“Man in a Blizzard” Roger Ebert thinks this deserves as Academy Award: A New York City filmmaker who shot an homage to the 1929 silent film “Man with a Movie Camera” during the city’s blizzard sent it to Roger Ebert — and impressed him so much that the critic says the online video deserves
The lowest-grossing wide releases of 2010 Movifone has put together this list of the lowest-grossing movies in wide release during 2010: 10. ‘Splice’ (Gross: $17 million. Widest release: 2,450 theaters.) 9. ‘Youth in Revolt’ (Gross: $15.3 million. Widest release: 1,873 theaters.) 8. ‘My Soul to Take’ (Gross: $14.7 million. Widest release:
Joseph Campbell quotes: Day 11 From Monday, December 20-Sunday, January 2, I’m going to post a Joseph Campbell quote each day at 9AM PST. Why? Because the end of the year is a time to reflect on our lives — what we do and what we hope to do, who we are and who
Great Character: Dr. David Dreyfuss (“The Apartment”) I doubt you can recall his name, but if you’re a fan of The Apartment, I’m sure you remember his face: The character’s name is Dr. David Dreyfuss and even though his role is a secondary one, he provides a critical Mentor function to the Protagonist C.
Daily Dialogue — December 30, 2010 “Happy New Year, Lieutenant Dan!” — Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks), Forrest Gump (1994), screenplay by Eric Roth, based on the novel by Winston Groom The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is New Year’s Eve. Trivia: One of the songs that plays during Forrest’s cross-country run is “Against
“Competition arrives for screenwriting software titans” Surprising article in Variety today about — of all things — screenwriting software. Sounds like a subject for a end-of-year filler piece, but they go into the subject at some depth. An excerpt: Once upon a time, screenwriting was a labor-intensive vocation. And that labor was hardly confined to
Joseph Campbell quotes: Day 10 From Monday, December 20-Sunday, January 2, I’m going to post a Joseph Campbell quote each day at 9AM PST. Why? Because the end of the year is a time to reflect on our lives — what we do and what we hope to do, who we are and who
Screenwriting 101: Daniel Waters “The first draft is the one thing they can’t take away from you, so revel in it. Don’t let anyone tell you that the most important part is the mechanics of it all. The most important part is the initial daydream. If you write a stunningly unique personal
Daily Dialogue — December 29, 2010 “[singing] One minute to midnight, one minute to go, one minute to say good-bye, before we say hello.” — Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby), Holiday Inn (1942), screenplay by Claude Binyon, adaptation by Elmer Rice, based on an idea by Irving Berlin Trivia: Irving Berlin got the idea for the film
Break the story in prep Have you ever started a script and not finished it? Has it ever taken you 4, 5, 6 months or more to finish a script? Have you ever gotten so lost when writing a story, you became incredibly frustrated? Chances are you did not do enough story preparation. Don’t
Joseph Campbell quotes: Day 9 From Monday, December 20-Sunday, January 2, I’m going to post a Joseph Campbell quote each day at 9AM PST. Why? Because the end of the year is a time to reflect on our lives — what we do and what we hope to do, who we are and who
Hollywood Tales “The movie comes out of two separate depositions, happening concurrently, from two lawsuits that have been brought against Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. So we’re hearing different versions of the truth from a lot of witnesses, and I exploited that for the purpose of storytelling to create a Rashomon effect.
Daily Dialogue — December 28, 2010 “It’s New Year’s fucking Eve! Even the Pope has a drink on New Year’s Eve.” — Andrew (Kenneth Branagh), Peter’s Friends (1992), written by Rita Rudner & Martin Bergman The Daily Dialogue theme this week is New Year’s Eve. Peter’s Friends suggested by Tavis Sarmento.
Jeff Bridges almost didn’t do The Dude! Perish the thought: Amazing, isn’t it, how each of us hits certain forks-in-the-road during our lives. Good choices. Bad choices. Bridges playing Lebowski was definitely a good choice. For more on The Dude, you can check out this Great Character post.
Using songs in a script Occasionally this question will pop up: Is it appropriate to include specific song titles / lyrics in a spec script? Taking into consideration the conventional wisdom of what’s perceived as professional vs. amateur by script readers, the basic answer is no. The logic behind those style considerations is that any
Producer Spotlight: Scott Rudin Scott Rudin is one of the most prolific producers in Hollywood with 87 movie credits including Wonder Boys, The Darjeeling Limited, The Social Network, and True Grit. Anne Thompson at IndieWire sat down with Rudin recently. Here are some excerpts from that feature: Most weekdays, producer Scott Rudin, 52, starts
Joseph Campbell quotes: Day 8 From Monday, December 20-Sunday, January 2, I’m going to post a Joseph Campbell quote each day at 9AM PST. Why? Because the end of the year is a time to reflect on our lives — what we do and what we hope to do, who we are and who
On writing “I am the sort of man who writes because he has made progress, and who makes progress by writing.” — Augustine
Daily Dialogue — December 27, 2010 SHELDRAKE: Sorry it took me so long on the phone. But we’re all set. FRAN: All set for what? SHELDRAKE: I rented a car — it’s going to be here at one o’clock — we’re driving to Atlantic City. FRAN: Atlantic City? SHELDRAKE: I know it’s a
Profile: Darren Aronofsky, Part 1 Our friend Trevor Hogg is back at FlickeringMyth with the first installment in a 2-part profile of Darren Aronofsky. An excerpt: “Pi [1998] has a young math genius named Max Cohen for the main character,” explained Darren Aronofsky who recruited Sean Gullette once again for the leading role. “He
Coen brothers reading list From Flavorwire: Like film geek predecessors such as Jean-Luc Godard or Quentin Tarantino, Joel and Ethan Coen’s success as filmmakers stems from their love of the form. And yet, the Coen Brothers’ films are also marked by complex allusions and literary references, profound narrative insights that are often
Joseph Campbell quotes: Day 7 From Monday, December 20-Sunday, January 2, I’m going to post a Joseph Campbell quote each day at 9AM PST. Why? Because the end of the year is a time to reflect on our lives — what we do and what we hope to do, who we are and who
Video Interview: Ronald Harwood Terrific new video series at BAFTA.org: 6 lectures on screenwriting by notable screenwriters. I’ll be featuring each over the next six weeks. Today: Playwright, TV and screenwriter Ronald Harwood. Harwood’s screenwriting credits include One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Cry, the Beloved Country, The Pianist,
Daily Dialogue — December 26, 2010 [on the radio] Hans Gruber: Mr. Mystery Guest? Are you still there? John McClane: Yeah, I’m still here. Unless you wanna open the front door for me. Hans Gruber: Uh, no, I’m afraid not. But, you have me at a loss. You know my name but who are
Bob Dylan: “Must Be Santa” Merry Christmas everyone! May the gift of creativity be under your tree this year! And in the spirit of multiculturalism, here is “Christma-Hanu-Rama-Ka-Dona-Kwanzaa” by Roy Zimmerman: Comment Archive
