Yes, I Turned Down My First Offer From a Hollywood Filmmaker

Posted on November 29, 2012 by BobMcCarty

Yes, you read that headline correctly! This morning, I turned down a request from a major Hollywood filmmaker who wanted to use something I wrote in “Frontera,” a major motion picture in which five actors — Ed Harris, Michael Peña, Eva Longoria, Amy Madigan and Shea Whigham — will play lead roles.

The request came from Frontera Productions via Ashley Kravitz at Cleared By Ashley, a company that, among other things, helps filmmakers obtain permission from owners of intellectual property to use that property in motion pictures.

Frontera Productions wanted permission to use my poster, “Top 5 Signs Your Neighbors Might Be Terrorists,” as set dressing in “Frontera,” a film about a sheriff in the U.S. who tries to track down an illegal alien involved with a robbery that killed his wife. According to the film’s page at IMDb.com, it’s set for release in 2014.

Sadly, I had to turn down this, my first offer from Hollywood via Albuquerque. Why? Because, after I reviewed the proposed release agreement, I found that it included no compensation for the use of the poster that made its first public appearance in a post Aug. 14, 2007. As a result, I simply had to decline the offer.

I did, however, leave the door open for the filmmaker to make an amended offer. I’ll let you know if anything comes of it.

Bob McCarty is the author of Three Days In August: A U.S. Army Special Forces Soldier’s Fight For Military Justice, a nonfiction book that’s available in paperback and ebook via most online booksellers, including Amazon.com. His second book, The CLAPPER MEMO, is set for release this fall.

Does Barack Obama Deserve Best Actor Award?

Posted on September 22, 2012 by BobMcCarty

Have you seen the movie, “Resident Evil: Re-Election,” starring Barack Obama? Rumor has it the man playing the “starring” role in this film is gonna be nominated for an Academy Award© as best actor. Now, one question surfaces: Does he deserve it? I’d say he does.

Not since the days of Jimmy Carter have Americans seen someone do such a poor job of pretending to know what he’s doing as president of the United States.

Vote wisely Nov. 6!

Bob McCarty is the author of “Three Days In August: A U.S. Army Special Forces Soldier’s Fight For Military Justice,” a nonfiction book that’s available in paperback and ebook via most online booksellers, including Amazon.com. His second nonfiction book, “The CLAPPER MEMO,” is set for release this fall.

Signs of the Times: Images From London

Posted on July 16, 2011 by BobMcCarty

Below are some interesting signs of the times in the form of photographic images shot by one of my sibling’s during a recent trip to London:

THE ICECREAMISTS® Agents of Cool: An ice cream shop sign in London.

BLUE BLOOD SCUM: Royal wedding sentiment along the River Thames.

THE NEW WORLD ORDER is HERE: An increasingly-opular belief etched in stone along the River Thames.

BEWARE GOVERNMENT SCAM: Good advice in a graffiti-encased message along the River Thames.

In case you didn’t know: My five siblings and I have always been world travelers. Between us, we’ve lived in 11 U.S. states and territories and in six foreign countries on five continents. Plus, we’ve visited many more states and dozens of foreign countries since leaving our native Oklahoma.

If you enjoy this blog and want to keep reading stories like the one above, show your support by using the “Support Bob” tool at right. Follow me on Twitter @BloggingMachine. Thanks in advance for your support!

Documentary Exposes America’s Lawsuit Industry

Posted on July 5, 2011 by BobMcCarty

Listening to the radio in the car this morning, I heard a spot for InJustice, a documentary about greed and corruption in the judicial system in the United States that’s set to air July 11 at 10 p.m. Eastern on the Reelz Channel. Intrigued, I did some digging.

After watching the trailer (above), I concluded that this film deserves widespread attention simply because of the fact that, if greed and corruption can occur in one legal arena, it can happen in another. Read the first two posts of my series, Family Court Nightmares, if you want proof of that.

At the InJusticeTheFilm website, the film is described this way:

The first-ever, feature-length film about the American legal system, InJustice showcases how the class action lawsuit, born from the Civil Rights Act of 1964, was skillfully managed by a small group of trial attorneys who manipulated legal rules, procedures and even their own clients – to become an international enterprise that rivals the scope and profits of Fortune 500 corporations.

Unfortunately, my cable system provider does not include the Reelz Channel in my low-budget package, so I will have to rely upon readers to fill me in on whether this promising documentary produced by Brian Kelly of Single Malt Media lives up to its hype.

Movie Recommendation: ‘Of Gods and Men’

Posted on June 24, 2011 by BobMcCarty

By Foster Friess, Guest Blogger

If you’re a moviegoer, I’m told Of Gods and Men is a Must See!…

Holding fast to faith in the face of terror, Of Gods and Men is a masterful tale of courage and fidelity.

There’s a recent French film now available in theaters in the United States that powerfully displays the struggles of Muslims and Christians working to live peacefully in a society threatened by Islamic radicals. Of Gods and Men is genuine drama, showing human beings wrestling with whether to flee in the face of terrorism or to hold fast and sacrifice themselves for others.

The film tells the true story of eight French monks in a small Algerian village who were mysteriously kidnapped and murdered in 1996. The local Muslims had been fond of these Christian brothers, who distributed not only food and medicine but also fatherly advice and care. But both Islamic terrorists and the military saw the brothers as a threat to their ideology of hate.

The dialogue is in French, with English subtitles, but it is easy to follow and even a little humorous, despite the grave situation. The most profound moment is without words: Set to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, the scene masterfully reveals the interior struggles of the monks as they contemplate the fate they are about to face. They strive mightily to maintain their Christian joy and courage despite the great threat looming before them. It’s a powerful few minutes.

In fact, Joe Morgenstern, the Wall Street Journal‘s film critic, called that scene “sublime” and said the film is “one of the most beautiful movies I know.” He adds:

… the issue becomes one of survival versus faith, and the questions deepen as the danger grows. At what point may the shepherd leave the flock? Of what avail is unsung martyrdom? These are not rhetorical questions for the frightened monks; they must make fateful decisions.

Of Gods and Men runs 2 hours.

Find theaters here.

Watch the trailer here.

God Bless,

Foster (:>)*****

Foster Friess promotes private-sector solutions to benefit society and curb an increasingly intrusive government. Through the Express Rider network of like-minded influence-leaders, FosterFriess.com provides a conduit to educate and empower citizens on issues transforming America.

‘Farmageddon’ Documents Threats to Freedoms

Posted on June 14, 2011 by BobMcCarty

Loyal readers of this blog know how much I respect individuals like Janet Allquist and Jayna Davis who take hardline stands for freedom, justice and the American way. After reading a Health Freedoms report, I think I can add Kathy Canty to the list for her work on the documentary, “Farmageddon,” for which a four-minute trailer appears below:

Canty is described in the above-referenced report as an ordinary mom who became an extraordinary filmmaker. Based solely on the film’s title, I was inclined to want to want to watch the full-length version of the film, an overview of which appears below:

Americans’ right to access fresh, healthy foods of their choice is under attack. Farmageddon tells the story of small, family farms that were providing safe, healthy foods to their communities and were forced to stop, sometimes through violent action, by agents of misguided government bureaucracies, and seeks to figure out why.

The subject matter of this film was definitely on my editorial radar. After all, I came across news of the film six months after my report about the USDA assault on the Morningland Dairy in Howell County, Mo., and only four weeks after my first report about the USDA fining a Nixa, Mo., couple $90,643 in for selling more than $500 worth of rabbits in a year,

If you run across any similar examples of heavy-handed USDA bureaucrats on the “warpath,” please drop me a note.

BobMcCarty.com

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