This year’s Rorschach test of cultural gender norms and aspirations turns out to be Wonder Woman. In case you haven’t heard, the director is a…
Okay, hear me out. This is important for writers… According to the AFI, the two greatest comedies of all time are Some Like It Hot,…
Those who do not learn history are doomed to replace it. We’re currently awash in current event stories (e.g. Patriot’s Day) competing with historical revisions…
I took a bit of flak for my Facebook post saying that Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SW:FA) “was the sequel we’re looking for.” Look,…
Which came first, the great movie or the great director? Like the chicken or egg theory, people for years have wondered how great directors make…
A fun one for a Sunday. Slow-motion is another way for directors/editors to convey story. At best, they reveal story. At worst, they provide empty…
A fun one for the new year. Movie dialog is usually long. We glorify great Shakespearean monologues (“To be or not to be”), and Paddy…
Okay, this is heady stuff. Basically, Martin Seligman’s involved in Positive Psychology, which for him means not simply treating the miserable (or the sexually dysfunctional…
If you haven’t seen The Lady Eve, then you haven’t seen Henry Fonda as a total rube, Barbara Stanwyck at her comic best, and some…
This post is a great companion piece to my Use of Reveals post, but with the added bonus of watching JJ Abrams talk about his…
A Man for All Seasons? Wait, that’s an OLD movie. It’s about some white male in the 1500s who refused to accept the king as…
The following is an excerpt from my Pre-Script Pro-Strategy Screenwriting Seminar (AKA Pre-Pro), now available at Udemy. The whole thing is over 5 hours long,…
Let’s say you’re crafting a story. Assuming you have great characters, an engaging plot, and a resonating theme with wide audience appeal, you may discover…
Remember when Hollywood sold us movies about teens getting a day off, chasing girls and getting drunk? Today Hollywood is selling teens getting in the…
People have asked me to write on this for various reasons, but let me say at the outset: my goal is not to mock anyone’s…