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Post by Jack Malone on Nov 22, 2021 2:39:19 GMT -6
So close to finishing this episode, and then I can start posting the next batch of episodes (#10 through to #15). Episode #5-15: "Contingency"Written by: Jack Malone Produced by: The VPN UPDATED 22/11/2021 - Episode title revealed as 'Contingency.' - VSGuide has learned exclusively that this episode will serve as a swan song for a "significant" character from the series regular cast. "There is so much happening in [episode 15] but at the heart of it is the unravelling of a goodbye that doesn't become clear until the very end of the episode," showrunner Jack Malone revealed, "This is truly the part of the season where it becomes clear we're reaching the finish point and this ending is such a catalyst for that awareness because they've been a significant character from the very beginning." - Chloe (Allison Mack) and Bruce (Christian Bale) lead the resistance into war against the Two-Face Gang. "We've been building these two sides up throughout this mid-season run, and it's all been heading towards this confrontation," Malone revealed, "The moment Batman comes face to face with Harvey Dent will go down as one of the more memorable moments of Watchtower's history." - With close people around Oliver (Justin Hartley) becoming targets, he realises it's only a matter of time before Archer (Jace Norman) is in danger. - Gordon (Dylan Walsh) receives a vial of the Lazarus serum and is told to give it to the person who is destined to die on this day so as to rewrite their fate and save their life.
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Post by Jack Malone on Oct 19, 2021 21:54:21 GMT -6
Hey, it's certainly been a while. Just dropping in to say that I've finished writing episode fourteen, and I'm starting work on the mid-season finale now. Hoping to drop the next batch of episodes to close this year out, and then finish the season (and series) sometime next year. I'll post some more spoilers in the coming days too!
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Post by Jack Malone on Jun 20, 2021 20:58:40 GMT -6
I watched Psycho Goreman recently and would definitely recommend it. It's a pretty goofy movie about this monster coming to Earth hellbent on destroying it and how his plans get foiled by a young girl and her brother because they find a stone that controls him. It's just a fun sci-fi/horror comedy. Here's a trailer for it that obviously sells it better than I can: ( X)
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Post by Jack Malone on May 10, 2021 10:31:46 GMT -6
Some new spoilers for episode 12, 'Doomed.' Episode #5-12: "Doomed"Written by: Jack Malone Produced by: The VPN UPDATED 11/05/2021 - Producers have confirmed the Justice League roster as Superman (Tom Welling), Wonder Woman (Bridget Regan), Batman (Christian Bale), Black Canary (Alaina Huffman), Green Lantern (Sterling K. Brown), The Flash (Lucas Till), Vixen (Meagan Good), The Atom (Ross Butler), and Martian Manhunter (Phil Morris). All cast members will appear in this episode. - Sterling K. Brown is set to play John Stewart/Green Lantern, while Lucas Till has been cast as The Flash. Both were referenced in the closing moments of the Season 4 finale ('Checkmate') but will make their Watchtower debut in this episode. - Former Smallville stars Annette O'Toole (Martha Kent) and Laura Vandervoort (Supergirl) will reprise their roles in this episode. - In an interview with VSGuide, series creator Jack Malone confirmed this episode will be an adaptation of the 'Death of Superman' comic book storyline, but with it's own share of new twists, for example, "In our universe, there's been more than one Doomsday that's surfaced on this Earth and been buried here, and so we get to finally address that in [episode 12]." - Kristen Bell will return as Hope Sullivan/Doctor Fate in the flashback story. - A promotional poster was released for this episode and can be viewed here (x). - Justin Hartley spoke to VSGuide about his character's conflict with the Justice League, revealing that the Green Arrow is not allowed any involvement with their missions due to his actions in killing Prometheus which resulted in the deaths of innocent police officers (as seen in episode 6, 'Outcast'). "In [episode 12], you get to see how political the Justice League is in our universe, and how there is a level of optics to it - so much so that Oliver is told specifically by Dinah to stand down and let them deal with Doomsday," Hartley explained, "Obviously from the few glimpses we've seen of this confrontation with Doomsday throughout the season - with Archer and everything he's going through - it's clear that Oliver does get involved and how much it doesn't go his way."
UPDATED 25/08/2020 — Episode titled revealed to be 'Doomed.' — While Archer (Jace Norman) deals with the consequences of his actions in the present, the flashback story will examine his role in Doomsday which has been heavily hinted at in 'Martyr' (episode 3). — Fans can expect to see an actualised version of the Justice League. — Smallville stars Tom Welling and Erica Durance are set to reprise their roles of Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane, respectively.
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Post by Jack Malone on May 10, 2021 9:45:56 GMT -6
The official promotional poster released for "Doomed" (Season 5, Episode 12). It features Wonder Woman (Bridget Regan), The Flash (Lucas Till), Batman (Christian Bale), Black Canary (Alaina Huffman), Green Lantern (Sterling K. Brown), Green Arrow (Justin Hartley), The Atom (Ross Butler), Doctor Fate (Kristen Bell), Supergirl (Laura Vandervoort), Vixen (Meagan Good), Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack), Lois Lane (Erica Durance), and Superman (Tom Welling).
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Post by Jack Malone on Mar 15, 2021 23:06:08 GMT -6
REVIEW: "Staff Unwanted"
If the premiere was the drunk, no inhibitions, do and say what you want type of a night out, this second episode was the sobering, back-to-reality wake up call that usually follows and it allowed us to get a deeper understanding of these characters and this world without the fantasy-type haze a solid night of drinking can provide.
The tonal shift was immediately felt in the car ride between Riff and Dylan, and I really appreciated the way it was handled. Riff was able to offer some pretty Rocky-inspired advice that definitely resonated with Dylan's situation, and it was done in such a way that added a level of depth to their dynamic (that would have otherwise felt manic had you condensed it all into the first episode). In fact, both their scenes together in this episode proved that it isn't a one-note dynamic of Dylan being more conservative and reserved with Riff as just the polar opposite and being the "fun one" of the two - there's unravelling layers to them and their relationship that were definitely felt in this outing. It just nice to see that under all the quality banter, and the fun shenanigans, there is such a level of care and affection there and you didn't have to jeopardise one or the other to make it work.
This episode felt very much about Dylan returning home, and us being welcomed to the life he had left behind to pursue college. While I loved meeting the family - and there's a little story beat of heartbreak in Dylan and the photograph of his father - it was meeting Leila that really drove the story forward for me. Sometimes when stories incorporate tropes, it doesn't work when they're not aware they're using a trope, but I like how you lean into the "girl next door" aspect of this dynamic, and I like the groundwork that was laid in order to establish that there is a history between them - so much so that everyone in Dylan's life is pointing it out to him. This is also where the episode's funniest part came in for me - it was hilarious to see the step-dad waving that "sorry you lost your scholarship" sign while Dylan was trying to lie about why he's back to Leila. I thought that was something I could so easily picture on screen and it gave me a good chuckle. Speaking of Dylan's lie, I think that's a story I'm interested in seeing play out because it definitely shifted and evolved throughout the episode, resulting in a story about Dylan deferring a year because he misses his family. I think that lays the groundwork for this lie to last quite a while. I'm just wondering if it's something that will blow up later in a catastrophic sense, or if it's something that would even impact Leila to find out? Either way, I'm hooked. It's clear we're on a path of these two becoming love interests for each other, and somewhat of a secret resting between the two of them.
Another highlight of the episode was Dylan's job search that took him to an herbal tea place. I saw in the cast page that Toni Collette was playing Tanya, and that may have just slightly made the scene even better, picturing her in that brief role. Highlighting the ridiculous "experience" required for such simple jobs was definitely at the center of Dylan's struggle here, but I think instead of leaving us in that moment, it was clever to switch that around and twist it to where Tanya says, rather bluntly, about not wanting to hire quitters. It was a nice shift in the otherwise comedic world of this store where we're kind of being just as up-nosed (is that the right expression) towards this Herbal Tea store and the question of Dylan having any experience in that field, because it does feel ridiculous, but you refuse to let any scene/moment/interaction feel one-noted, which I just love.
Ultimately, the job search results in a nice fusing of the worlds and it has me really excited to see where the story goes from this point on. The main characters (Dylan, Riff and Leila) were all established really well in these first two episodes, and it almost feels like these two episodes were a two-parter to set up the show (although they do run much better as separate instalments for sure). Anyway, I'm keen to keep reading on, and updating with reviews as I go. Awesome work so far, Jay!
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Post by Jack Malone on Mar 14, 2021 19:50:34 GMT -6
I'm going to give this one to Jay Paterson Obviously, Billie Lourd would be the go-to, but I wanted to make it a little more challenging and I think Olivia Cooke is actually a pretty good pick. Obviously, it's impossible to replace Carrie Fisher and I don't see them doing anything that calls on Disney to recast the role, but it makes for a challenge in our casting game
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Post by Jack Malone on Mar 13, 2021 6:39:44 GMT -6
They've made a Han Solo movie with a new actor to play his younger self, so who could play Princess/Senator/General Leia Organa (Skywalker/Solo) in a solo film (either set before A New Hope or in between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens). To make this not as easy, I'm NOT accepting Billie Lourd (Carrie Fisher's daughter) as a pick.
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Post by Jack Malone on Mar 9, 2021 1:17:23 GMT -6
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Post by Jack Malone on Mar 8, 2021 23:11:16 GMT -6
REVIEW: "F My Life"
I still remember the pilot for this series, and how much I enjoyed it when you were pitching 'Dropouts,' and so slipping back into this world was a lot of fun — hoping to stay in this world for this upcoming first sequence and deliver on some reviews!
The premise for this show is really exciting to me because you introduce a character like Dylan, who appears to have been so goal-driven and focused on getting the best grades, and you take all of that away from him by episode's end to push him into the life of being a college dropout and into a world that's going to be so foreign to him with what could be an endless amount of possibilities for adventure. I feel sorry for him that one drunken mistake has kind of derailed his life — even though it is clear that he's been festering this disdain for what college has been like for him so far — but it works so well because it is almost like he hasn't started to try and live life until this moment and that this series will be a huge growing experience for him. I particularly liked how much focus was on him and his grades because I think it makes hearing him receive a 'B' that makes you feel for the guy — he spends all his time focused on assignments and denies himself a life outside of it, only for him to start declining and missing out on that aspect of it, too. It makes me believe how he could throw it all away in one night.
I think another aspect pulling Dylan towards his conclusion of derailing his college life is the character of Riff, who appears to be so carefree and capable of enjoying life. The whole concept of just moving away and living by the beach sounds so "sure, like that's going to happen" to the average person, but to a character like Riff, it's like there aren't any limitations blocking him from dreaming big and actually achieving it. It's a really nice contrast between the two main characters, and I'm looking forward to their dynamic going forward because they are so different in that regard. While I think the adventure and the fun is going to lie in how much Riff can show Dylan in a world outside of college, I'm probably even more interested in what Riff could learn from Dylan and how he'll progress as a character going forward, too.
The comedy in this series premiere is also part of what I loved so much about it. The voicemail message playing in front of the Dean's family was just hilarious. It also helped ground the Dean's reaction of not just pulling the scholarship, but doing his part to make sure no other college would even consider taking Dylan in the future. But even the antics at the beach, and some of the lines that come from Riff — it's nice to see you deliver comedy in a way that enhances the story rather than disrupts it.
Overall, I'm really excited to keep reading. Now that there are some more episodes out, I'm looking forward to getting to them and leaving some reviews. Good luck with the rest of the sequence, and I can't wait to see where the story goes from here!
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Post by Jack Malone on Mar 6, 2021 7:29:26 GMT -6
I know nothing of these games, but I'mma go: Jon Bernthal & Alexandra Daddario
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Post by Jack Malone on Mar 4, 2021 18:05:10 GMT -6
I really enjoyed the first iteration of 'Bionic', and so I'm looking forward to this new take! Wish you the best of luck with getting this project up and running, and can't wait to see more.
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Post by Jack Malone on Mar 4, 2021 18:02:48 GMT -6
REVIEW: Beacon Hallows - 1.01 'Town of Darkness'
This pilot has all the elements of what would make a great supernatural drama series, with werewolves, witches and vampires being at the very core of it in a town that has a great deal of historical supernatural story to pull from in future episodes.
The strongest aspect of this story, for me, definitely came with that unfolding history surrounding those supernatural elements, how they exist in this world you're building, and how connected they all are, particularly when it came to witches and their role in being the protector of it all. With that, Emily was probably the most interesting character established in this episode, and provided us with a lot of the town's history and relationship with these 'monsters.' It was nice to see her powers/magic shown from the get-go, and I do appreciate a fresh take in a show like this where not everything is a secret amongst certain characters. I do think the plot and the pacing did suffer quite heavily from the deep-dive into Emily's story, though, particularly with the dream-sequence she had, and how much the story enveloped her (rather than Shannon and the conflict at hand) during the latter half of the episode. While it was all very interesting, it just notably diverged from everything else.
I have to echo all the comments about the length of the episode, but more importantly the consistency. Typically, an act should be anywhere from 8 to 10 pages long. In this pilot, the acts were: Act One (19pgs), Act Two (14pgs), Act Three (22pgs), Act Four (10pgs), and Act Five (7pgs). I think just showing how inconsistent each act length is highlights and explains the issue a little more clearly. The way it impacted the story was that the the first act took a little too long in setting the main story up - there were a handful of interactions/moments that lingered a little too long and didn't get the ball rolling in time. As for Act Three, the conflict had sort of just sprouted to the surface with Shannon turning, Emily having just revealed her powers, all the exposition being used to explain to us what was happening with our main characters, and then of course bringing Shawn into the central conflict of the episode. I do genuinely think going back over this script with an idea of making the act lengths consistent (give or take a page difference or two) would really help to restructure it and to look over your story with a sense of what fits, what's necessary for the plot to unfold and these characters to be introduced, and then it will become a lot more cohesive and a much stronger pilot to digest.
All the stuff with Isobel and Shawn offered a fascinating conflict. Shawn, in particular, was a nice episodic way of introducing us to the stages of a vampire, in life and then death, while Isobel was being set-up to be the big bad and have this really complex relationship with the main hero. Both worked so well. I would suggest refining some of the other stories that divert from that conflict to really elevate this as the primary source of conflict, paired with the main characters merging together to learn about their place in the supernatural world and their burgeoning friendship/union. I think everything else (including establishing the parents and their relationships to their children, the dream/premonition, etc) should be secondary to those two key aspects of the story.
Lastly, there's a great deal of exposition in this episode that involved more telling than showing. I think you've created some really interesting backstories for werewolves being cursed, and witches being these protectors of the supernatural world, and all the little intricacies you established to separate your world from other supernatural universes, but it's a shame that so much of it is just blurted out to us. I think with this being a virtual series with an endless budget provides an opportunity to show us a lot more rather than allow these fantastical elements to just be spoken between characters. Even if you don't want to dive into the history so much visually in the first episode, perhaps cutting back some of the heavier spoken introductions of these aspects would allow it to feel not as forced. There were times where it felt like you wanted to get all this information out as though there was never going to be another time to address or explain things, and that's where it can feel quite forced.
Overall, I think this show has great potential. A lot was set up that has me excited for specific characters - namely Emily and Isobel, who definitely stole the show for me. There are some key dynamics, both with the main characters and our hero and villain, that was probably the biggest drive for me to want to see more. And I also just loved the effort made to deliver fresh takes on these incredibly familiar supernatural creatures/beings/monsters, whatever you want to call it.
I'd probably give this a 6/10. I really think just going back in and editing the story down into a more cohesive, 55-60pg pilot would allow all the great aspects of the story to rise to the top and fix some of the things myself, Brady and Jay mentioned in their reviews.
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Post by Jack Malone on Mar 2, 2021 20:39:11 GMT -6
This was actually way too hard to pick. I feel like everyone's choices could totally work. I love the backstory Brian had for his - I could definitely see that being a show/movie idea - and I loved the concept of Brady's Angels all being a little older (it's definitely something I could see done for a HBO Max series). I was thiiiiis close to handing this back to Jay for the next round with his picks, but I think Darrin McCann is the winner here. I could totally see Zendaya and Chloe Grace Moretz kicking ass alongside Mulan of all people. So this round goes to Darrin.
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Post by Jack Malone on Mar 1, 2021 20:42:38 GMT -6
These choices are all pretty spot on. But there can only be one winner, unless we're waking "Where's Waldo: Into the Waldo-verse." I did narrow it down to Grant Gustin and Andrew Garfield, just purely on height. But the final decision came down to something as simple as face shape. So the winner is, Jack Malone with Grant Gustin. Victory dance! Victory dance! Mine is going to be slightly annoying but I thought it would be cool. Since the Charlie's Angels (2019) film didn't do well enough to receive any sequels - and it's a property that gets rebooted all the time - I thought it would be a cool casting challenge to pick 3 new Angels for the next iteration. So who should be Charlie's Angels?
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Post by Jack Malone on Feb 27, 2021 7:22:26 GMT -6
I mean, I'mma have to go with... Grant Gustin???
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Post by Jack Malone on Feb 26, 2021 4:28:41 GMT -6
Hey Karl,
I don't understand the perception of this being an exclusive club that only certain people can enter. I'm not even sure who would fall under that category at this point, primarily because some of the people you are mentioning (including yourself) have been with the VPN for a long time and are certainly a part of this community. It's a shame that you and/or others are feeling that way, and I don't understand where it's coming from well enough to properly address it or even offer any solution for it. I think it's connected to a lack of engagement with everyone's projects and with the forum itself, and life outside of this virtual bubble taking precedence over what goes on here.
What I can address is my own contributions. For me, I think it's a little unfair to characterise this forum as nobody else receiving love except for 'Watchtower.' The "love" is me making posts in the threads. I've posted nine episodes, and received one review (shout out to Alex). I hardly think that translates to this one project consuming the forum or taking up all the attention or engagement from members here. Regardless, I just wanted to say that the time I currently have for the forum has been to finish a project I started and time hasn't really warranted an opportunity for me to get super invested in much else outside of that right now. I understand that's not much "giving back" on my part, but it's definitely my reality at the moment. Also, it's entirely possible I'm misinterpreting that aspect of your post, so please correct me if I'm wrong.
In terms of Matthew's project, I believe we were all waiting on a pilot to read? It appears it was posted yesterday - something I didn't see until I logged in today and scrolled past your post in "recent posts" to find. With all due respect, there are quite a few instances of shows being pitched and many engaging with those projects, only for a pilot to not be posted or for no updates to follow and so they go cold. 'Beacon Hallows' appears to be the first show pitched since 2019 and it was without a pilot until about 24 hours ago. I'm eager to give it a read based on the pitch - as I imagine so are those who commented on or liked the pitch - and offer a review. I don't think it was very fair to suggest that in order to fix all the issues with forum engagement, this show had to be immediately picked up. I think maybe as a task to inspire some more forum engagement, we should all give this pilot a read and offer our thoughts and reviews on the pilot and start that discussion - which is something you could do, too.
At a time where there isn't much activity on the forum, it's more likely than not that any project with a pilot and a clear passion to post episodes will be "picked up," so I don't think it's fair to Matt or anyone else to bypass that process and deny him responses to the pilot. I also think in these early stages is the best time to accumulate that engagement and excitement about a project, rather than to add another thing to the front page for episodes to be posted with no one contributing to it but the showrunner, so I don't support rushing that process.
Lastly, you mentioned seeing some things on the forum that weren't okay, and other projects you feel weren't given a chance. If you feel more comfortable talking about that in private, feel free to PM me or I'm happy to respond here. Nothing has been brought to my attention prior to this post, so I haven't been able to offer any help on whatever's troubling you or anyone else but I'm all ears here or privately.
All the best, Jack.
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Post by Jack Malone on Feb 10, 2021 8:09:05 GMT -6
Just some more spoilers for #510 Episode #5-10: "Return"Written by: Jack Malone Produced by: The VPN UPDATED 11/02/2020 - A version of DC Comics' Batgirl will be introduced in this episode. Producers told VSGuide that their version is styled from the No-Man's-Land comics (as pictured here) and will emerge out of the blue to save Chloe (Allison Mack) and Bruce (Christian Bale) from an attack by the Riddler (Joe Anderson). "Chloe is immediately impressed with her heroics and it diverts her plans from just stopping The Riddler to finding this new hero and recruiting them," series creator Jack Malone revealed to VSGuide, "It also feels like a direct callback to the [pilot] in a lot of respects with Chloe desperate to recruit a hero to the team - in [episode 10] it's the first time Chloe is back as the Watchtower and this is her first big mission and it just carries a lot of parallels to where this story began." - VSGuide has learned that Batgirl will be unmasked in episode 10 and is expected to be a character fans already know. - Oliver's (Justin Hartley) decision to make Thomas Bolt (Jay Hernandez) the Police Commissioner will come back to haunt him in this episode. UPDATED 25/08/2020 — Episode title revealed as 'Return' — This episode will be the mid-season premiere for Season 5. — DC Comics character 'The Riddler' (guest star Joe Anderson) is the main antagonist of this episode. He is expected to play a role in both the present and flashback storylines of the episode. The character was introduced in the Season 3 episode "Thief" (312) where he was captured by The Batman, and has not made any subsequent appearances until now. — The flashback story takes place mere weeks after the Season 4 finale, in a Gotham that has only just recovered from the war plagued by Maxwell Lord and the OMAC machines. — Producers told VSGuide, "As the title suggests, fans can expect more than a few surprise characters returning to the fold."
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