Oscars 2008

Last year, I predicted some possible Oscars for this past year. Kinda fun, trying to guess what might be at the Oscars a year out. I actually got a few correct. Well, here's my prediction of what we might see for next year:

No Country For Old Men - Coen Brothers. Look for a Tommy Lee Jones nomination.

Charlie Wilson's War - Tommy Hanks, Julia Roberts & Phillip Seymour Hoffman, directed by Mike Nichols.

Michael Clancy - George Clooney

Rescue Dawn - Werner Herzog directing Christian Bale. Might be coming out too early though (March) to be remembered at the end of the year.

American Gangster - Ridley Scott directing Denzel & Russell Crowe (Would have liked to have seen Antoine Fuqua's version)

There Will Be Blood - Paul Thomas Anderson directing Daniel Day-Lewis.

The Golden Age - Elizabeth 2. Easy Blanchett nomination. Clive Owen, too.

Stop-Loss - Iraq war drama directed by Kimberly Pierce.

The Brave One - Easy Jodie Foster nomination here.

A Mighty Heart - Angelina Jolie could get a nomination here.

Trade - Looks amazing, dark as hell. Might also suffer from being released too early.

Zodiac - It'd be a bigger release in December. I only included it because it's Fincher. Probably wouldn't get any nominations.

The Darjeeling Limited (pic above) - Wes Anderson - Maybe a screenplay nomination.

Sweeney Todd - Depp & Sasha Baron Cohen (both could get nominations) directed by Timmy Burton

Things We Lost In the Fire - Halle Berry & Benecio Del Toro drama.

King Of California - Michael Douglas nomination.

The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford - Brad Pitt & Sam Rockwell nominations.

Che - Not sure if & when this is coming out.

So, if I had to pick the best pics for next year's Oscars, I would guess......

MICHAEL CLANCY

CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR

THE GOLDEN AGE

AMERICAN GANGSTER

RESCUE DAWN

Of course, any or all of these could suck. Dark horses here are There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men. If either or both are good, they could easily sneak in and take out American Gangster & Rescue Dawn. Also, I love the Trade trailer and hope the movie is as good.

Keep in mind, there may also be plenty of indies that come out of nowhere and take a slot or 2.

Best Animated possible nominations - Surf's Up, Simpsons, Ratatouille, Beowulf & Bee Movie. Bee Movie wins.

I'd Like to Thank........

Well, they finally gave it to Marty, but with his old gang coming out to give the award, was there any doubt? By the way, glad to see Coppola back in the game, with his movie Youth Without Youth in the can and Tetro getting ready to shoot.

A few surprises, namely Eddie Murphy not winning. And I doubt very much it had anything to do with Norbit. It's not the 1st time he's donned make-up for a goofball mindless comedy. No, I think it's his reputation as a douchebag. He's always been a stand-offish guy, at least from what I've read, and I think people remember that shit. But I think it was probably a close race anyways, but Arkin had a lot of sunshine support in the actors ranks, so he snuck on in.

Also, I figured Children Of Men would win cinematography. And I thought Cars was a no-brainer, very surprised Happy Feet won for animated.

Ellen did a good job, she did what she had to do.

What pisses me off about the Oscars is the actual presentation. They can EASILY cut an hour off of it. Do we need to see the "creation of America through film!" montage over and over, as well as the wacky sillouette people in the background? Or the motherfuckers making sound effects like the dude from Police Academy? If they cut some of the bullshit, then they could actually let people finish their thoughts, or if more than 1 person wins the Oscar for whatever category, they could actually let the 2nd Person speak!

Overall, it was a fine time. Glad Marty got it. And I'm looking forward to the soon-to-be-announced Leonardo DiCaprio/Al Gore buddy comedy, a remake of Like Father, Like Son. C'mon, they'd be perfect!

Oscar Love

It's kinda fun this year, since at least some of these awards are anybody's guess......

Best Pic:
I think it goes to the Departed, but if anyone steals it, it will be Iwo Jima. The Queen has zero chance, while Babel just doesn't hold up as a film (great performances, great sequences, but just too disjointed). Little Miss Sunshine is a fun movie, but the BEST of the year? Nah.

Actor - Give it to Forest, but I've love to see Gosling snag it.

Actress - Mirren, whatever. Yawn. Wish Winslet would upset.

Supporting Actress - Looks like Jenny Hudson. Love that Rinko though.

Supporting Actor - I've always liked Murphy, so I'm cool with him winning, although it'd be awesome is Jackie Earle won, or even Wahlberg.

Foreign Film - Not Pan's. Can't picture the Academy getting behind it.

Director - Marty. But don't count out Clint.

Who do YOU think will win?

Good News!

A few months back I entered 2 screenplay contests, Fade In and The Screenplay Showcase Awards. Sent 2 screenplays to each, and this week I discovered:

One of my Fade In entries (they don't say which one) has been named a quarter-finalist. Yay! I think they announce semi-finalists next month. Fingers crossed!

And, another one of my scripts, A Couple Of Joes, was named one of the top 10 finalists for the Screenplay Showcase Awards (winner announced 3/17).

Sweet!

Next contests on my radar - Bluecat & Austin.

Mother Do You Think They'll Drop The Bomb

My option? Kaput.

Almost 1 year ago (April) I had a script optioned. Yay! Today, the company that optioned that script has dissolved and is no more. Boo!

Prospect Pictures - look them up. They gone.

What happened was they stopped developing new projects back in August (Cricket Hill was still on their slate at that time, however). It turned from a movie script into a TV pilot script.

But it seemed less likely that things would happen, as the more I talked to the director that was attached to direct the Cricket Hill pilot, the more he was saying that it was a great WRITING SAMPLE. Hmm. That's nice and all but.......

Luckily, I still have a good relationship with him. He's done movies, TV, commercials, and music videos, and is a great, great contact to have on my side. And he seems to honestly like my writing, so at some point in the future, I'm sure we'll work together.

Now, why are they gone? Don't know, and at this point, it doesn't matter. I've still got my new manager, which is good. I'm working on the Stand-In (high concept comedy) as well as my family/comedy Union, both of which I plan to finish within the month. Oh, and I plan on sending Union to Austin this year because I'm pretty damn sure I can win with it.

Point is, I've moved on. I've had enough ups & downs in this bidness so far not to let this crush me (this was my 4th option), and in the long run, perhaps it's all for the best.

Team to root for - The Fightin' Phils!
Movie to check out - Children Of Men
Music to check out - Peter, Bjorn & John as well as Silversun Pickups.
TV shows to watch - Flip This House, Intervention, Juvies, The Office, Scrubs, Dirty Jobs, What About Brian, Lost, Bones, Friday Night Lights.
Script to sell - Cricket Hill
Competition to win - Austin

Dialogue Can Be Overrated

Werner Herzog's got a new film coming (hopefully) in 2007, called Rescue Dawn, starring Christian Bale & Steve Zahn, about downed pilots (I believe they're in Vietnam). Looks good, I'm just glad to see more of Herzog's work.

One of the coolest, creepiest, screwiest films I've seen is "Aguirre, The Wrath Of God," starring his favorite whipping boy, Klaus Kinski. Simply mesmerizing. A stunner. Some if its pacing is like watching a snail race, but the end result will stay with you. Same goes for his fucked-up (that's a compliment) version of Nosferatu from the 70s. Great stuff.

He certainly doesn't rely much on dialogue, but more on the image. It got me thinking about how certain scenes can really blow the viewer away with little or no dialogue. I always fall back on the amazing Apocalypse Now. One of my favorite scenes of all time is when Robert Duvall is talking to Martin Sheen on the beach. It's not when he gives his classic "I love the smell...." line, but what comes after. He says, "You know, some day this war's gonna end......" and that's it. He has no words. He can't even think about that day. Good stuff.

They don't make 'em like they used to!

Rogen Rocks

This movie will be the sleeper of the summer. The trailers look great. It's got the 40 Year Old Virgin vibe (same filmmakers) and that's a great thing. Plus, Seth Rogen is the star. I've always loved this guy, funny as hell - usually the perfect sidekick - but now is his chance for a decent lead role, and it looks like he nails it.


Check out the Rated R trailer here.

Check out the regular (still funny) US trailer here.

300

Is it just me, or does this movie look like it will kick our asses?

E.R!

We took the little one to the ER on Saturday, he had ben fighting a cold all week but got pretty listless on Saturday morning. His doctor told us to take him to the ER (we think that reasoning may have been partially due to his limited Saturday hours). Here's how it went down at the hospital:

*Checked in with the ER Nurse, then sat for 10 minutes.
*They called us to check his height & weight, then told us to wait to be called in to register (give contact/insurance info). Waited 15 minutes to register.
*After registering, we waited 40 minutes to actually be seen by a nurse.
*We see Nurse, tells us to wait for Doctor to come. While waiting, a med student comes & takes info about our son, then we wait another 20 minutes for the Doc.

You see where I'm going with this. In the end, everything seemed to be OK (knock on wood - I'm knocking on my head right now) but God forbid this was a crucial medical situation, these people just seemed to have all the time in the world. I mean, this is an ER, right? EMERGENCY room?

I won't name the hospital but for our area it's one of the better ones. We have a closer hospital but I wouldn't want to go there if I was hit by a car in front of it.

The Worst of 2006

Here goes....

The DaVinci Code - Took a fascinating topic/book and sucked any sign of life out of it. I didn't mind Hanks or his hair, I minded the boring script.

Failure To Launch - Not a bad starting point, dude loves living with his parents, but the lame-ass script and boring direction literally put me to sleep.

Art School Confidential - Damn, this movie blows. Hard. Bored me too tears. Awful script, clunky direction, and painful performances. That Minghella kid? I don't are who his Daddy is....Horrible.

The Covenant - It's like The Craft, only much worse.

American Dreamz - Could have been a smart take on pop culture, reality TV, etc. It wasn't.

V For Vendetta - This movie can go fuck itself. Dreary, stupid, meandering, and by the end - ytterly pointless. I really really hated this movie. Snooze.

I'll have a Best Of list in a few weeks, I still need to see a few things. But in the meantime, what were YOUR worst movies of 2006?

My Interview With Gordy Hoffman

As many of you know, there are a lot of screenplay competitions out in screenwriterland. But only some of them are worth their salt, and one competition that I'd put at the top of the list is BlueCat. It's one of a few that I would highly recommended entering.

The following is an interview I did last week with Gordy Hoffman, the founder of BlueCat. Heck of a nice guy! Check it out.......

ME: Why did you start BlueCat? And what is "BlueCat?"

GORDY: As a writer who had submitted to screenplay contests in the past, I wanted to start one from the perspective of a writer. I had a tomcat named Blue, and he died shortly before I founded the competition.

ME: Typically, how many scripts are entered into BlueCat?

GORDY: We had over 1800 screenplays last year, and we expect over 3000 this year.

ME: What's the most popular genre that you see entered into BlueCat? Does genre matter? (Could a slasher script win?) Do you find dramas winning more so than comedies?

GORDY: We find every genre is submitted, with comedies winning one year and a drama the next. I would love a horror film to win. Send them in!

ME: Do your readers read an entire screenplay entry? Just the 1st 30?

GORDY: Every entrant to BlueCat receives written analysis on their screenplay. This means our readers read the entire screenplay. Most competitions do not do this.

ME: What bugs your readers when reading an entry? Typos? Poor Structure? What bugs you? And what are some common mistakes that might get a particular script tossed aside? What kills a script?

GORDY: Misspellings. Describing the thoughts of a characters.

ME: Describe the stages a script might go through when moving forward in your competition. Is it a points system?

GORDY: I personally review what the readers have said, and then I start cracking the scripts, reading until I am in awe.

ME: Have any of the past finalists/winners been produced?

GORDY: Our 2005 winner, GARY THE TENNIS COACH, recently wrapped shooting in Austin, directed by Gary Leiner and starring Seann William Scott. It will be in theaters this year. Two years ago, it was file sitting in a hard drive in Nebraska. Then they submitted it to BlueCat. Now, our 2006 winner, HYUNG’S OVERTURE, is in pre-production.

ME: How long do you see BlueCat lasting?

GORDY: Unless I die, BlueCat will be around a very long time.

ME: There's a boatload of screenplay competitions/contests now. Why enter BlueCat?

GORDY: We have the largest cash prize and greatest access to the industry for a competition that offers analysis to every entrant. When you enter BlueCat, you receive support and prestige that is unmatched.

ME: What does the winner receive?

GORDY: $10,000.

ME: How did you become involved with the High Falls Film Festival?

GORDY: I was born in Rochester, New York, and I am involved in the film community there. High Falls is a great film festival.

ME: Once a winner is announced, does BlueCat help the writer get an agent or interest from a studio or production company?

GORDY: I personally handed GARY THE TENNIS COACH to a producer I knew, and that man was Peter Morgan.

ME: Let's say a writer lives outside of California or NY, how the hell does he/she market themselves? If a screenwriter is serious about making it, do they need to be in California?

GORDY: In general, yes. But if you want to make it work from Atlanta, give it a shot. If you’re writing independent movies, i.e.material the studios don’t make, then have at it regionally. But if you’re writing studio movies, where do you live? You walk to the market and sell your bananas, or you can ship them.

ME: Do you have a writing process, such as notecards, outlines, etc?

GORDY: I recently started writing in a non linear way, simply writing whatever scene I wanted to. I feel grateful to have broken a rigid way.

ME: How do you think the possible WGA strike in the Fall might effect aspiring screenwriters?

GORDY: It won’t. Keep writing. Writers are always looking for ways to avoid the work.

ME: Are there any screenwriting books you would recommended to aspiring screenwriters?

GORDY: Read interviews with the master directors. Fellini, Renoir, Welles.

ME: In your opinion, what is your favorite film of 2006? Of all-time? Best written script of 2006? Of all-time?

GORDY: The best movie of 2006 was United 93. The best screenplay was Hyung’s Overture. All time favorite: The Third Man. It’s not my fav, but I would maybe take it to a desert island. Or Once Upon A Time In The West. Or…..

ME: Tell us about A Coat Of Snow. Where did the story come from?

GORDY: I saw a limo of girls at a Burger King and thought that would be a good idea for a digital movie.

ME: Is it beneficial for a writer to direct their screenplay?

GORDY: If you know how to direct. It’s a different thing you know.

ME: How do you feel about the digital filmmaking revolution?

GORDY: I have never shot on film and probably never will. Film is over.

ME: Are you currently working on any other projects?

GORDY: I am writing a digital movie about war.

ME: If you weren't a screenwriter/director/producer/competition kingpin, what would you be doing?

GORDY: I would be an economist.

For more information about the BlueCat Screenplay competition, or to enter, click here.

Children Of Men - This must be seen.

I touched on this earlier, but all I can say is I was floored, from start to finish, with CHILDREN OF MEN.

Please see it in the theater.

The performances are all top-notch, with Clive Owen & Michael Caine leading the way. Love to see Caine pick up a supporting Oscar nod for his work here, but it seems Hollywood's already made up its mind about the nominations, we'll see next week.

The screenplay is haunting, and the plot is actually pretty scary. It just won the USC Scripter award so I'm hoping this will help get it a nomination for adapted.

The direction & cinematography are what defines this film. Breathtaking. Astounding. I can't explain how amazing the direction is, from the brutal action scenes (the car, the apartment) to the calmer scenes (the scene in the school is one of my favorites) and the fact that these are all one long take makes it even more thrilling.

The music is perfect as well. Haunting.

This is the kind of movie that kicks me in my skinny ass, a wake-up call that says - Get it in gear, shithead. And I'm talking about in life and career.

The last movie to floor me upon first viewing was Saving Private Ryan, others to do so in the past were Glory, Platoon, Fearless, and Field Of Dreams.

Children of Men will join them as one of the best I've seen. It's one of the greatest achievements in cinema in a long time.

Go see it.

Da King

Oscar forecast 2007 - Best Actor: Michael Douglas

It's nice to see a decent poster once in a while instead of the fake-ass air-brushed/photo-shopped faces. Anyway, I think this movie will rock.

Children Of Men - Oh, man!

Easily the best of 2006. I'll be making my top 10 of 2006 list soon, there's still a few flicks I need to see, but Children Of Men is far & away the best I've seen from last year. Simply amazing.

My new script, UNION, is still holding together great, and it's been a blast to write.

Also, look for my interview with Gordy Hoffman, founder of the kick-ass BlueCat Screenplay Competition. I'll be posting it soon.

M. Night's Avatar

On the heels of JC's Avatar, M. Night is also planning on making a movie called Avatar, although his is based on the Nickolodeon cartoon. The only question is, whose will retain the title. A dude from Fox (producing JC's Avatar) said: "We own the movie title 'Avatar.' There won't be another film called 'Avatar' coming from anyplace."

Damn! Tough guy!

Jimmy Cameron's Avatar - 2009

Just to let y'all know that James Cameron begins principal photography in April on Avatar, his Titanic follow-up. It will be released in Summer, 2009. It is going to be filmed in 3D for release in some fancy new 3D digital format.

According to 20th Century Fox:

"AVATAR is also an emotional journey of redemption and revolution. It is the story of a wounded ex-marine, thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in bio-diversity, who eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival. "

Sweet! I just pray it's no Fifth Element, one of the worst movies ever created.

So far, Sam Worthington (he's Australian) and Zoe Saldana (she's hot)have been cast. Special effects will be handled by Peter Jackson's WETA.

Oh Seven

Let's cut to the chase:

January:
1/12
Pathfinder - Vikings Vs. Indians. Could be good. Looks like Apocalypto meets 300, which might not be a bad thing.

Alpha Dog - Legal troubles, Sexyback, not sure how the flick will turn out. I'll catch the DVD and let you know.

1/19
The Hitcher - Remake, seems to flip the roles of the original (seems like the boyfriend will be torn apart like the girlfriend in the original), starring the hot as heck Sophia Bush. The original is an amazing, kick-to-the-balls thrill ride, we'll see how this one goes....when the DVD comes out.

1/26
Blood & Cocoa, I mean Chocolate. Dumb as shit title, movie looks even dumber, plus if you've seen the trailer you've seen ALL of the movie. From the creators of Underworld - which suck balls so I'll wait 'til this is on HBO so I can still NOT watch it.

Smokin' Aces - Looks freaking great. I'm there.

February:
02/09
Hannibal Rising - More H. Lecter, when he was young. Yawn. Rumor has it he might not have had the best upbringing. This will bomb.

02/16
Black Snake Moan - Ricci's hot!

02/23
The Number 23 - Or "5" if you add the 2 & 3. Depends how you look at it.

March:
03/02
Zodiac - Might be good, the trailer actually starts off ok but then turns sucky.

The Hills Have Eyes 2 - Amazing teaser trailer.

03/09
300 - Wow.
Reign Over Me - Sandler. Cheadle. DVD.
Fast Track - Go Bateman!

03/30
Blades Of Glory - Could be hilarious. Or not.

April:
04/07
Grindhouse - Hope it's good, it's gotta be better than their last 2 movies, Kill Billy & Shit City. Still, it seems like they're wasting time with this kind of stuff.

04/13
Trade - Amazing trailer. Looks like a must-see.

May:
05/04
Spidey 3 - Looks great. It might even make a buck or 2.

05/11
28 Weeks Later - Not necessary, but I haven't seen a trailer yet. Jury is out.

05/18
$hrek 3

05/25
Pirate$ 3 - Wow, May should be the biggest grossing month in the history of cinema.

June:
06/13
Ocean's 13 - Wow, and it's on the 13th! It actually looks like fun.

06/15:
Fantastic 4 - Nice teaser. Could be a fun ride. The 1st ain't great, but I'll watch it when it's on.

06/29
Ratatouille - C'mon Pixar, kids can't say the damn title. At all. Are they gonna rush to Mcdonald's for Ratatouille toys? Plus, they already saw Flushed Away....actually they didn't. It sank. I love Pixar stuff, but I don't see this doing all that, which means 140 million.

Live Free Or Die Hard - Great teaser, could be fun. Again, not necessary as movies go, but what the hell.

Evan Almighty - DVD.

July:
07/04
Transformers - This might actually kick some ass. The current teaser trailer is great.

License to Wed - Jim from The Office + Mandy Moore, could be the date movie of the Summer.

07/13
Potter

07/27
The Simpsons Movie

August:
08/03
The Bourne Ultimatum - Paul Greengrass is back at the helm, which rocks.

08/10
Rush Hour 3 - Why?
Alien Vs. Predator - Why?

08/17
Knocked Up - Judd Apatow - Probably hilarious.

September:
09/14
Michael Clayton - Clooney. Oscar stuff.

October:
10/19
30 Days of Night - Vampires in Alaska during their 6 months of darkness. Great idea. But so was Underworld.

November:
11/02
Bee Movie - Written by $einfeld, animated. This year's Happy Feet.

11/09
Fred Claus - Fun.

11/16
Beowulf - Animated like Monster House, could be amazing.

December:
12/07 - The Golden Compass

12/14
Ripley's Believe It Or Not - jim Carrey & Timmy Burton.
I Am Legend - The end of the world, Big Willie Style.

12/21
Hairspray - (Wretch)


Very tentative list, some highlights from each month. Release dates will shift, more movies will get added, but you get the general idea of what's coming in 2007. What do you want to see the most?

I'll be taking these Huggies, and any cash ya got.

2006 was pretty good in the writing department. Had an option, got a manager (which pissed off the old manager, a friend, which sucked, but I gots to think of my career, no?).

Did major re-write work on Cricket Hill (A feature turned into a TV pilot) as well as my comedy feature script, Food Fight. Waiting to hear responses on both.

As for original stuff, I completed work on WHITE GOLD, a comedy set on an indie movie set. It was fun to write, it's nothing that would sell, but would be perfect for an indie filmmaker (low budget, minimal cast, 1 location). Also, wrote ZUCKER, a romantic comedy/chase epic.

And I'm starting off 2007 strong like bull. I'm hard at work on UNION, which is going so fanfuckingtastic I can't believe it. I'm actually sailing through Act 2. It's all coming together quite nicely. It's been a while since a script came pouring out of my like this, the last one was probably Cricket Hill back in late 2002/early 2003. I won't tell much about it yet, I'll just say it's about a family comedy. And it's REALLY good. Can't wait to send it out.

Late!

Resolution - 2007

Sell

a

god

damn

script

!

Happy New Year!

NEWSFLASH NEWSFLASH INDY 4 INDY 4

Lucas has finally said Ok to a script and they'll start filming in 2007, releasing Indy 4 in May of 2008.