BEAT SHEET: The Revenant

Protagonist: Glass
Antagonist: Fitzgerald

The first act is tad long.

1. Opening Image
	Glass sleeps with wife & young son beside him
2. Theme Stated
	Son is all Glass has left: Soldiers burned his Indian home, killing Indians including Glass' wife. His son is alive. Fast forward to present: Glass and his son hunt--they fire a shot Fitzgerald: Concerned about the pelts and the sound of the gun fire from Glass hunting in the woods (because the sound could alert others).
3. Set-Up
	Group of French traders and Indians attack the Glass/Fitzgerald team for the pelts. The survivors grab pelts and flee on boat. But they're sitting ducks. New Plan sets off Fitzgerald: Glass says they should ditch the boat & go on foot. Captain orders them to leave the pelts behind. Fitzgerald is angry, he won't leave his pelt behind. Money is all he cares about. We learn of his prejudice against Indians and his suspicions on whether Glass killed soldiers in the past in favor Indians
4. Catalyst - Inciting Incident
	Glass goes hunting by himself and gets brutally attacked by a bear.
5. Debate
	It doesn't look like Glass will survive. Initial Plan: Fitzgerald thinks they should do a mercy kill Captain chooses to carry Glass. So they comply but they can't carry Glass up they mountain. Captain is tempted to kill Glass but can't so… Ultimate Plan: Captain will pay money to whoever stays with Glass, waits till he naturally dies & buries him. Fitzgerald stays behind for the money. Glass' son stays too along with another man, Bridger.
6. Break into Two
	Night time comes, Glass' son talks to him, stays by his side. Glass dreams of his wife (fortifying the importance of family) Fitzgerald: Digs a grave We learn of his dislike for Indians. He was scalped and survived. Has a scar and bald patches.
7. B Story
	Fitzgerald/Glass: Fitzgerald offers Glass a chance to die (no more suffering), all he has to do is blink. Glass seems to blink & Fitzgerald smothers him BUT Glass' son returns. Fitzgerald and son fight and the son is killed. Bridger: Returns. Fitzgerald lies to him. Tells him the son is missing and he saw the bad guys. They must leave. But Glass is alive. Bridger, unsure & scared of the bad guys coming. He gives Glass his water kanteen and takes off leaving Glass alive in a grave.
8. Fun and Games
	Glass: Survival mode. Wants revenge for his dead son. He treks, alludes bad guys. Fitzgerald/Bridger: Bridger is suspicious. Fitzgerald tells Bridger he lied. No Indians on their trail. Bridger decides to continue with this lie because Glass is probably dead.
9. Tentpole - Midpoint - Reversal
	Glass meets a a stranger who turns out to be a good guy Indian, who feeds Glass. Not everyone is bad. There is good in this world.
10. Bad Guys Close In
	Fitzgerald: Returns to fort with Bridger. Tells his lie to Captain that they buried Glass. Gets paid. Bridger remains silent but allows the lie, doesn't take his share of the money. Glass/Friend: Bad weather rolls in. Friend builds a hut to save Glass. He wakes up, his friend is gone
11. All Is Lost
	Glass: Finds his friend dead and the French traders who are the villains here. He escapes with a horse but drops his kanteen. Fitzgerald: Fitzgerald wants to get paid for skinning even if they had to leave the pelts behind. Captains says they are waiting for some men to come and then they will go back and get those pelts. Until then no one gets paid.  Plus, Fitzgerald spent more than he would have made.
12. Dark Night of the Soul
	Fitzgerald: Drunk, passes out in the snow. Glass: Dreams of his wife (he gets his strength from her). But then is attacked. Flees on horse, goes over a cliff and horse dies. Now he's on foot in the snow. Almost mirrors Fitzgerald in the snow except Glass walks & Fitzgerald passed out. Nice opposing images here.
13. Break into Three
	French traders arrive at fort looking to deal. They have the kanteen. Fitzgerald knows Glass is still alive. The others think it's Glass' son (who they didn't know was murdered) Glass shortly arrives at the fort
14. Finale - Confrontation
	Fitzgerald is missing and he stole the money in the captain's safe. Bridger is arrested though Glass vouches for him. Glass and the Captain go after Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald kills the captain. Glass uses the dead body as a ploy and shoots Fitzgerald. Glass and Fitzgerald in a brutal battle. Glass bests him, but Fitzgerald is still alive (barely). Fitzgerald says "You came all this way just for your revenge, huh? Well you enjoy it, Glass...'Cause there ain't nothin' goin' bring your boy back."
15. Aftermath
	Indians show up. Instead of finishing off Fitzgerald, Glass pushes him down the river where the Indians finish him off--scalping. They let Glass live.
16. Final Image
	Glass' face as he looks out into the image of his wife smile and walk away.

The Revenant Is A Beautiful Piece of Filmmaking

The Revenant exemplifies the fortitude of the human spirit set against a harsh environment that pushes back; while humanity, at its worse and best, clash like the hoofs of a horse against the frigid snow.  

Leonardo DiCaprio leads the cast in a tremendous performance that won him his first Oscar. Tom Hardy was also brilliant in his role.

The Revenant is sweeping dramatic western that takes us on an emotional and stressful journey, visually aided by incredible directing. It’s gritty and doesn’t hold back.

Every shot is stunning garnering Oscars for directing and cinematography, as well. The camera work as it follows the characters and the action puts us right in the middle of the action. There’s this one scene where the camera travels down the flow of the river, giving the audience a front row seat to the hecticness of the waters as if we too were riding the waves.

I can understand why the actors and crew felt challenged during the shoot. The environment was harsh and most of their time was spent in the outdoor during wintery conditions.

Set during the 1800s, The Revenant is based on the true story of Hugh Glass with John Fitzgerald as his foe.

From the start, there is conflict between Glass and Fitzgerald. There’s a racial element that has Fitzgerald not trusting Glass. Fitzgerald could have used more character development; but with the screen time he was given, the film did a good job of setting up his past in a way that explains his mistrust.

With fur on their backs, Fitzgerald, Glass and the others are hunted by a team of French traders & Indians and are forced to flee on foot.

This exchange, in particular, tells us a lot about what matters to Fitzgerald. The Captain ordered everyone to leave their goods behind to prepare for any battle that may await them, but Fitzgerald isn’t too pleased.

“You rather hold onto the pelts or your life?” - Captain Henry

“Life? What life are you talking about?! I ain't got no life! I just got a living and the only way I get to do that is through these pelts!” - John Fitzgerald

A series of events happen and Glass is left for dead and the only thing that keeps him from dying is his thirst for revenge. And so a large chunk of the film is Glass surviving his injuries, enduring the harsh elements and evading bad guys, with memories of his loved ones to keep him company.

A very good film with a satisfying ending.

Score: 9/10

Straight Outta Compton is Straight Entertaining

Great acting, good story and incredible beats.

Straight Outta Compton is a biography following rappers Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, DJ Yella and MC Ren, who form a group called NWA during the rise of rap in the 1980s.

It seemlessly merges the lives of these characters with the rap music they create as they navigate through racial tensions, bad business decisions and internal strife.

From the moment it begins, the story feels so authentic as if plucked from that period in time. There’s a scene near the start where Dr. Dre leaves home with a carton of records. He places one in and it wasn’t just any record…

It was from The Sugarhill Gang, whose “Rapper’s Delight” was the song that took America by storm and started the hip-hop explosion. I thought this was a great touch and nod.

The focus is mainly on Dr.  Dre, Ice Cube and Eazy-E. Their lives surrounded by gangs and drugs as they strive to follow their dreams and better themselves. They take that leap and work together to form a label. All the while, they are hounded by the police even when they are taking a harmless break outside of the studio.

They hook up with Jerry Heller, who manages them and helps get their name out by finding a producer.  They become famous, make records and sell out tours.

But problems ensue. Contracts and dealing become a problem and friendships are strained.

The journey is interesting to watch and we root for them. It offers us a look into how record deals are not always what you want them to be.

The acting was so good. It was like watching these guys in real life. Ice Cube was played by his son and he really got all the mannerisms down to a tee. It was uncanny.

And it was cool to watch other rappers pop up in the movie with some rhymes to boot. Straight Outta Compton had me bopping my head. And even if you’re not a fan of rap music, the story stands on its own with heart felt moments and great character relationships, be it good or bad.

There was never a boring moment.  Though, the final act played out a bit different from the rest. The first three quarters was more about the group and their goals. While the last part focused more on the individual aspect.

But I thought it was good all the way through.

Score: 8.5/10