Friday, July 30, 2010

My Films Attack The UK Again

I'm sorry...

Movies 4 Men Channel:

7/31 - 16:30 - Black Thunder - When the world's most powerful stealth jet fighter falls into enemy hands, only one man can get it back. Starring Michael Dudikoff.

8/1 - 13:50 - Black Thunder - When the world's most powerful stealth jet fighter falls into enemy hands, only one man can get it back. Starring Michael Dudikoff.

8/3 - 15:30 - Crash Dive - The crew of a nuclear submarine rescues supposed victims of a boat disaster, but the victims turn out to be terrorists intent on capturing nuclear weapons aboard the sub. 1997.

- Bill

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Lancelot Link Thursday

Lancelot Link Thursday! For those of you who think 100 monkeys with movie cameras might make MEMENTO, here are some articles about screenwriting and the biz that may be of interest to you. Brought to you by that suave and sophisticated secret agent...




1) Uranium Ore For Sale On Amazon - Read The Comments!

2) Movie Maps - where was your favorite film shot?

3) The Modern Moustache

4) BOURNE SUPREMACY car chase:



- Bill
IMPORTANT UPDATE:

TODAY'S SCRIPT TIP: Second Chapter First - and SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, and IRON MAN.
Dinner: Salmon Burger at Sitton's.
Bicycle: Short - up to Noho... to see SCOTT PILGRIM.
Pages: Yesterday - over 6 good pages and some rewrite work, today - around 4 pages.
Movies: SCOTT PILGRIM - a fun, wild, clever, video game of a rom-com. Laughed my butt off.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Worst Remakes?

Last week's big movie was an original (INCEPTION) and this week's big movie is also an original (SALT), but this summer we've had a bunch of remakes... including last week's big flop (SORCERER'S APPRENTICE - based on a Mickey Mouse cartoon from FANTASIA!). Though a remake is still a job for a screenwriter, I would rather tell my own stories. Originals.

So, how about using the Comments Section for this blog entry...

What do you think are the worst remakes... and why?

- Bill

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

M. Night's Career - Every Film Better Than The Last?

According to this graph M. Night Shyamalan's next film will earn the first ever *negative* Rotten Tomatoes score - on a scale of 1 to 100... it will be less than zero.

His current film, LAST AIRBENDER, has an amazing 8% on RT... But Night believes it is brilliant! Here he is doing press for the film in Mexico City when a reporter asks about his downward trajectory... and he explains that we have it all wrong - each film is better than the one before...



So, if you are wondering *why* the next film will have the first ever RT negative rating, there is the reason - he's got his blinders on and isn't going to try to correct any mistakes he may be making... because he just doesn't make mistakes.

- Bill

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

DARK HOUSE comes out July 30th.

I love it when my friends are successful! I want all of my friends, and all of you reading this, to become rich and famous... so that I can borrow a $20 from you some time way in the future when I pushing a shopping cart filled with screenplays down Hollywood Blvd.

My friend Darin who is already a successful screenwriter and producer (he wrote TALES FROM THE HOOD and some other films, produced many of Rusty Cundiff's early films, and wrote and directed a cool crime film called CAUGHT UP) has a new movie coming out on July 30th - a horror movie called DARK HOUSE about a high tech Halloween haunted house tour... that is really haunted. Here's the trailer:



Now, the cool thing about this film coming to a theater near you on July 30th is... that it's theatrical release was the result of a horror movie contest put on by Fangoria Magazine - the winning film gets a theatrical release. There were a bunch of films in the contest, and Darin's film won.

So, if you're looking for a scary movie, check it out!

- Bill
IMPORTANT UPDATE:

TODAY'S SCRIPT TIP: Busload Of Scripts - if you plan on writing one script and then selling it for $1.2m, think again!
Dinner: LACMA Cafe - BLT wrap... which was pretty good.
Bicycle: Not today.
Pages: 3 pages instead of 5 again... but I'll be okay.
Movies: INCEPTION on Saturday, SALT on Monday - reviews of each coming up!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Is INCEPTION just a rip off of DREAMSCAPE?

Okay, now that I have your attention...

At about 2:30pm Pacific Time I rewrote and reposted today's Script Tip - with that question as the new lead and over 1,000 words of new material.

(That tip ran, and is now back in the vault for a year and a half)

And, if you have never heard of DREAMSCAPE, here is a clip...

Snakeman nightmare:




- Bill

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Ghostbusters In The NYC Library

You are in the library looking for the latest Lawrence Block novel when suddenly...



- Bill

Monday, July 12, 2010

The Men I Love

It would be wrong for me not to post this trailer, even though by now you have all seen it...



I'll be there.

This is a great idea - turning this film into SEX AND THE CITY for men. We'll all go out and have a beer in our steel-toed work boots then head to the cinema.

- Bill

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Script Magazine - July/August 2010

Script Magazine - July/August 2010 - in book stores now!



Meeting With Giants: Great Directors
by Ray Morton
Script sits down with first-time filmmaker Angela Ismailos to discuss her new documentary Great Directors and the legendary helmers it celebrates.

Script Secrets: A Dozen Simple Mistakes
by William Martell
As a teacher and professional scribe himself, columnist William Martell identifies 12 common screenwriting mistakes ... and presents his solutions for each.

Behind the Camera: From Static Words to Moving Pictures
by Robert Piluso
Recent first-time writer-directors discuss the valuable insights they gained into the pragmatics and economics of filmmaking, directing actors, and conveying tone.

The Producer/Screenwriter Relationship
by Todd Garner
Industry veteran Todd Garner has produced many successful films during his time in Hollywood. However, he admits none of them could have been accomplished unless someone was willing, and able, to write a compelling story with characters an audience would care about.

The Agony of the Silent No
by Dwayne Alexander Smith
Professional screenwriter Dwayne Smith gives his first-person account of a recent phenomenon he'd never experienced before when dealing with film executives -- the peculiar and agonizing "Silent No."

From Script to Screen: The Tillman Story
by David S. Cohen
Amir Bar-Lev and Mark Monroe, creators of The Tillman Story, unexpectedly found themselves demythologizing a martyred American hero -- and liking him better as they did it.

Writers on Writing: Predators
by Michael Finch & Alex Litvak
First-time screenwriters Michael Finch and Alex Litvak were chosen by Robert Rodriguez and presented with the daunting task of re-imagining 1987's beloved horror-science-fiction film, Predator. To do so, they had to overcome their initial fear of failure, dust off the franchise they grew up loving, and, come hell or high water, give die-hard fans of the original movie something they'd enjoy.

Live From New York, It's Saturday Night Live
By Zack Gutin
The writers of Saturday Night Live are a fraternity of the greatest known comedy minds working in television today. Script got a rare chance to spend a production week with head writer Seth Meyers and the other men and women who bring you the late-night sketches and jokes that have America still talking Monday morning. Join us for this rare look inside one of TV's greatest comedy institutions.

Interview: The Kids Are All Right
by Bob Verini
The unlikely screenwriting collaboration of Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg took half a decade to scratch out the story for The Kids Are All Right. Through sheer will, they have created what might be one of the very best films of 2010.

Remake Kings
by Jennifer M. Wood
Silver-screen storytellers Wesley Strick, Phil Hay, and Alexandre Aja are out to prove this year that not all remakes are created equal.

Finding the Best Screenwriting Classes for You
by Jenna Milly
A quick search on Google for "screenwriting classes" will return pages of results with a wide range of costs and qualifications, all claiming they can teach you the craft and business of writing for film and/or television. Script examines the top choices for you to hone your talent in our annual guide to the educational opportunities available to filmmakers.

The Top-Nine Online Screenwriting Courses (Plus One)
by Andrew Gnerre
With online learning options for scribes proliferating and evolving at a stunning rate, we profile 10 screenwriting courses that stand above the rest.

Subscribe Now!

- Bill

Sunday, July 04, 2010

Happy Birthday America!

Below you will find the SABOTEUR edition of Fridays With Hitchcock, and below that a suspense scene from THE AMERICAN FRIEND...

- Bill
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