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Filmmaker Brian BoyeSo here’s the premise: A group of old college alumns – fraternity brothers – meet up with their younger matriculated complements from the alma mater. A 500-mile expanse of blacktop rolls through the rural flatland and farm pastures of Nebraska, Iowa and eastern Illinois on the way to the bright lights of the big city – Chi-Town, the Windy City, Chicagoland. It’s a breakneck pace driving through the inky, black veil so the chums can make the invite – the whole crew has been called up to sing the national anthem pregame for the Chicago White Sox.

Give the concept to Seth Rogen (Superbad, Pineapple Express) to write and the flick becomes a sharp-witted comedy with plenty of crudeness, illicit substances and an MPAA big-branded “R.” If the wordsmith Elmore Leonard penned the novel (which most certainly would be adapted for the big screen), the movie becomes a gritty thriller interlaced with a flawed, nuanced hero and overlaid with streetwise criminals, who have larger than life ambition. Essentially, it is all about the spin, that is, the way the story is told.

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Strugglers Hill Movie ImageStrugglers Hill is a neighborhood in Kansas City, KS with the borders of 13th and 10th Streets (west and east) and State Ave. and Walker (south and north). Founded in the early 1920′s, the neighborhood was home to many African-Americans that went on to prominence in politics, business, philanthropy and art.

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As regards the move that brands are making toward an embrace of branded entertainment (“advertainment”), an article that appeared at SHOOTonline.com on August 15, 2011 notes the following:

The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has found that nearly two-thirds of client-side marketers—63 percent—plan to participate in branded entertainment projects in 2012, making branded entertainment a common marketing strategy for many companies.

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Allure of Love PosterRoyal Caribbean tapped Jenny McCarthy and James Brolin to direct and star in two short films that showcase the company’s Allure of the Seas, which from the size of the vessel appears to be a floating island.

The shorts highlight the ship’s environment and multitude of activities that can be done while onboard. The copy isn’t “adcentric” but does include mentions of the Allure’s features and benefits, which is to be expected since the shorts are branded entertainment (“advertainment”) with a specific purpose in mind – entice the consumer to book passage.

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On Target“Advertainment” – a hybrid of entertainment and advertising – is a form of Multiplatform Content, which leverages the power of entertainment infused with a brand’s marketing message to engage consumers and end users; the goal being to form a persistent, positive impression of the brand in the minds of consumers and end users across multiple distribution channels. Moving forward with this notion and allowing liberty with the term “brand”, one could substitute the word “brand” with group, person, place or even message. A foundation of the advertainment model is a web series (a web-based video series).

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'Columbiana' movie posterIn the new action film, Colombiana, Zoe Saldana stars as Cataleya, a young woman bent on avenging the death of her parents, who were killed by the Colombian drug lord, Don Luis (played by actor Beto Benites). Saldana demonstrates why she is a hot commodity in Hollywood delivering a surprisingly good performance in an all too predictable film that offers the audience stock characters and a been-there-seen-that story. Read the rest of this entry »

'Fright Night' PosterThe 2011 resurrection of Fright Night is as campy as the 1985 original film, though the redo possesses a decidedly more cynical tone and adds a healthy dose of FX work and 3D gore for horror genre fans. Read the rest of this entry »

'The Help' movie posterThe Help easily qualifies as one of the year’s best films. Based on Kathryn Stockett’s novel of the same name, the film features a cast of talented actresses who deliver incredible performances in a period piece set against the backdrop of the segregated American South in the early 1960′s. Read the rest of this entry »

'God's Man' PosterFinishing a film – any film – is a monumental accomplishment. The sheer effort that must be expended in order to push the boulder uphill while hundreds of mammoth-sized boulders approaching the weight of orbiting celestial bodies come rushing at you is exhaustive. Read the rest of this entry »

'Last Breath' ImageFilmmakers Ty Jones and Aaron Laue premiere their indie feature film Last Breath this weekend at the Screenland Crown Center for its theatrical run. The film has received warm receptions from audiences and juries alike on the festival circuit and now makes its Kansas City debut, this being presented by CinemaKC. Read the rest of this entry »