First, thanks for the replies/suggestions on Headshot. Good stuff there, lots to think on. I honestly like the story as it unfolds, but see that the logline needs revamping first of all. I know in my logline & synopsis, it's mostly about the Extra/Killer, and I need to make sure I bring the Screenwriter (Our Hero) more in focus.
And now, these direct-to-dvd pieces of shit that basically piss all over the original movies, although most were garbage to begin with. I'm talking about that Roadhouse 2. 8mm 2 (Both with Jonathon "Where The Hell Did My Career Go?" Schaech). I also heard there's gonna be a Cutting Edge 2 (What the hell is the point?? It's got basically NO name recognition with the original ice skating epic!!).
Also: Legally Blonde 3, Into the Blue 2, Wargames 2 (actually a remake would be a better idea I think), Species 4. And I know there's another I Know What You Did Last Summer coming, I think it's called: I'M POSITIVE THAT YOU MAY HAVE DONE SOMETHING NEGATIVE IN THE RECENT PAST THAT YOU SHALL BE KILLED FOR.
Disney morons were guilty of this before the Pixar merger. They had Bambi 2, Cinderella 2 The Revenge, Leroy (!) and Stitch, and recently another Brother Bear, and of course their Alladins & Lion Kings 3.5 or whatever.
At least Disney seems to be stopping the madness after BB2, but are these other shit-flicks necessary? Will you really go out and rent 8mm 2? The first one bombed, remember? How could Part 2 possibly make any money? Christ, and all of us are out here still struggling with all these "ideas" coming out of Hollywood?
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Assist Me Please!
Help me here. What's wrong with this script? Not the logline so much, 'cause people have requested it after reading it:
The cast and crew of an independent film production have more to worry about than the budget when a psychotic extra snaps and begins killing them off.
My basis of the script was dealing with an annoying extra on my own movie, called WAIT A MINUTE, the we made a trailer for 3+ years ago. After that, he would NOT stop bothering me. condtasntly asking if the trailer was finished, over, and over. The dude was BARELY in it (he was in a crowded dance club scene). If he's lucky, his shoulder might be glimpsed in a nano-second long shot. That's another post though - Extras.
So, the script is called HEADSHOT. Basically, as the premise suggests, an actor lands a gig as an extra on a small movie, but this guy is the most annoying person on Earth, gets on everyone's nerves, fucks up shots/scenes, etc. So he gets fired and bascially kills most of the cast & crew in his crazed revenge.
Now, it's not straight horror. It's really 75% comedy, 25% horror I'd say.
People have read the script, and their main concern is that we know who the killer is (his name is Dagnus Todd). SO? I mean, my point is NOT who the killer is, we know the guy is nutso at the beginning, I feel that the entertainment of the story is how/when he's going to snap, and who's going to survive. Nightmare on Elm St, Friday The 13th, Halloween, Chucky, etc - We know the killer.
Thoughts/reflections on this?
The cast and crew of an independent film production have more to worry about than the budget when a psychotic extra snaps and begins killing them off.
My basis of the script was dealing with an annoying extra on my own movie, called WAIT A MINUTE, the we made a trailer for 3+ years ago. After that, he would NOT stop bothering me. condtasntly asking if the trailer was finished, over, and over. The dude was BARELY in it (he was in a crowded dance club scene). If he's lucky, his shoulder might be glimpsed in a nano-second long shot. That's another post though - Extras.
So, the script is called HEADSHOT. Basically, as the premise suggests, an actor lands a gig as an extra on a small movie, but this guy is the most annoying person on Earth, gets on everyone's nerves, fucks up shots/scenes, etc. So he gets fired and bascially kills most of the cast & crew in his crazed revenge.
Now, it's not straight horror. It's really 75% comedy, 25% horror I'd say.
People have read the script, and their main concern is that we know who the killer is (his name is Dagnus Todd). SO? I mean, my point is NOT who the killer is, we know the guy is nutso at the beginning, I feel that the entertainment of the story is how/when he's going to snap, and who's going to survive. Nightmare on Elm St, Friday The 13th, Halloween, Chucky, etc - We know the killer.
Thoughts/reflections on this?
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Worst TV Show Ever?
Cool Band to listen to: YOUTH GROUP
Cool Movie now on cable: THE BAXTER
Cool Baseball Team to Cheer for: The Phils (be even better if they had some decent relief)
Now the reason for this post.......
I was thinking about some of the cool shows I watch nowadays (when Spongebob or Fairly Oddparents aren't clogging the TV). Entourage. Scrubs. Lost. The Office. And I'm happy that my guilty pleasure (What About Brian?) is returning. And I'm looking forward to some of the new stuff, like Studio 60 & 30 Rock. But it got me thinking back to stuff I used to watch, stuff like Miami Vice (yeah, it's dated, but it rocked), Cheers, and I loved that 'Nam show Tour Of Duty. The A-Team. Knight Rider. The Dukes!
But what show did I despise?? What did I hate hate hate? Only one show comes to mind. No, not Blossom, although Mayim or however you spell her name did get under my skin. And there are plenty of other lame comedies or boring dramas that leave a stench. But the one show that made me want to swallow a lit stick of dynamite was..(drumroll)..Small Wonder.
Oh my God how I wanted her to malfunction. Forever!
What's your worst TV show EVER?
Cool Movie now on cable: THE BAXTER
Cool Baseball Team to Cheer for: The Phils (be even better if they had some decent relief)
Now the reason for this post.......
I was thinking about some of the cool shows I watch nowadays (when Spongebob or Fairly Oddparents aren't clogging the TV). Entourage. Scrubs. Lost. The Office. And I'm happy that my guilty pleasure (What About Brian?) is returning. And I'm looking forward to some of the new stuff, like Studio 60 & 30 Rock. But it got me thinking back to stuff I used to watch, stuff like Miami Vice (yeah, it's dated, but it rocked), Cheers, and I loved that 'Nam show Tour Of Duty. The A-Team. Knight Rider. The Dukes!
But what show did I despise?? What did I hate hate hate? Only one show comes to mind. No, not Blossom, although Mayim or however you spell her name did get under my skin. And there are plenty of other lame comedies or boring dramas that leave a stench. But the one show that made me want to swallow a lit stick of dynamite was..(drumroll)..Small Wonder.
Oh my God how I wanted her to malfunction. Forever!
What's your worst TV show EVER?
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Let's Shake This House
Writing Update for those who give a dump.
CRICKET HILL Pilot - Waiting for final notes. It's a half-hour of comedy gold!
FOOD FIGHT - Manager has sent it out to agents. The big boys. We're talking ICM, Willy Morris, Endeavor, Gersch, and that upstart CAA, plus a couple smaller ones. Of course, they have to like it. Keep you posted.
ZUCKER - ALMOST done! I love this script, it's a fun comedy about a 40 year old realtor who falls in love with a 19 year old hottie. There's much more to it than that, at this point he's trying to outwit a hotman in the sewers of Mexico. Been tied up with FF & CH to properly finish it but since they're done for now, I'd like to end Zucker.
Westville -Formerly titled Skid Marks, I changed it because I realized it wasn't as broad or "gross-out." although it does have certain elements of that stuff, and as for the main plot, I must keep that underwraps.
Got some other ideas/partially written scripts in the works but I want to finish Zucker & Westville first.
Entourage Note - I loved this season, but got a bit pissed during the last episode - Drama was the only one making sense. Why fire Ari? Just for the "shock" of it (story-wise?)? He's been behind Vince all the way. And when he went behind "Bob's" back, he did so for the best of the project, and for Vince. He couldn't have that loser tagging along with them, killing his mojo during their meetings. Eric knew this, and witnessed Ari's magic when he landed them an offer. So to go and say "Oh let's fire Ari" in the final episode of this season, I thought it was kinda out of leftfield.
CRICKET HILL Pilot - Waiting for final notes. It's a half-hour of comedy gold!
FOOD FIGHT - Manager has sent it out to agents. The big boys. We're talking ICM, Willy Morris, Endeavor, Gersch, and that upstart CAA, plus a couple smaller ones. Of course, they have to like it. Keep you posted.
ZUCKER - ALMOST done! I love this script, it's a fun comedy about a 40 year old realtor who falls in love with a 19 year old hottie. There's much more to it than that, at this point he's trying to outwit a hotman in the sewers of Mexico. Been tied up with FF & CH to properly finish it but since they're done for now, I'd like to end Zucker.
Westville -Formerly titled Skid Marks, I changed it because I realized it wasn't as broad or "gross-out." although it does have certain elements of that stuff, and as for the main plot, I must keep that underwraps.
Got some other ideas/partially written scripts in the works but I want to finish Zucker & Westville first.
Entourage Note - I loved this season, but got a bit pissed during the last episode - Drama was the only one making sense. Why fire Ari? Just for the "shock" of it (story-wise?)? He's been behind Vince all the way. And when he went behind "Bob's" back, he did so for the best of the project, and for Vince. He couldn't have that loser tagging along with them, killing his mojo during their meetings. Eric knew this, and witnessed Ari's magic when he landed them an offer. So to go and say "Oh let's fire Ari" in the final episode of this season, I thought it was kinda out of leftfield.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Flickmaking - Dealing With Editors
First, movie news:
28 WEEKS LATER - coming 2007.
Invincible - 14-16 Million.
DVD Review: V For Vendetta
Snooze. Quite boring. It thought it was a bit more important than it was. Script was lazy. V simply looked ridiculous, especially cooking eggs.
And now, about editors..........
My main suggestion to anyone about to make a flick, get signed contracts. This might be obvious, but some of y'all out there might be thinking about skipping this detail. Don't.
I got burned twice by editors, 2 different situations. Here's the 1st. We'll call this editor Bob. 'Cause that's his first name. Nice enough dude, good at cutting the scenes together (in his defense, I really gave him a lot of crap to work with). We verbally agreed on a price for the edit, but we never had a contract. And as the edit grew longer, the price went up. And he had me really, because, well, he had 75% of the movie edited at that point, and what was I gonna do, tell him to pound sand? Finding another editor (and paying them) at that point didn't seem worth it. So the price went up, I paid him in installments and finally the movie was done. This was 5 years ago now.
2nd bad experience was 2 years after. For this tale, we'll call this editor JD. 'Cause that's his initials. This situation was the opposite. He was hungry, fresh out of college, and eager to edit his 1st feature. Started off well, then he talked about needing $$. I was ok with that, the guy was putting a lot of time & effort so I paid him what he asked (wasn't much). Then he talked about moving to NY. He finally finished the rough cut. It had some things that needed fixing, but not too much. So it went back to him for the final cut.
Time passed, he was in NY at that point, working full time as an editor. But I was in no real rush so I let him work on it when he could. But he didn't. And the final cut that I eventually got STILL HAD 4 noticeably edits that needed to be completed. I left messages for him, no reply. E-mails. Nothing. Then his phone # changed and was unlisted. E-mails were returned as undeliverable. I've never even gone to another editor to finish this project, mainly due to the fact that I knew the thing wouldn't ever get sold anyway (it was a feature, ultra-low budget, and it showed) so I gave up on it.
So draw up some contracts if you're heading into production. We always had them, even for PAs, but for some reason those pesky editors slipped through my fingers. Never again!
And one thing you should do in order to make your editor's life easier - ORGANIZE. Countle$$ hours were spent (on that 1st project) sifting through footage trying to find the right shots, etc. Get yourself a great Script supervisor on-set, and BEFORE you go to your editor, you have all of your footage logged in great detail. It'll save you, trust me.
Some of this crap most of you will know, I just figured to post about it for those who might not think of it.
28 WEEKS LATER - coming 2007.
Invincible - 14-16 Million.
DVD Review: V For Vendetta
Snooze. Quite boring. It thought it was a bit more important than it was. Script was lazy. V simply looked ridiculous, especially cooking eggs.
And now, about editors..........
My main suggestion to anyone about to make a flick, get signed contracts. This might be obvious, but some of y'all out there might be thinking about skipping this detail. Don't.
I got burned twice by editors, 2 different situations. Here's the 1st. We'll call this editor Bob. 'Cause that's his first name. Nice enough dude, good at cutting the scenes together (in his defense, I really gave him a lot of crap to work with). We verbally agreed on a price for the edit, but we never had a contract. And as the edit grew longer, the price went up. And he had me really, because, well, he had 75% of the movie edited at that point, and what was I gonna do, tell him to pound sand? Finding another editor (and paying them) at that point didn't seem worth it. So the price went up, I paid him in installments and finally the movie was done. This was 5 years ago now.
2nd bad experience was 2 years after. For this tale, we'll call this editor JD. 'Cause that's his initials. This situation was the opposite. He was hungry, fresh out of college, and eager to edit his 1st feature. Started off well, then he talked about needing $$. I was ok with that, the guy was putting a lot of time & effort so I paid him what he asked (wasn't much). Then he talked about moving to NY. He finally finished the rough cut. It had some things that needed fixing, but not too much. So it went back to him for the final cut.
Time passed, he was in NY at that point, working full time as an editor. But I was in no real rush so I let him work on it when he could. But he didn't. And the final cut that I eventually got STILL HAD 4 noticeably edits that needed to be completed. I left messages for him, no reply. E-mails. Nothing. Then his phone # changed and was unlisted. E-mails were returned as undeliverable. I've never even gone to another editor to finish this project, mainly due to the fact that I knew the thing wouldn't ever get sold anyway (it was a feature, ultra-low budget, and it showed) so I gave up on it.
So draw up some contracts if you're heading into production. We always had them, even for PAs, but for some reason those pesky editors slipped through my fingers. Never again!
And one thing you should do in order to make your editor's life easier - ORGANIZE. Countle$$ hours were spent (on that 1st project) sifting through footage trying to find the right shots, etc. Get yourself a great Script supervisor on-set, and BEFORE you go to your editor, you have all of your footage logged in great detail. It'll save you, trust me.
Some of this crap most of you will know, I just figured to post about it for those who might not think of it.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Little Children
Children of Men (among a handful of others) is certainly on my list of MUST-SEES for this year. And now this, Todd Field's next movie, called Little Children. Talk about a great, great trailer. Perfect.
Check out the site, and click on the trailer.
Check out the site, and click on the trailer.
Pluto Will Always Be A Planet To Me
They can't just take away one of our planets. Can they? I mean, growing up, going to ol' Roosevelt School, I learned about those 9. The 9, man! This is bullshit. Don't these spacenerds have anything better to do? Go find another solar system, or build Hubble 2. I don't care. Just not Pluto. You fuckers already messed me up years back when you said Saturn wasn't the only planet with rings. And now this?
Oh well. I could always write a script about it. Hmm, titles. Pluto Rising? Pluto & Me? Saving Pluto? Fisting Pluto? Pluto Attacks? 'Cause it's pissed off at Earth, get it? And it wants some payback.
Excuse the lame post. Long day at work, and the Phillies lost today (Cole Hamels got crushed!).
Oh well. I could always write a script about it. Hmm, titles. Pluto Rising? Pluto & Me? Saving Pluto? Fisting Pluto? Pluto Attacks? 'Cause it's pissed off at Earth, get it? And it wants some payback.
Excuse the lame post. Long day at work, and the Phillies lost today (Cole Hamels got crushed!).
Sunday, August 20, 2006
A Pleasant Surpise
So I'm flipping through the channels on Saturday night, licking my wounds from another Red Sox loss (yeah, and another loss tonight. If only Big Papi could pitch, too) and I come across Stander, starring Thomas Jane. It got good reviews when it "came out" last year, although it was nowhere to be seen around NJ and was quickly gone from any theaters in the US as far as I know.
What a great freakin' film. Damn. Thomas Jane was amazing, and the rest of the cast was equally as kick-ass. Go find this movie and see it. But there's an exchange between Thomas Jane and one of his partners-in-crime toward the end of the movie (Jane is a cop in South Africa but has been robbing banks) that blew me away. They're escaping from the police in this scene and are speeding down endless highways at dawn. The writing here, and their performances, made the movie for me. Seek it out if you haven't already seen it. Great stuff.
Ever come across a movie that you had little or no info. about it, and it just blew you away?
What a great freakin' film. Damn. Thomas Jane was amazing, and the rest of the cast was equally as kick-ass. Go find this movie and see it. But there's an exchange between Thomas Jane and one of his partners-in-crime toward the end of the movie (Jane is a cop in South Africa but has been robbing banks) that blew me away. They're escaping from the police in this scene and are speeding down endless highways at dawn. The writing here, and their performances, made the movie for me. Seek it out if you haven't already seen it. Great stuff.
Ever come across a movie that you had little or no info. about it, and it just blew you away?
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Told Ya
Well, Snakes is on the loose and is tearing up the box office, ok, maybe not. Like I figured, after all the hype, people have figured out that it's still a dumb movie with a dumb title (still, a fun title, yes) and it should make UP TO 21 million (they're figuring 18-21) for the weekend.
Figure next week as most horror/action flicks do it'll lose 60% of the box office and make 8-10, and by the end it'll be lucky to clear 50-60 million. Look, that ain't bad really, but after all these reports of Snakes bloggers/internet buzz changing the face of movies? Nah. Not with this one, anyway.
Figure next week as most horror/action flicks do it'll lose 60% of the box office and make 8-10, and by the end it'll be lucky to clear 50-60 million. Look, that ain't bad really, but after all these reports of Snakes bloggers/internet buzz changing the face of movies? Nah. Not with this one, anyway.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Best Picture....2007?
Production begins in December on The Darjeeling Limited, starring Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and Adrien Brody in a comedy/adventure (across India) directed by Wes Anderson. Sweet.
Don't Tell Me What To Do, H'Wood!
They went and did it again, ol' Hollywood, trying to tell us what to do.
And they think I'll fall for it. STEP UP? Why the hell should I? I certainly didn't TAKE THE LEAD when you asked me to. And while we're on the subject, I didn't listen when you said RAISE YOUR VOICE. So there! And when you requested me to SAVE THE LAST DANCE, well, I didn't. And I did not, absolutely did not SING!
And they think I'll fall for it. STEP UP? Why the hell should I? I certainly didn't TAKE THE LEAD when you asked me to. And while we're on the subject, I didn't listen when you said RAISE YOUR VOICE. So there! And when you requested me to SAVE THE LAST DANCE, well, I didn't. And I did not, absolutely did not SING!
Friday, August 11, 2006
Scripts/DVD/Music/Johnny Drama/Mel
Well, it's official, Food Fight is el completo. Next step is selling the mofo. My manager rode me on this, a very good thing, his notes were amazing and right on. And now I feel great about it. So, we'll see. I'll let you know its progress through the ranks of H'wood. It's going out this weekend so maybe by next week I'll have news. Of course, it could take months now for any news to surface, either way I'll keep y'all posted.
Cricket Hill tv pilot is next. I'm finishing my re-write of that this weekend. The director is in Canada this weekend, doing some re-shoots of his next movie.
As for my next original scripts, I've got 2 comedies coming. One is called Zucker - This has been almost done now for months, but I've been too busy with Cricket Hill & Food Fight to work on it seriously. It's been at page 80 since March! Also, I'm starting a fresh one called Skid Marks. I'll post a logline for it at a later date, all I can tell you is that it's gonna be funny as hell.
On the music front, I bought the new Youth Group album (Ebay) and eagerly awaits its arrival. They're Aussies, go buy their last album (Skeleton Jar). It's amazing. I'm also loving the new Killers' single.
On DVD, I saw Brick (awesome) and The Matador (terrific). Both worth a peek.
In TV land, Entourage is about the only thing I follow, along with baseball. Entourage is having a great season. Each episode has been solid. Kevin Dillon & Jeremy Piven rock.
Haven't seen any flicks in the theater lately, I'd like to see Ricky Bobby & WTC. My wife & kids saw Barnyard, said it was just ok. They skipped The Ant Bully (apparently so did everyone else).
Also, in my previous post regarding Melly Gibson I wrote that Sugartits was a good line (in the comments section). Got some flack for that (WG). I still think it's funny, but understand why it might be taken as offensive, however, it's such a ridiculous term/word, that I think it's hilarious. Sugartits. I mean, c'mon, what is a sugartit exactly? And as WG asked, what if I was called Needledick? Well, honestly, I'd laugh just as hard.
Cricket Hill tv pilot is next. I'm finishing my re-write of that this weekend. The director is in Canada this weekend, doing some re-shoots of his next movie.
As for my next original scripts, I've got 2 comedies coming. One is called Zucker - This has been almost done now for months, but I've been too busy with Cricket Hill & Food Fight to work on it seriously. It's been at page 80 since March! Also, I'm starting a fresh one called Skid Marks. I'll post a logline for it at a later date, all I can tell you is that it's gonna be funny as hell.
On the music front, I bought the new Youth Group album (Ebay) and eagerly awaits its arrival. They're Aussies, go buy their last album (Skeleton Jar). It's amazing. I'm also loving the new Killers' single.
On DVD, I saw Brick (awesome) and The Matador (terrific). Both worth a peek.
In TV land, Entourage is about the only thing I follow, along with baseball. Entourage is having a great season. Each episode has been solid. Kevin Dillon & Jeremy Piven rock.
Haven't seen any flicks in the theater lately, I'd like to see Ricky Bobby & WTC. My wife & kids saw Barnyard, said it was just ok. They skipped The Ant Bully (apparently so did everyone else).
Also, in my previous post regarding Melly Gibson I wrote that Sugartits was a good line (in the comments section). Got some flack for that (WG). I still think it's funny, but understand why it might be taken as offensive, however, it's such a ridiculous term/word, that I think it's hilarious. Sugartits. I mean, c'mon, what is a sugartit exactly? And as WG asked, what if I was called Needledick? Well, honestly, I'd laugh just as hard.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
CHILDREN OF MEN
I've got a new movie to add to the coming-soon must-see list (that now includes The Fountain, The Prestige, The Science Of Sleep, Stranger Than Fiction, and The Departed).
Children of Men - this is one of those trailers that gives you the chills. Wow, can't freaking wait for this one. Click this to experience it. (The Sigor Ros music certainly helps, but still, it looks amazing).
In other news, my last draft of Food Fight went over wonderfully, just a few more weeks and we're going to get it to some agents (bigtime agents, Endeavor, ICM, we'll see) and after that? Who knows. I've got a damn good feeling about it though. Cricket Hill Pilot is just about lokced down, I'm finishing Act 4 this weekend.
By the way, I love the idea of Heath Ledger as The Joker in the upcoming gonna-kick ass movie, The Dark Knight. Nolan knows what he's doing.
Children of Men - this is one of those trailers that gives you the chills. Wow, can't freaking wait for this one. Click this to experience it. (The Sigor Ros music certainly helps, but still, it looks amazing).
In other news, my last draft of Food Fight went over wonderfully, just a few more weeks and we're going to get it to some agents (bigtime agents, Endeavor, ICM, we'll see) and after that? Who knows. I've got a damn good feeling about it though. Cricket Hill Pilot is just about lokced down, I'm finishing Act 4 this weekend.
By the way, I love the idea of Heath Ledger as The Joker in the upcoming gonna-kick ass movie, The Dark Knight. Nolan knows what he's doing.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
I finally done it
I'm on myspace.com, yeah I did it. I'm on it for the networking angle, so if you're a spammer/pornsite/whore/pimp/webcam slut/Mel Gibson, don't make me your "friend."
Okay, that Mel comment may have been uncalled for. Maybe not. I've always liked Mel, but it's hard to at this point. After Passion he seemed to sorta lose his mind. And Apoca-lame-o just isn't doing it for me. I mean, dude, your life is handed to you on a gold plate (he's loaded, in other words) the least he could do is NOT fuck it up.
And no, Dr. Phil, there was more than alcohol going on with Mel. You don't just start throwing around racial slurs 'cause you're drunk, sure, I'd buy him being an asshole and calling the cops "dicks" or whatever, but not lobbying out racial slurs (while slurring, no doubt). Plus I've seen footage of his ultra-racist Dad rambling on about how the Holocaust never happened, blah, blah, blah, so I'm sure this stuff was in Mel's head for quite some time.
Just got back from Virginia Beach, we were there a week. Good times, hit the ocean a lot with the fam, the kiddies had a blast checking out the dolphins that seemed to swim by constantly. A bit trashy though tourist-wise, I actually prefer the Outer Banks (Kitty Hawk) that we went to last Summer, but overall stilll a good time, and much better than most Jersey Shores (although Cape May rocks pretty hard).
So, check me out on myspace, add me as a friend or whatever and I'll do the same: http://www.myspace.com/pjrodio
Okay, that Mel comment may have been uncalled for. Maybe not. I've always liked Mel, but it's hard to at this point. After Passion he seemed to sorta lose his mind. And Apoca-lame-o just isn't doing it for me. I mean, dude, your life is handed to you on a gold plate (he's loaded, in other words) the least he could do is NOT fuck it up.
And no, Dr. Phil, there was more than alcohol going on with Mel. You don't just start throwing around racial slurs 'cause you're drunk, sure, I'd buy him being an asshole and calling the cops "dicks" or whatever, but not lobbying out racial slurs (while slurring, no doubt). Plus I've seen footage of his ultra-racist Dad rambling on about how the Holocaust never happened, blah, blah, blah, so I'm sure this stuff was in Mel's head for quite some time.
Just got back from Virginia Beach, we were there a week. Good times, hit the ocean a lot with the fam, the kiddies had a blast checking out the dolphins that seemed to swim by constantly. A bit trashy though tourist-wise, I actually prefer the Outer Banks (Kitty Hawk) that we went to last Summer, but overall stilll a good time, and much better than most Jersey Shores (although Cape May rocks pretty hard).
So, check me out on myspace, add me as a friend or whatever and I'll do the same: http://www.myspace.com/pjrodio
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
'Sup!
Updates - Finishing my LAST Food Fight re-write tonight and will e-mail it over to my manager. It kicks a whole lot of ass. Okay, it might not be the last re-write EVER, but it's the last one for now (the re-writes were based on my managers notes, now it's in amazing shape!).
And in about 5 weeks, we hope to go out with it. Why 5 weeks? 'Cause it's Summer, and he wants to take it out when it people aren't on their vacations, etc, which will be after Labor Day. Useless to send out a script if 50% of the people you want to read it ain't there!
Cricket Hill (pilot) is off to the director now, he's going to check out Acts 2 & 3 and after I get his notes, we'll lock down those acts. I got some good stuff in there, I'm pretty happy with it.
After all the Snakes On A Plane hype, how much do you think it'll actually make? I'm thinking not blockbuster money, more like the gross of a solid horror flick that opens semi-big then drops like a stone. Like, it'll make 20-25 in it's opening weekend, then sink to 10 the following and by the time it's out of theaters, maybe it'll clear 50-60. I could be wrong, but I doubt it. Besides the fun, trashy title, it looks like a pretty stupid movie that will fill it's opening weekend audience with college frat boys and internet hypesters (this is no 4 quadrant movie, like Pirates 2), then drop.
Two movies have truly caught my eyeballs, both coming in November. The first one is Stranger Than Fiction, which I've heard about for quite some time. Looks wonderful. And then, there's The Fountain. HOLY SHIT!! The trailer for that is simply amazing. If the movie's half as good, well, it'll be a pretty wild, beautiful ride. clcik on the movie titles below and you will go to joblo.com, both links have links to the trailers. Awesome stuff.
And in about 5 weeks, we hope to go out with it. Why 5 weeks? 'Cause it's Summer, and he wants to take it out when it people aren't on their vacations, etc, which will be after Labor Day. Useless to send out a script if 50% of the people you want to read it ain't there!
Cricket Hill (pilot) is off to the director now, he's going to check out Acts 2 & 3 and after I get his notes, we'll lock down those acts. I got some good stuff in there, I'm pretty happy with it.
After all the Snakes On A Plane hype, how much do you think it'll actually make? I'm thinking not blockbuster money, more like the gross of a solid horror flick that opens semi-big then drops like a stone. Like, it'll make 20-25 in it's opening weekend, then sink to 10 the following and by the time it's out of theaters, maybe it'll clear 50-60. I could be wrong, but I doubt it. Besides the fun, trashy title, it looks like a pretty stupid movie that will fill it's opening weekend audience with college frat boys and internet hypesters (this is no 4 quadrant movie, like Pirates 2), then drop.
Two movies have truly caught my eyeballs, both coming in November. The first one is Stranger Than Fiction, which I've heard about for quite some time. Looks wonderful. And then, there's The Fountain. HOLY SHIT!! The trailer for that is simply amazing. If the movie's half as good, well, it'll be a pretty wild, beautiful ride. clcik on the movie titles below and you will go to joblo.com, both links have links to the trailers. Awesome stuff.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Kick Ass!
I was pooping today and thought of a good post. What movies are cool, kick-ass movies? Then I got to thinking and made a small list. Please add to it. "Kick-ass" can mean a few different things. The way it was shot, it's "Fuck you" attitude, the characters, etc. Kick-ass movies might not always be great movies, but you'll watch them when they're on. Why? 'Cause the kick ass!
Some examples:
The Hitcher - This movie grabs you by the balls and yanks. Good plot twists, and surprisngly unpredictable.
Near Dark - Kicks the shit out of The Lost Boys.
Aliens - James Cameron owns this. He took the series to a whole other level. It's a shame David Fincher came in and pissed all over it with Alien 3, but what can you do.
Run Lola Run - See it.
Reservoir Dogs - Pulp Fction doesn't kick ass in my book, although it's a superior movie to Dogs. But this movie shambles along, quickly, to it's awesome, bloody finale. And no, Kill Bill doesn't kick ass in my book because I didn't like Kill Bill at all. Although I did like...
From Dusk Til Dawn, written by QT and directed by Robert Rodriguez. It's a throwaway movie, but it has some balls.
The Bourne Supremacy - Bourne literally kicks ass, but the filmmaking here is also notable. Awesome car chase.
The Thing - "Maybe we shouldn't." Great characters. Perfect ending.
Danny Boyle's Trainspotting & 28 Days Later. Amazing stuff. But NOT The Beach, although that could have been a great movie. It wasn't.
Jaws - "Show me the way to go home........"
70s thrillers - The French Connection, Marathon Man, Three Days of the Condor
Dawn Of The Dead - This movie pulled me right in from it's amazing opening sequence to its tragic finale. Can't wait to see what he does with 300, coming in 2007.
Your turn - what kicks your ass?
Some examples:
The Hitcher - This movie grabs you by the balls and yanks. Good plot twists, and surprisngly unpredictable.
Near Dark - Kicks the shit out of The Lost Boys.
Aliens - James Cameron owns this. He took the series to a whole other level. It's a shame David Fincher came in and pissed all over it with Alien 3, but what can you do.
Run Lola Run - See it.
Reservoir Dogs - Pulp Fction doesn't kick ass in my book, although it's a superior movie to Dogs. But this movie shambles along, quickly, to it's awesome, bloody finale. And no, Kill Bill doesn't kick ass in my book because I didn't like Kill Bill at all. Although I did like...
From Dusk Til Dawn, written by QT and directed by Robert Rodriguez. It's a throwaway movie, but it has some balls.
The Bourne Supremacy - Bourne literally kicks ass, but the filmmaking here is also notable. Awesome car chase.
The Thing - "Maybe we shouldn't." Great characters. Perfect ending.
Danny Boyle's Trainspotting & 28 Days Later. Amazing stuff. But NOT The Beach, although that could have been a great movie. It wasn't.
Jaws - "Show me the way to go home........"
70s thrillers - The French Connection, Marathon Man, Three Days of the Condor
Dawn Of The Dead - This movie pulled me right in from it's amazing opening sequence to its tragic finale. Can't wait to see what he does with 300, coming in 2007.
Your turn - what kicks your ass?
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Best & Worst - Updated!
Okay, think about your favorite directors, or at least some well-known established directors, and give me your favorite movies from them, and then your least favorites. C'mon, it'll be fun.
Here's some of mine............
Marty:
My Fave: Mean Streets & Goodfellas
Least Fave: The Aviator
Flawed but underrated - Bringing Out The Dead
Spike Lee
My Fave: 25th Hour, Crooklyn, Clockers
Least Fave: She Hate Me, Mo Better Blues
Underrated - Jungle Fever, Overrated - Do the Right Thing
Stevie Spielberg
Fave: Jaws, Close Encounters, Private Ryan, Empire Of The Sun, Raiders
Least Fave - AI, 1941
Overrated - The color Purple
Underrated - Munich
Steven Soderbergh
Fave - Out Of Sight, King of the Hill. The Limey, Traffic
Least - Solaris
Coens:
Fave: Miller's X-ing, Barton Fink, Raising Arizona, O Brother, Fargo
Least Fave - Intolerable Cruelty (had some moments though)
Underrated: Hudsucker, The Ladykillers
Overrated: Blood Simple
Sam Raimi:
Fave - A Simple Plan, Evil Dead
Least Fave: Darkman
Brian DePalma
Fave: The Untouchables, Casualties Of War, Carlito's Way
Least Fave: Dressed To Kill, Mission To Mars, Raising Cain
Underrated: Blow Out
Cronenberg
Fave: The Fly
Least Fave: Naked Lunch
Overrated: History Of Violence
Peter Weir:
Fave: Gallipoli, Fearless, Dead Poets, Truman Show, The Last Wave, Witness, The Mosquito Coast
Least Fave: Green Card (it does have moments though), The Year Of Living Dangerously.
Woody Allen:
Fave - Manhattan, Annie Hall, Sleeper
Least Fave - Match Point, Celebrity, Everyone Says I Love You
Ron Howard:
Fave - Gung Ho, Willow, Apollo 13, Night Shift, Cocoon, Parenthood
Least - The Missing
Overrated - A Beautiful Mind
John Hughes
Fave - Planes Trains, 16 Candles, The Breakfast Club, She's Having A Baby
Least Fave: Curly Sue
Underrated: Christmas Vacation
John Carpenter
Fave - The Thing, Escape From NY, Halloween
Least Fave - Escape From LA, Vampires
Underrated - They Live
Clint Eastwood
Fave - Unforgiven
Least - Anything with a monkey, Garden/Good/Evil
Underrated - A Perfect World, Mystic River
Georgie Lucas
Fave - Star Wars, American Graffitti
Least Fave - Eps 1, 2, 3
Francis Ford Coppola
Fave - Apocalypse Now, The Outsiders, The Conversation, Godfather 1 & 2
Least Fave - Jack, The Rainmaker, Rumble Fish, Godfather 3
YOUR TURN!!!!
Here's some of mine............
Marty:
My Fave: Mean Streets & Goodfellas
Least Fave: The Aviator
Flawed but underrated - Bringing Out The Dead
Spike Lee
My Fave: 25th Hour, Crooklyn, Clockers
Least Fave: She Hate Me, Mo Better Blues
Underrated - Jungle Fever, Overrated - Do the Right Thing
Stevie Spielberg
Fave: Jaws, Close Encounters, Private Ryan, Empire Of The Sun, Raiders
Least Fave - AI, 1941
Overrated - The color Purple
Underrated - Munich
Steven Soderbergh
Fave - Out Of Sight, King of the Hill. The Limey, Traffic
Least - Solaris
Coens:
Fave: Miller's X-ing, Barton Fink, Raising Arizona, O Brother, Fargo
Least Fave - Intolerable Cruelty (had some moments though)
Underrated: Hudsucker, The Ladykillers
Overrated: Blood Simple
Sam Raimi:
Fave - A Simple Plan, Evil Dead
Least Fave: Darkman
Brian DePalma
Fave: The Untouchables, Casualties Of War, Carlito's Way
Least Fave: Dressed To Kill, Mission To Mars, Raising Cain
Underrated: Blow Out
Cronenberg
Fave: The Fly
Least Fave: Naked Lunch
Overrated: History Of Violence
Peter Weir:
Fave: Gallipoli, Fearless, Dead Poets, Truman Show, The Last Wave, Witness, The Mosquito Coast
Least Fave: Green Card (it does have moments though), The Year Of Living Dangerously.
Woody Allen:
Fave - Manhattan, Annie Hall, Sleeper
Least Fave - Match Point, Celebrity, Everyone Says I Love You
Ron Howard:
Fave - Gung Ho, Willow, Apollo 13, Night Shift, Cocoon, Parenthood
Least - The Missing
Overrated - A Beautiful Mind
John Hughes
Fave - Planes Trains, 16 Candles, The Breakfast Club, She's Having A Baby
Least Fave: Curly Sue
Underrated: Christmas Vacation
John Carpenter
Fave - The Thing, Escape From NY, Halloween
Least Fave - Escape From LA, Vampires
Underrated - They Live
Clint Eastwood
Fave - Unforgiven
Least - Anything with a monkey, Garden/Good/Evil
Underrated - A Perfect World, Mystic River
Georgie Lucas
Fave - Star Wars, American Graffitti
Least Fave - Eps 1, 2, 3
Francis Ford Coppola
Fave - Apocalypse Now, The Outsiders, The Conversation, Godfather 1 & 2
Least Fave - Jack, The Rainmaker, Rumble Fish, Godfather 3
YOUR TURN!!!!
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Monday, July 17, 2006
BlueCat Feedback 2
I got my Cricket Hill feedback from BlueCat.
What did you like about this script?
The author has a sly sense of humor that is incorporated into the script. One example: when Bean and Billy are at the top of Dead Man’s Hill, Bean complains that people have died there. “Tall tales,” counters Billy, until they hear a kid scream in the distance. “Mostly tall tales,” he amends. Another moment: when Grandpa puts vodka in everyone’s juice. Or when a clueless co-worker hurts herself and Oliver asks how she is. He gets the offhand reply, “Her hand was on fire.” To which he asks, not really caring either way, “You put it out.” The piece de resistance is the revelation-filled family dinner. Everyone confesses all from infidelities to homosexuality to incest to adoption, and it is all taken in stride as only things are in such a offbeat comedy.
This is an oddball family, but one where every character is distinct and interesting. Our hero Billy is, of course, the straight man in a family of crazies. The deaf and senile Grandpa. The ditzy daughter Anna. The sex and toaster obsessed father who lost his job and hasn’t worked up the courage to tell anyone. The teacher mom who deals with vomit and blood on a daily basis and doesn’t remember the names of her students. The former golden boy football star and valedictorian turned hippie Dave with his pregnant, older girlfriend. The only semi-sane brother Oliver who works at a burger joint with complete idiots and lusts after his sister. The two-time high school failure and closeted gay John. This script is reminiscent of Arrested Development. It has the same sort of offbeat collection of characters but ones who are likeable. In particular, Billy makes a good narrator, one who fits into his strange family but is also apart from it enough to be an impartial observer.
I often dislike voiceovers. There are usually employed as a cheap device to fill in holes the author neglected. In this case, Billy’s voiceover works. Especially in the opening sequence, he introduces us to all the family members and supporting characters with a brisk ease and dry wit that makes them memorable. The device with Billy writing a book about his family (a school project he simply couldn’t finish) makes sense as well. The author has crafted a compelling, smoothly-paced story. At 101 pages, it never grows tired or sluggish. The dialogue is witty and flows naturally. The description is enough to give us a clear mental image without getting bogged down in endless detail. Overall, this is a charming, humorous script with strong characters.
What do you think needs work?
For a relatively smart comedy, there is an over-reliance on low-grade toilet humor. Is it necessary to have quite so many fart/bathroom/etc. jokes? The humor plays to two completely different audiences. The smart, offbeat humor will appeal to the same fans of shows like The Simpsons or Arrested Development. The bathroom humor is going to attract teenage boys and not many others. I think it would be a mistake to turn off the first set of viewers with the inclusion of too much toilet humor.While most of the characters made a strong impression, a few didn’t ring true. In particular, Brooke comes across as a high school vixen, not at all subtle, and it seems silly. Why does she like Billy anyway? Teenage girls usually pursue older men, not younger. Dating a younger guy would be social suicide, and the fact that he’s your best friend’s brother is even worse. Plus, how many high school girls are so sexually advanced and blatant? This character seemed silly and over-the-top. Chad Gross was your typical gross teenage bully. His character, while stereotypical, is fine. My question was what does Daphne see in him? She’s into Billy, Billy’s into her. But since he hasn’t gotten his act together and asked her out, she’s dating Chad. Chad is nothing like Billy. If she likes Billy, she’s unlikely to like Chad and vice versa. For a smart-seeming girl, she looks idiotic to hook up with this guy.
A small problem character-wise is that a few of the family members seem different once we get into the story than they do in Billy’s opening introduction. Anna is presented as an empty-headed, ditzy cheerleader, but after the opening sequence, she never seems quite so air-headed. John is shown as a high school failure (on his second or third go-around of senior year), flicking boogers at others for amusement. Basically, your typical stupid teenage boy. Yet, he actually appears to be more sensitive in the bulk of the script than the opener gives him credit for. In fact, he turns out to be gay, something that, based on the opening introduction, is completely unexpected and out of thin air.
This week, I'm busy locking down acts 2 & 3 of the Cricket Hill pilot. It's still a blast to write after all this time (I originally wrote in in 2003) and now that we're creating a TV show out of it, it's really fun to open it up and expand the characters and their situations.
I'd recommended BlueCat when it rolls around next year, as you can see it offers some decent feedback, plus the entry fee is sweet ($35).
What did you like about this script?
The author has a sly sense of humor that is incorporated into the script. One example: when Bean and Billy are at the top of Dead Man’s Hill, Bean complains that people have died there. “Tall tales,” counters Billy, until they hear a kid scream in the distance. “Mostly tall tales,” he amends. Another moment: when Grandpa puts vodka in everyone’s juice. Or when a clueless co-worker hurts herself and Oliver asks how she is. He gets the offhand reply, “Her hand was on fire.” To which he asks, not really caring either way, “You put it out.” The piece de resistance is the revelation-filled family dinner. Everyone confesses all from infidelities to homosexuality to incest to adoption, and it is all taken in stride as only things are in such a offbeat comedy.
This is an oddball family, but one where every character is distinct and interesting. Our hero Billy is, of course, the straight man in a family of crazies. The deaf and senile Grandpa. The ditzy daughter Anna. The sex and toaster obsessed father who lost his job and hasn’t worked up the courage to tell anyone. The teacher mom who deals with vomit and blood on a daily basis and doesn’t remember the names of her students. The former golden boy football star and valedictorian turned hippie Dave with his pregnant, older girlfriend. The only semi-sane brother Oliver who works at a burger joint with complete idiots and lusts after his sister. The two-time high school failure and closeted gay John. This script is reminiscent of Arrested Development. It has the same sort of offbeat collection of characters but ones who are likeable. In particular, Billy makes a good narrator, one who fits into his strange family but is also apart from it enough to be an impartial observer.
I often dislike voiceovers. There are usually employed as a cheap device to fill in holes the author neglected. In this case, Billy’s voiceover works. Especially in the opening sequence, he introduces us to all the family members and supporting characters with a brisk ease and dry wit that makes them memorable. The device with Billy writing a book about his family (a school project he simply couldn’t finish) makes sense as well. The author has crafted a compelling, smoothly-paced story. At 101 pages, it never grows tired or sluggish. The dialogue is witty and flows naturally. The description is enough to give us a clear mental image without getting bogged down in endless detail. Overall, this is a charming, humorous script with strong characters.
What do you think needs work?
For a relatively smart comedy, there is an over-reliance on low-grade toilet humor. Is it necessary to have quite so many fart/bathroom/etc. jokes? The humor plays to two completely different audiences. The smart, offbeat humor will appeal to the same fans of shows like The Simpsons or Arrested Development. The bathroom humor is going to attract teenage boys and not many others. I think it would be a mistake to turn off the first set of viewers with the inclusion of too much toilet humor.While most of the characters made a strong impression, a few didn’t ring true. In particular, Brooke comes across as a high school vixen, not at all subtle, and it seems silly. Why does she like Billy anyway? Teenage girls usually pursue older men, not younger. Dating a younger guy would be social suicide, and the fact that he’s your best friend’s brother is even worse. Plus, how many high school girls are so sexually advanced and blatant? This character seemed silly and over-the-top. Chad Gross was your typical gross teenage bully. His character, while stereotypical, is fine. My question was what does Daphne see in him? She’s into Billy, Billy’s into her. But since he hasn’t gotten his act together and asked her out, she’s dating Chad. Chad is nothing like Billy. If she likes Billy, she’s unlikely to like Chad and vice versa. For a smart-seeming girl, she looks idiotic to hook up with this guy.
A small problem character-wise is that a few of the family members seem different once we get into the story than they do in Billy’s opening introduction. Anna is presented as an empty-headed, ditzy cheerleader, but after the opening sequence, she never seems quite so air-headed. John is shown as a high school failure (on his second or third go-around of senior year), flicking boogers at others for amusement. Basically, your typical stupid teenage boy. Yet, he actually appears to be more sensitive in the bulk of the script than the opener gives him credit for. In fact, he turns out to be gay, something that, based on the opening introduction, is completely unexpected and out of thin air.
This week, I'm busy locking down acts 2 & 3 of the Cricket Hill pilot. It's still a blast to write after all this time (I originally wrote in in 2003) and now that we're creating a TV show out of it, it's really fun to open it up and expand the characters and their situations.
I'd recommended BlueCat when it rolls around next year, as you can see it offers some decent feedback, plus the entry fee is sweet ($35).
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Cool Movies Coming Soon
Both The Fountain and The Prestige look amazing. Can't wait to see both.
Pirates 2 just blew past 250+ million, of course, in record time. Depending on how it holds up against Boredom In the Water, Monster House, Clerks 2, and Super Ex, it should be past 300 million soon. Will it hit 400? We'll see how it holds up.
Meanwhile Superman might (MIGHT) finish with 200 million. I swore that would have made more $$. Cars in still cruising with 220 million and counting.
Chow Yun Fat has been cast in Pirates 3 as a pirate captain, which I think will be pretty damn cool.
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