Mark's Screenwriting Blog

"Stiff Luck" screenplay

2010-12-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

My screenplay "Stiff Luck" at Amazon

http://studios.amazon.com/scripts/2676?ref=fb_share

New Links

2007-10-12T13:12:00.001-07:00

Scriptland a weekly feature on the work and professional lives of screenwriters from the latimes.com.
14 Day Screenplay challenges you to write a feature length screenplay (90-120 pages) in just 14 days. Absolute Write Water Cooler great forum to find screenwriting related topics. Aint it Cool News an old standby for movie news. Cinema Vault and Comic World News. Ebert and Roeper where you can watch the movie reviews of the show online. Writing Treatment a central site for all things dealing with treatments. Chicago Scriptworks is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to producing a series of staged screenplay readings. Studio Reader Stan a comic strip about the film biz. TrackingB.com script tracking board. Independent Horror Movies, Films, Videos Horror Movie News, on a daily level.

Film Festivals

2007-08-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Bahamas International Film Festival, Nassau, BAHAMAS
AUGUST 23, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/3580

FILMSTOCK International Film Festival, Luton, UNITED KINGDOM
AUGUST 23, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $10
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/3909

Chicago International REEL Shorts Festival, Chicago, IL
AUGUST 24, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/3925

Taos Mountain Film Festival, Taos, NM
AUGUST 24, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $20
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/3948

Turks & Caicos International Film Festival, Turks & Caicos Islands,
CARIBBEAN
AUGUST 24, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5203

KIDS FIRST! Film Festival, Santa Fe, NM
AUGUST 25, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/1716

New York City Short Film Festival, New York, NY
AUGUST 25, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/4611

Middle East International Film Festival - Abu Dhabi, UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES
AUGUST 27, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6323

H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, Portland, OR
AUGUST 28, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/3820

Cackalacky Film Festival, Charlotte, NC
AUGUST 30, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5200

Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival, Bay City, MI
AUGUST 30, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5065

Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition, Atlanta, GA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $10
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6197

Hollywood Film Festival, Hollywood, CA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/1177

Vail Film Festival Screenwriting Competition, Vail, CO
AUGUST 31, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5266

__________________________________________________________

THESE BIG DEADLINES APPROACHING FAST:

Foyle Film Festival, N. Ireland, UNITED KINGDOM
AUGUST 23, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/1733

Barbados International Film Festival, St. James, BARBADOS
AUGUST 24, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6150

Big Bang Film Festival, Philadelphia, PA
AUGUST 24, 2007 - Last Chance Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5807

Festivus Film Festival, Denver, CO
AUGUST 24, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6272

IFP/Chicago Flyover Zone Film Festival, Chicago, IL
AUGUST 24, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5168

Kern Projections Film Festival, Bakersfield, CA
AUGUST 24, 2007 - Late Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6102

Lake County Film Festival, Libertyville, IL
AUGUST 24, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/4022

La Femme Film Festival, Beverly Hills, CA
AUGUST 27, 2007 - I Forgot Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/4060

Vine Shorts Fest, Santa Monica, CA
AUGUST 29, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6351

Forster Film Festival, Forster, AUSTRALIA
AUGUST 30, 2007 - Late Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6269

Montezuma International Film Festival, Montezuma, COSTA RICA
AUGUST 30, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6104

Queens International Film Festival, Rego Park, NY
AUGUST 30, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/3994

Red Rock Film Festival of Zion Canyon, St. George, UT
AUGUST 30, 2007 - Work in Progress Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/4410

Accolade, La Jolla, CA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - 3rd Early Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5207

Beloit International Film Festival, Beloit, WI
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Late Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/4503

Cleveland International Film Festival, Cleveland, OH
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/1112

Filmmaker Festival & Filmmaker Award, Kent, UNITED KINGDOM
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6100

Gen Art Film Festival, New York, NY
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/1151

GoLeft.TV Progressive On-Line Documentary Film Festival, Hurley, NY
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6290

INDIE FEST USA, Garden Grove, CA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Late Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6055

Miami International Film Festival, Miami, FL
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/1241

Miami Short Film Festival, Miami, FL
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/4565

Phoenix Film Festival, Phoenix, AZ
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/2410

Screenwriting Expo Screenplay Competition, Los Angeles, CA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Late Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6201

Show Off Your Shorts Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5396

TREO Mobile Comedy Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Regular Deadline
NO ENTRY FEE
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5075

Tenerife International Film Festival, Tenerife, SPAIN
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5337

Terror Film Festival, Frazer, PA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Really, Really Late "Last Chance" Zombie Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5081

The International Sweet Onion Film Festival, Walla Walla, WA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6085

The Santa Barbara Ocean Film Festival, Santa Barbara, CA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/3834

The Thriller! Chiller! Film Festival, Grand Rapids, MI
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Late Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5189

Deadlines

2007-08-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

This week, we present 8 great new Calls For Entry, 9 fine WAB Extended
Deadlines, and more than 50 (nifty) additional deadlines for you to
pick from. Be sure to check out these festivals, and the dozens of others
open for submissions below...

- Miami International Film Festival
- Florida Film Festival
- Phoenix Film Festival
- CHINH INDIA KIDS FEST
- Vail Film Festival Screenwriting Competition
- Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition

FINAL DEADLINES, just days away:

- Middle East International Film Festival - Abu Dhabi (UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES)
- New Hampshire Film Festival
- Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
- Bahamas International Film Festival

GET DISCOVERED ON WITHOUTABOX
You probably won't submit to 700 festivals, but it's now possible to
get in front of them ALL for a fraction of the cost. Splash an ad for
your project right in the back offices of the worldwide festivals that use
Withoutabox's online tools to program and manage their events. Help us
launch the Discovery Ads program and you can enjoy a huge savings over
regular pricing. Get $75 off a Discovery Ad right now by being one of
the first films to sign up! Inventories will be strictly limited, and
this offer may end at any time. You'll find a link to LEARN MORE about
Discovery Ads on your Account Home page, grouped with the Settings for
any project.

SCREENWRITERS: EXPLORE THE EXPO
The 6th Annual SCREENWRITING EXPO SCREENPLAY COMPETITION is affiliated
with one of the world's largest screenwriter trade shows, the
Screenwriting Expo in Los Angeles, California. The competition offers more than
$150,000 in cash and prizes to award recipients, including the $20,000
Grand Prize and $2,500 prizes to five lucky (and talented) feature
writers. Called a "carnival for the screenwriter" by ESQUIRE magazine, this
opportunity is rich with networking and educational possibilities, as
well as a rare chance to win fantastic prizes and awards.

Be sure not to miss the next big deadline, on August 31st - submit to
the SCREENWRITING EXPO today!
View Listing:
http://www.withoutabox.com/03film/03t_fin/03t_fin_fest_01over.php?festview=1&festival_id=6201

BE A BUDDY...ON THE BOARDS.
Share your stories and advice about the festival circuit with your
fellow filmmakers on the Withoutabox Messageboards.
http://www.withoutabox.com/boards

___________________________________________________________

Pacific Northwest Screenwriters Contest 2007

2007-08-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

The Pacific Northwest Screenwriters Contest 2007 sponsored by 928
Talent Management is now taking entries.

1st Place Winners in the 5 categories will receive: 1 Year of Full
Representation, Final Draft Software, and the Writers Award.

Deadline for entries is 9/15/07. All entries received after that date,
must have a postmark no later than that date.

*All entries must be WGA Registered or Copyrighted
*Entries must be the original work of the author/s
*All Film/TV Movie Scripts must be over 75 pages

Categories:
Drama Feature
Comedy Feature
Sci-fi - Action Feature
Thriller-Horror-Mystery-Suspense
TV Movie – Mini Series

Fees for entering:
1 Category Fee $20.00 (entering your script in 1 category)
2 Category Fee $25.00 (entering your script in 2 categories, no
project can be entered in more than 2)

The panel of 10 judges includes:

Daniel Yost, Screenwriter Drugstore Cowboy
Billy Cougar, Director of Development Here Networks
JR O'Neil, CEO 928 Talent Management
Grammnet Productions

For complete contest details and entry please visit:
http://www.928talentmgt.com

Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition Announces Winners

2007-08-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition Announces Winners

LOS ANGELES, CA, AUGUST 16, 2007

Brian Price & Samuel W. Gailey of Los Angeles have captured the $10,000 1st Place Prize in the 9th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition. The comedy â€œWhale Fartsâ€ is about a likable loser, Skip Shaw, who is content sailing thru life on his Dads money, until he's cut off. Now he must face his Dad, a killer whale, a fishing tournament, oh yeah and water in order to get back some self-respect and the inheritance.

2nd Place Winner "Code Name Veil" by Matt Billingsly.

3rd Place Winner, "Emily's Numbers" by Paul Chepikian.

Over 50 producers, managers and agents were involved in the reading of the competition.

Scriptapalooza makes winners packages and loglines available to established production companies and literary representatives.

Scriptapalooza Inc. was founded in 1998 with the intention of discovering talented writers and promoting them through the Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition. Since then, the partners have branched into ScriptapaloozaTV, a television writing competition and Scriptapalooza Coverage, a professional analysis service for writers.

Keeping good company, the competition is supported by the WGA,west and sponsored by legendary screenwriting software company Write Brothers Inc.

For application and rules visit www.scriptapalooza.com or call the office 323-654-5809

Press Contact: Mark Andrushko 323

Lighthouse Screenplay Competition

2007-07-26T05:51:00.001-07:00

Lighthouse Screenplay Competition
Deadline August 1st!

http://www.lighthousescreenplay.com

Submit all genres

Grand Prize - $5,000

1st & 2nd runners-up - $1,500/each

Top two scripts guaranteed to be optioned to be produced!

All scripts will receive feedback from working industry professionals.

All submissions must be post-marked by August 1st.

Send submissions to:
Lighthouse Screenplay competition
5160 Vineland Ave, Ste 107-220
North Hollywood, CA 91601

http://www.lighthousescreenplay.com

Upcoming Screenwriting Contests

2007-04-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

Scriptapalooza (entexded deadline)
April 20th, 2007
http://www.scriptapalooza.com/

Script Pimp
May 1st, 2007
http://www.scriptpimp.com/writing_competition/home.cfm

Nicholl Fellowships
May 1st, 2007
http://www.oscars.org/nicholl/

Grindhouse

2007-04-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

Grindhouse

Review by John Dodd

Directors: Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino

(guest directors Eli Roth, Edgar Wright, and Rob Zombie)

The first must see movie of 2007 has arrived. Grindhouse is for all those guys who spent their teenage years in theaters or (as in my case) in front of the VCR watching hours of cheap monsters, excessive gore, and abundant bare breasts.

Grindhouse was produced as a loving tribute to the by-gone era of grindhouses, drive-ins, and exploitation films produced in the late 60s through the early 80s. These films gave the viewer what he wanted to see (sex, blood, nihilism) with little attention to finesse or art. Some might question the idea of a 53 million dollar exploitation film with Bruce Willis and Sidney Poitier’s daughter. Nay sayers may also point to the incredulous idea of a three hour homage to films that were not overly good, in the objective sense of the word, to begin with.

I dismiss all such objections. Grindhouse is a lot of fun. Some cutting might have helped an occasional lapses in pace, but this is the first film in 2007 that I did not get up to go pee during. Besides passing the piss test, how many other movie going experiences offer double features anymore?

The first feature is Planet Terror, which resembles a schlocky low-budget zombie movie. The model is Night of the Living Dead where survivors are held up in a secluded area defending off hoards of undead. The cast of characters include a tough sheriff, inept deputies, a nurse in mourning, a stripper, and a mechanic with the killing know-how. All hold up in the Bone Shack ran by J.T., BBQ maker extraordinar.

The story moves fast and furious with tongue in cheek and gore aplenty. From a tank of amputated testicles to a dripping, oozing phallus, Planet Terror has enough gross out moments to satisfy fans of Troma movies. It’s also fun to see the cast interact. Michael Biehn, the onetime king of 80s action films (Terminator, Aliens, Timebomb), plays the sheriff. Jeff Fahey of the TV show The Marshal plays J.T. and gets the role of his career. These two have the best dialogue while Rose McGowan as stripper Cherry Darling makes watching easy on the eyes.

My only (mild) complaint is that Planet Terror is a bit too tongue in cheek. When one watches a zombie film from the 1970s, no matter how ridiculous they become (and they get pretty darn ridiculous) the filmmakers, either out of ignorance or out of cynicism, took their story dead seriously. For example, let’s take Dr. Butcher M.D., a teenage favorite. There was a film with zombies, cannibals, a psycho doctor, and a woman chained to the world’s giant Jell-O mold all served up without a wink at the camera and thus making the whole mess endearing. Planet Terror is first and foremost self-aware and aware of all the films that inspired it. This is not actually bad, but it does make for a film that is more splatstick than scary, less Evil Dead than Evil Dead 2.

I’m being nitpicky. With more blood than The Hills Have Eyes remake and the best coitus interruptus in movie history, Planet Terror kicks the undead ass of Land of the Dead.

Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof rounds out the double bill. A combination psycho on the loose picture and car chase spectacular, the feature has Kurt Russell playing Stuntman Bob, an impotent nut with a custom hotrod built to withstand any crash. It is as safe as it is, with skull and crossbones for decoration, scary. Bob gets his kicks by running his car into the unsafe vehicles of pretty young women. Unlike the more infamous psycho films like Maniac or Last House on the Left, Russell’s character is pushed into the background. The stars are the women who have caught his eye, including two Hollywood daughters, Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Jordan Ladd (the gymnast from Club Dread), as well as Rose McGowan making her second Grindhouse appearance.

Death Proof has received the lion’s share of critics’ praise, which says a lot negatively. Critics were not the intended target audience for any film playing in a 70s grindhouse. Death Proof shows off a good car chase in its final twenty-five minutes. The rest of the feature consists of people in cafes and bars talking. Although the conversation is about movies, TV shows, and dope, it is still talk and not action. This may be a trait of its director, but Death Proof would have made the average grindhouse patron to either nod off or wander off in search of something more immediate. Tarantino shows that while he clearly loves the exploitation films of old, he cannot quite bring himself to make one.

This is not to say that on its own terms, Death Proof is a failure. As usual, the film references provide active viewing. I caught Telefon and Dixie Dynamite but missed Used Cars and Convoy (and I’m a Peckinpah fan!). The actors give good performances. I especially liked stuntwoman Zoe Bell playing a stuntwoman named Zoe. She is surprisingly good and leaves the impression of being one tough broad. The car chase, when it finally comes, does deliver. Tarantino also provides a doozy of a last shot. I liked Death Proof, but if I had been an exploitation producer in the 1970s and an auteur wanted to sell me Death Proof, I would have said: cut ten minutes, make the psycho scarier, and get the women out of their clothes.

There is much more to Grindhouse. I will leave its best moments (like the fake trailers by guest directors) to be discovered by the viewer. I am saddened that Grindhouse seemed to have been a disappointment in its first weekend. This is the most entertainment that a red blooded, sleazy movie watching, American boy can have at the movies anymore.

To end, I would like to highly recommend Sleazoid Express by Bill Landis and Michelle Clifford, a book about the grindhouses of New York City. Buy it and read it! For those that may not be as experienced with the films Grindhouse is paying tribute to, here is a list of the best of some of the major grindhouse genres. Line up that queue at Netflix and dig through those VHS clearance bins.

Best Biker Gang:

The Losers

Best Blaxploitation Flick:

Truck Turner

Best Car Chase Movie:

Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry

Best Chop Sockey Not Starring Bruce Lee:

The Chinatown Kid

Best Gangster Film from Italy:

Violent City (aka The Family)

Best Giallo (European Thriller) Not Directed by Dario Argento:

The Slasher Is a Sex Maniac (aka So Sweet So Dead)

Best Outlaws on the Lam Picture:

The Great Texas Dynamite Chase

Best Revenge film:

Rolling Thunder

Best Slasher Movie Not Featuring Jason, Michael, or Freddy:

Rituals

Best Spaghetti Western Not Directed by Sergio Leone:

The Big Gundown

Best Film about Women in Prison:

Caged Heat

Best Zombie Film Not Directed by George Romero:

Let Sleeping Corpses Lie

Best Title for a Grindhouse Movie:

The Great Hollywood Rape Slaughter

(haven’t seen it myself, but who can argue with a title like that?)

The Death of VHS (2006)

2007-01-12T14:56:00.000-08:00

The Death of VHS (2006)

By John Dodd

On November 14, Variety published an obituary for VHS citing retailers decision to pull the last of the format for reasons of shelf space. I have been thinking about this announcement for some time now. Last winter, just a year ago, my friend Rich and I went on half a dozen road trips to buy cheap VHS tapes from rental outlets like Family Video and Second Cinema Video selling off their VHS stock. Some stores were down to the bottom of VHS. At one all that remained were aerobic work out tapes and Pauley Shore Must Die. Fortunately, other stores had more variety.

For the last year I have been watching the fruits of these expeditions. Some might ask why go to this trouble for VHS. After all, DVD is clearly superior. DVDs have extras. DVDs have remastered sound and high resolution pictures. DVDs have presented obscure films in their most pristine and unedited quality, some for the first time in America. Almost none of the VHS tapes I bought were even letterboxed. All of this is true, but VHS will always hold a place in my heart. It was what I grew up with.

In December 1985 my family bought their first VHS player. A video cassette recorder was heavy machinery back then, one weighed (and cost) a substantial amount. It occupied the entire top of a television set. The first video I watched on my family’s player was Ice Pirates with Robert Ulrich. I have not watched it since!

The idea of a video library appealed to me back when videos were $50-$100. . . except for the cheap ones at the convenience stores. The first VHS tape I bought was The Most Dangerous Game. The EP recorded film cost only $10! Bruce Lee’s The Chinese Connection and The Mad Bomber with Chuck Connors soon followed. There were others that got away. I did not buy House of Psychotic Women the one time I saw it at Wal-Mart and in later years regretted it. All of the others would over the years come down from $10 to $5 to finally $.99. Back in the mid/late 80s, $10 was pretty much my monthly allowance except for some loose change for odd jobs around the house. I wanted to collect the movies but renting was much more cost effective. Renting movies was done on Saturday. I, as a young lad, was restricted to “PG” or “PG-13,” except for the video boxes that luckily had no rating listed. My family began renting videos when outlets were clubs (an annual membership fee was required). All of this changed over time. Clubs were out. To rent a videotape required only a driver’s license. Tapes slowly came down in price. With time, my video collection grew and grew.

Finally, last year’s buying trips netted me more than 100 movies (at a cost of about $150-200, not counting the considerable gas expense). I did not always buy the films that looked the best. Instead, the loudest callers were those films that I remember watching on beat up VHS tapes with friends and at home when mom and dad were gone or the videos I remembered on the shelves way back in the mid/late 80s that I never got around to renting. Many would argue that for the amount of money spent last winter, I could have instead purchased some of them on high resolution DVDs through one of the many online retailers and saved on gas. True, I could not have bought every film, but the ones that I did buy would be uncut, letterboxed, and with prints not looking like they were edited with a chainsaw. Less could be more. I do not argue, but what I do say is a death is usually marked by a wake. What follows is a sampling of the titles purchased. None of which, I might add, are available on region 1 DVD.

The Applegates (1990) - Michael Lehmann
(a.k.a. Meet the Applegates)
Michael Lehman is known as the director of Heathers. Few remember his follow up film, an equally bizarre, socially relevant comedy. A family of giant cockroaches venture from the Brazilian rain forests to the suburbs of the U.S. of A. Their mission is to assimilate and sabotage the humans. Since humans are destroying the rainforests, the cockroaches are going to return the favor. Unfortunately, suburbia proves too much of a temptation as the cockroaches fall into illicit sex, binge shopping, and drug use. This film is just as acidic as Heathers and almost as good. The only misstep is the decision to have Dabney Coleman in drag.

Housekeeping (1987) - Bill Forsyth
Based on the first novel by Marilynne Robinson, this odd movie is a real sleeper. It tells the story of two young girls who go to live with their eccentric aunt (Christine Lahti) in a small town during the 1950s. One girl falls under the spell of her aunt while the other longs for a normal Rockwell life. Although the aunt’s oddities are charming, director Forsythe never lets the viewer forget the bitter side of the story. Christine Lahti gives a great performance and both of the actresses playing the girls build distinct characters.

The Fast Kill (1972) - Lindsay Shopteff
I was tipped off about this film via an extra on a DVD (how can I dis the format too badly if it led me to The Fast Kill?). Guy Maddin in the documentary to The Saddest Music in the World praised the “can do” quality of this low budget British heist film. A gangster (with the help of his girlfriend) recruits a mercenary, a race car driver, a lesbian sharp shooter, and a bomb expert to pull off a daring jewel robbery. Of course, greed and divided loyalties lead to complications. Director Lindsey Shopteff is often dismissed as a hack, but he keeps this film moving quickly and the action swift, violent, and in limits with the film’s low budget. The videotape (courtesy of The Congress Video Group) features some of the least subtle pan and scanning I have ever seen. Despite this, the film’s story and pacing grabs one and the technical glitches add to the old school charm.

The Little Drummer Girl (1984) - George Roy Hill
For those of us disappointed with the more recent Constant Gardener, this fellow John Le Carre adaptation has all the suspense and intrigue one would expect of a thriller. Diane Keaton, not one of my favorite actresses, may be miscast as the left wing political actress drafted into spy service by Israeli agents. Still, she gives it her all and earned my respect. The film plays the moral ambiguity card well and delivers 130 minutes of interest. Klaus Kinski even appears as the head Israeli agent.

The Slasher (1972) - Roberto Bianchi Montero
(a.k.a. The Slasher Is a Sex Maniac)
From my VHS purchases, I had to pick one film of a sleazier variety and this was the best one. Farley Granger, a long way from Hitchcock’s Rope, plays a police detective out to catch a serial killer who preys on unfaithful wives. This is an Italian giallo (violent murder mystery) with sleaze, nudity, gore, the adorably unclothed Sylvia Koscina, and one nasty of an ending. In other words, it’s an exploitation masterpiece.

Wise Blood (1979) - John Huston
Flannery O’Connor is hard to adapt. She reads like Faulkner with a sense of humor. The theme is the decaying south. The characters are misfits, murderers, and conmen, but O’Connor was a devout Catholic, not a nihilist. Wise Blood shows her traits well. It’s funny in an odd way that many will not care for. Brad Dourif, in his best role, plays Hazel, a bitter young man who starts The Church Without Christ. Hazel’s messages are sincere as his arrogance. Hazel soon becomes bombarded with odd characters: huckster preachers, horny virgins, and a dull witted, monkey obsessed zoo keeper. With a terrific supporting cast including Harry Dean Stanton, Ned Beatty, and William Hickey, the film is flawlessly acted. The viewer just has to role with the weirdness. For those who can Wise Blood proves to be on of John Huston’s strangest and most intriguing later films.

There is no question that VHS is dead and buried. What these half dozen VHS tapes show is that the format left us some good memories.

2007 Already!

2007-01-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

Wow 2006 went fast.

Goals for 2007:

Post more.

Finish two new scripts.

DUKE CITY SHOOTOUT

2006-11-19T20:47:00.000-08:00

DUKE CITY SHOOTOUT DIGITAL FILMMAKING FESTIVAL ACCEPTING SCRIPT SUBMISSIONS FOR 2007 FESTIVAL

High-Definition Digital Filmmaking Competition Brings Artist’s Visions from Script-to-Screen in One Week

For Immediate Release

Date: November 10, 2006

Contact: Alexis Kerschner, Rick Johnson & Company, (505) 266-7220, akerschner@rjc.com

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Duke City Shootout, the only digital filmmaking competition in the world where screenwriters race to shoot, edit and premiere their 12-minute film in seven days, is now accepting script submissions from filmmakers and screenwriters around the world for next year’s festival, which will take place in Albuquerque N.M July 20-28, 2007.

Representatives of New Mexico’s Digital Filmmaking Institute (DFI) and renowned screenwriters from around the country will select the seven best scripts to be produced and ultimately compete for the “Palm de Grease,” the festival’s most prestigious award. The Shootout will fly the seven winning screenwriters to Albuquerque, where they will be given a cast, high-definition digital camera and lighting equipment, a production crew, post-production facilities, transportation and even a professional mentor—everything they will need to bring their script to life—a $50,000 value.

Last year, more than 270 scripts were submitted to the Shootout, and for the first time, Shootout movies were made available online via file-sharing giant BitTorrent. Past festival participants include: script judges Morgan Freeman, Peter Fonda and Phillip Kaufman, producers Ellen Sandler (Everybody Loves Raymond), Michael Steinberg (There's Something About Mary), Linda Goldstein (Whale Rider); directors Jay Roach (Austin Powers), Dan Mirvish (co-founder of Slamdance), Jim Mercurio (Hard Scrambled), Jack Hill (Foxy Brown), Anthony Drazan (The West Wing); Patricia Cardoso (Real Women Have Curves); actors Donal Logue (Grounded For Life), Talia Shire (The Godfather); editor Barry Alexander Brown (Inside Man); and cinematographers Alan Walker (Roseanne) and James O'Keefe (Timecode).

A script by Toronto writer/director Ralph Lucas has been selected as the first of seven movies to be produced at the 2007 Duke City Shootout. Lucas’ script, “The Next Best Thing to War,” was selected from entries submitted to the Screenwriting Expo 5 contest sponsored by Creative Writing magazine. Lucas’ selection was announced at the Expo, held in Los Angeles on October 19-22.

Script submission requirements include a cover page including name of author, address, telephone number; 12 minute script (i.e. 12 pages); and entry fee of $30 (before April 16, 2007) or $35 (April 17-May 18, 2007). The deadline for entry is May 18, 2007. There are two ways to submit scripts:

Mail hard copies of script, including check or money order payable to the Digital Filmmaking Institute to:

Duke City Shootout

P.O. Box 37080

Albuquerque, NM 87176

Submit electronically and pay by credit card, at www.withoutabox.com.

For more information and updates on the 2007 Shootout, visit www.dukecityshootout.org, or email questions to info@shootdfi.net.

9th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition

2006-11-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

As seen on CNN.com
9th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition

http://www.scriptapalooza.com

With Write Brothers, Robert McKee and The Writers Guild
of America,west Registry all supporting Scriptapalooza, this is the
competition to enter.

First place prize is $10,000

All the judging is done by 60 production companies
Entertainment Weekly Magazine calls us 'One of the Best'
We promote the top 13 winners for a full year
5 scripts in the 2006 Competition have been OPTIONED
Finalists, Semifinalists and quarterfinalists get requested
consistently

Early bird deadline January 5

Visit http://www.scriptapalooza.com
or call 323-654-5809 or email
us at info@scriptapalooza.com

41 horror movies in 29 days

2006-11-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

John Dodd watched 41 horror movies in 29 days. Here's his report.

10/1

** House On The Edge of the Park

A Last House on the Left ripoff with David Hess, Krug himself, turning in his most unrestrained performance as Alex, a disco dancing psychopath. Alex and his somewhat more stable friend Ricky crash a party, hold the revelers hostage, rape the women, and torture the men, until the tables turn. This is a film that wallows in its nastiness, unrepentant in its sleaze, and saves its grossest moment for an unclothed, very hairy Hess in the shower. Talk about obscene!!!!

10/2

*1/2 The Slayer

When starting I was unsure if this was going to be a slasher film, a monster movie, or an Italian thriller (giallo). After watching it, I’m still not sure. The plot has two couples going to a deserted island for fishing and relaxing. One of the tourists has seen this place in her nightmares. Her companions don’t believe her. Then someone, or something, begins to pick the minimal visitors off one by one. Five deaths, one potential victim survives, no *convincing* gore, no soothsayer, and no mask. The first death is at the ten minute mark. I’m not seeing good numbers here. An early film from the director of 8MM part 2.

10/3 A Tuesday with Mr. Lee

* Dark Places

If you are frightened by doors slamming shut, then you will be scared shitless by this creeky old house film. Most everyone else will be bored. Christopher Lee plays a kindly doctor who may not be as benevolent as he seems. Joan Collins before she was the hag on Dynasty plays the temptress (and is still about ten years too old for the role).

**1/2 Dracula A.D. 1972

Dracula (my man, Lee) gets resurrected in 1972, bites down on Caroline Munroe (Yummy), and plots to take revenge on Van Helsing’s great-great-granddaughter. Fortunately, her grandfather (Cushing) is an expert in vampirism. The early 70s British music sucks, but Cushing and Lee are fun as always. And the setting is 1972, so it’s like Dracula, Daddy-O.

10/4 Post-Scream Slashers

** Slaughter Studios

A Scream variation as only New Concorde studios would do: DV cinematography, a cast of actresses with more sand than Daytona Beach, and a tongue in cheek presentation. Slaughter Studios was once a top line grindhouse. Following the death of an actor in the early 80s the studio closed. Now, a film fan breaks in the doors, smuggles in his cast and crew, and is determined to covertly make a movie after hours. Too bad there is a killer on the loose. 9 deaths (2 off screen) with the first murder at the twenty-three minute mark; three potential victims survive; a half pint of blood; no soothsayer or mask; but more uncovered breasts than I can count. Cheers for the line, “I bet Eric Roberts doesn’t work like this!”

** Cut

I bought Cut for one reason and one reason only: to see Molly Ringwald die a horrible death. She has it coming for her The Breakfast Club. Most everything else I could forgive but not murdering this brat packer brings rage to my eyes. Too bad because for the first hour, Cut comes in toward the top of the Scream ripoffs. This Australian import is surprisingly well acted, decently directed, and follows the model right on down to the opening guest murder victim (here, singer Kylie Minogue). A group of graduating film school students are going to make a name for themselves by finishing an 80s slasher film believed to be cursed. When the actor playing the killer went crazy and murdered his director (Minogue), the film was shut down. Since then anyone who has tried to finish the film has met with a strange “accident.” Despite warnings from their film professor (the soothsayer), the kids hire a down on her luck actress from the original production (Ringwald), retreat to the countryside, and begin filming. The last half-hour sucks and Molly Ringwald does not die. Thirteen other characters do (three off screen); Ringwald and two others survive; half pint of blood; six minutes for the first murder; generic mask and Francois Truffaut reference.

Oct 5 Corman, Poe

**1/2 Tales of Terror

Corman loosely adapts three Poe stories in this anthology. All star Vincent Price. The first is poor. The second with Peter Lorre as a drunk in a wine tasting contest is funny if overlong. The third with Basil Rathbone as a hypnotist is the best even. Acting honors go to Lorre in episode number. “My wife’s right there.” “But she’s dead.” “You notice every-thing.”

*** House of Usher

While not as good as Tomb of Ligeia, this is film that started them all, Corman’s first foray into Poe. It is quality on a budget with good cinematography, set design, Vincent Price not overly hammy for a change, and Myrna Fahey is good as the woman who may or may not be going mad. The film seems slightly padded even at 80 minutes. Beyond that, this is a solid adaptation.

Oct 6

** Deadline

Steven Lessing (called Stevie or Steve-O) is a successful writer of horror novels and film scripts. One might say he’s a real King of the genre. Steven is going through a bad time. His family is falling apart, his producer cares only about blood and guts, and the public accuse him of contributing to real life violence. The film contrasts gory scenes from Lessing’s films/books with his melancholy home life. The end result is ambitious but schizophrenic serving up gory moments while condemning them.

*** Feast

Co-scripted by a former Cinema 1&2 employee, Feast is made by and for horror movie fans. A surviving the night type movie in the From Dust Till Dawn mode, Feast does get a bit slow in the middle, but there are enough funny bits to carry the day. Henry Rollins as the motivational speaker Coach is worth the price of admission alone.

Oct 7

*1/2 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The Beginning

Flat prequel to the remake of the 1970s classic plays like a remake of the remake right on down to the lone surviving woman hiding in a slaughterhouse as Leatherface stalks her. The Vietnam era period detail feels like dress up. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is my vote for the horror series that has fallen the farthest. Believe it or not a customer asked me what this film was about! I squinted my eyes and said, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The Beginning?” Clueless, he answered, “Yeah, what’s that about?”

Oct 8 It Played in Peoria!

** Blood Feast

The world’s first gore film stands as humbling beginnings. Would good, respectable people in 1963 see a film so unrepentantly lurid? Where to test it? Peoria, Illinois, if it would play there it would play anywhere. It played! Today, Blood Feast is a slow, stagey affair with red paint thrown around at random. The early-60s era Playboy Playmates Connie Mason and Ashyln Martin are the film’s best visuals. I did like the chase where villain Faud Ramses (as if his name didn’t tell you that) is chased across a garbage dump in the finale. Peoria’s Journal Star did a front page story on it in 2003.

Oct 9

***1/2 Demons of the Mind

As the title suggests, there is no monster in this Hammer horror film. A highly impressive film that at long lasts reflects the time it was made. Unlike the same period’s Beast Must Die, this film has all of the ambition that most other early 70s Hammer films did not. It is about the end of superstition, the dawn of psychology, and early 70s filmmaking. That’s a compliment!

Oct 10

***1/2 Cat People

Producer Val Lewton’s first horror film is also my favorite. Kids these days have a hard time with Cat People because there is so little onscreen horror. My students were bored. They grew up expecting onscreen monsters. By showing almost nothing but darkness and shadows, this film is saved the hokey, camp quality of many of the monster movies seen now. The walk in the park and the swimming pool scenes are justly famous due to their simplicity regardless of what eighteen year-olds think.

Oct 11 Femmes de Woof

½ An American Werewolf in Paris

The mind boggles at what I will set through just to get a glimpse of Julie Delphy’s breasts. This has to be the bottom! A film with such bad CGI effects that whole scenes appear to be animated. A film with possibly the most annoying American college kids put on film. You will be rooting for the fascist lupin. . . but Julie Delphy is topless for half a second (hence, the half star).

*** Ginger Snaps

Those looking for a female werewolf film would do well to catch Ginger Snaps, an intriguing metaphor for coming of age. The Fitzgerald sisters are the outcasts of suburbia. They stage suicides for their photography class and dream of escaping into the city. Then Ginger, the elder sister, is bit by some big dog or wolf and she starts to change. She becomes interested in boys, punches out a bullying homecoming queen, and develops an urge for slaughtering dogs in the neighborhood. Sister Brigitte looks for a cure as her sister becomes more and more animal like with the next full moon slated for Halloween night.

Oct 12 Jason at twenty-six

***1/2 Friday the 13th

The first, the best, and some might argue the only watchable one. Eleven deaths (four off-screen) with the first murder at the four minute mark. Four potential victims survive (one camper, two cops, and Crazy Ralph). No mask, a gallon of blood, and Crazy Ralph as the soothsayer.

*1/2 Jason So Lo Monta De Miedo

I bought (cheaply) this film after reading the following description in a catalog. “Hockey masked killer wields knives and chainsaws mixed with scenes of damn near hard-core sex with drop dead gorgeous bitches.” Lots of gore and sex, sounds like a fun slasher movie to me! As P.T. Barnum said there’s a sucker born every minute. Nine deaths with the first one being thirteen minutes in. With a hockey mask, no soothsayer, and Jason blowing away Michael Meyers with a shotgun.

Oct 13

I took off from work just so I could watch my Friday the 13th box set. I even started a day early just to get a taste. A taste was all I was to get thanks to my students (“Friday is the only day I can make up the test”), the state of Illinois (mandatory ethics training), and my father (“this will just take an hour or two”). Instead, I went to the theater.

**1/2 The Grudge 2

Of this series (two Japanese direct video features; two theatrical Japanese movies; and two American remakes), the second Japanese theatrical film (Juon 2) is the scariest of the bunch. That film unnerves. The American remake of that film, Grudge 2, isn’t bad. It intertwines three stories, one painfully familiar (Sarah Michelle Gellar’s character and her sister), one ghostly fun (the schoolgirls), and one genuinely creepy (the apartment complex). I split the difference on the star rating.

Oct 14

*1/2 Class Reunion Massacre (The Redeemer-Son of Satan)

I try to give a break to the pre-Halloween slasher

films, but this one is both dull and confusing. Six former friends show up for their high school reunion only to find the school deserted and a killer picking them off. Could it be tied into the strange boy who rose out of the water in the first scene? How about the priest giving the sermon on greed, lust, and vanity? I’m not sure and I did see this film. Eight deaths (one off-screen) with the first at the seven minute mark. None of potential victims survive, which is the most noteworthy part of the film.

(On October 15, I went out of town to see The Departed and Science of Sleep, a film better than any of the horror films I watched this season)

Oct 16

* Asylum of Satan

A young woman finds herself transferred from a hospital to an asylum ran by a mysterious doctor who is actually a coven leader. During the snake attack, a woman thrashes around holding the painfully obvious rubber snakes. At the end, the devil is conjured up complete with seam running down his back (methinks the Prince of Darkness should switch tailors). And the effects are still better than those in An American Werewolf in Paris.

Oct 17

*** Cat People

Despite being dismissed by fans of the genre, I like Paul Schrader’s kinky rethinking of the 1942 horror classic. It is not scary going for a more oblique (some might say “arty”) monster in all of us theme. The film boasts good acting, good music, and good cinematography. It’s also very 80's.

Oct 18

* Dead Waters (aka Dark Waters)

There is an old saying in film criticism if nothing happens in the first reel (20-30 minutes) nothing is going to. I sat through two reels of this early 90s Italian spook show before engaging the fast forward button. What we have here is half-assed Lovecraft with an island convent, a cult worshiping the image of a monster, and a quick ending look at the creature. It’s all very tedious. A three disk set under the title Dark Waters was released this October. One advertisement read, “the most anticipated DVD release this Halloween.” By whom?

**1/2 Diabolical Dr. Z

What would Halloween be without one Jess Franco film? The man has made almost 200 movies (hardcore porn to children’s films, with the horror film his favorite). This one is early on, before the guy went for quantity over quality. The black and white cinematography produces half a dozen atmospheric scenes. The film still suffers from Franco’s slack pace but the Mondo Macabro disk looks great.

Oct 19

**1/2 Cabin Fever

I had heard less than thrilling reviews from fellow horror fans/Cinema 1&2 employees. The film tries too hard to throw in splatter, comedy, atmosphere, local color, and contagion. It’s awkwardly paced and undisciplined for sure, but clearly made by horror fans. Any film that has the drunk college kids cruising down the road listening to “The Road Leads to Nowhere” from the Last House on the Left soundtrack can’t be all bad.

Oct 20

* Devil’s Daughter

No country can top the Italians for evocative nightmarish visuals. In the first scene when hippies paint themselves as America sings, “I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name.” All atmosphere goes out the window. Kelly Curtis, Jamie Lee’s better looking but no more talented sister, finds herself a target of devil worshipers. The title of the film is incorrect. Curtis is the daughter of the leader of the devil cult; she is going to be the mother of the Devil’s son, which I guess makes her The Devil’s Wife. At the end the baby antichrist gives up his life to save his mortal mother (huh?).

Oct 21

½ The Vampire Happening

My choice for the worst horror film of the Halloween season goes to Freddie Francis’ vampire comedy. How bad is it? It makes Love at First Bite look like Young Frankenstein. It’s so bad that despite considerable amounts of nudity, Larry R. Jarvis did not want it!!!! Sample joke: the heroine grabs the Communist vampire’s copy of Mao’s Little Red Book and shoves it in another vampire’s mouth. The communist vampire goes over to his fellow undead, grabs his book back, and yells: “bloodsucker!” And if you laughed at that joke, you have just won your very own copy of The Vampire Happening.

**1/2 The Living Dead Girl

This is another example of Jean Rollin working out his personal fetishes as expressionless, half dressed, pale women commit horrible acts amongst gothic locations. In this one, a dead woman is revived by chemical waste. She craves blood. Her childhood friend/lesbian lover seeks out victim’s to keep her companion going. This is not one of Rollin’s best, the pacing is at times leaden with bad actors from multiple continents. There are some impressive images which mix the beautiful and the profane wonderfully. Rollin leaves the viewer with a slam dunk final shot.

Oct 22

*1/2 The Devil’s Wedding Night

Yet another title that lies. The most accurate title would read Dracula’s Widow’s Wedding Night. With endless shots of Mark (no relation to Matt) Damon riding a horse and walking across blank walls, this is a cheap production to be sure. The last twenty minutes do pick up. The vampire countess played Lady Frankenstein.

Oct 23

** Symptoms

Angela Pleasence (who looks a lot like her father) moves with a friend into a country house where someone died. Something is wrong. Is the house haunted or is one of the two women going crazy? Jose Larraz once again tries his hand at slow burning, claustrophobic unease (Vampyres; Coming of Sin). This one tips its hand too early (BIG HINT: Angela is a closeted lesbian with a crush on her friend). The Fall colors are nicely photographed. Too bad my copy sucked!

Oct 24

*** Demons

*** Demons 2

I saw Demons numbero uno way back when I was a sophomore in high school and it kicked ass. Today, these films bring back fond memories of the 1980s: blue lighting, hairspray abuse, gratuitous bladder effects, shoulder pads, post MTV music imagery, and gore galore. The Scorpions, Motley Crue, The Cult, and The Smiths are all on the soundtracks of these movies. There are missteps. Any punker in 1985 listening to Billy Idol should have a cap put in poseur ass. Those who did not like these films in the 80s can probably skip buying the Anchor Bay DVDs. For the enlightened ones, buy ‘em up while you still can.

(On October 25th I watched A Scanner Darkly, which while technically not a horror movie, will make one uncomfortable)

Oct 26 short people

** Burial Ground

Yes, this is the zombie film where the short man with a receding hairline plays a young kid. This is very obvious! It is done for one reason: because no parent, no matter how stage struck, would let their child do a scene where he bites his screen mother’s breasts off. It’s a good scene! Too bad there aren’t more of them. Plenty of gore and tastelessness, I would have loved it at sixteen. Maybe I’m getting old.

***1/2 Freaks

With the exception of King Kong (which is more of a fantasy), Freaks is my choice for the best 30s horror film. It’s a slowburner but the ending makes it all worth while. The vengeance of the freaks is the scariest moment in 30s horror. The DVD of this is quite good with a particularly noteworthy documentary which provides background on many of the performers playing the freaks.

Oct 27

** The Red Shoes

I didn’t get to watch a J-Horror film this season, but the next best thing is K-Horror. In this one, a pair of ghostly red shoes kills all those who wear them until being taken home by a single mother and her daughter who dreams of being a dancer. This Korean import is more ambitious than most but it stumbles on the horror front. There is nothing overly scary about the movie. Not to be confused with the Powell/Presburg ballet movie.

Oct 28

**1/2 Creep

I had read good reviews for this British horror film from last year. On it’s own terms, Creep might work, but horror fans will feel deja vu. A cannibal preys on commuters and the homeless in the London subway terminals. Yes, fans, it’s Raw Meat all over again, with the focus shifted to a slasher set up with Franka Potente (Run Lola Run) and others trying to survive a long night. The film is reasonably well paced and does hold interest. Creep is the best slasher film of the season, but how about an original idea?

Oct 29 Steele the show

(to think, I almost went the month of October without watching a Barbara Steele movie!)

*** An Angel for Satan

Atmospheric, black and white photography and the charismatic Steele highlight this mystery/horror film. A restorer journeys to a small island village to do restoration on a statue believed to be cursed. There he meets the niece of the village mayor. The niece (Steele) looks exactly like the statue and seems to be of two halves. One is a chaste innocent and the other a superslut who destroys men. Is she cursed or crazy or something else?

** Curse of the Crimson Altar

Any film that has supporting turns by Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff, Barbara Steele, and Michael Gough can’t be all bad. This is true but one wishes Curse of the Crimson Altar was better. An antique dealer travels to a mysterious lodge to search for his missing brother. There, he finds strange characters, dreams of being at a witches’ sabbath, and sleeps with the proprietor’s niece (an attractive Virginia Wetherell from Demons of the Mind). A make it up as you go along feel permeates the film which is not helped by a dull leading man (Robert Eden). And whose idea was it to have Barbara Steele, a beautiful horror icon, done up in green face? WTF!

Oct 30

*** Curse of the Cat People

Since I liked the original Cat People so much and since the DVD came also with Curse of the Cat People, I knocked off one more Val Lewton film. This one is not really a horror movie despite a few atmospheric shots. It’s a fantasy about a troubled girl who lives in an imaginary world. The film is quite good but not what I was expecting. This was Robert Wise’s first directing job. It’s better than the Sound of Music.

Oct 31

*** Homecoming (Masters of Horror)

I liked this one more the second time through. It’s still heavy handed but does do what Masters of Horror was designed for: to make a film without interference that could not be made otherwise. The only other one of the series that does that is John Carpenter’s much different Cigarette Burns. The politics (the undead soldiers of the Iraq conflict coming back) are none too subtle but certainly heartfelt. My students liked it.

*** Saw 2

I had planned to watch both Saw 2 and Saw 3 on Halloween night. Oh well. Most have seen Saw 2. Tobin Bell is a better actor than most actors playing horror icons. I also liked the killer’s plan when it is at last revealed. More of a horror film than the first movie but not quite as clever.

Well, everyone that’s it for me this year. Maybe we’ll do it again next year.

InkTip update

2006-10-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

InkTip continues to make magic happen for both producers and writers.
In 2006 alone, 15 feature films have been produced through InkTip.
That's the highest number of features we've had produced in one year, and
we've still got 2 months left!

Three feature scripts were optioned and three writers were hired last
week alone. You too can gain exposure for your script on InkTip. Don't
wait for another writer to get optioned first!

To list your script, go to www.InkTip.com now! Please let us know if
you have any questions.

Best Wishes,
Jerrol LeBaron
www.InkTip.com

Two Screenwriting Contest

2006-10-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

Two Screenwriting Contest to enter: 11th Annual Fade In Awards 2006 Awards Entry Deadline
October 31, 2006 The AAA Screenplay Contest sponsored by Creative Screenwriting Magazine Deadline December 15, 2006.

"Feast"

2006-10-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

Feast (2005)

Director: John Gulager

Review by John Dodd

Feast was the third and probably final of the Project: Greenlight winners. The film played some festivals and did a brief booking at midnight shows before arriving on DVD last Tuesday. I was lucky enough to catch Feast when it played the opening weekend of the inferior but far more advertised Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The Beginning at my hometown theater.

Feast is a low budget horror film in the tradition of Night of the Living Dead or The Evil Dead where a group of losers hold themselves up in a secluded location (here a sleazy bar in the middle of nowhere) and fight the oncoming siege, in this case hungry aliens, and wait for dawn. While certainly not the equal of the films that influenced it, Feast is a down and dirty little movie that keeps on punching.

Each character is introduced with a title card explaining who they are and giving the chances of survival. Some of the dozen or so strandees include a brawny, take charge type nicknamed Hero (Eric Dane), his tough as nails wife (Navi Rawat), the town screw-up (Balthazar Getty), a stoic bartender (Clu Gulager, the director’s father and star of Return of the Living Dead), the sleazy bar owner (Duane Whitaker), a single mother waitress (Krista Allen) and her young son, and Jason Mewes from Jay and Silent Bob playing himself. Acting honors go to the hysterical Henry Rollins as Coach, a motivational speaker with a less than convincing plan to scare the aliens away.

Feast boasts an in-joke cleverness that does not condescend. Clearly made by fans, the film has a good time playing with genre expectations, surprising the audience a half a dozen times. Feast will be best received by those who have watched a fair amount of horror movies and like genre benders such as From Dusk Till Dawn.

I should admit to being psyched to like Feast before watching it. One of the writers, Marcus Dunston, is a hometown boy. Although he and I met only briefly, we both graduated a year apart from high schools less than ten miles from each other, we’re both Dario Argento fans from a community that believes he is the Prime Minister of Mexico, and we both worked at the same movie theater (albeit years apart). Nonetheless, I will be the first to say that Feast, while enjoyable, is not a horror classic. The middle section drags. The editing has much of that herky jerky, can’t-follow-what’s-going-on style en vogue this decade. Lastly, the super low budget clearly gets in the way of the filmmakers’ ambitions. If Feast had the budget of Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The Beginning, it would have looked professional, but professionalism isn’t everything. Feast is far and away the better of the two movies, budget or not.

Film Literary Group

2006-10-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

Passing this along:

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time to enhance your writing career by finding a new home for your
screenplay. Film Literary Group can help you accomplish this goal.

Once again we will be attending the upcoming American Film Market
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Our consultants are former literary agents from Beverly Hills,
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Currently, Film Literary Group has clients located in Australia,
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"Peter Seven"

2006-09-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

You can read my screenplay "Peter Seven" at WriteSafe.com.

The discovery of a painting that opens a doorway to another realm puts a Boston loanshark at odds with the mob and the police. Script is WGA registered.

2006-09-21T00:08:00.000-07:00

Passing this along.

We want 30-second video ads for the web made in bulk. Are you capable of producing good quality videos at around $100 and $500 each? Looking forward to hear from you. ByteCaster Team www.bytecaster.com

Rabid Dogs

2006-09-20T23:36:00.000-07:00

Rabid Dogs (made in 1974; released in 1997)

Review by John Dodd

Director: Mario Bava

Throughout the 1970s, a prolific genre in Italy was the crime film. Some of these were meant to cash in on the success of Dirty Harry. Others focused on criminals and revenge. One of the very best is Rabid Dogs. Out of print for several years, this film is back on DVD in the United States and available through Amazon.com and other retailers.

Rabid Dogs has a simple set up. Four criminals rob the weekend payroll of a pharmaceutical company. After one is killed by the police, the others ditch the getaway car. They steal another belonging to everyman Riccardo (Riccardo Cucciolla). They take him, his young sick son, and a woman off the street named Maria hostage and head for the open road.

The robbers are the usual mix of thugs. Doc (Maurice Poli) the leader is cold, without a conscious, and all business. Thirty-two (Luigi Montefiori, aka George Eastman) is the lustful one, a strong man with a lascivious eye on every young female. That leaves the psycho, Blade (Aldo Caponi), who can kill in a rage and not realize it until the cold body limps lifelessly against his own. Needless to say the hostages are in trouble. Riccardo accepts the situation with a stoic quality but Maria falls into hysterics, which is reasonable considering she has seen a neighbor murdered by Blade and feels the ever watchful eyes of Thirty-two on her. The child sleeps on, not knowing what danger he is in.

Seldom in the ninety-five minute running time does the viewer leave the car or the presence of the sociopath Doc and his two loose cannons. The film simmers in expectation. Will Thirty-two rape Maria? Will the sick child become a liability? Will Blade kill everyone during a dark mood? The film further stirs the pot with a fender bender, a talkative tollbooth attendant, a stranded motorist, and a depleting gas tank, all the while the radio informs the hostages of their captors’ crimes and the futility of the police search. The violence when it does come is both startling and often surreal (a spinning top, insert shots of a pinball game). Stelvo Cipriani’s score further unsettles the viewer.

This is a film that Hitchcock might have made. Like Lifeboat or Rope, the premise and setting is simplicity itself. The film rides on the character dynamics and the growing suspense on what will happen to these unfortunates. Hitchcock might have been turned off by the lurid, more exploitative aspects of the story. Surprisingly, Mario Bava has no such qualms. This is a mean spirited, ugly movie and one that certainly holds interest. The middle section might drag a little but the conclusion is nearly perfect and in keeping with the mood that came before. Rabid Dogs is credited to Mario Bava, the famous Italian horror director whose work in the 1960s are considered masterpieces of colorful, gothic horror. Not a personal favorite, Bava is known for more stylish, less visceral filmmaking (Black Sunday and Kill, Baby. . . Kill!). On the other hand, Mario Bava did make Twitch of the Death Nerve (aka Bay of Blood), another grim piece of nastiness. It is Bava’s second best film in my book, second to Rabid Dogs. Fans of crime films, Italian or otherwise, should buy this DVD before it goes out of print again.

"Miami Vice"

2006-08-04T01:05:00.000-07:00

Miami Vice (2006)

Director: Michael Mann

Review by John Dodd

A Quick checklist for Vice fans:

Gina - Present and actually doing something

Trudy - A major character

Switek - In the background and played by a bodybuilder

Zito - In the background until the final shootout

Castillo - Present but not much of a character

Calderone - None of the Calderone family make the movie

Miami Vice debuted on television in September of 1984 when I was eleven years-old. It left a lifelong impression. At that age, I did not know what GQ was and had never heard the term “noir,” but I knew that this show was unlike Hunter and the other cop shows I watched. The plots were darker. Often the happy endings were tinged with bitterness. Then there was the style. The show filmed extensively outdoors, usually at night. Action scenes were cut like a movie, a change from the usual claustrophobic set pieces. The combination of (relatively) downbeat stories and flashy, quick cutting style made Miami Vice the cop show for the MTV generation.

The film Miami Vice is an unusual animal. Resembling the show only in its two leads and in its ending, the film shows that times have changed. The clothes are neutral. The music is rougher. Sonny Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) have lost the comedic banter that would lighten the show’s darker moods. The editing no longer punches like snap, crackle, and pop. Instead, like with Collateral, Mann shifts the mood to reflection with shots held a long time for a crime story.

The film jumps into the plot in the first scene. While on a stakeout, Crockett gets a call from an informer on the run. The informer had been loaned out to federal agents working a weapons sting on a group of white supremists. The deal has gone bad. The agents are dead. The informer’s family has been murdered. Crockett and Tubbs agree to take over the investigation, jumping ahead of the supremists to their weapons supplier, a drug/weapon smuggler named Jose Yero (John Ortiz), known for his murderous personality. Yero leads the undercover pair to Jesus Montoya (Luis Tosar), a drug lord, and Montoya’s’s business partner and girl Isabella (Gong Li). Crockett begins playing her but finds himself crossing the line.

The plot bares a few tangent similarities to the season one episode “Smuggler’s Blues.” Like in that episode, most of the show is set outside of Miami (Uruguay standing in for Columbia) and Trudy is kidnaped and attached to a bomb, but the moods are different. The film Miami Vice is more of a downer, which is a compliment. Not one old cast member makes a cameo. The film makes only one injoke to the original series (a cover of “In the Air Tonight”), but that is as light as the film gets. This is a somber affair. Do not expect Elvis the alligator to show up.

As portrayed here, Crockett and Tubbs are characters who Jean-Paul Sartre could embrace. These are men defined by their actions. Crockett’s father was either a musician or a trucker or both. Tubbs is seeing fellow vice cop Trudy (Naomie Harris). Both are furious with the Federal agents that got their snitch killed. The most important person in each’s life is his partner. That is all for characterization. The rest is how the two act. Comfortable making million dollar deals, experts at drug smuggling, and consciousless in killing those who deserve it, Crockett and Tubbs fit in just as well in the criminal world as the police one. Perhaps Mann is returning to his central theme of Heat: the gulf between cop and hood is not that wide. If their lives had gone differently, perhaps Crockett and Tubbs would have been the druglord’s seconds instead of the underhanded Yero.

In either world personal relationships are liabilities, except amongst the one person you can trust, trust to back you in front of your superior Castillo (Barry Shabaka Henley, no Edward James Olmos) and trust you to take out as many enemy combatants as yourself. Crockett and the girl are doomed but Tubbs will still be there.

The film Miami Vice will never capture the pop culture Zeitgeist the series did. The pacing is too slow for action fans. While those that remember the series may be startled by the different vibe. The film is not as good as the best of Miami Vice episodes (The Pilot, “No Exit,” and “Lombard,” to name three from season one), but it is a solid Michael Mann crime film, better than Collateral but not as good as Heat.

InkTip

2006-08-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

InkTip has helped another writer get produced!

Our latest feature film made:
The feature film 'After Midnight,' written by Carol Mulholland and
directed by
Rob Walker, has completed production and is currently in post. Walker,
of
Commotion Pictures, connected with Mulholland through our network a few
years
ago, and after maintaining a working relationship they decided to work
together
on 'After Midnight.' The film stars Marcus Dean Fuller (Guiding Light,
Charmed).

Posting your script on InkTip provides invaluable exposure. To place
your
script now, go to www.InkTip.com

Sincerely,
Jerrol LeBaron
President
www.InkTip.com

Scriptapalooza Quarterfinalists

2006-07-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

Congrats to my buddy Frank and his cousin for their script "Eleven" for making the quarterfinalists.

Thank you for entering the 8th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenwriting
Competition. Decisions in the judging process have been made. We received a
total of 3600 scripts. That was narrowed down to 336 Quarterfinalists.
A list of Quarterfinalists can be found on our website
www.scriptapalooza.com

Semifinalists will be announced July 31. If you are not listed as a
Quarterfinalist, your script is not moving forward in the competition.

Once again, thank you for participating in the Scriptapalooza 2006
Screenwriting Competition and we wish you the best of luck with all of your
future writing endeavors.

Below is a list of all Quarterfinalists.

Sincerely,
Mark Andrushko
President
323.654.5809
www.scriptapalooza.com

QUARTERFINALISTS

2012: Year of the Kukulcan by Rene Andre
7 Tales of Desperation by Mando Alvarado & Michael Ray Escamilla
A Deadly Game by Jake Quint
A Man Named Sue by William David McLeod
A Meadowlark Calling by Thadd Turner
Allie by David O'Hara
Almost Paradise by Jessica Yuen
Almost There Express by Armando Figueroa
Always Greener by Adam B. Hocherman
Ambulance Chaser by Stephen Lang
American Alligator by Barb Doyon
American Dream by Chris McCann & Nessa Gordon
American Hero by Andy Shrader
American Vampire by Gregory Davis
Ameristan by Charles Welty
Among Thieves by Matt Caruso
And She Was by Susan Avallone
Andi vs. Candi by Kevin Perry
Anna & the Art Thief by Rebekah L. Fraser
Avatar, The Quest to Save Earth by Kirstie Palmer
Avenged by Paul Hall
Barter Boys by Jared Seide
Baseball Cards by Daniel McPeek
Because I Said So by Lindsay Andresen
Before Midnight by Jennifer A. Lewey
Beg to Differ by Sabina Sattar
Behind The Veil by Paul Lobo Portuges
Between The Lines by Jeri Smith-Ready
Beyond the Beyond by David E. Wilson
Billable Hours by Tommy Butler
Black Ice by Dean Mitchell
Black Orchid by Steven Berger & Bridget Sullivan
Bliss Vandals by Louis Frederick
Blue Blood by Mark Davidson
Blue Hole by Rex Wilson
Bread and Roses by Mary McKay
Brilliants by Christopher Godfrey
Butler School by Jami Burke
Calculated Risk by RJ Lavallee
Canâ€™t Live With â€˜Em by Chris Pentzell
Casey Blue Eyes by D. E. Taylor
Castle by Vivienne Walshe
Caustic by Robert James Spurway
Changers by Matt Slovick
Chastity by Stefan Stenudd
Chill by Christopher Stires
Cinder by Ross MacLeod
City of Sighs by Ken Henderson
Cocoon Crash by Kathleen Latlip
Cold Kiss by Philip DiGiacomo & Wendy Salz
Conceive by Troy Owen
Conditional Love by Lisa Arbuckle
Conduct Unbecoming by Mandel Holland
Coney Island Babies by John Malecki
Coryâ€™s Hero by Alexis & Rudy Croyle
Counting The Days by Richard LeBlanc
Criminal Activity by Jonathan Wood
Dagger in the Heartland by Guy Magar
Dance for Your Daddy by Mike Walden
Dandelions by Ariel Johnson
Danny Longlegs by Keli Rowley
Danversâ€™ Echo by Pete Peterson
Dark Hollow by Danny Ray
Dark Image by Joe Kozak
Daughter of Heaven by Chris Raymond
Deadweek by Geoffrey Yeh
Dear Jen by Jim Beggarly
Death & Taxes by Nur Nur Cummings
Death Is Relative by Robert Collie
Death Voice by Barbara M. Hammond
Destiny Maker by David Lourie
Diminishing Returns by Constance Kopriva
Dogfighters by James Nathan Post
Done by Frank J. DiStefano
Dot in the Sand by Jay Tormohlen
Double Bind by Tucker Parsons
Double X by Kristin Levine
Down The Aisle by Jase Ricci
Dreamers by Adam Jaquette
Drops of Ink by Shane K. Gooding
e-Sins by Terrilyn Phillips
E.R.A. by Michelle Molhan-Zang
Eating Buccaneers by Bill Keenan
Eleven by Francis Cormier & H. Jarrod Courtemanche
Enclave by Linda Armstrong
Endangered by Mick Kennedy
Equilibrium by Peter Kaitlyn
Every Dayâ€™s Goodbye by Santiago Yazigi
Far From Maddy by C.C. Saint-Clair
FBI Juniors by Megan C. Johnson
Felix The Flyer by Christopher Canole
Final Effect by Dean Alan Roller
FireFly by Derek Neville
Fish Out of Water by Shirley Raun
FishEye by Kitty Griffin
Flush by Eric Klein & Ray Works
Fly Me to the Moon by Rebecca Sanders & Gordon Rothwell
Foie Gras and Grits by Sharon Saks Soboil
Foreseer by Michael Lightsey
Four Alone, Four Together by Mikael Hanson
From the Moon to Mercury by David W. Kopp
Gamemasters by Matthew Gray & Phill Daniel
Getting Van Gogh by Lisa Kirazian & Scott White
Giant Blue by John J. Austrian
Girlsâ€™ Night Out by Mark Jaffe
Gods and Robots by Stephen Stanley
Going Grey by Mark Witzen
Goshen, Indiana by Gabriel Snyder & Michael Alber
Goy Meets Girl by Peter Vouras
Gray Hats by Mike Townsend
Harmâ€™s Way by Gordon Pengilly
Harold by Caroline Friday
Heavenly Rain by Noble Fares
Hell on Earth by Chris Lair
High Beams Harry by Gary A. Campbell
Holding on to Joshua by Naomi Wender-Milliner
Holding Out by Scarlett Rocourt
Horrorscope by Dak Rasheta
Hostage Crisis by Mark Cohen
Hot Dog by Kenneth Cavander
Hurricane Mona by Marguerite A. Pellegrin
If Not Now by Jeff Menell
In The Light by Dan Fabrizio, Josh Ravitz & Louie Martinez
In Your Dreams by Jeff Seeman
Inca Gold by Sandy Steers
Jekyll & Heidi by Lisa Yoffee
Jet Lag by Kim Townsel
Joy by Cassandra Gibbons
Just Molly and Me by Charles Kray
Keys to the Kingdom by Vincent F. Rocchio
Kingsbury Run by Troy Hunter & Geof Miller
Kissing A Suicide Bomber by David Mango
Knockers by Joe Berglove & Dennis Douda
Lady Dragon by Desiree Cifre
Last Stop by Nena Eskridge
Leapersâ€™ Hill by Jonathan Wood
Lightninâ€™ In A Jar by Kevin Cutts
Like My Father by Gail Kerns
Like Water for Metamucil by Karen Harrison
Lincolnâ€™s Ghost by Jim DeLong
Little Seed by Martin K. Leicht
Lizzie Fox by Mike Murphy
Lost Direction by James D. Patterson
Love Dance by Parker Babbidge
Love Unexpected by Antoinette Ojeda
Lucky Star by Ted Sod & Edie Demas
Lyrical by Carter Stewart
Made With Love by Debra Hardy
Mama's Wayward Helpers by Teresa Latterman
Marine in Hyacinth Blue by Jack Swanzy
Match This by Anne Wallace
Matter of Honor by Jeff Meredith & Dustin Kitchens
McPherson Square by Joan Aylor Kirby
Meant To Be by George Constantine
Middleberg by Matt Healy
Migration by Broderick Fox
Mindâ€™s Eye by Sharon Scott
Minor Deaths by Paul Hall
Mister Trivia by Robert G. Garmany
Monarch by Kevin Threadgold
Moon Madness by John Mongillo
Morning Sickness by Frank Richard Faller
Murder Between Friends by Sarah Newman
My First Lady by Mary Kaiser
Near Mint Condition by Morgan Ireson & Paul Traviline
Necessary Evil by James Kearney
Neighborhood Watch by Christina Delgado
Never Let You Go by Cheryl S. Smith
No Hablo Ingles, Papa! by Paul T. Abramson
Nora Kahn by Scott Bristol
North of Girard by Joe Faragalli
North of the Border by Alcides Delgado
Now You See Me by Beth Szyperski
On The Bayou by Sean Bridges
Once Upon A Time In A Little Town by Matt Wieclawski
One Armed Bandits by Bruce Dundore
One Last Look to Heaven by Daniel Bilodeaux
One Way or Another by Michael Levin
Only by Walter Ostlie
Operation: UnderLord by Stephen Blackehart
Ouija by Robert Hayhurst
Overdue by Courtney Daniels
Pandoraâ€™s Box by S. L. Hutchison
Parking Ticket by George Patrick Hernandez
Passage by Robert Lewis
Pencil Men by Grant Janes & Brian Edgar
Pentecost by Cinthea Stahl
Pico de Gallo by Jack Colmenero & Janet Colmenero
Pink Viagra by Jeffrey R. Field
Plan B by Gina Cresse
Pup by Maggie Lawrence
Puppy Love by Tony Boland
Race City USA by Daniel R. Solomon
Random Acts by Cynthia Benjamin
Raspberry Sunday by Amanda LaFantasie
Red Riding-Hood by David Daniels
Redemption Crusade by Kevin Schmadeka
Remembrance by Jeremy Thurswell
Richard by Noel Maxam & Jim Boulgarides
Richter by Aaron Denius Garcia
Ripple Effect by Mack Baniameri
Rise in Peace by Timothy Jeffrey
Robbie Crane by Jeffrey Miller
Rocket Docket by Brooks Barnes
Rogue Scholars by Eric Reierson & Louie Calvano
Roundhouse by Charlie Jett
Sabino Days by Conrad E. Gomez
Sacred Cow by Martha Moran
Sahara Cassidy and the Extinction Caverns by Kevin Emerson
Sanguinaries Anonymous by Richard Alan Nelson
Saving Halli Weaver by Lynne Logan
Saving Par by Michael Licwinko
Served Cold by Mike Sherer
Shark Valley Slough by Christopher D. Brown
Shoeless by Granville Burgess
Sight Unseen by Evette Vargas
Sins of the Father by Kevin R. Frech
Sleepwalkers by Stephen Smith
Smashed by Eric Austen
Some Love, Some Cash by Richard C. Haber
Song of Myself by Ryan Reed
Soul by Dave Becker
Soul Catcher by Marlene King
Spirits of the Snow by Andrew Grauman Kramp
Stagemom by Maggie Franks
Stairway to Heaven by Lyndon McGill
Star Guards by Wayne Edward Sherwood
Still by Sarah Tatting
Storm by Rick Adams
Street With No Lights by Brennen Arkins
Superior by Susan Wescott & Katrina L. Coombs
Swap by Steve Finly
Talent by Stephen Gray
Tan Ha - The 7th Deadly Sin by Edward J. Blair
Tasupi by Laverne Stringer
Ten Minutes With the President by Beverly Jones & Tarpley Jones
The Alaskan Conspiracy by Steve Miller
The Alchemist by William D. Wolff
The Amazing Unbreakable Circle by Peter E. Groynom
The American Family by Adam Moore
The Anatomy of Desire by Helene Macaulay
The Annoyance Man by Dianna Ippolito
The Bad Brother by Anton Hill
The Banner by Ernestina Juarez
The Baron of Whitfield Beach by Robyn Laguzza
The Black Tulip by Gena Ellis
The Captain's Wife by Richard Hammerstrom
The Carolinas by Jacqueline Tadros
The Cure by Steven Hathaway
The Dance by John T. Frederick
The Dogs of Sun Valley by Brad Small
The Doomsday Order by Ken Miyamoto
The Engagement by Rene Andre
The Expendables by Erin Engman
The Fall of Dreams by Ryan LaSalle
The Fix by David Poulshock
The Flame and the Sword by Adam Adrian Crown
The Following by Andrew Connell
The Gargoyle by Eduardo Oliveira
The Gentlemen Makers by Elisa Wolfe
The Ghost of Christmas Past by Michael Hebler
The Ghost of Delaford Grange by Jessica Scalise
The Good Brother by Jim Zachar
The Good Harvest by Daniel Forrest
The Goodman by Steve Simonson
The Great Crime by Gregory R. Alvarez
The Grieving by Roy McDonald
The Groomer by Greg Caplan
The Guest by Ben Ketai
The Guide by Kris White
The Hajj by Kelly Crigger
The Home Front by David Buttaro
The Innocent One by Keith Warburton
The Lamb by Guy Winch
The Last Chardonnay by Linda Armstrong
The Last Flight of the Blackbird by David Cooper
The Last Mile by Sejal B. Ravani
The Lily White Lie by Katherine Koonce
The Line of Departure by Michael J. Cramer
The Lottery by Michael Werwie
The Mark by Alex Pajcin
The Merging by Thomas J. Herring
The Note by Michael D. Morra
The Numbers by James Westerholm
The Patriot Act by Steven C. Oppenheimer
The Petal Game by Jillan Oppenhuizen
The Real Truth by Thomas Moore
The Restorer by Dean J. Augustin
The Road of Marnie Hill by Katherine Koonce
The Scattering of Ernest by Michael Hebler & G.P. Quinlan
The Shot by Laura Corey
The Shotgun Waltz by Ji Un Choi
The Sixth Commandment by Greg & Dane Nielsen
The Skid Row Tales by Lawrence Kane
The Smiths and the Coelacanth by Ceridwen Dovey & Lindiwe Dovey
The Soul of the World by Brian Winfrey
The Sound of the Game by Zack Van Eyck
The Spanish Island by Steve LaMontagne
The Stadium by Zer Gonzales
The Stunning Box by David Bertoni
The Sunshine Blond by Marilyn Mallory
The Sweetest Day Guy by Shohn Turner
The Taste of her Name by Bill Biggar
The Templar Killings by Keith Davidson
The Third Story by Nathan Witkin
The Truth About Tattoos by Joanne Parrow
The Two Sides of Sorrow by J.W. Ruff
The Uncertainty Principle by David Ullendorff
The Uncertainty Principle by Nathan Bransford
The Ups and Downs of Elvis Brown by Mike Walden
The Wizard, the Farmer and the Very Petty Princess by Daniel Fox
The Wolves of Brighton by Tyler C. Jensen
Three Boysâ€™ Woods by Greg Giovinco
Time of the Jaguar by Andrew Arthur
Time Warp by Sean Simmons
Triage by Shane Oâ€™Neill
True North by Eric W. Carlson
Ultraviolet Child by James Ossi
Up Against The Brass by David Shifren
Venus Retrograde by Carole Ryavec
Violet by Gregory Davis
Vows by Tom Bilyeu & Ron Jansen
Waking Up Normal by Scott Keen
Washingtonâ€™s Ax by John M. Strawbridge
When It Snows by Joseph F. Brown
White Room by Hiroshi Nakajima
Wild Oats by Claudia Myers & Gary Kanew
Willful by Nathaniel E. Mason
Winning At All Costs by M. R. Franks
With The Fishes by Christopher Harwood & Craig Gadsby
Wrath by Jason C. Hinton
Xanadu by Peter Lower
Year of the Sheep by Frank Richard Faller
You Donâ€™t Say by Michael Breggar
You May Say Iâ€™m A Dreamer by Cinthea Stahl
Zig Zag by Heather Hughes

Screenwriting Expo

2006-07-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

The Screenwriting Expo The largest event in the world for screenwriters, Screenwriting Expo 5 features hundreds of seminars on every aspect of writing imaginable as well as numerous A-list guests of honor.

Creative Screenwriting was named "the best magazine about screenwriting" by the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post. Sign up for CS Weekly for free.

Movie Scripts Online A huge online database of film and TV scripts that features links to additional articles and interviews for every script included.

Crafty TV

2006-06-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box by Alex Epstein

Everyone watches television, and everyone has an opinion on what makes a good TV show. But, as Alex Epstein shows in this invaluable guide, writing for television is a highly specific craft that requires knowledge, skill, and more than a few insider's tricks.

Epstein, a veteran TV writer and show creator himself, provides essential knowledge about the entire process of television writing, both for beginners and for professionals who want to go to the next level. Crafty TV Writing shows how to understand the hidden structure of a TV series so you can write it.

It explains the best ways to generate a hook, write an episode, create characters the audience will never tire of, construct entertaining dialogue, and use humor. It explains how to steer your way through the tough but rewarding television industry: from writing your first "spec" script, to getting hired to create a show, to surviving—even thriving—if you get fired. And it illuminates how television writers think about the shows they're writing, whether they're writing comedy, drama, or "reality".

Fresh, funny, and informed, Crafty TV Writing is the essential guide to writing for and navigating in the world of TV.

Going Green

2006-05-26T00:32:00.000-07:00

Going green for the summer. Actually, screwed up part of the blog and had to do a do over.

Mark

Scriptapalooza Inc.

2006-05-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

Scriptapalooza Inc.

Special Offer for Scriptapalooza Members

Dear Friends:

As a friend of Scriptapalooza, you've gotten to know
what it takes to be one of Hollywood's top scribes.
Now it's time to learn the techniques and methods of
today's top directors, actors, cinematographers,
editors, producers and screenwriters-with MovieMaker
Magazine.

For a limited time, we're offering friends of
Scriptapalooza the chance to receive a subscription to
MovieMaker for as little as $2.00 per issue*, which
include copies of all of our special annual
editions-including the 2006 and 2007 Guides to Making
Movies and our all-new Indie Studio Edition: The
Future of Filmmaking (released in June).
AS AN ADDED BONUS: Sign up for THREE years and you can
choose to receive one of the following books-courtesy
of Michael Wiese Productions (www.mwp.com)-ABSOLUTELY
FREE!

*Digital Cinema: The Hollywood Insider's Guide to the
Evolution of Storytelling, by Thom Taylor & Melinda
Hsu (Retail price: $27.95). This book explains how
cutting-edge technology and the age-old desire to tell
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price: $29.95). Immerse yourself in the world of
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*Could It Be A Movie? How To Get An Idea Out Of Your
Head And Up On The Screen, by Christina Hamlett
(Retail price: $26.95). Is there a movie inside of you
that's been yearning to get out but didn't know where
to begin? Before you begin your screenplay, this is
the roadmap you need to determine if cinema is the
best destination for your creative ideas.

To take advantage of this offer, simply log on to
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Immediately, you will be sent a complimentary copy of
our current 2006 Guide to Making Movies as well as
April's Spring 2006 edition (featuring a cover story
on Down in the Valley's Evan Rachel Wood plus
additional interviews/articles by Roger Avary, Nicole
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We're positive you'll love what you read!

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Log onto
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or call 212/766-4100 today for a subscription.

Yours sincerely,
Jennifer Wood
Editor
MovieMaker Magazine
www.moviemaker.com

Myspace Screenwriting Blog (Where I've been Lately)

2006-05-14T22:41:00.000-07:00

Mark's Myspace Screenwriting Blog

Hard to be all places at once.

Mark

Shriekfest

2006-05-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

Shriekfest call for entries!

The 6th annual Shriekfest, the Los Angeles International
Horror/Thriller/SciFi/Fantasy Film Festival and Screenplay competition
is currently accepting submissions for it's 2006 festival to be held in
September of 2006!

The festival is dedicated to screening and recognizing the works of
filmmakers and screenwriters in the often forgotten genres. Superior
screening facilities, parties, and panels make this a wonderful
networking experience for all. Awards will be given in most categories
and prizes include cash, product awards, trophies, etc. Please see our
website for more information and an entry form www.shriekfest.com Also,
check out our news page and see how Shriekfest has helped many
filmmakers and screenwriters in the past.

$1000 cash prize to the best overall screenplay!

Denise Gossett
Shriekfest Film Festival and Screenplay Competition
Festival Founder/Director
www.shriekfest.com

CS Web.ws

2006-04-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

CS Web.ws

A Screenwriting Network Presented by Creative Screenwriting Magazine.

CS Web.ws is your portal to the screenwriting world. Included in the sites below are more than 1,000,000 words of advice to help you make the transition from aspiring to professional screenwriter.

Great new screenwriting resource.

Mark's Myspace Page

2006-04-13T23:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, I did it. I created a myspace page at Mark's Myspace Screenwriting Page. If you're a screenwriter, filmmaker, or even just like movies check it out and link up with me. I think it's a fairly new way to make contacts and see what other artistic people are doing out there.

Entered Three Screenwriting Contests

2006-04-13T23:55:00.000-07:00

I entered Script Pimp's Screenwriting Contest, Writers on the Storm, and Scriptapoolza. Good way to get a barometer where you're at and where you need to be, plus good exposure. The bonus is it feels like you're doing something which might be the most important part of all.

Last Chance

2006-04-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

8th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition

http://www.scriptapalooza.com

We are accepting screenplays!

FINAL DEADLINE IS APRIL 14

Supported by the Writers Guild of America, west Registry

First prize is $10,000 and screenwriting software for the top 30 winners from Write Brothers.

Over 70 production companies are reading all the entered scripts!

All thirteen winners will be considered by Scriptapalooza's outstanding participants;
A Band Apart, Samuel Goldwyn Films, HBO, Material, Disney and many more.
-----------------------------
SCRIPTAPALOOZA NEWS

4 scripts have been optioned in the 2005 Competition.

'The Curse of Old Bob' by Enterprise Entertainment.
'Black Mountain' by CatchLight Films
'Remains' by CatchLight Films
'Son of a Gun' by Garlin Pictures

http://www.scriptapalooza.com
323.654.5809 office

Upcoming Screenwriting Contests

2006-04-01T12:35:00.000-08:00

Writers on the Storm - Screenwriting Contest All submissions must be postmarked by April 15, 2006. And its accompanying blog Coverage, Ink where you can ask questions about screenwriting and the contest.

Sponsored by Coverage Ink - a leading industry coverage service. Affiliated with Creative Screenwriting magazine. EACH entry receives a FREE, brief, mini-analysis. Writers On The Storm was founded with the goal of helping talented writers get their script in front of as many decision makers in the industry as possible. Over 75 production companies, agents, and managers will be reading the winning script and the loglines of the top ten finalists. (A complete list is available on the Writers on the Storm website.)

2006 Script P.I.M.P. Screenwriting Contest Deadline May 1st, 2006.

The Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting The Grandaddy of them all, deadline May 1st, 2006.

2006 Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Contest Final Deadline April 14, 2006.

AAA Screenplay Contest sponsored by Creative Screenwriting deadline June 1, 2006.

Everyone who submits a screenplay to the June 2006 contest wins

10 free copies of your screenplay from ScriptCopier.com ($50+ value).

Discounts from Script Shark, Filmtracker, and Coverage Ink.

You've written the script, now let us help you get it through the door.

Welcome to Creative Screenwriting's bi-annual screenplay competition. The AAA Contest is looking for the best and most talented writers from around the world. If you have written a great screenplay, please allow us to bring your work to the attention of the industry.

Our Grand Prize winner will receive $5,000 and agency/production company consideration, and our two runners-up will receive $1,000 apiece plus agency/production company consideration. We'll also send loglines and synopses for the top ten scripts to more than 350 agents, managers, and development executives who have requested them. Submit your best work in any genre.

Screenwriting contests are a great way to get your foot in the door and more importantly give you a barometer for where your work ranks among your peers.

"Rewriting Secrets for Screenwriters"

2006-03-28T15:47:00.000-08:00

Rewriting Secrets for Screenwriters: Seven Strategies to Improve and Sell Your Work by Tom Lazarus

How to handle the working screenwriters toughest assignment: reworking, rewriting, and revising, from the author of Secrets of Film Writing.

Every screenwriter needs to rewrite-more than once, probably many times-to make the story work and then to make a sale. And then again later on, to please producers, studios or stars. Tom Lazarus -author of Stigmata, among other scripts- is a working screenwriter and instructor at UCLA extension. In this book, he's distilled his own experience and that of other screenwriters into a system. Rewriting Secrets for Screenwriters will teach writers how to:

-Prioritize big scenes.
-Track Transitions.
-Plot Corrections.
-Add new information.
-Pass through for dialogue.
-Do an "on the nose" rewrite.

Hugely valuable for first-time screenwriters and veterans of Hollywood pitch wars alike, Rewriting Secrets for Screenwriters is laced with humor and attitude as well as information. Its anatomy of a screenplay rewrite breaks down the books lessons into their practical application-a must for anyone looking for a break in the film business.

Picked this book up at my local bookstore.

V for Vendetta

2006-03-22T13:59:00.000-08:00

Crazy John's review of "V for Vendetta"

V FOR VENDETTA (2006)

director: James McTeigue

Once in awhile, a film comes along that stumps its viewer. V for Vendetta did that to me. There is much to applaud in this film and yet often one is rolling his eyes in disbelief. At the end of the day, we have an ambitious film which I praise despite some poor decisions made along the way.

Based on a ten issue comic book series from the mid-80s by British writer Alan Moore and artist David Lloyd, the comic is first and foremost political. Written during the conservative Margaret Thatcher administration, the comic speculates on a future England where rights have been trampled and power abused. Into this world comes V.(played by Hugo Weaving in the movie), a superhero via Abbie Hoffman, wearing a Guy Fawkes mask and a gift for blowing up symbols of London. He is aided by Evey (Natalie Portman in the film), a young woman whose parents were political radicals murdered by the State. Is V. a terrorist or a revolutionary and is there a difference? Do the ends justify the means? For V.’s creators the answer to this last question is yes. With more dialogue than action, V for Vendetta was not a comic I expected to be adapted into a giant Hollywood motion picture. Yet, via producer Joel Silver (Die Hard) and the writers the Wachowski Brothers (duh, The Matrix), the world now has a movie that is equal parts Batman and George Orwell.

I am surprised that the politics are still present even if it is in a far more simplistic (i.e.- easy) form. There are no shades of grey in the film. The villains are fanatics, rapists, child murderers, and fascists in black boots and uniforms straight out of a post WWII pulp novel. John Hurt who played Winston Smith in the 1980s version of 1984, is here cast as Big Brother and he screams every line of dialogue.

First time director James McTeigue oversells many moments. To show how bad the food is in prison, McTeigue has a rat refusing to eat from the plate! V.’s underground lair is complete with a piano, a TV, a jukebox with 300 songs, impressive artwork, and hundreds of books. Considering this is suppose to be a secret hideout in the abandon subways of London, one wonders how he was able to sneak in a piano or a jukebox. Not since the sixties pop classic Danger: Diabolik has a most wanted criminal had such a spread! The climax of the film involves thousands of Guy Fawkes masks being delivered all over London. This produces some amazing visuals, but it also raises questions of practicality (where were they made? How did V. get them to the post office?).

All of this sounds like complaints, and in most any other film, they would be, but V for Vendetta has unique charms. It boasts a strong visual style with striking set design. It has Hugo Weaving never once showing his face and ideally cast as V. It has Natalie Portman making up for sleepwalking through the Star Wars films. It has Stephen Rea as the detective trying to catch V. while wrestling with his own conscious. It has exciting sequences and even thought. It even has the cleverest Kiss Me Deadly reference since Pulp Fiction. However, the film does walk a line as its Matrix inspired trailer suggests. The film changes the comic to make it more like an action film. There is a climatic showdown with the worst of the villains and in slow motion no less. Despite the ending, action fans may be disappointed by the long middle section where hero and villain fight with words instead of bullets and throwing knives. Science fiction fans may be intrigued by the future presented, a world where the public have traded their freedom for security (any similarity to actual events is NOT purely coincidental!). These two sides of V for Vendetta do not always mix, but I was intrigued. For that reason, I recommend it faults and all.

8th Annual Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival

2006-03-21T11:56:00.000-08:00

April 26 - April 30, 2006 Champaign, IL Ebert Fest website and This Year's Festival Lineup.

A Few notables "Ripley's Game" with John Malkovich in attendance and "Bad Santa" with director Terry Zwigoff. Should be another great year.

Breakfast With Sharks

2006-03-04T02:38:00.000-08:00

"Breakfast with Sharks" is not a book about the craft of screenwriting. This is a book about the business of managing your screenwriting career, from advice on choosing an agent to tips on juggling three deal-making breakfasts a day. Prescriptive and useful, Breakfast with Sharks is a real guide to navigating the murky waters of the Hollywood system. And check out my past featured books at
Mark's Screenwriting Bookstore.

First Round Finalist

2006-03-03T01:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I made the first round finalist in Scr(i)pt Magazine's Open Door Contest with "Peter Seven". Didn't make the top ten, but still not bad for a first time effort. Congrats to the top ten.

Crazy John's best of 2005

2006-02-10T01:10:00.000-08:00

send comment and questions to John Dodd at jrd_73@yahoo.com

Various critics have called 2005 a good year for movies. For me, it was a year of needless remakes, double dipping DVD releases, and overrated art films. Mark asked if I would do a 10 best list for 2005, even if it is already February. There were not many contenders for these ten spots.

1 - GRIZZLY MAN (Werner Herzog)

The most fascinating film of the year was this documentary, which was robbed of an Oscar nomination. Timothy Treadwell lived with grizzly bears for thirteen years and then was killed by one. Was he a naive naturalist, an eccentric egotist, or just plain nuts? This is really a portrait of two unique individuals: Treadwell and director Herzog. "I believe the common denominator of the universe is not harmony but chaos, hostility, and murder."

2 - 2046 (Wong Kar-Wai)

His fans thought this was one of Wong’s best. Non-fans were disappointed. The visuals are gorgeous as always. The character of the Lothario who can only find love in a dream is haunting in a way Wong’s last few films were not. The film played most everywhere else in the world in 2004. I saw it in 2004 via an import DVD (and called it one of the best of 2004). Nonetheless, I am placing this on my 10 best list for 2005; if I have to, I’ll put it on the 2006 list as well.

3 - WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT

(Steve Box and Nick Park)

"Beware the Moon!"

4 - SIN CITY (Robert Rodriguez

w/ Frank Miller and

Quentin Tarantino)

After 2046, the most visually striking film of the year and one of the most faithful adaptations of a comicbook(s) to date.

5 - SERENITY (Joss Whedon)

Since I had never seen any of the Firefly TV series, expectations were low. I came away with the most entertaining, best realized, piece of space opera in a long time. Serenity kicks the galactic ass of Star Wars Episode Three.

6 - TRILOGY - THE WEEPING MEADOW (Theo Angelopoulos)

Hated by almost everyone else and clearly not up to the controversial auter’s best, this was my favorite true art (with a capital A) film of the year. I will never forget the sight of the herd of sheep hanging from a tree. The tracking shot through a distressed wedding party, making for a living canvas, is another keeper.

7 - THE DEVIL’S REJECTS (Rob Zombie)

The best nihilistic, completely unredeemable, Southern fried horror film since the 1970s ended and Sid Haig deserves an Oscar. "Why don’t you like clowns? Don’t we make you laugh?"

8 - MILLIONS (Danny Boyle)

Who would have thought that Danny Boyle’s best film would have neither zombies nor heroin addicts in it? Instead, the focus is on two British kids who lost a mother and ended up with millions in pounds just weeks before the country’s conversion to the euro. Cheers to Boyle for consistently wrestling with ideas and keeping a dark edge throughout, no matter how whimsical the film becomes.

9 - BROKEN FLOWERS (Jim Jarmusch)

For Bill Murray. . . and the best Vladimir Nabokov reference in some time.

10 - NO DIRECTION HOME - BOB DYLAN (Martin Scorsese)

One of my favorite living directors and one of my favorite musicians meet for an always interesting documentary. Better than either The Last Waltz or Don’t Look Back.

Three art movies, two documentaries, two family oriented movies, a comic book adaptation, an escapist sci-fi fantasy, and a grueling horror film, I will give 2005 credit for its variety of good films. They almost forgive the rest. Here is another list, not the worst films of the year but the most overrated, films that produced indifference (which some might argue is worse than being actively bad).

Crash - Alright, this is a good film.

I liked it. . . but the well-meaning quality was dished up so heavily that I almost choked. John Sayles did it better ten years ago in City of Hope.

Land of the Dead -

It wasn’t bad, but all of us horror fans waited twenty years for that?

Good Night and Good Luck -

David Strathairn captured Murrow and as a history lesson, the film makes its point. So what was with the bizarre decision to have a lengthy secondary plot with the two least interesting characters (Robert Downey Jr. and Patricia Clarkson)?

Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride -

A far cry from A Nightmare Before Christmas.

Star Wars - Episode 3 -

It was better than the last two films, but is that saying much?

Jarhead -

It may not have always been set during the first Gulf War, but I have watched this story many times before.

Me, You, and Everyone We Know -

Annoyingly quirky characters meet and fall in love.

The Constant Gardener - A dull love story and a heavy handed political tract masquerading as a thriller.

The New World -

Lots of pretty pictures and absolutely no drama, the whole Eden of unspoiled nature theme seemed kind-of silly. Sort of like Dances with Wolves all over again (that’s not a good thing).

A History of Violence -

The film I was most excited about turned out to be the one of the most tiresome. The futility of violence was shown much more powerfully back in 2003's Mystic River (a film which just missed my 10 best list that year but which would have been #3 had
it been released in ‘05). As dark thrillers go, the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke was far grittier.

Taken as a whole, these overpraised films, combined with the annoying audiences I saw many of them with (a problem getting worse each year), made me just want to stay home. Here is to 2006 being better!

S C R I P T A P A L O O Z A Inc.

2006-01-30T09:01:00.000-08:00

S C R I P T A P A L O O Z A Inc.
www.scriptapalooza.com

We are accepting screenplays for the 8th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition

Supported by the WGA west Registry

First prize is $10,000 and screenwriting software for the top 30 winners from Write Brothers.
Regular deadline is March 3 and FINAL deadline is April 14

Over 70 production companies are reading all the entered scripts!
All thirteen winners will be considered by Scriptapalooza's outstanding participants;
A Band Apart, Samuel Goldwyn Films, HBO, Material, Disney and many more.

http://www.scriptapalooza.com
323.654.5809 office

Syd's Back

2006-01-17T20:51:00.000-08:00

Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting Revised Edition

A real gem on the craft of screenwriting, this third edition of Syd Field's preeminent book on screenwriting provides easily understood guidelines for writing a screenplay, from concept to finished product. Field makes the art of film writing accessible to novices and helps practiced writers improve their scripts, as he pinpoints stylistic and structural elements such as characterization and plot (and why the first ten pages are crucial).

This masterful book provides tips and techniques on screenplay format; collaborations; adaptations; what to do after your screenplay is written and more. The highly-regarded scripts of Chinatown and Silver Streak are used to illustrate concepts.

"Syd Field is the preeminent analyzer in the study of American screenplays." -- James L. Brooks, Academy Award-winning writer, director, producer.

A few Screenwriting Resources

2006-01-13T18:39:00.000-08:00

Hollywood Creative Directory -Producers #56

The Hollywood Creative Directory, known as “the bible of the film and television industry,” has been the authoritative source of information for and about entertainment industry professionals for fifteen years. The comprehensive listings include addresses, phone and fax numbers, emails and Web sites, staff names and titles, and select television and film credits.
The Hollywood Creative Directories, including the flagship publication, PRODUCERS, can be found on the desk of every studio executive, director, producer, writer, and actor in the entertainment industry, as well as in college and university libraries.

Spec Screenplay Sales Directory - 2004 Deluxe Edition Vol. 7

The Spec Screenplay Sales Directory 2004 Deluxe Edition contains more than six years of sales. This one-of-a-kind book, written up in the L.A. Times in August 1997, contains an A-Z listing of screenplays that includes: title, 2-3 sentence logline (storyline), genre, agent, producer, date-of-sale, purchase price, buyer, lawyer and more. Information is cross-referenced six ways for easy access. Discover what Hollywood is buying, which agents and agencies are handling sales (many from first-time writers), contacts at the studios and production companies, how much money to expect from your sale, which lawyers are negotiating deals and lots more.

The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters

Author Karl Iglesias, Hollywood story analyst and development executive, personally interviewed these top contemporary scribes to learn their hints, tips, and advice for making it as a screenwriter. In The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters, you’ll learn how to make the greatest impact with a screenplay, using pacing, dialogue, and character development. You’ll also follow each writer through a typical “day in the life,” sharing eye-opening experiences that will amaze, amuse, and ultimately, inspire you.

Early Batman Poster?

2006-01-11T21:26:00.000-08:00

Hopefully a Joker like Alan Moore's "The Killing Joke"?

Well, it's a fan poster. But cool though.

Hostel Captures Box Office

2006-01-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

To the the tune of $19.5 million. Not to surprised. Had a huge amount of buzz going for it. And maybe a tad of originality (for Hollywood anyway), a new hook after all the tired horror cliches. I did see one report where the public thought Quentin Tarantino directed it and his name probably helped the buzz a bit. Anyway, congrats Eli.

Hostel

Eli Roth's Evil Excursions talks about the influences on the movie.

Return of the Camaro

2006-01-10T09:57:00.000-08:00

Looks sweet. About frickin time.

Titles

2006-01-03T06:05:00.000-08:00

I'm running a little experiment. I have a poll off to the side to see which one of my screenplays sounds like a movie, you, the movie audience would be interested in seeing just based on the title.

Thanks for playing along.

Mark

Happy New Year!

2006-01-03T05:41:00.000-08:00

Here's hoping all the screenwriting bloggers out there much luck in the new year. The best thing about the new year is getting another start on that project you shelved mid year or starting a completely new story.

It would be nice to keep a running count on the progress we make out here on the net. Again Happy New year and much like to the the screenwriting bloggers out there in the scribe.

Speaking of progress, Eli Roth has his own weblog about the movie "Hostel," one of the most anticipated horror movies in a long time. And with a little help from Quentin Tarantino, it should a big box office draw. The website is something to see in its own right.

Screenwriters Showcase + Discount

2005-12-20T11:36:00.000-08:00

We would like to offer your readers a discount admission price of $125 (reg $149) good until Jan 31st for admission to our Scriptwriters Showcase.

For more info on the event, featuring only working screenwriters as panelists, please visit:
http://www.scriptwritersshowcase.com

Scriptwriters Showcase: Learn From Those Who Write

April 7 - 9, 2005

Universal Studios Sheraton

Final Draft and scr(i)pt magazine present a one-of-a-kind scriptwriting and creative development industry conference, marketplace and job fair. Panels featuring A-list screenwriters, agents, managers, producers and development executives will examine the craft and business of scriptwriting for film, television and interactive media. Don’t miss this unprecedented opportunity to learn from the professionals who drive the entertainment industry.

Join us at Universal Studios in the heart of the entertainment community for this gathering of professionals dedicated to promoting the art and business of scriptwriting.

Space is limited! To register: http://www.scriptwritersshowcase.com
Use Discount Code MABL06 to receive your discount.

Crazy John's "King Kong" Review

2005-12-14T20:01:00.000-08:00

My friend Crazy John gives his take on KONG.

King Kong (2005)

Review by John Dodd (jrd_73@yahoo.com)

Dir: Peter Jackson

(with notes on two other versions)

Kong and I go way back. When I was a child in the late 1970s/early 80s, I had a King Kong raincoat, part of the 1976 promotion that had been discounted over the years until my parents took advantage of some closeout sale. Being way too young to go to the film when it was released (or even to know it existed), King Kong 76 was not caught until it played network television some years later. I remember grooving to the snake and subway scenes but finding the film too slow and made even slower by the commercial interruptions. A viewer had to wait more than a whole hour to see the ape. What horror!!!!

The 1933 King Kong took longer to view. As a pre-teen, I remember reading film monster books and looking at the photos of Kong fighting the bat, but the film was not available at the local video store. Sad to say, once I got to be a teenager, I would watch an old film only if that was all there was to watch. I had other, gorier fish to fillet besides a fifty-five year-old monster movie. Finally, in the late 90s, I watched the original King Kong.

By comparison, this year’s King Kong was watched on opening day. I took off work just to be able to watch the first showing. Sure I had a few misgivings. The film was three hours, an indulgent running time for a monkey movie. It seemed odd for director Peter Jackson to want to remake his favorite film (I wouldn’t want to remake Dr. Strangelove or Ikiru or The Wild Bunch). Still, if any director could give King Kong 1933 a rival it would be Peter Jackson.

What I watched was a thrilling, well done, if overlong, adventure film. Kong 2005 is a film that wants to please. Instead of Kong fighting one t-rex, he fights three at once. Instead, of the would-be rescuers swimming from a herd of brontosaurs, they are caught in a wild brontosaurus stampede! The boat landing scene has giant waves, a rock wall, and many close calls. Jackson even gives the viewer a variation on the legendary, lost spider sequence from the original King Kong. Jackson is a showman worthy of Carl Denham himself.

Having said that, King Kong 2005 is not a great movie. By having a running time over three hours long, the star does not get his first close-up until well over an hour. Certain scenes (like the romance between Ann Darow and Jack Discoll - Watts/Brody) drag on. Hey, this is a film about a giant ape. The audience does not need relationships between crew members. We are all paying for the big monkey, bring him on.

Running time aside, there was at least one wink wink allusion to the first King Kong which produced a groan ("Faye is shooting a picture at RKO with Cooper"). Also, and there is no getting around this, computer FX cannot rival stop motion for this viewer. Kong moves perfectly, but many of the dinosaur scenes, as good as they are, look like twelve year-old left overs from Jurassic Park.

What Jackson does do brilliantly is the end. The New York of this King Kong is an amazing creation. The Empire State Building sequence provides an amazing view of a recreated 1930s city, a world that seems as real and as tangible as our own. The aerial footage squeezes the viewer’s emotion. We are in the planes circling Kong and feel the rush and the horror of the action. This sequence is amazing. It ends King Kong 2005 on a high note. Yet, this Kong is not the *real* Kong.

Time has not been kind to the 1976 King Kong directed by John Guillermin. I had remembered from my youth liking this Dino De Laurentiis production. Due largely to Jackson’s remake, it is now out on DVD. While I do not think the film is as bad as everyone but Dino says, it certainly can not be called good. Jessica Lange gives either an awful performance or has a very thankless role. The snake now looks like a contender for film history’s fakest looking reptile (and there is quite a competition in that category). Yet, the biggest fault was the decision to use a man-in-a-suit after over a dozen Godzilla movies. This Kong is not even a good man-in-a-suit, not much better than the one in Mighty Peking Man, the cheap-O, Hong Kong ripoff of King Kong 76. The film even highlights its fault with the very unwise line, "Who the hell do you think went through there, some guy in an ape suit?"

The King Kong of 1933 (made by explorers Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack) remains the best version of this story because it creates one of the most memorable characters in film. Kong lives, breathes, and dies before our eyes. He dies with a gesture of confusion as if to say how did I get here. We feel the pain of a stranger in a strangeland, the last of a dying breed killed by the modern age (and love). This is not a man-in-a-suit, but a character more real than the ones played by Robert Armstrong and Faye Wray. To his credit Jackson in 2005's King Kong does strive to make a character, but this Kong does not have the life, the style of the Kong of 33. When Kong 33 played with the carcass of the tyrannosaurus, there was genuine curiosity on his face. When Jackson’s Kong does it, the end result feels more like homage. I have met more than one who claims the 1933 King Kong as the best film he/she has ever seen. My grandfather was one of these. If he was still living, I would take him to Jackson’s King Kong. He probably would have liked it, but I’m also sure he would have said, "That’s not King Kong."

Jackson’s greatest achievement for the true King Kong is to help with the release of the DVD. This two-disk set, which among other extras recreates the lost spider scene, is a must buy for all Kong fans. Many will spend $5-10 to watch Jackson’s Kong. It is money well spent, but an even better buy is the $20-25 DVD of the 1933 King Kong.

Happy Birthday to Me

2005-12-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

33 years ago today in a galaxy far far away, actually Illinois, but close enough.

Few Contest reminders.

Two Additional Weeks

The AAA Contest deadline has been extended to December 15th.
That's just two weeks away!

To submit your screenplay right now, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/step1.php

Call for Entries!

Breaking into the world of screenwriting is no easy task. Creative Screenwriting magazine is proud to sponsor the AAA Screenplay Contest, a chance for a few talented writers to take the next step in their writing career.

http://horrorscreenplaycompetition.com

Only 7 days left until the Ferryman crosses the river Styx and your
chance of becoming the next big thing in horror dies forever. Don't miss
the boat.

You could miss the chance to win the only screenplay competition solely
dedicated to the horror genre... your genre.

By now, you're probably hard at work tweaking the screams and scares of
your script.

Please remember, all entries must be postmarked by December 9, 2005 to
be eligible.

--
Horror Screenplay Competition
1028 12th Street #8
Santa Monica, CA 90403
http://horrorscreenplaycompetition.com

OPEN DOOR CONTEST

2005-11-25T15:59:00.000-08:00

BENDERSPINK SPONSORS OPEN DOOR CONTEST

New Online Entry Now Available!
https://www.scriptmagstore.com/opendoor-order.php

Open Door Contest Deadline: December 1, 2005
scr(i)pt magazine's Open Door Contest sponsored by BENDERSPINK.

The first-place winner of this contest receives $3,000 CASH,
consideration for
literary representation by BENDERSPINK, screenwriting software provided
by
Final Draft, a $200 gift certificate from The Writers Store, a free
class from
ActionCut Seminars, promotions from Inktip.com and
SoYouWannaSellAScript.com,
plus much more!

Entry Fee: $45

For more information and to enter online visit:
http://www.scriptmag.com/contests/index.php

About the Sponsor: BENDERSPINK is a diversified management/production
company
specializing in initiating and managing the careers of screenwriters,
directors
and actors as well as producing quality film and television projects
which
communicate unique takes on universal themes.

With a first-look deal at New Line Cinema since July 1999, the company
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produced 14 feature films including A History of Violence, Red Eye,
Monster-in-Law, The Ring, The Ring Two, American Pie 1 & 2, American
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As managers, Benderspink has an unparalleled reputation for
discovering,
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Bad
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The company also recently renewed its first-look deal with 20th Century
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************************************************

GUY WALKS INTO A BAR FIRST-ROUND FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

The first-round finalists for the Thrills & Chills Contest sponsored by
Guy
Walks Into a Bar are in. scr(i)pt magazine and Guy Walks Into a Bar
would like
to thank all who entered and congratulate the second-round finalists
below:

The second-round Finalists are:
(In No Particular Order)
Jeff Wolverton for Sherlock & Jack, a thriller
Deborah Oversen, for Another Side of Evil, a suspense/thriller
Robert Bridge for Sacrificed, a thriller
Patrick Bates for Ichabod, a horror
Michael Hultquist for Victim, a psychological horror
Tyler Jensen for The Wolves of Brighton, a horror/sci-fi
Rachelle Reinhart for Point of Entry, a suspense/thriller
Carolyn Haywood for Tears for The Innocent, a gothic thriller
Stephen Smith for Sleepwalkers, a supernatural/thriller
Eugene James for Lion's Share, a crime/thriller

The top-three finalists will be announced in early December 2005.

For more information visit:
http://www.scriptmag.com/contests/current_contest.php

Writing is hard . . .

2005-11-23T08:09:00.000-08:00

Writing is hard and procrastination is easy. If you think about it, I'm sure some of you or may even have friends who talk about writing more than actually doing it. When I'm working on a screenplay, I try and write at least three pages a day. So, after a month, you're roughly around ninety pages. But any writing is better than no writing at all. And most of all writing is fun and do it for yourself.

Have a Great Thanksgiving.

Jarhead

2005-11-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

Great Book. Looking forward to seeing the movie.

The AAA Contest

2005-11-18T21:05:00.000-08:00

Contest Reminder

The AAA Contest ends December 1st. That's just 13 days away!

Call for Entries!
Breaking into the world of screenwriting is no easy task. Creative Screenwriting Magazine is proud to sponsor the AAA Screenplay Contest, a chance for a few talented writers to take the next step in their writing career.

Access
The winning script and synopses for the top ten screenplays have been requested by 292 production companies and agencies including:

Acclaim
The winner of the AAA contest will be profiled in Creative Screenwriting magazine and the names of the top ten finalists will be published in CS Weekly. Finalists and their screenplays will also be publicized in press releases and ads placed in industry publications.

Achievement
Prizes include $5,000 cash for the Grand Prize winner, plus the winning script mailed to over 290 agents, managers, and development executives who have requested it, screenwriting software, a subscription to Creative Screenwriting, and free admission to Screenwriting Expo 5.

Second and third places receive $500 cash, free software, subscription, and admission. Plus the top ten have synopses for their scripts submitted to over 100 agents, managers, and producers who have requested them.

Submit your best work in any genre. Only $40 to enter.

Deadline: December 1, 2005.

For complete details, http://www.creativescreenwriting.com/aaa/

To submit your screenplay right now, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/step1.php

Good luck everyone.

Horror Screenplays Wanted

2005-11-16T16:34:00.000-08:00

Hollywood Scriptwriting Institute is now affiliated with DVD
companies needing quality, low-budget scripts, currently
featuring the horror genre. Brief synopsis required.

Hollywood Scriptwriting Institute
1605 Cahuenga Blvd.
Hollywood, , CA 90028
Phone: 323-461-8333
Email: hwdscreen@aol.com
Web: http://Moviewriting.com

THE ONLY SCREENPLAY COMPETITION DEDICATED UNIQUELY TO THE HORROR GENRE.

http://horrorscreenplaycompetition.com

Horror Screenplay Competition
1028 12th Street #8
Santa Monica, CA 90403
http://horrorscreenplaycompetition.com

8th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition

2005-11-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

8th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition

http://www.scriptapalooza.com

With Write Brothers, Robert McKee and The Writers Guild
of America,west Registry all supporting Scriptapalooza, this is the
competition to enter.

First place prize is $10,000

2004 entrant Patrick Andrew O'Connor hired by DisneyToon to rewrite feature
All the judging is done by 60 production companies
Entertainment Weekly Magazine calls us 'One of the Best'
We promote the top 13 winners for a full year
5 scripts in the 2005 Competition have been OPTIONED
Finalists, Semifinalists and quarterfinalists get requested consistently

Early bird deadline January 5, 2006

Visit http://www.scriptapalooza.com or call 323-654-5809 or email
us at info@scriptapalooza.com

Lunar Park

2005-10-31T15:00:00.000-08:00

Great book.

Write On?

2005-10-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted in a while. I've been dealing with some personal issues that have pretty much shut down my whole life. Starting to see a little light again. Question. How does one find the inspiration to write again after a personal loss when it's hard to do the normal mundane daily life stuff? Seeking inspiration. Thanks.

OF PLANES, E-MAILS & WEB SITES

2005-09-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

The early 90's gold rush of screenwriters heading for California may be over. But I read a lot of advice telling screenwriters they must live in Los Angeles to sell a script. Sure, you will be mere miles away from the power brokers and power lunches, but what do you do if you live smack dab in the middle of the country? I'm not sure I want to be huddled with all the other aspiring screenwriters living in cardboard boxes along Santa Monica blvd. Ten years ago maybe? Maybe not.

Personally, I think it's possible to make contacts without having to uproot your family for your pipe dream. I've been to Los Angeles and I've been to Las Vegas. Nice places to visit. Wouldn't want to live there. Had a little too much fun there. I'm from the Midwest and I like it here. Not much happens. You can get a lot of writing done. And more importantly I think you can have a unique voice here and not chase the latest hollywood trend.

I've received several emails asking how to contact producers. It's not a secret handshake anymore. If you have a great story, they will read it whether they say they won't read unsolicited scripts or not. This is the CYA policy. Most will take a standard release form and many times they have their own with their letterhead on it. It just means you won't sue them if your story sounds too much like one they make down the road. But that's another topic.

A few years ago, Christopher Wehner wrote a book called Screenwriting on the Internet: Researching, Writing, and Selling Your Script on the Web. Great book if you're not ready to load up the car for LA. I was interviewed for the section entitled "OF PLANES, E-MAILS & WEB SITES". I also did an interview about screenwriting on the internet for Absolute Write. You can read it here: Mark's Big Interview. Take note I was little greener than I am now.

I am happy to say that some of my best contacts have come through the internet. I've had a few options, a couple work for hires, and made a little green in the process. Remember with the internet anyone is just an email away.

Unique voice. Unique story. Fresh air.

The Query Letter

2005-09-15T22:13:00.000-07:00

The query letter can be your ticket into the golden gates of Hollywood. Sure, a great screenplay must follow, but the query will get you the read.

The query letter serves several functions. It tells perspective agent or producer that you want them to read your screenplay. It contains the logline of your screenplay. Simply put the logline is the TV guide description of your screenplay. And if you have placed or won a screenwriting contest or have any professional accolades, be sure to list those as well. The query letter should be no more than a page long. And always include your contact information. I know a lot of this info will be old hat for many, but I didn't have old hats when I started out, so bear with me.

Does the query letter work? Yes. Do you have to send a lot of them? Yes. How can you tell if your query is working? 30% request rate is pretty good. At least that's how I judged my returns. For my first screenplay "Lucid," I sent out tons of queries and got a lot of requests. This can be good and bad. Good because you're getting reads. Bad because you're saturating your own work. But it helps to be a little young and dumb when you're starting out. And don't worry about the odds. Remember it only takes one YES.

I talked a little bit about "Lucid" in an earlier post. This was my first screenplay. Back in '97 being young and dumb the logline read something like this:

In this Usual Suspects-style thriller, Peter Seven is a collector for the Boston Mob looking to change professions after Chester Scanlon, a new and detrimental addition to his collection route, kills an upscale investment banker. This attempt to change his line of work leads Peter Seven to Hans Sai, an eclectic French painter/professor
at Boston University with his own dark past.

As things go from bad to worse for Peter, he's forced to kill Chester Scanlon only to find him alive a day later, and it seems to have everything to do with Sai's mysterious artwork.

About my third query, I found a producer ectastic about this story. If I remember correctly, he even paid the postage so he could read it the very next day. That doesn't mean a hell of a lot now with pdf files and gigs of email, but then it meant about seventeen bucks. Like any newbie I fired it out there at a whopping 132 pages. It should've fallen somewhere between 90 and 110, but what the hell did I know. All mistakes aside I almost sold my very first screenplay three months after completing it. But that's another story and another soapbox.

Queries do work. I prefer email queries because you generally get a quicker response and don't have to deal with the should I SASE or not argument. Postage is a lot more expensive now. Be selective and do your homework on a production company. There are many examples of query letters out there on the net and in the screenwriting books. If anyone would like to add to the discussion feel free. And if you want to know what not to do, check out Query Letters I Love.

The AAA Contest

2005-09-12T10:52:00.000-07:00

Another screenwriting contest opportunity.

Sponsored by Creative Screenwriting

DEADLINE December 1, 2005

Welcome to Creative Screenwriting's bi-annual screenplay competition. The AAA Contest is looking for the best and most talented writers from around the world. If you have written a great screenplay, please allow us to bring your work to the attention of the industry.

Our Grand Prize winner will receive $5,000 and agency/production company consideration, and our two runners-up will receive $1,000 apiece plus agency/production company consideration. We'll also send loglines and synopses for the top ten scripts to more than 250 agents, managers, and development executives who have requested them. Submit your best work in any genre.

Find the downloadable forms here Creative Screenwriting AAA contest

How to Start Marketing Your Screenplay

2005-09-04T17:20:00.000-07:00

I know this might be jumping ahead for some people, but I thought I would start off with a few ideas on how to find producers to submit your screenplay. As much work as you do on creating your screenplay, you have to spend just as much marketing it.

When I first started out everyone said you have to get an agent to sell a screenplay. The mantra was "no agent no sale". Then you find most agents aren't interested in you unless you've had a sale. Catch - 22: Can't sell a screenplay without an agent and can't get an agent without a sale.

After sending out dozens of query letters to agencies and getting very few requests, I decided to start contacting the producers myself. You have to be proactive with your screenwriting hobby, because until you get a check that's what it is. The saying is "it takes ten years to become an overnight success in Hollywood". And it can take even longer than that if you're not treating your hobby like a job.

So, where to begin? The first thing is make sure the screenplay is the best damn thing you can make it. Make friends, relatives, postmen read it. Get feedback. Find what works and what doesn't work. Better to find out from Uncle Charlie then a producer with dozens of credit and little time to nurture your budding talent.

Accept the criticism and learn from it. Don't get mad. Remember these people are taking time out of their lives to read your story. Make it entertaining as possible. But listen to what they have to say. With that said, there are professional readers and script coverage services that will critique your story for a price. A new screenplay has one shot to impress then it's covered. And that coverage goes into a database and is shared among other production companies. Bad coverage will sink your screenplay. So, again make it the best damn screenplay you can.

Now, places to look to submit your screenplay. First place to start is The Internet Movie Database. Here you can enter a list of movies similiar in genre to what you've written. There you can find a list of production companies and producers who make the type of films that you're writing. Another excellent place is Done Deal which list the screenplays sold and who bought them and even the agent that brokered the deal. And many times through search engines like Google you can find their address and contact information. Also, if you're willing to spend some money on your hobby, and you will, The Hollywood Creative Directory is like a bible of production companies containing contact info and list of credits.

So, here are some ideas and places to start. Next I will focus on that marketing tool known as the query letter.

Back in '97 I was "Lucid"

2005-08-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

I completed my first spec screenplay called "Lucid" and registered it with the Writer's Guild of America. Before that I was writing short stories and hoping to write the great American novel. I had always been a big fan of movies, but had never tried writing a screenplay. Then I discovered Syd Field and found a few of his books on screenwriting, and I was off and running.

I remember I had gone to see "Scream 2". The series where all the characters are hip to pop culture and know horror movie cliches. When I got home I received my first request for "Lucid".

"Lucid" was a screenplay about a small time collector for the mob who finds a painting that opens a doorway to another realm. There's a little more to it, but that'll serve for now.

A few weeks back, I had queried several literary agencies that I found on the Writer's Guild website who were willing to take a look at new writers. So, I received my request and promptly sent out my screenplay.

And waited and waited and waited.

Then received the standard "not for us at this time" which in Hollywood speak means never. But I was new and green as grass and thought it was great to even have a screenplay requested. More on the transformation of "Lucid" later.

My question: Do you remember your first request? And how did you go about getting it?

Screenwriting Contest

2005-08-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

Guy Walks Into A Bar Productions Sponsors Latest Quarterly Screenplay Contest Designed To Launch A Screenwriter's Career!

Prize: The winner will receive representation from Guy Walks Into A Bar Management and begin working immediately to try to develop his/her script with Guy Walks Into A Bar Productions PLUS screenwriting software provided by Final Draft, a $200 gift certificate from The Writers Store, a gift certificate to any Action/Cut Seminar ($350 value) and a copy of Dr. Format Answers Your Questions ...

ENTER ONLINE - DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 1 2005

I'm mulling this one over. Sounds like a pretty good deal for the winner. If anybody has any feedback on Scr(i)pt magazine contests, please feel free to add a comment. I subscribe to the magazine, but have yet to enter one of their contest.

Jumping on the Blog bandwagon

2005-08-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

After finding really excellent screenwriting information through other screenwriting blogs like http://johnaugust.com/ , I found it only inevitable before I tried my hand at one. I started my personal website Mark's Screenwriting Page (www.markatwater.com) way back in 1998 as a way to meet and share information with other screenwriters over the internet. Since then I've written 12 screenplays and more or less have had my share of little victories.

I've also hosted a screenwriting chat on Tuesday nights for quite a few years now at http://pub49.bravenet.com/chat/show.php/4136484944 Feel free to stop by.

Anyway, as I start a new trek through the web, I hope to meet many more screenwriters and hear their experiences.

And if you haven't checked his blog out yet, Josh Friedman has an excellent site at http://hucksblog.blogspot.com/

Mark