TBF, Mags, you have been doing a lot of the heavylifting for the quest, so this will be in good hands.
To be clear to everyone, this is just me burning out on imagination of the quest, since my muse has been hitting me over the head a lot with so many different ideas that I just can't find myself too interested in this.
I'll still hang out here, though, since this still does have a sepcial place in my heart.
I'd like to thank you all for making this a wonderful experience while it lasted.
I'd also like to thank @Magoose, @Fluffy_serpent, and @Martin Noctis for doing so much to help prepare and write this quest. I couldn't have done it without you all.
Quick question since it's been a while, @Magoose, what has Trump been up to lately? I assume he's still going back and forth with Joseph, but is there anything else?
Besides, if anything, he'd hate the idea of becoming president now...
Think of all the money he would lose if he decided to "GASP" Work on a public servant's salary, and spend money to get elected. Also he's got dirty laundry that he can't really hide at this time.
Make no mistake, he's after that cold hard cash...
But he's less of an asshole about it, if only because he wants to one up his rival.
Joseph, for his part, is decided that he wants to start opening more Jumping Whales and maybe start franchising.
...... And now I'm picturing him telling this tale on the future.
"Alright now, this is big, but when I was younger and I was handsome, so handsome, I got visited by these three ghosts you see. Now I didn't put any faith in that kind of junk before but after they started lighting the room on fire I got faithful real quick. And they told me many things, a lot of things, not all good but they were very good for me."
Edit: If you read that in Trump's voice then I did my job well.
Small Giant Directed by: Brian de Palma
Written by: Robert Zemeckis
Produced by: Francis Ford Coppola
Production/Distribution Studio: Lucasfilms
Starring: Philip Michael Thomas (Robert Smalls), Debbie Allen (Hanna Jones Smalls), Denzel Washington (James Freeman), Tom Berenger (Charles Relyea), Ronny Cox (Alexander Rhind), Bill McKinney (Samuel Francis Du Pont), Carl Weathers (Richard Howell Gleaves)
Budget: $32,000,000 Domestic Box Office:93,766,121 International Box Office: 23,766,121 Total Box Office: $117,632,242
So literally right after Undercover proved to be a bit underwhelming in performance, Brian would have another biopic movie to release to theaters with Small Giant, the life story of Robert Smalls, a real American hero and certified badass of the Civil War who freed himself from slavery and became one of the first Black naval Captains. Honestly it wasn't your intention to have Brian be tested on a back to back basis with Small Giant originally having been slated for a July premiere, but Empire Strikes Back kind of pushed everything in the schedule back by 3-6 months and Mike had pushed for it to have a February release, it being Black history month and to try and pull a replica of John Henry's success. Whatever John Henry seemed to have, it looked to not be a feat that could be easily replicated again, but damned if Brian didn't make one fine movie and while the critics may be silent on Undercover, he for sure was going to get some Oscar nods with Small Giant.
The movie covered the life of Robert Smalls, although mainly his time in the Civil War to the tail end of Reconstruction. After a rather visceral scene of a young Robert experiencing the horrors of field slavery for the first time, it cuts to Robert as a young man finding his love and passion in sailing but being forced to serve for the Confederate cause in bondage. With Robert gaining a burning desire for freedom as the war goes on, he hatches a conspiracy with the slaves aboard the CSS Planter to escape with the ship and head to Union lines. When the Confederate officers are on shore leave, Smalls executes his plan and he along with the slaves and their families escape on the Planter and head to the Union blockade with Smalls acting as Captain. Soon, this daring tale spreads across the North and South with Smalls becoming hero and villain respectiely, then serving a career with distinction in the Union Navy throughout the rest of the war, proving his worth and rubbing shoulders with many famous contemporaries, then in peacetime dedicating his career to helping Freedmen and establishing his own town, though Smalls' labor faces great hardship of the racism of the time which he must stand against with the help of his friends and family.
So this was the second civil war/reconstruction era film written by Robert Zemeckis. Apparently while doing research for John Henry, Robert had learned about Robert Smalls' story and had fallen in love with it so much that right after he turned in John Henry, he got started on a script for Small Giant. It's quite easy to tell that it's a Zemeckis story with the intense focus on characters and relationships, sharp attention to historical detail, dry humor and wit sprinkled throughout, and an intense spark of optimism that shines through adversity and darkness. Really strong and powerful stuff and you're really hoping that Zemeckis will place himself in the director's chair soon instead of being too shy about it.
Speaking of the director's chair, Brian De Palma continues to prove his excellence in adaptations by doing an amazing historical recreation of the Civil War and Reconstruction South that rivals Dracula in its quality and authenticity. It really does make the era feel alive in a way that makes Gone with the Wind look like a student film, and Brian does an excellent job in conveying the emotions of the turbulence and messiness that America was going through with color choice, camera movement and directions for the actors. He also really knows his way around historical battles with the fleet battles and escape of the Planet in the first half being some of the best pre-20th century naval fights you've seen in film. Steven Spielberg was intensely worried for Brian before he was filming due to his trauma with oceanic filming with Jaws, but Brian handled the logistics of river and ocean filming perfectly, keeping the camera very dynamic and adding a sense of epicness and excitement to everything.
And man oh man, did ILM earn their paychecks with this movie. Instead of doing green screens and sound stages, they did actual full on recreations of Civil War Union and Confederate ships and shot everything live and on the river and Atlantic coast. Almost everything is practical effects besides some small computer work from Pixar for a couple of the background shots, thus delivering a greater impact to the battle, making the audience feel like they're in a cross between a Disney river ride and a historical reenactment. Probably the most ambitious ILM has been outside of Hoth, and this was being filmed at the same time with ILM's B team. Truly some great work by George's Magicians.
Of course not every scene cane be a war one, and it's here where the actors shine through with powerful performances built on a solid foundation with the script. Philip Michael Thomas practically steals the show as Robert Smalls, having powerful screen presence and charisma that captures your intention and gets you heavily invested in Robert's story of struggle and yearning for freedom and happiness. Philip is complimented by Debbie Allen who exhibits a lot of quiet strength as Hannah, pushing the story forward in a lot of the heavy dramatic scenes focused on tension and character relations and she has great chemistry with Philip. The rest of the cast pretty much plays their roles to a T, and you're glad to see Carl Weathers showing his capacity and talent for Drama, helping to carry the film in the third act and infusing the same great screen presence that made his story in Rocky II so memorable. You really hope that Carl can be a regular with Lucasfilms.
Considering the similar subject matter, you and Mike had been hoping for Small Giant to do a repeat of John Henry in commercial performance, but your expectations would be brought back down to Earth after an above average release that kept it level with Universal and Disney's latest hits. Overall, the movie would make 117 million and nearly four times the budget, which was good on its own but it seemed like Brian's films would be averse to Blockbuster status for the near future. Most of the returns were from the US and Canada with it having a very muted reception overseas save for Romania, the United Kingdom and Brazil surprisingly where it was number one for three weeks. You could see it having lower returns than John Henry due to it being more mature and lacking the family crowd along with Robert Smalls' story being more obscure, and here it seems like everyone was content with just a single watch instead of Lucasfilms' more intensely received releases. That being said, it did very well with certain demograhpics; history buffs, African Americans, Southerners and veterans who all saw something within the movie. Perhaps you should have gone for spring or the July release like Mike originally wanted, but a good performance. Although that being said, Mike is warning that there's a biopic and historical fatigue possibly happening in audiences so more modern and fantastical stories would be welcome. Or at the very least temper the budgets towards medium-sized movies.
Thankfully, the financial returns are not indicative of the reception of those who've seen the movie with everyone who has watched it in large agreement that Small Giant is a pretty great movie and one of the posters for Biopic cinema. Audiences near universally fell deeply in love with the story of Robert Smalls and overnight he went from an interesting footnote to an icon of the Civil War. There was also deep appreciation for this new take on a Civil War movie where instead of the romanticism of classic Hollywood and the wild west grit of the 60's and 70s, there was a more grounded and people focused plot with an emphasis on realism and personal struggle and adversity, kind of the mirror of Josey Wales in the best ways. The Black community is overall really happy to see another great of Black history share time in the spotlight and are excited for what other kinds of exciting and inspirational stories will be made by Hollywood.
Critics all around tended to give the movie from 4 to 5 stars with praise for the historical accuracy, amazing special effects, highly detailed and excellently choreographed battles, and most of all the performances of the actors. Already Small Giant is an early favorite for the Oscars with favor for Best Special Effects unless Tron or Indiana Jones manage to steal the thunder, best adapted screenplay seems to be a sure thing, and maybe Director and Actor for Brian and Philip. It's too early to call with the rest of the movies your own studio is releasing this year, but you can definitely see plenty of nods. Brian for his part, is happy to have a sort of mini redemption from Undercover's casual presence at the box office and is celebrating with a small vacation with Nancy Allen.
In the end, commercial and critical praise couldn't compare to perhaps the greatest part of Small Giant's existence, giving Robert Smalls the recognition that he deserved. In the many years to come, popular civil war historiography would frequently feature Smalls and he had been uplifted into American legend along the likes of Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman. Many Civil War material, academic or entertainment would give some sort of mention to Robert Smalls and an entire generation of children who may not have watched or will watch Small Giant will know his story. In South Carolina, many streets and public places were named after Robert along with a plethora of memorials and tributes. Beaufort, South Carolina would be a historical tourism hotspot to see Robert's life and learn in great depth about reconstruction in South Carolina and the greater South.
However, perhaps the greatest honor for Robert Smalls would be performed by Ronald Reagan himself when on Halloween he announced that the next Nimitz-class aircraft carrier would be named the USS Robert Smalls. The ship was originally to be named the Theodore Roosevelt, but the Congressional Black Caucus and a number of Rockefellers and California Club Republicans had pushed for the carrier to be named after Smalls due to the last Nimitz being named after Carl Vinson, a man who while the greatest supporter of the Navy in Congress had also been an arch segregationist who voted against both Civil Rights Acts and signed the Southern Manifesto. The next Nimitz being named the Smalls was seen as a good balancing act, to counter the Vinson with a dedication to one of the greatest naval heroes and an exemplary African-American. You were surprised to see Reagan so amenable to the idea, with Carrie believing it was an action meant to appeal directly to you and Lucasfilms, although Robert was a stalwart Republican so it was good optics and politics.
Thus, the USS Robert Smalls would become the fifth Nimitz Class-carrier after the Nimitz, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Carl Vinson and Harry Truman. Even more incredible was that the Robert Smalls would be the first aircraft carrier created through modular construction, thus all carriers likely produced in the next 20 years would be of the Robert Smalls subclass. Overall the move was met positively by most Americans and fortunately for the Rough Rider, he'd still get his own aircraft carrier later in the decade alongside George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Congress went even further in honoring Smalls by posthumously commissioning him as a Captain and then paying his descendants the pensions he had been denied in his lifetime and the bounty for capturing the Planter, adjusted for inflation. All of it was the absolute least that such a giant of a man deserved and you pray that Smalls soul can finally rest happy with no regrets.
Didn't we already kicked the lost cause in the ball with jhon henry ?,maybe they where too busy licking their wound to maka a noticable fuss ?,or they did but it was just not explicitelt said in the text.
Alright, ever since the Justine Pitch was put forward I've had this itch to just finish this pitch once and for all. Frankly, I think that if we go for all the games as films, then The Bunker would work much better if it goes after A Machine for Pigs but before Rebirth. It teases many of the different elements that would be shown in Justine, which is just perfect to draw the attention of the audience when it comes to a franchise. Now, I've made some small changes, mainly that Henri would have to also deal with Toussaint as someone that aids the Beast on occasion, and giving a greater role to Sergeant Joubert, which I think will enhance the film.
I will have to note that, out of all the Amnesia games, this one is my least favorite; I just like the linear storytelling that the stories have, and the Semi-Open world that this entry tried, though somewhat entertaining, does not make up for the lack of story and mystery when in comparison to A Machine for Pigs, which still remains my favorite to this day.
Thus, I give you:
Movie Pitch: Amnesia: The Bunker GENRE: Horror/Psychological/Supernatural
SUBGENRE: Mystery/Action
FORMAT: Movie
Set Up: The story is set during World War I, where French soldier, Henri Clément, loses his memories due to trauma and the constant shelling on the trenches. As he awakes in an abandoned room with no recollection of what happened, he finds himself trapped inside an underground bunker. He soon discovers that there are few to any survivors, as a mysterious "Beast" is hunting him just as it's hunting all those who are inside the bunker before him. Henri now tries to unravel the mysteries of the eponymous bunker, while at the same time trying to find his way out of it.
Director: David Lynch Composer: Ennio Morricone
In the year 1916, France and Germany are in the midst of World War I. French soldier Henri Clément heads out into the battlefield to search for his friend Augustin Lambert, who has gone missing during a patrol. Henri finds Lambert trapped in a large crater. He has Lambert drink some fresh spring water he finds inside the crater to revive him, and attempts to carry Lambert to safety. However, they are spotted by the Germans and Henri is knocked unconscious from an artillery shell blast.
The movie begins when Henri wakes up some time later inside the seemingly abandoned bunker with no memory of how he ended up there. He quickly finds a surviving soldier, Albert Boisrond, who instructs him to find dynamite and a detonator to reopen the exit, but Boisrond is killed by a strange creature shortly after. Upon exploring the bunker further, he eventually learns that some unknown Beast had appeared out of nowhere and has been terrorizing the bunker, slaughtering the French garrison one by one. The bunker's cowardly officers fled, caving in the only exit to seal the Beast inside, but trapping the soldiers left behind. With no other choice, Henri searches the bunker complex for dynamite.
During his search, he comes across more clues left behind by the soldiers as he begins to piece together the events that led to this situation, which are shown through flashbacks that Henri feels he can interact with as he feels his sanity slowly degrade; Some time ago, the bunker garrison discovered an underground tunnel dating back to Roman times. They began to excavate the tunnel with the intention of using it to stage a surprise attack on German lines, but some of the soldiers began suffering hallucinations and vivid nightmares and sabotaged the excavation in an attempt to seal the tunnel. The soldiers were subsequently court-martialed, but excavation continued.
While this was going on, Henri and Lambert gambled with dice to determine which of them would go out on patrol that evening; Henri used a sleight-of-hand trick, causing Lambert to lose. Guilt-stricken when Lambert failed to return, Henri left the bunker in search of his friend. Later, Lambert brought back a wounded and comatose Henri, but Lambert, oddly enough, was completely unscathed. It is revealed that the spring water Lambert drank originated from the Roman ruins and began to slowly mutate him and drive him insane until he completely transformed into the Beast, stalking the bunker and killing his former comrades.
Henri is eventually able to recover the dynamite and detonator and blasts the exit. However, instead of opening the tunnel, Henri accidentally falls deeper into the Roman ruins, where he has one final confrontation with the Beast, where he fights it and sends it plunging into the underground abyss.
Henri eventually manages to return to the surface, falling into a shell crater just as a German patrol begins to approach, leaving his fate uncertain.
Soldat Henri Clement: He is a French Army soldier stationed on the western front during the First World War. He has amnesia at the beginning, and slowly through the movie he remembers the past, along with dealing with hallucinations that slowly show his degrading mental state. A bit of a prankster, Henri appears to be a strong-willed and cognizant person. He also does not tend to think of the consequences, yet is willing to correct his mistakes, ready to risk his own life in order to find and rescue his brother-in-arms. After waking up in the bunker, Henri is fully determined to retrieve the materials required to blow open the bunker's collapsed exit and escape, despite all the dangers that await him.
Played By: Johnny Depp Alternate: Jean Reno
Soldat Toussaint Beaufoy: He is a French Army Soldier stationed on the Western Fron during WWI. Toussaint was a critic of the war, believing it to be pointless, yet he was also a trusted member of the garrison, and had a good number of friends. After the discovery of the Roman Tunnels, Toussaint began hearing voices and suffering from visions and hallucinations, going mad from the experience. He is one of the few survivors in the Bunker, remaining near the tunnels and worshiping the Beast as a messenger from "The Queen", and aiding it in the hunt against Henri.
Played By: Christopher Lambert Alternate: Gerard Depardieu
Augustin Lambert/The Beast: The Beast is a Harvester (or Ghoul), that is characterized by its sadistic nature, massive size, and a profound aversion to light. It exhibits a strong negative reaction to sound, becoming alerted and agitated when auditory stimuli are present. The creature displays an inherently hostile disposition towards living beings, being very fast and agile. The Beast in reality is Augustin Lambert, Henri's friend, who began transforming after drinking some water that came from the "Roman Ruins", and then began killing all soldiers inside the bunker, causing its leaders to blow up the exits and abandon it.
Played By: Andre The Giant Alternate: Carel Struycken
Sergeant Stéphane Joubert: He is a French Army Soldier stationed on the Western Front during WWI. Joubert served as the point of contact between his superiors and the men in charge of expanding the Roman Tunnels, and his actions in allowing the preservation of texts and artifacts allowed the corruption to spread faster. He was also the Sergeant that had Clement and Lambert chose on who would go for patrol. A cowardly man, unlike his superiors he felt guilt about leaving the man behind at the Bunker while the exits were blocked. He speaks to Henri through the radio, resolving to aid him and serving as one of the few anchors on his sanity, as well as a companion through his tribulation.
Played By: Eddy Mitchell Alternate: Rene Auberjonois
Soldat Alex Noyer: He is a French soldier stationed along the Western Front of the First World War. Alex was the soldier who asked to protect the Latin Texts found, as well as the one who found about the corruption and hallucinations the men were going through. he tried warning Sgt. Joubert, yet he was unheeded and put in observation. Noyer tried to put an end to it all, yet the "otherworld" claimed him, leading to an increase to the suspicion of treason due to his disappearance. Near the end, during the fight between Henri and his former friend, Noyer's spirit manages to give Henri the information needed to put the Beast down for good.
Played By: Rick Morianis Alternate: Emilio Estevez
Soldat Boisrond: He is a French soldier stationed along the Western Front of the First World War. When found by Henri, he was already nearly dead, asking him for a quick death, showing his appreciation for chivalric ideals, as well as his contempt of the cowardly officers. He was also tough and battle-hardened, as he was casually smoking a cigarette despite being mortally injured and he expressed resignation to his fate.
Played By: Mark Elliott
Karl Springer: A German prisoner still alive when Henri finds him. He's been driven nearly mad due to the torture inflicted on him by Sergeant Reynard as he pleaded that he was only a soldier and not an officer. The Beast's predations do the rest, yet he still has enough of a fighting spirit to try and kill Henri when freed, only to be killed by the Beast.
Played By: Richard Thomas
Sergeant Reynard: He is a French soldier stationed along the Western Front of the First World War. A brutal man, who did not hesitate in sadistically torturing POWs, as well as those soldiers accused of treason for trying to block the Roman Tunnels, starving them to death before outright torturing them. He was the first to be killed by the Beast.
Played By: Ian Holm
Soldat Farber: He was a French soldier stationed on the western front of the First World War. He was a good friend with Alex Noyer, and one of the first to hear about what happened in the tunnels. After Sgt. Reynald's torture of Alex, and the increasing number of soldiers hearing and seeing visions, Farber decided to try and form a group to stop the tunneling and bring everything back to normal. Succeeding in the mission, he was the only member of the group that remained undiscovered as the men refused to give him up. His case of survivor's guilt eventually led to him trying to kill the Beast, and though he managed to wound it, he was killed in the end.
Soldat 1st Class Jean Renoir: A former friend of Sergeant Reynard. Though he tried to have him change his ways, or stop the digging of the tunnels, he was dismissed by his old friend, seeing how he and everyone around were affected by what seemed to be odd rumors and visions. He ended up joining a conspiracy to block the tunnels, but was captured along with the rest of the group, tortured and killed by starvation at the bottom of a pit.
Soldat Gaspar LaRue: He was a French soldier stationed on the western front of the First World War. LaRue was one of the soldiers who escorted Noyer as the Tunnels were explored, and thus saw the corruption that the place brought first hand. Though he tried warning his superiors and fellow soldiers, he was in the end imprisoned and tortured to stop the rumors. He joined the conspiracy to block the tunnels and suffered the same fate as the rest of the group.
Engineer Ozanne Zabelle: He was a French soldier and army engineer stationed on the western front of the First World War. Zabelle was one of the soldiers who the deteriorating mental conditions of the soldiers, and contacted Farber telling him something had to be done. He, along with the rest of the soldiers Farber managed to convince, worked together using his expertise to block the tunnels once more, but he was captured, tortured and killed in the end.
Soldat 1st Class Johannes Nicolay: He was a French soldier stationed on the western front of the First World War. He was one of the first men to hear the sounds and see the visions, along with Toussaint Beaufoy, as well as one of those affected by the torture of Noyer to keep his mouth shut. He ended up joining Faber's group to stop the tunneling and hopefully have everything go back to normal. He was eventually arrested and tortured to have him confess and thus punish all those involved.
A.N.: So, I've had Johnny Depp be the main actor for this film. Mostly because I think we can have this done between 83' and 85', which is the period near when he starts gaining notoriety and recognition. Hopefully, we are the ones to bring him into the spotlight and build a good foundation for future endeavors in the future (he will be working with Burton, that is true, but we can also make it so that he works for us). However, I've also put some French actors in case we can't get our first options. I just hope it does not become necessary; I don't know if Jean Reno can pull of the look for Henri during the movie. Not to mention how we would need full French actors if we go for him.
