You probably already know I’m obsessed with fight scenes featuring women.

Last year I did a whole heap of research on it. This was in preparation for a new short scripted film I wanted to make titled AK. 

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We shot the film AK in February 2016.

We’re submitting it to film festivals, and hope to screen it a bunch in 2017. Stay tuned for more info on the movie. Sign up for email updates using the form on the blog, while you’re at it.

My crew on the set of "AK" in February 2016.

My crew on the set of “AK” in February 2016.

Quench the thirst or not?

I thought that making a movie with a fight scene would satisfy my curiosity.

In other words, I thought making one might quench that thirst but quite the opposite has happened. I’m even more curious about shooting action sequences now.

See, you gain a lot of clarity simply by taking action. This is something I talk about a lot – especially during public speaking engagements. You can’t think your way into a film career, you’ve gotta actually go do stuff. In fact a wrote a blog post about this recently which you can read here. Anyway, I digress …

What I thought would satisfy my curiosity (making AK) has actually fed the flames.

Now I feel so much clarity about what I want to see on screen, how to communicate that vision, and how to actually bring the entire thing to life, that I’ve got a wish list running in my mind. Some of the movies I dream about making are comedic action, and some are straight action movies.

Let’s play “What if?”

“What if?!” is a fun little game I play with myself.

If I had carte-blanche to make whatever I wanted, what would I direct? What if I got to shoot a remake? What if I could direct a movie starring so-and-so? What if I had whatever budget I needed necessary to tell the story the way I want?

It’s a fun game I’d recommend to anyone who wants to make their dreams come true because (a) it’s free, (b) it rewires your thinking to look past obstacles, and (c) it helps you figure out where you want to go so that you can take steps to get there. Much easier than wandering aimlessly around, which I did for many years.

A few of those “what ifs” are shared here mainly to get them out of my head. But what’s cool about sharing these ideas is that they start to take on a life of their own. If someone takes these ideas and runs with them? I’m totally down with that. I want to watch these movies as much as I daydream about making them.

Without further ado … enjoy.

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A Rebecca Ferguson Action Film

What happens in this new movie? I don’t really care. As long as it empowers Rebecca Ferguson to keep being amazing.

Yes, I finally watched Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. Yes, that’s where I fell in love with Ferguson’s acting and action style. Yes, I now crave a movie featuring her for the majority of the total run time. And, yes, I know that she’s supposed to come back for MI6 but I’m talking about how much I’d love to see a movie where she’e the main star (not a supporting lead).

I could write a whole series on Rogue Nation and what I appreciate about it regarding Ferguson’s character, acting, costume, and such. Let me know if that’s something you want. Dissecting film/video is so much fun.

But, for now, let me say how much I sincerely appreciate that Ferguson wears a ball gown / costume that actually works for an action scene! It’s both functional and beautiful. Three cheers for that.

Joanna Johnston, I wanna kiss your feet. (Read more about the costumes here.)

So, let me reiterate: I wanna movie with Ferguson front and center.

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Home Alone Remake

Since it’s almost Christmas, I’ve been digging through old movies.

Remakes aren’t my thing but I’d totally adore a new Home Alone with the Ghostbusters treatment. By that, I mean it’s a remake with a female cast. Hollywood seems to love remakes, so I keep entertaining myself with the idea. (Seriously, someone steal this idea and make it happen, ok?)

I asked my friends what they thought and some amazing suggestions came up (in no particular order): Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Kristin Wig, Aubrey Plaza, Ellen, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, … the list goes on and on.

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Dude, I’d totally watch it.

I mean, really, a Home Alone remake featuring an all-star cast of these seriously funny ladies? Bonus points if it’s written, directed, and produced by women so that it feels authentic.

Bottom line: a comedic action movie set during Christmas starring these funny ladies would be a dream-come-true to direct. I can hardly handle the thought of it.

Cat Woman Remake

It’s been more than 10 years since the feature-length version of Cat Woman was released.

I think it’s time to try it again. After all, how many Batman and Spiderman remakes have we had in the past few years? Good gosh.

If the movie were to be remade, in my humble opinion, the ladies should lead. Putting women in charge of each stage of making the film and trusting them to lead the way would be pretty crucial for the film’s success on the second go-round. We should make sure there are more female film critics ASAP, too.

Why? Well, there lots of articles about it. I can share some of that research if you’re interested. Speak up in the comments.

The Cat Woman feature-length film from 2004 wasn’t so popular. The movie’s on Netflix right now if you want to watch it.

Really, I could write a whole series on this movie, too. I’ve seen it so many times, trying to figure out what I would have done differently. (That’s another fun game for me.) Speak up if you’re interested in a more in-depth look at the movie here on the blog.

I don’t really understand why the feature-length film had literally nothing to do with Batman. I do appreciate that it was separate (as opposed to the repetitive mention of Superman on the Supergirl TV show), but I don’t really understand why they brought in a beauty products plot. (Please, clarify this for me if you’ve got the patience and time.)

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Anyway, Anne Hathaway as Cat Woman in The Dark Knight Rises was pretty great in my humble opinion. Or, to clarify, the portrayal of her character was something I really appreciated. The more serious treatment of a comic book character in TDK has been widely discussed, so we don’t need to expound on that. To reiterate, I’m not talking about the actresses or their acting chops.

If a remake of Cat Woman came to around, I’d love to direct it.

I still love docs

Although I’m obviously writing about action sequences here, I’ll always love the documentary form. So please don’t get confused about that.

Filmmaking is a life-long love affair for me.

Different genres stretch different creative muscles. I love scripted and unscripted films. I believe that working on one helps me understand the other a little better.

Right now I’m in the midst of making Good Thing, so I’m daily thinking about the doc format. It’s fun to sit down and write about scripted films to daydream.

You should play “what if” games, too. I highly recommend it!

 

Go behind the scenes

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