Hindsight
Genre(s): Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Logline:
As a five year old, David Stone witnesses the death of his father and thirty-eight years later is driven to launch his own investigation into the closed case of this "accidental" shooting.
Synopsis:
A five-year-old boy witnesses the violent death of his father. After nearly forty years of successfully repressing that memory, David Stone's life begins to unravel. He soon realizes the comfortable existence he has built for himself is held together by a web of lies and self-deception. David begins a search for truth that eventually destroys the carefully constructed myth of his past.
At the insistence of his wife, Marilynn, David seeks help from a sleep lab psychologist to uncover the source of his disturbing dreams. The doctor forces David to confront the memory he fears most: the night his father was killed. One horrifying vision of a blood-stained wall triggers a collage of frightening visuals that move from the realm of imagination to reality.
The discovery of a lost diary coupled with the intense need to know how and why his father died drive David Stone to abandon his marriage and his fear. Spurred on by the disturbing contents of the diary, he begins his own investigation into the "closed case" of his father's "accidental" shooting. With the tenacity of a dedicated detective he uses the contents of an old love letter, newspaper files and his own memory to piece together the events that occurred on a cold fall night in 1961.
David soon discovers that a little knowledge can be dangerous. Strange things begin to happen. He meets the son he never knew he had and foils a blackmail attempt. He is stalked by a mysterious stranger and his home is ransacked. His suspicions of foul play confirmed, David Stone finds himself the next most likely victim.
Author Info:
ALAN MACINROY studied film and theatre at Simon Fraser University's School for the Contemporary Arts while pursuing a degree in Communications. He is the author of six plays including The Mourning Heir which was presented in a staged reading at the Vancouver New Play Festival in 1994. It is upon this play that Hindsight is based.
ALAN MACINROY, Writer
(604) 874-8555
(604) 331-1877 Fax
ajaxalan@yahoo.ca
His Cake
Genre(s): Comedy, Coming of Age, Drama
Logline:
Mal, a queer party animal with a heart of ice awakens one day with a sudden realization: he must reproduce.
Synopsis:
Coming of age with a twist. No nubile teens exploring sexual identity; we're talking club kids hitting the harsh reality of thirty in an unforgiving urban landscape, and wondering what they'll be when (and if) they ever grow up.
Mal provides the 'His' in His Cake. Cute, still able to pass as twenty-something, working sporadically in a low-rent portrait studio, Mal finds that even living for the moment requires a bit too much commitment. He'd call himself gay, but that might imply he wants a relationship. Let's just say: he fucks guys. The 'Cake' is what puts sweetness in life - finding out where it is and what to do with it takes Mal on a funny, poignant (and sometimes frightening) journey.
The story: Mal and his straight friend Rob are inseparable. They hang out, drink heavy, and play hard - leaving a trail of dumped lovers in their wake. Hey, it's their thing: but then something happens. One day, while consoling a sobbing, camera-shy child, Mal finds himself close to tears. His 'biological clock' has sounded, shattering his cool, well-insulated world. He needs to have his own kid - now! After all, how hard can it be? A bit of slippery interaction, a few months waiting, and presto, one beautiful baby to love and protect forever.
But nothing's ever as easy as it sounds. Of course there's always longtime friend Julia, who keeps saying she wants kids but not marriage. They've talked about it, but it's always been a boozy, late night, let's-play-house kind of chat. Now he’s serious, but Julia’s busy, fed up with his Peter Pan act, about to leave town. How to convince Julia that he has what it takes, dad-wise?
His latest gesture - 'forgetting' to drive her to the airport - doesn't make Julia any more receptive. In her view, 'babies don't raise babies'; and charming, witty, selfish Mal, who's drunk every night and has never had a boyfriend for more than a day, won't be getting her vote for Father of the Year. She offers him a few insights, and by the time she boards her plane, it's pretty clear - despite her affection for Mal, they won't be starting a child together any time soon.
But Mal's had an epiphany, and he's not giving up. With Julia gone, he turns to Rob, seeking support for his quest and the changes it demands. Support, however, isn't Rob's strong suit. A career slacker, he plays the artiste, but never puts brush to canvas, his 'vocation' a ploy to get women into bed. 'Til now he and Mal have been on the same page: drinking, partying, helping each other seduce the gullible. They've spent years mirroring each other, one gay, one straight, but in other ways almost indistinguishable. So what's with the sobriety and faithfulness shtick; what does this abrupt rejection of their shared lifestyle really say? The new Mal is a personal insult, a threat - Rob will do whatever he can to derail him.
Enter Pascal, twelve, a textbook 'child at risk,' living in the neighbourhood with his drug-hazed mom. Just your average lying, homophobic, manipulative youth, he conceals his need for attention so tidily that he appears untouchable. His first, chance encounters with Mal are edgy, tinged with violence. Sure Pascal's bright - he can also be obnoxious, devious, and downright scary. Yet somehow there's a connection, and as Mal slowly gets to know the kid better, a new imperative appears. It's like he has to reach Pascal; not just as some arbitrary 'test' of fathering potential, but because this kid, his future, his unique, quirky humanity, is important.
Meanwhile, Rob's started painting again, has even smarmed his way into a gallery show; and he seems to have forgiven Mal's desertion of their old way of life. Things are looking up everywhere. Pascal has found a real friend in Mal. And Mal has sobered up, he's got a 'real boyfriend' and a new sense of direction. He sees his virtuous efforts paying off at last.
Then everything - loyalty, love, Mal's dreams of fatherhood - falls apart, all on the day of Rob's big opening. Suddenly Rob's acting weird, sending Mal an all-new vibe, like they're more than just friends - or could be more. But Rob's straight, and Mal's committed now, isn't he? That same night, Mal sees an (even) darker side of Pascal, who has now teamed up with Doug, Mal's suspicious and maybe violent rival for Pascal's attention. And that's when Julia, the lodestar in Mal's life, returns, not to make it all better, but to unveil a secret that changes everything.
One rainy, dangerous night, Mal must face questions about the nature of love, truth, and commitment, and choose: between what's real and what's just one more slice... of His Cake.
Author Info:
BYRON FAST has published film, theatre and other media reviews for the Georgia Straight, Xtra West, Taxi Magazine and various sites on the internet. He wrote and produced At the Watercooler, a held-over hit at Vancouver's Fringe Festival in 1994. He also wrote, produced and appeared in Queer Things I Hate About You: a short video which premiered at Out On Screen in Summer 2000. Next he will be serving as co-writer and performer in Lorn: a collaborative video, produced and directed by Andrew Power and featuring Marlene Madison. His second screenplay, Things to do Today, is a very Canadian look at the "I want it all" generation.
BYRON FAST, Writer
(604) 879-6599
byronfast@netscape.net
Horse Apples
Genre(s): Coming of Age, Drama, Comedy
Logline:With the eminent closure of its turn-of-the-century ice rink, the community of Shinny Saskatchewan must band together not only to save hockey, but also the town itself.
Synopsis:
Who would have thought that beer, manure and Anne Murray memorabilia could be such a potent mixture!
Like most 12-year-old boys growing up on the Canadian Prairies, Espo Beckerjeck dreams of one day playing in the NHL. He has all the talent. The problem is that he just might not have the ice, as Shinny, Saskatchewan’s turn-of-the-century rink, is about to be forcibly shut down. Much more is at stake than the end of organized hockey though, as like so many small prairie communities, the end of the rink more often than not means the end of the town itself. Suddenly this group of a few hundred finds itself with less than a year to raise half a million dollars.
Who will save the day?
Could it be Mr. Zamboni, the French Canadian bingo caller? Perhaps Paul Hendrickson, the expatriate American Dead Head? What about Gretzky, the hockey playing canine? Maybe even Buzz Busby, the town’s stereotypical beer drinking hoser?
Horse Apples follows this quirky community’s attempt at survival as it explores the imagination and dreams embedded in the mystical side of the Canadian national pastime.
Author Info:
JAMES PHILLIPS has completed 6 feature film scripts. He's recently been writing for various local television drama including Stargate SG-1 and Cold Squad, which he is currently the story editor. He graduated from Simon Fraser University with a degree in Business Administration.
JAMES PHILLIPS, Writer
#31 - 1175 East Road
Anmore, BC V3H SB4
(604) 461-2229
jtphillip@hotmail.com
Agent: Brent Sherman
Characters Talent Agency
(416) 964-8522
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