Reviews

Is It Kinda Like XFiles in a CSI Wrapper?

Okay, that’s one way a fellow filmmaker recently described THE RECIPIENT as we shared the concept and pitch with him.

I think that’s a good way to illustrate the basic premise.

But we need to add this “It’s XFiles, with a TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL candy coating, in a CSI wrapper.”

Errr… yeah, that’s pretty close to it…

Is this a “faith” show? Well, yes and no. No, if you are wondering if this is a preachy Gospel soap box. In fact, there is no soap box to be seen as far as I can tell. 🙂

In truth, there is a faith message in THE RECIPIENT, but it’s subtle by design.

We want people to enjoy this show on a variety of levels. In fact, you can choose your own levels. On the surface, there is BEAR McQuade the everyman who is mixed up with the FBI and CIA. And the only way they will let him alone, is to cooperate with them on a few missions. Now THAT ALONE is a GREAT CONCEPT, NO! (“No!” meaning “You better believe your sweet britches!”)

A little backtracking if you don’t mind – you see, I am a fan of movies. I LOVE MOVIES! I am a student of movies. And although I did NOT go to FILM school, I did teach my self through watching the classic films of the past century, and of buying over 50 text books on every aspect of film production. I started directing and writing LIVE PLAYS when I was 9 years old. I was already marketing my plays to the neighborhood and formally inviting people to attend. We would call our list of people and invite them and then remind them and re-remind them!

And as I got older, I began to learn to use first video and then film style cameras and equipment (jib arms, dollys and track and c-clamps!).

Then, I learned framing and lighting, and eventually produced, wrote and directed my first feature film. www.heartofthecitymovie.com

One of my favorite classic filmmakers HAS TO BE ALFRED HITCHCOCK. And for true Hitchcock fans, among his best work visually, acting-wise, and of course in terms of directing HAS TO BE – “NORTH BY NORTHWEST.”

And one of the all-time greatest actors HAS TO BE – CARY GRANT. And one of his best performances HAS TO BE in this film when he plays a MAD MAN (Advertising) who is innocently mistaken for a CIA mole that secretly works for the US Government. If you want to enjoy 2 hours of some of the most suspenseful storytelling by one of the most incredible TAG TEAM movie makers of this or any other century (Hitchcock and ERNEST LEHMEN – a screenwriter who HAS TO BE one of the best to ever craft a screenplay).

If you want to know what style and sensibility THE RECIPIENT will have, I would say Check out NORTH BY NORTHWEST and have a pizza and a few friends with you to enjoy this film lover’s film and fabulousness fusion!

Jeff