Detective DEVIN V. DUNCAN has been struggling for nearly a year to land a case. Faced with the reality of closing his agency in a tough economy and abandoning his desire for solving cases, one of New York's most notable socialites offers Devin an unusual opportunity to use his investigative skills. While accepting her plea to write a movie review may be the best way to keep his fledgling agency afloat, Devin is concerned this will jeopardize his reputation as a real detective.
Taking on this challenge sparks Devin's imagination manifesting into the image of a brash and beautiful woman named CARA. She is an incredible force in Devin's life, but Cara is not the only influence. Coffee shop owner, SID, along with his nephew, TY, serve Devin's craving for coffee and an extra helping of spirited debates. Devin expressing his passion for pro wrestling mirrors Ty's dream of becoming an MMA fighter. However, the heated arguments between Devin and Sid cause constant friction in which Sid, once a former sports photographer, urges Devin to close his detective agency and settle for whatever job pays the bills.
Throughout this dilemma Devin will discover that moonlighting as a movie reviewer is the perfect way to supplement his income and take on his new identity as the F.P.I.: Film Private Eye.
It explores Devin V. Duncan’s solution to surviving the Great Recession (Depression) of the early 21st Century. FPI: Film Private Eye explores what different people do when answering the question: “How far are you willing to go to make your dream a reality?”
Adversity has a way of revealing the true nature of a person and what that person does with that realization. Some people, like Devin, choose to fight no matter how ridiculous the circumstance. People like Sid give up and settle, too tired of struggling. Yet others, like Ty, aren't sure of which choice to make. He hopes the answer can be found through observing others.FPI: Film Private Eye explores all their journeys and Devin's creative process with Cara's guidence to write his imaginative movie reviews that puts the puzzling pieces back together for his grateful clients.
For more info contact: ceetaylor09@gmail.com
Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, James Marsden, Parker Posey
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 2 hrs. & 34 mins.
Superman Returns was supposedly set five years after the events which took place in Superman II. The most ethical, moral being on the planet decided those five years were better spent making sure his home planet of Krypton was actually destroyed. When Superman came back, he found he wasn’t as irreplaceable as he thought. The Earth still turned on its axis, governments still held their elections and Lois Lane still held onto her ace reporter job at the Daily Planet. Even though the names of days and months stay the same it’s the years that make them different. Lois had upgraded her life by adding a Pulitzer Prize, a fiancé named Richard White (Perry White’s nephew) and their son, Jason White.
Jason wasn’t the only one who had taken advantage of The Man of Steel’s sabbatical. Criminal master in his own mind, Lex Luthor, concocted his homemade recipe to grow land. It consisted of swiping a few Kryptonian crystals straight from his enemy’s place of residence, The Fortress of Solitude, embedding each crystal with chunks of the green substance deadly to only his said enemy, then dumping them into the Atlantic Ocean. Voila — instant expensive real estate. The only drawback was for the people residing on the Eastern seaboard. They wouldn’t live to see it. They would be stuck at the bottom of the ocean.
The good part of the flick rested on the young shoulders of Brandon Routh. I expected his presence would’ve been as irritating as checking a bag at the airport. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised. Although he still has an extremely large cape to fill, Brandon has the potential to grow out of his Christopher Reeve-like performance.
The bad parts rested on plot that had more holes than a bum’s wardrobe. This film followed the failed General Zod run for Supreme Ruler of the Universe. However, which version did Superman Returns follow? The “official” Richard Lester version of Superman II made it perfectly clear that the Big Boy Scout vowed never to go AWOL again. But in the “originally intended” Richard Donner version, everything, including Zod and his comrades’ tyrannical tirades, were null and void after Superman did his second “do-over” trick and turned the Earth backwards again. This also erased any doubt of a personal issue surrounding Lois’ son. No matter how many times the coin was tossed, the outcome remained the same: There was no need for Superman to leave Earth. Without this major plot device the flick would’ve collapsed like a failed marriage proposal, which should have transpired between Lois and Richard White. Don’t get me wrong, Richie was actually a nice guy. However, James Marsden needed to find a role where his character is allowed to get the girl, not to just keep her company until the last fifteen minutes of the movie (Okay, he managed to break this cycle in 27 Dresses, but you get what I'm saying, right?).
As for Kate Bosworth’s portrayal as the plucky reporter left much to be desired. I’ll go so far as to suggest if she and Parker Posey, who was miscast as Lex’s latest vixen, switched roles, the film would’ve had a fighting chance. Speaking of Lex, (and, unfortunately, Kevin Spacey’s uneven performance) his evil plan stripped him of his “greatest criminal mind of our time” title and gave it to Batman's nemesis, The Joker.
The special effects did what they were made to do. They eagerly showed their worth like an employee on his first day. Several of these spectacular scenes begged for the audience’s attention so much it slowed the pace of the movie. It had gotten to the point where checking my watch for the correct time was more important than watching people get tossed around.
What really stuck out the most was the missed opportunity for Superman Returns to demonstrate how Superman’s unwavering virtue never went out of style. The movie gave in to cynical, contemporary attitudes and tried hard to peel off the corny label by having him do some morally questionable actions like spying on Lois, drinking and possibly being a deadbeat dad. The filmmakers should have let him wear his Boy Scout badge proudly, proving that Superman brings hope and optimism no matter how dark and uncertain times become.
If you want a flick that accurately portrays Superman then the original Superman movie is your best bet. However, the pacing is too slow and the technology is as old as an eight track tape. Watch The Dark Knight instead. Batman is the character that reflects modern times. It has complex plots and edgy special effects that make any kid hyper without the candy.
Alicia Anders is a trend setting New York fashionista with a hint of elegance. Despite her famous reality show reputation she is sweeter, more thoughtful and smarter than tabloids give her credit for. Persuading people to see past her past has become a superhuman effort. Unraveling this mystery will require a professional who is resourceful enough and discreet enough to help her solve the unsolvable. Her future depends on it.
Ty’s friendly and excitable persona hides his inner confusion. He is unsure of whether to continue focusing solely on sports as a viable career. The obsessiveness over his goal in becoming a professional MMA fighter has taking its toll. Boxing and Martial Artists have been in his family as far back as he can remember. But he has seen people with much more skill fail and can’t understand why. He still doesn’t understand why his uncle Sid gave up his career to run an ordinary coffee shop. Ty used to love hearing his uncle’s stories after coming in from out of town and seeing the excited look in Sid’s eyes. Now, Ty can’t remember when Sid got excited about anything. Ty fears one day that will be him if or when his dreams get squashed. For a chance to escape his dilemma, he hangs around Devin in hopes of keeping the mounting pressure away while staying busy and productive.
Enjoying a career that took advantage of his best skills ended for this experienced professional. The sports photography world turned on him faster than banks foreclosed on homeowners. Sid’s outlook on life now forces him to throw away any notion of doing what he loves and settles on what he can see and touch in front of him. Simply put, Sid gave up hope, which is a surprise coming from a man who felt he could persuade anybody to do anything. He believed he could make things happen. Being shut out of an industry that he enjoyed changed that belief considerably. He now believes the assured security his coffee shop provides is good enough for him. At least he can say he survived the Great Depression of the 2010’s. The only dream he allows himself to have is aimed at his athletically talented nephew, Ty. Sid will make sure, with all of his power, Ty won’t make the same stupid, career-ending mistakes Sid made.
Cara is the kind of person you see in a mirage, flirtatiously inviting you to her oasis. She is a free spirit who is playful, smart, funny and outspoken. She would be a great date if she weren’t Devin’s creative alter ego. She represents Devin’s right brain. No. She IS his right brain. His visual and written metaphors can’t happen without her. Cara appears into Devin’s life because this is a desperate time for him. This unusual case needs a person who can think outside the box, he has been ignoring his right brain for a long time. He has let his imagination escape from time-to-time, but not when it is important — like right now, in the mist of a demoralizing creativity block. Through Cara, we get a glimpse of his fears, beliefs and his unapologetic, fearlessness he keeps trapped deep inside himself. She literally shows Devin’s mental process. As much as Devin describes things with a film noir filter, Cara uses wrestling terms in her vernacular to get her point across.
Devin’s main ambition in life is to solve puzzles the police can’t seem to solve in a way that would make his Film Noir detective heroes proud. The more dangerous the puzzle, the better. He also has a tendency to describe creatively what is around him. Yet, at the same time, he has had a hard time connecting to that creativity. After five years of moving up the ranks in his old job at a well known detective agency, Devin moved into his own Lower East Side office in Downtown Manhattan, thinking his stellar reputation will follow. In normal times, his aspirations would have been a no-brainer. His passion in becoming one of the go-to detectives in New York City would have been guaranteed. It would have been, except for one thing: the crippling economic down turn. After a dismal year no one, except the landlord, knocked on his door. Within days of eviction looming, his first and only client will present him with a case that will have him grappling with how badly he wants to keep his childhood dream alive in spite of the unorthodox means to solve his first case and save his agency.
Picture a modern day Humphrey Bogart struggling to make a living in a lousy economy. After a year of no cases, Detective Devin Duncan's first client presents him with an unusual case forcing him to moonlight to keep his agency open.
© 2014—2018 Christie Taylor, Cee Taylor Create Productions. All Rights Reserved. | ceetaylor09@gmail.com