shadowandact

If You Went Missing…Would Anyone Come Looking? A Review of Dreams of a Life

Posted on by in Alone, Dreams of a Life, Great Britian, Joy Vincent, shadowandact.

How close are we really to the people in our lives?

I first heard about this film more than a year ago courtesy of the indiewire site ShadowandAct. Ever since then, I’ve been curious about it’s development and finally its release.

“Dreams of a Life” is a documentary/drama based off the life and subsequent death of one Joyce Vincent. The movie is told through the perspective of her friends (if they can be called that), acquaintances, and associates, all people whom knew little pieces of her, but none who really “knew” her as the story would later reveal.

What makes the story of Joyce Vincent so intriguing, and sad, is not the fact that she was found dead in her apartment with the TV on in 2006. It’s the fact that by the time she had been discovered, she had been dead for three years. Yes, three full years. Joy Vincent died around Christmas of 2003 and no one became aware of this until 2006.

In this day and age of Facebook, broadband internet, e-mail, cell phones, and dozens of other ways of communication, this film makes one wonder just how the hell does this happen?

“Dreams of a Life,” doesn’t seek to provide solid answers to that question, but gives us a glimpse into Joyce’s life through people who apparently thought they knew her. It seems Joyce was different things to different people, and allowed no one to get close enough to find out who the “real” Joyce Vincent was.

This was not an easy film to watch. Of course, the viewer knows going in that this will not be a film that’ll leave you laughing and smiling when you leave the theater. Even still, it is tough to see her former boyfriend admit that had they gotten married, she might still be alive. Or close friends not realizing she was being abused until years after of the fact. The hardest might be knowing that Joyce had four older sisters who didn’t even bother to inquire about her after not seeing her for years.

“Dreams of a Life” is a film that challenges one’s perception of what it means to really “know” somebody. How closely do we value our friends? If we went missing for a prolonged period of time, would someone come searching for us? Do we believe our presence in society to be greater than it actually is? All things to think about.

http://dreamsofalife.com/

Thinking Like A Man and Walking Away With A King’s Ransom

Posted on by in marketing, shadowandact, Steve Harvey, The Lucky One, Think Like a Man, Will Packer.

I was definitely surprised to know that the film “Think Like A Man” was the leading movie at the box office these past two weeks (until “The Avengers” came in like an avalanche). The Steve Harvey inspired, Will Packer produced flick, I’m sure has exceeded expectations of the studio heads, but what does this mean for future films with predominantly black casts?

I raise this question because often times there is not the same amount of marketing dollars put into films with casts of color as there are with films with white leads. Case in point, when “Think Like A Man” was released, that same weekend, “The Lucky One” with teenage heartthrob Zac Efron, also hit theaters. “Lucky” made $22.5 million in its opening weekend while being released on more than 3100 screens nationwide. As for “Think Like A Man?” It would go on to make more than $33 million, opening in roughly 2100 theaters across America.

So let’s review the facts. “Think Like a Man” made more than $10 million more than Efron’s “The Lucky One,” despite being shown in a thousand less theaters nationwide. Quite an achievement one might say.

What this proves is that there is indeed a market for ‘black’ films, if these revenue numbers are any indication. What also helped was the fact that “Man” was marketed a full two months before its release date. Whether it was commercials during the NBA All-Star Game or constant references to check out the film’s various social media sites (a must these days), “Man” got the wheels in motion for building up intrigue well in advance. For a more in depth view behind the marketing push campaign for “Think Like A Man,” check out this interview with producer William Packer on the Shadowandact blog here.

Let’s see if Hollywood takes notice of this –or hell– other filmmakers maybe take notice of this success and get inspired to have their films reach wide audiences.