for my Forbes column. It’s about as non-diverse as it can be, but hey, it’s race car driving in the 70’s. So enough said for the FBC Films blog, except that I do recommend it.

Gravity is another science fiction movie where the minority quota is filled by a faceless, story-less ambiguously ethnic character who dies quickly. I have to disagree with all the rave reviews and not just for the diversity issue, but just because I got bored with the film after the first few minutes. If you want to feel like you’re in space, I strongly recommend the Star Tours ride at Disneyland. If you want to read more about Gravity, I strong recommend this witty review by Rhonda Talbot.

Captain Phillips features a powerhouse performance by Barkhad Abdi, who I will watch in any other movie just to see what else he can do. Tom Hanks is also as good as always. The film is thrilling without being graphic or exploitative. If you want to save money, wait for the DVD – I don’t think this warrants big screen treatment.

Coming up for me: Nebraska and The Fifth Estate. What do you recommend for the fall movie line-up?

MORE GREAT NEWS! The Battle Below will be screening at Shockerfest 2013. ShockerFest International Film Festival 2013 will be broadcast on the internet TV station CVML-TV and simulcast on www.shockerfest.net from October 15 – 31st. We’re in the Horror – Shorts category and will be screened multiple times during that two-week period. Currently, we are scheduled for screenings on:

• October 15
• October 21
• October 26

All screenings run continuously starting at 7p. Our film is 11 minutes.

We have a chance to win an Audience Favorite, and voting starts on October 15, so we’ll be reaching out again when the link is live.