Barnstormer Productions

12/31/2021

Betty White has died at 99. I saw here at a few NATAS EMMY events through the years and she was always the life of the party. 😢

02/10/2020

This week we lost an icon. Kirk Douglas was my favorite actor as a kid, due to his rascal performance in 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea. My admiration did not diminish as I grew older and saw his other films like Spartacus. I had the good fortune to hear him speak 6 years ago in Hollywood sitting a mere 10 feet/3 meters from him. I also got him to sign a book for me. I celebrate his life! I am Spartacus!!

01/17/2020

I've seen/met Betty White three times. She is just as you'd expect. This was a memorable evening because my mom came with me to the event! -Jeffrey Lehmann

12/20/2019

Spoiler alert! We laughed, we cried, we clapped!!

See it in 3D!!!!! I dare not say anymore.

10/11/2019

Downton Abbey - 9/10
Go See It!
My Rating 91%
Story 95%, Humor 80%, Originality 90%, Humanity 100%,
I hate the king/queen/princess trope, never mind really kings/queens. I did not think I’d like this film, and I didn’t know any of the characters. But, there was a short in the beginning that catches you somewhat up to speed despite being somewhat overwhelming. I was slow to buy in, but by the end of the movie I was all about it. There were some good laughs for me throughout. I was fascinated by a number of the storylines especially the gay and the baby ones, who would have thought that going on an African safari would be a bad thing until you’re going to miss the birth of your first born. The most interesting thing for me was that I’ve heard many times in writing seminars that you don’t want to tie-up everything too neatly at the end of a film. I’ve always disagreed with this, and this film certainly ties up everything!

05/13/2019

Only Happy Talk about a great life lived.

Screen legend Doris Day has passed away. I watched "South Pacific" on the big screen 6 months ago, and I was amazed at how I was still entertained by a movie I hadn't seen since I was a kid. She brought sunshine to every one of her roles. She will be remembered and missed!

05/13/2019

Screen legend Doris Day has passed away. I watched "South Pacific" on the big screen 6 months ago, and I was amazed at how I was still entertained by a movie I hadn't seen since I was a kid. She brought sunshine to every one of her roles. She will be remembered and missed!

04/05/2019

A new season of “Weekend Explorer” is about to start airing on PBS featuring National Parks, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and other amazing wild places. Follow “Weekend Explorer” on Facebook for all the details.

02/28/2019

Richard Branson talked about a lot of things Tuesday night at the Traffic & Conversion Summit, mostly his outrageous promotional stunts. The most important thing that he said however is that allowing his employees to work when and from where they want to that they worked harder and better for him aka Virgin. This included employees taking sabbaticals if/when they want, leave if/when they want, and to work from home at the hours they wanted.

01/13/2019

If Beale Street Could Talk-
Why I hated this film. Before you think I'm racist or something... Let me start by saying I absolutely love "The Green Book", easily a "Best Film" contender for the upcoming Oscars. Beale Street beats you up on black oppression. It had to be set in the past because modern genetic detective work would not make it believable today. There are colorful characters for sure and there are definitely some great scenes. I look forward to seeing these great actors in more entertaining films in the future. But, at the end of the day this film was just boring! I see three films a week as a profession script writer, even saw "Teen Titans Go" with my nephews. I have not once checked the time in the last year or more. I checked the time three times during this film! I couldn't wait for it to end. Lastly, director Barry Jenkins III could have saved this film if only there was an emotional pay-off at the end. There wasn't! It was just boring and depressing the entire time. Just 2+ hours of wasted time, 3 if you count the trailers and time to get there etc. I don't even recommend this for home viewing. Of course, this will put it top of the list for the Oscars as yet another self-flagellation in response to the long American history of black abuse. If you are too happy and need to depress yourself without learning almost anything a relatively educated person already knows, this is a great film for you to see!

12/16/2018

Creed II
See it!
I know, I know… what new could they possibly come up with in the Rocky franchise. I even liked Creed (2015), but it was only a sense of duty that I went to see Creed II. And… it was good! It not only has a heartfelt believable story and excellent acting, but it has some hard laughs throughout the film. I know it’s not on your list (and I’m probably just talking to the guys here), but it’s definitely worth a watch. One of the most interesting things is that the next night at my favorite San Diego burrito shop JC’s, they were running the original Rocky film where Apollo dies (Rocky IV). I was amazed at how they were able to bring so many of those people back for this film (a few have died remember) 33 years later.

Filmmaker Insights- Spoiler Alert
1.) I am always curious about the length of films. I used to run a short film festival and saw hundreds and I’ve seen hundreds aka thousands of full length films. I know they say the 90-minute format has to do with turnover and popcorn sales (which I’m sure is true), but this film really shows how a feature needs to build… over time. Creed’s first fight was almost a film of sorts, but a very dissatisfying one.
2.) We are taken on a long story journey to get to the payoff. There is a great one here. It is more than a surface deep one, and it nicely explores the Drago family’s struggles. Yes, when the payoff comes, it is cut short. I feel that when Creed finally succeeds that he the audience emotional reward is cut way too short. We need some time to bask and feel good. This is especially true since the film then makes us feel bad or at least brings us back to earth.