Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Fresh Heir Vol. III

Author: Brian
Location: Arizona

"Fresh Heir: Volume III"

Directed by Paul Greengrass
Written by Paul Greengrass and Akiva Goldsman
Produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks
Music by Howard Shore

Principal Cast:

Natalie Portman (Nina Wilson)
Elijah Wood (Todd Hall)
Tom Hanks (William Sanders)
Terrence Howard (Former Chairman Michael Finn)
Daniel Craig (Thomas Rogers)
Virginia Madsen (Christina Benson)
Uma Thurman (Stacy Jameson)
Kevin Kline (Ray Stammerton)

Tagline: "A Queen Will Return. A War Will Rage. An Epic Will End"

Synopsis: In the final installment of “Fresh Heir,” we begin with Todd and Michael controlling the raging Civil war against William Sanders and Stacy Jameson. Christina Benson has been taken Prisoner of War, although she was supposed to be leading Todd and Michael’s side. Defeat is imminent, and war seems pointless. On the other side of Dalena is Former Queen Nina Wilson, who has taken a false identity as a normal citizen, forced to hail Sanders. She meets Thomas Rogers, a rebel against the government. She begins a seemingly perfect romance with him. Meanwhile, Christina Benson has now been killed. The rebels have no leader. They set out to find the heart and soul of Dalena: Nina Wilson. They are able to do so, but they find her kidnapped by Thomas, who turned out to be an undercover spy. Nina, Todd and Michael are then tortured. After nearly a year of that, they are able to escape to return to their home soil, where they find Dalena in ruins. A Civil War has been lost. Three rebels survived.

Nina will not take no for an answer. As she watches the corruption, she forgets all of the reasons she ever loved Dalena. She gets the other two to form a group against the government. They then meet Ray Stammerton, one of Sanders’ head advisers. He gives them the secrets to invading the dictator’s office, and how to work the unique weapons he has. If any of the four are caught, though, they face immediate execution. They find it well worth the risk, and they invade Sanders’ office, only to find hundreds of guards in front of them. They don’t fight. They run, but cannot all escape. One doesn’t. Michael Finn is dead.

Nina is faced with thoughts of suicide, once again. She and Todd go back not to kill Sanders, but to kill themselves. As the guards start to charge, they have a quick change of heart, remembering all that died before them. Miranda and Rebecca Hall, Linda Summers, Christina Benson and Michael Finn. With the energy of the spirits of the others, and with 1: 500 odds, they are able to destroy each guard, Stacy Jameson and William Sanders, and even take back the throne to Dalena. Their nation has become a democracy, and at the end we see Todd and Nina at age 90. Nina says “Todd, if life is a journey, then we couldn’t have led a bigger one.”

What the press would say:

WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW! The unspeakably popular “Fresh Heir” franchise has come to a sweeping, 4 hour conclusion. You don’t have to be a fan to have your breath taken away by this masterpiece. The action is everywhere, the drama is inescapable, the performances are breathtaking, the story is flawless and everything looks gorgeous. I simply cannot think of wanting anything more from a movie. This is one of the best in decades. While we all know that this is a lock for just about everything Oscar-related, it could still use a strong campaign in the following categories:

Best Picture (Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks)
Best Director (Paul Greengrass)
Best Actor (Elijah Wood)
Best Actress (Natalie Portman)
Best Supporting Actor (Tom Hanks, Terrence Howard, Daniel Craig)
Best Supporting Actress (Uma Thurman, Virginia Madsen)
Best Original Screenplay (Paul Greengrass and Akiva Goldsman)
Best Film Editing
Best Cinematography
Best Original Score (Howard Shore)
Best Original Song (“The Row Thy Walk” by Norah Jones)
Best Visual Effects
Best Sound Mixing
Best Sound Editing
Best Makeup
Best Art Direction
Best Costume Design

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