Report Card----"Fences"

"Fences" is based on August Wilson's play.
 Denzel Washington starred in the play in 2010, and reprises his role here.
The play resembles "A Raisin In The Sun".
There's nothing wrong with that.
Denzel is the muscle here.  He also directed it.
He plays a blue collar garbage-man in Pittsburgh in the fifties.
Viola Davis plays his wife.
The play is very good, and it translates to a very good movie.

On to the scoring:   

Is it interesting?

Extremely
A.

Compelling even?

Sometimes.
A.

Is it controversial?

Not really.
C.

Is it a story worth telling?

It's familiar turf.
B.

Is it good storytelling?

Very.
A.

Is it well written?

Extremely.
A+.

Is it well cast? Well played?

If you like Denzel, and Viola,  you'll certainly like them in this.
A+.

Well shot?

It was a slightly expanded play.  And it looks it.
But they didn't hurt themselves.
A.

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

He made no mistakes, but that's not saying much..
B.

How long does it take to establish the film's locale and time period?

Immediately.
A.

Is it too long? Too short?

Just about right.
A.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?

Extremely and totally.
A+.

Is it predictable? Does it surprise you?

I was never ahead of it.
A.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

Only that I just saw a really good movie.
A.

Is it funny?

When it needs to be.
A.

Would it have been worth the thirteen bucks it would have cost to see it in the movies?

I could have easily waited for cable.
B-.

Is it impressive?

Very
A.

Overall grade: A.

This is very good work, if not earth-shaking.
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My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@comcast.net
And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

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