Parasite. The Shape of Water. Legally Blonde. Election. No Country for Old Men.
What do these titles have in common? All these films were famously written by screenwriting duos who were writing partners. The writers for the above films are Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won, Vanessa Taylor and Guillermo del Toro, Karen McCullah and Kirsten ...
J.D. Vance’s memoir Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of Family and Culture in Crisis struck a cultural nerve when it was published in 2016. In the book, Vance details his personal journey from the poverty of Appalachia, to his service as a Marine, and then his achievement of graduating from Yale Law School. His story is one of grit and financial ...
Back in January, when movie theaters were still open and film festivals were being held IRL, the quirky, funny and occasionally exasperating film, Palm Springs, made headlines when it premiered at Sundance after Neon and Hulu paid the highest price ever for a Sundance film: $17,500,000.69. The 69 cents is meant to be a joke but it also ...
One of the most difficult things to do as a screenwriter is to get noticed by Hollywood. Many of us enter screenwriting competitions, network with industry professionals and even make short films in hopes of getting some attention on our quest to finding an agent or manager. You may remember an interview I did in 2016 with Billy ...
Picture this:
You give your script to everyone in Hollywood, and they all scream out, as one, I LOVE THIS SCRIPT SO MUCH IT SHOULD BE PUBLISHED AS LITERATURE IMMEDIATELY ALL HAIL THIS MAGNIFICENT WRITER.
Most writers are rational human beings who realize this exact response is unlikely, but that doesn’t mean we don’t secretly desire ...
Human beings have always felt the need to express themselves, beginning with cave drawings of buffalo and spears. The same impulse moves through current poetry, drama, music, and dance. We need art -- it is a fundamental part of human existence.
That’s right: I’m calling screenwriters artists. I’m not saying every movie ever written ...
It’s excellent that Bill and Ted (Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, respectively) are back in the bodacious three-quel Bill and Ted Face the Music! It’s heinous to think that it’s been 31 years since the two dudes started time traveling together, but that’s only given us all time to share the first two films with our own outstanding little ...
The 24th is a powerful film about a piece of American history you won’t find in most history books. Kevin Willmott, who won an Academy Award for co-writing 2018’s Blackkklansman, started the script for The 24th many years ago, but brought in actor/writer (and former student) Trai Byers (Empire) to give the script a fresh take. The result ...
In a report from the New York Times earlier this year, the number of female movie directors has increased (12 of the 113 directors on 2019’s 100 top films were women – double the number from 2018). Things are changing, albeit slowly. But when you look at women working behind the scenes in film and TV, the numbers remain stagnant. When you ...
As screenwriters, many of us have fantasized about having a movie that hits number one at the box office. But considering our country is in the grip of a pandemic, it doesn’t seem possible to even get a film made, let alone soar to the top of the charts. But one filmmaker saw this strange time as an opportunity, not a setback. A few weeks ...
Most of us have watched a movie scene that was horribly cliché.
Maybe you’ve seen a frustrated detective take a shower and put one hand on the wall. Maybe you’ve seen a fight scene that involves the hero literally standing up in order to symbolize standing up for himself. Maybe you seen one character get injured and the other one treats ...
Most writers feel jealous at one point in their lives.
You might know a writer who is working on a television show you love, or they’re making more money than you are, or they’re getting the critical acclaim you crave. Maybe you’re jealous of the way they put together words, especially if you’re in a rut. Maybe every time you walk into ...
