Narrative
Clips from four short films:
-"Heads Up"
-"Last Laugh"
-"Herman?"
-"Your Wife's Pregnant"
Director:
Ryan Fenton-Strauss
SCREENPLAY-1
Everything in It
by Ryan and Katie Fenton-Strauss
Synopsis:
In the year 2040, Kolbo, Inc. has a monopoly over all entertainment, news, communication, literature and art. The Kolbo, which means 'everything in it', is the 'must have' ultimate digital device. A flexible gooseneck arm mounts on the viewer's shoulder, suspending a transparent screen in front of the face, which allows the viewer to consume media during every waking hour of the day. Eye contact during conversation is an inconvenience, and language has devolved into abbreviations and fragments. In this satirical world, the culture of consumption has nearly rendered human creativity extinct.
The protagonist, Howard Finch, is out of place in this manic, technology‐driven culture. Howard works in the lowly "Waste Management" department at Kolbo because he worships Kolbo's founder, Mr. Wunderman, but lacks the confidence and the ambition to aspire to a higher position. Howard is happiest when he is lost in an old movie at The Treasure Cinema, one of the few movie theaters that has not yet gone out of business. There finds a soul mate in a movie usher, Alice, who also seems to belong in an earlier time......(Continue Reading)
SCREENPLAY-2
The Marriage of Figowitz
by Ryan and Katie Fenton-Strauss
Synopsis:
The Marriage of Figowitz is a quirky romantic comedy about living life fully, even when you’re just hanging on by a thread. Sam Figowitz’s wife, Ada, lies on her deathbed. She pulls Sam close and struggles to speak. “If you even think of finding another woman,” she tells him, “I’ll haunt you for all your remaining days.” And then she dies.
After the funeral, Sam’s family and friends gather to sit shivah. The gathering is more of a jubilant cocktail party than a solemn religious ritual, because the only one mourning is Sam. But instead of mourning Ada, Sam is mourning his own wasted life -- his miserable marriage which often seemed more like a prison sentence than a relationship. Sam’s best friend Max valiantly tries to get those gathered to say some kind words about Ada, which is no small feat, because Ada had a remarkable gift for driving people crazy. (Sam’s friend Rose recalls the time Ada insisted they all take a long walk in subzero weather just so she could get the last fifteen cents-worth out of her parking meter.)......(Continue Reading)