Scott Myers

Daily Dialogue — October 25, 2010

“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”   — Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), The Princess Bride (1987), screenplay by William Goldman, based on his novel The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is callbacks suggested by @tiffanyleigh. Trivia: Mandy Patinkin revealed that acting out Inigo’s

Review: “Paranormal Activity 2”

myPDFscripts is an excellent resource, not just because they make hundreds of screenplays available for download for free, but also for their interviews and movie reviews. In this one, contributor Jeff Beck provides his take on Paranormal Activity 2. The money quote: To put it simply, if you’ve seen

Sleeper Films: “Manon des sources”

I thought it might be interesting this week to bring to the attention of the GITS community favorite movies of ours that might have slipped beneath the radar. They could be indie features, foreign movies, or older films, but while they may not have achieved much in the way of

“Open letter to airlines: We hate you”

I rarely stray from talking about movies, TV, stories, etc. But I think that TV writer Ken Levine, he of the excellent blog …by Ken Levine: The World as Seen by a TV Comedy Writer, speaks for us all in this rant on a subject not so near and dear

Video Interview: Buck Henry

This is quite a find: Nearly 3 hours of memories and insights from veteran screenwriter and TV writer Buck Henry at EmmyTVLegends.org. Here’s just a partial list of Henry’s writing credits: The Graduate, Get Smart (TV series), Catch-22, What’s Up, Doc?, and To Die For.

Daily Dialogue — October 24, 2010

Bender [to himself, crawling above some acoustic ceiling tiles]: Naked blonde walks into a bar with a poodle under one arm, and a two-foot salami under the other. The bartender says, I guess you won’t be needing a drink. Naked lady says…[the ceiling gives way] Bender: Oh,

Sleeper Films: “Jean de Florette”

I thought it might be interesting this week to bring to the attention of the GITS community favorite movies of ours that might have slipped beneath the radar. They could be indie features, foreign movies, or older films, but while they may not have achieved much in the way of

Written Interview: Greg Berlanti (“Green Lantern”)

Today’s written interview from the most excellent LAT’s movie blog Hero Complex is with screenwriter and TV writer-producer Greg Berlanti whose credits include the TV series “Dawson’s Creek”, “ Everwood,” “Dirty Sexy Money,” “ Eli Stone,” “ Brothers & Sisters,” and the current series “ Brothers & Sisters.” Here in

Daily Dialogue — October 23, 2010

Lilah Krytsick: Hello, my name is Lilah Krytsick, and on our wedding night, my husband gave me something very long and hard… a new name.  — Lilah Krysick (Salley Fields), Punchline (1988), written and directed by David Seltzer The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is characters telling jokes suggested by

‘RED,’ As Written by David Mamet

From Cinematical: One of the supporting roles in ‘RED’ is played by Rebecca Pidgeon, who is married to David Mamet and primarily appears only in movies written and/or directed by him. When you see Rebecca Pidgeon in a film, you think David Mamet must be involved. As it happens,

Sleeper Films: “The Great Santini”

I thought it might be interesting this week to bring to the attention of the GITS community favorite movies of ours that might have slipped beneath the radar. They could be indie features, foreign movies, or older films, but while they may not have achieved much in the way of

Great Characters: Hannibal Lecter (“The Silence of the Lambs”)

In the AFI series “100 Heroes and Villains,” atop that list as the #1 villain of all time is Hannibal Lecter. However in the movie The Silence of the Lambs (screenplay by Ted Tally, based on a novel by Thomas Harris), the irony is that Lecter is not the story’

Daily Dialogue — October 22, 2010

Joe: So, you guys like to tell jokes, huh? Gigglin’ and laughin’ like a bunch of young broads sittin’ in a schoolyard. Well, let me tell a joke. Five guys, sittin’ in a bullpen, in San Quentin. All wondering how the fuck they got there. What should we have done,

“Hobbit” casting announced

From THR: Since The Hobbit films received a green light on October 15, pre-production has been in full swing. Set for release in December, 2012 and December, 2013, we can confirm that Martin Freeman (The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Hot Fuzz) will play Bilbo Baggins, the hero of

Longing for the Lines That Had Us at Hello

Did you see this article in the NY Times yesterday: LOS ANGELES — Have we heard the last (truly memorable) word from Hollywood? Probably not, but it’s been a while since the movies had everybody parroting a great line. Like, say, “Go ahead, make my day.” That was from “Sudden

Dumb Little Writing Tricks That Work: Star-casting

The Variety report of the spec script sale yesterday — “Sunny and 68” — had this bit of business: O’Connor, whose “Pride and Glory” was released this past weekend by Warner Bros., said he and Tambakis wrote the script, a drama with comedic overtones, with [Vince] Vaughn in mind for the

Sleeper Films: “Dear Frankie”

I thought it might be interesting this week to bring to the attention of the GITS community favorite movies of ours that might have slipped beneath the radar. They could be indie features, foreign movies, or older films, but while they may not have achieved much in the way of

In Memory of Diane Thomas (1946–1985)

25 years ago today, screenwriter Diane Thomas was killed in an automobile accident near Malibu, California. Per Wikipedia: Diane Thomas (January 7, 1946–October 21, 1985) was a screenwriter. She was working as a waitress while writing scripts and then had the opportunity to pitch the script for Romancing the

The Business of Screenwriting: Always be nice to the assistants

In the heady days after our spec script K-9 sells, we have several meetings with our agents at Bauer / Benedek (a boutique lit agency that later merged with others to become UTA). Those meetings are largely about… well, meetings, as that’s what happens in Hollywood: new talent shuttles

Daily Dialogue — October 21, 2010

“I seen your mother kicking a can down the street. I said ‘What you doin’?’ and she said ‘Moving.’”  — Billy Hoyle (Woody Harrelson), White Men Can’t Jump (1992), written by Ron Shelton The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is characters telling jokes suggested by Martin_B. Trivia: Ron

Pixar’s People, At Play With Ideas In ‘Toy Story 3’

Toy Story 3 is soon to be available on DVD, so Pixar arranged to have its director Lee Unkrich and screenwriter Michael Arndt appear on “Fresh Air” yesterday. Here are some highlights of the wide-ranging interview: On speaking to adults and kids at the same time Michael Arndt: “Your

“The Eureka Hunt”

We’ve bumped around the subject of the human brain before here and its connection to the creative process. Well, the July 28th issue of the New Yorker magazine has an article called “The Eureka Hunt” that is right in my wheelhouse of interest. What happens in the human brain

Sleeper Films: “Repo Man”

I thought it might be interesting this week to bring to the attention of the GITS community favorite movies of ours that might have slipped beneath the radar. They could be indie features, foreign movies, or older films, but while they may not have achieved much in the way of

Academy Announces Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship Winners for 2010

From the AMPAS: Beverly Hills, CA (October 20, 2010) — Five writers have been selected as winners of the 25th annual Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Each writer will receive a $30,000 prize, the first installment of which

World Television Premiere: Restored version of “Metropolis”

Great news for movie fans: This November, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will present a groundbreaking achievement in filmmaking and film restoration with the world television premiere of the newly restored version of Fritz Lang’s 1927 science-fiction masterpiece Metropolis. This extraordinary new edition of the film, which had its