2008 Oscars

No, I'm not gonna list my pix for this year. It should be pretty predictable. Yes, Daniel Day "A Bastard In A Basket" Lewis will win, and he should. Let's talk next year.

Best Animation - Might come down to Horton, Kung Fu Panda & Wall-E. Or if they're any good, the Madagascar sequel, or something called Bolt (about a super-dog) from Disney.

And now for movies starring humans. Keep in mind, some of these might get pushed to 2009, or might completely suck it. Or a lil' flick (Juno 2: The Revenge) could always come out of nowhere.

Oscar possibilities:

Body Of Lies - Leo & Russell team with Ridley Scott for a CIA thriller. It'll make a ton, and if it's good, look for it at the Oscars.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button - Fincher, Pitt & Blanchett.

Nothing But The Truth - Rod Lurie returns, starring Kate Beckinsale & Matt Dillon.

Australia - Baz Luhrman directs Hugh Jackman & Nicole Kidman.

Miracle At St. Anna - Spike Lee does WW2. I'm there.

The Women - remake starring Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Bette Midler, and a ton of other names.

Shutter Island - Scorcese, with Leo (again)

Revolutionary Road - Leo (um, again) reteams with Kate Winslet, directed by Sam Mendes.

Doubt - Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman & Amy Adams in a 1960s-set drama about a priest accused of abusing an African-American student. Oscar material, at least for the actors.

Burn After Reading - Clooney, Pitt, The Coens. Not sure when this is coming out, but never count out the Coens. But keep in mind that they really held back from their usual style for No Country, and if they return to their off-the-wall filmmaking, it won't make much money or get many kudos (but it might be super-cool).

Strike - Over!

"The time has come to accept this contract and settle the strike,'' stated WGA West president Patric A. Verrone.

"Sweet," said New Jersey screenwriter Patrick J. Rodio.

My Best (and THE Worst) of 2007 - Updated!!!!

First of all, what a freakin' year. Wow. Some truly great films happened in 2007. Now, I've numbered my top 10, but with me at least, depending on my mood, a list like this could change over time. And will.

Also, it should be noted that while we did have a great year of movies, nothing came close to my Children Of Men experience from 2006. Still love the hell out of that film.

Here we go:

Not on my top 10 - Chuck Wilson's War. Saw it, thought it was good, but considering the material, not much happened story-wise. He decided to help, then he helped, and that was it. Barely any conflict, and what little there was (possible drug scandal) was barely a blip. Interesting story, not a great flick.

Honorable Mentions:

The Hunting Party - Richare Gere, Jesse Eisenberg & Terrence Howard lead this funny but important film about journalists looking for a brutal Serbian terrorist. It's a pretty smart script, with great performances by the above-mentioned trio. Check it out.

The Ten (Funny, but kinda gets old).

The Bourne Ultimatum (a nice bookend if they stop, decent story and kewl action).

I Am Legend - Yeah, I liked it. Sue me.

Superbad/Knocked Up - Really funny stuff. Loved both.

Trade - Powerful stuff. Didn't amaze me though, the trailer was incredible, but it was still a good movie, and well worth seeing.

The Mist - Holy shit. A fine creature feature with a little social commentary thrown in. But that damn ending. It actually rips your heart out, pours gasoline on it, lights it on fire, then puts it out by taking a nice, long piss on it. Messed me up, man.

Here's what I HAVEN'T seen, that might have made my list:

Rescue Dawn, Atonement, Rendition, The Savages, Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, American Gangster, Ratatouille, Zodiac, Into The Wild & Eastern Promises.


Oh, and here's the worst of the year - Ghost Rider. Oh. My. God. What a piece of crap. Worst thing about it - Wes Bentley. I love this guy, too, but what a shittily written part and really really poorly acted, full of "Bwah! Bwah! Bwah! I'm going to take over the whole world!!!" Bullshit. Ugh.

Finally, here's the best:

10. The Lookout - Loved this movie. A nice caper, kick-ass writing and tight direction.

9. Once - A sweet little gem of a love story. I think it's a tad overrated, and some of it did drag, but it had some truly emotional scenes, and I loved the last shot. Loved it.

8. The Darjeeling Limited - It was no Royal Tennenbaums, but I liked the cast and think Wes Anderson did a nice job here.

7. Gone Baby Gone - Ben kicked some ass directing & co-writing this. Good for him. He really captured these neighborhoods, the people, their language. And Casey is on a freakin' role.

6. Juno - Smart & witty, sure. It's a fun script, however, Cera, Garner, Bateman, and Page are the ones that ground it, the dialogue, its emotion. Some of the dialogue is actually a little to show-offy, but the actors make it work. And kudos to Jason Reitman, he did a fine job here.

5. No Country For Old Men - Great movie. It has some incredible scenes and great performances. But Bardem is a little overrated in this role. While he kicks ass, don't get me wrong, and makes a skin-crawling creepy killer, he's pretty emotionless and one-note. I would actually nominate Tommy Lee Jones over him, thought he was excellent (Brolin did fine, too). I liked the ending but didn't love it. Fargo was better.

4. There Will Be Blood - Daniel-Day Lewis is the movie. His performance is astounding. Paul Dano was wonderful as the preacher, and I think this is the best thing Paul Thomas Anderson has done.

3. The Assasination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford - Casey Affleck should win the Oscar in my book. Brat Pitt was great as JJ, and Sam Rockwell was also damn good as always. Loved the direction and smart writing, but the cinematography blew me completely away. Roger Deakins should win the Oscar for this. And not just for the amazing landscapes he captured, but for the intimate scenes as well. Incredible, breathtaking stuff.


2. Sunshine - Wish more people saw this. Really amazing film. There's something that goes down approx. 3/4 of the way through the movie that I thought did not work real well, and that kept it out of the #1 spot. But for the most part, I thought this was fantastic. Haunting.

And at #1 - A Tie!

1A. 3:10 To Yuma - Great, great stuff. Bale & Crowe are superb, and the last 10 minutes is thrilling stuff. I can't describe it without spoiling, just see it. Best western since Unforgiven (not as good as Unforgiven, but came close - this is a damn fine film).

1B. Michael Clayton - For me, this movie kicked ass. The acting, crisp writing & direction, all of it came together for me. Clooney was superb, as were Pollack and Wiltkinson. Tony Gilroy rocks.

What were your faves?

Heath Ledger is gone

That is truly fucking ridiculous. Wow. A terrific actor, he looks simply amazing in The Dark Knight, and besides that, just about everything else he was in. Jesus Christ.

An amazing talent is gone (possible pill overdose - here is the NY Times article) which leads me to ask Hollywood - ARE YOU PEOPLE THAT FUCKING STUIPID??????????

To quote Red Leader......

Almost there......

My best list of 2007 is almost complete. I know I'm not going to see everything I should before I post it, but it should still be a good representation of 2007. And let me just say, it didn't seem like it at the time, but what an amazing movie-year.

I should have it up this week, for the 2-3 of you that give a hoot.

Song of the day - Maps: To The Sky.

Blood

God damn.

Great, great film. Daniel Day Lewis - Astounding.

Still need to see 3-4 flicks before I can write a definitive top 2007 list, but I'm trying to finish up this week.

Recently caught My Blueberry Nights, starring Norah Jones, Jude Law & Natalie Portman. Interesting movie. Not amazing, but neat to see a Portman stretching her legs a bit.

The Golden Globes were awesome. Nice & short! Actually, I'm a sucker for the speeches, etc, so I missed the usual BS, but not all of it. Good for Mad Men, and there were quite a few surprises (like Juno & Clayton getting the shut-out).

The Oscars should be interesting,and I hope they are broadcast as per usual. The Guild shouldn't picket this - too many careers riding on it. Some of these actors/craftspeople only get nominated once, and what an honor it is for them. If the Guild pickets Oscar night, they're doing more harm than good. What about some nobody nominated for a short film? This is THEIR moment. Let them have it.

My Slate

I heard Weinstein Co, Overture, & UA are the latest to have struck deals, like Letterman recently did, so I'm hoping this is a sign this daggone strike will end soon.

Loving my Laid re-write. It's gone through quite a change, hopefully for the better.

After this it's off to my already in progress comedy called The Stand-In, and I'd also like to continue work on my kids/family script called The Battle Of Thunder Hill. And of course I'd like to start my drama, Dakota, that's been kicking around my head. And finish my comedy Westville. And continue my murder/comedy called Thong. Oh, oh, and when I free up some more time I'll work on my other comedy called Kill Whitey. Almost forgot about my thriller, NSA. And my road comedy called Crazy With The Cheeze Whiz. And my working-in-a-mall comedy called Retail Messiahs. My heist comedy Temp'd. And my dark comedy called The Wonderful World Of Wonderworld.

I expect to have these done no later than 2020.

Done (Again)

Just finished a pretty intense re-write of Laid, made from notes through my managers. At first, I resisted, but finally I saw the light and I think it's much stronger now.

Coming soon: My Top Movies of 2007. I've still got a few to catch. But looking back, we had a pretty amazing movie year. Some pretty great stuff came out.

Oh, and that writer's strike? It can end now, thanks. Going on way too long, people (other than writers but them too) losing way too much money & jobs.

Song of the day: LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends.

PS - Yeah, that's one of many awkward pics from my youth.

So, it's here......

Oh-8. Welcome!

The Eve was spent at the bro/sis-in-law's, where there were numerous kids running about (2 of them mine) and only about 4 injuries. There was a sweet girl vomitting as well, but that was due to a fall prior to the party (rollar skates) so she had to leave, but she rocks and we hope she's doin' better.

Ah, and there was karaoke. My wife and I sang "Move Along" to our embarassed 5 year old son (one of his fave tunes) and my bro-in-law & I tackled "Abracadabra," "If I Had A Million Dollars", and the one that truly brought the house down - "Total Eclipse Of The Heart."

My dream was to sing "Bust A Move" but we didn't have it on our collection of karaoke CDs.

We actually left around 11 and figured to wrap up 2007 quietly at our house, so we put the kids to sleep.....and fell asleep. My wife woke me up at around 12:20am, 2008. Oops. No ball-drop-watching 4 us.....2nd year in a row.

Now back to some screenplay writin.'

2008

Have an amazing new year.

The Kingdom/I Am Legend

Saw both of these fine movies this week. Both were a lot better than I thoughted.

I Am Legend - This was a solid movie. NOT an overblown action mess, it didn't have all that much action, although it had plenty of thrilling sequences, and plot-wise, they were perfect. I liked Will Smith in this a lot. The guy can act, and has a hell of a sense of good projects (next Summer's HANCOCK looks great and will make at least 250 million). Special mention of the evacuation scenes - probably a bit too realistic. Yikes.

Anyways, a lot of this movie is bleak as hell. From the empty streets to the emotional rollercoaster he goes through. It's worth taking a look at.

The Kingdom - Not a perfect movie but well-crafted. Peter Berg is a helluva director. Some terrific sequences here, real kick-ass stuff. The stand-outs to me were Jamie Foxx & Chris Cooper, plus their "Guide" that escorts them around. Jennifer Garner & Jason Bateman were good as usual, however, for the most part their characters didn't have much of a purpose to actually be there (I'm sure in the orignal script they had more to do). Regardless, another good flick worth your cashola.

Next on me list: Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, There Will Be Blood, Juno, and No Country For Old Men.

New Stuff

**I've been working on some new scripts. See if you like 'em:

All Up In My Shit is a romantic comedy. I'm also thinking about a sequel, called All Up In Your Shit.

I have a horror script I've been working on called Don't Scratch The Taint.

I'm changing my old Cricket Hill script, switching some themes around, giving it a good polish (that's what she said) and am now calling it I'm Aiiight.

And I can't forget my epic love story, Yo, Girl, I Wanna Be On You.


**Sike. M E R R Y H O L I D A Z E

Compared to most creatures, Humans tend to SUCK

We really do.***

Look at what we do to each other. We're all selfish pricks. Yeah, all y'all. Yeah, you too.

We all think we're better than the rest. I know I am.

We rush through those Wal-Mart doors to get our grimey hands on a half-off cd player, trampling the elderly in our awesome path. Move it, ya old beeeyyootch! I kill for half-off!

While on the subject of Wal-Mart, I would TRULY rather roll across a field of glass (naked, obviously) than enter one of those hell holes.

We're very, very rude. All we care about is us. Me, me, me. I, I, I.

We'll cut each other off in a heartbeat (I'll race you to the red light, douchebag!). Learn the common courtesy of a god damn traffic merge!!! (We take turns, get it?!?!?!). And I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT when I'm trying to change lanes and the prick behind me in the other lane SPEEDS UP so I can't get over. Hey cockscab - Not a good idea - we might crash!!

Speaking of crashing, we rubberneck. Do we get out to help? Bwah! Good one! We're running late! Ain't got time to help, but we've got time to look at that poor bastard's smashed-up SUV. I'd hate to be that guy!

We're ignorant. We condescend. We criticize. We like to sue.

If something screws up our lives, we'll take it out on EVERYONE. For the record, if I get pissy or my heart stomped on with metal cleats, I like to sulk. Sulking rocks.



***I went shopping today.

Best Tunes of '07

I'm working on my best flix of 2007, I'll post that in a couple of weeks. But tonight I present: Da best moosic.



1. The National - Boxer.......Amazing, amazing, amazing album from start to finish. Not a wasted track.



Runner Ups:

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - An album to rejoice. Drags on about 3 songs, but besides that it rocks the house. "No Cars Go" and "Keep The Car Running" are amazing. "Intervention" too.

Radiohead - In Rainbows - Great album, but it has some songs that I'm not into that must be skipped. Not all great, however, it still has some amazing songs like All I Want, House Of Cards, and the harrowing Videotape.


From Videotape:

This is my way of saying goodbye
Because I can't do it face to face
I'm talking to you after it's too late
From my videotape
No matter what happens now
You shouldn't be afraid
Because I know today has been the most perfect day I've ever seen.



Interpol - Our Love To Admire....Another superb album from these knuckleheads. "No I In Threesome" gives chills.



The Bravery - Time Won't Let Me Go is a great single, but also has some great tunes across the album.



Dave Gahan - Hourglass - Always been a Depeche Mode (Depressed Mood) fan, so I'm inclined to like their solo efforts. But Dave did a nice job here, and his song "Kingdom" really kicked some assage.



The Killers - Between Sam's Town & Sawdust, they've had some good stuff within the last year.



Silversun Pickups - "I've been waiting for this moment, all my life..." from Lazy Eye.



Travis - Their song Closer is heartbreaking.



What's your favorite CD/song of 2007??

2007 - Year Of The Suck

I'm talking about my family. They're disappearing, fast.

May 2007 - Stepmom died (Cancer)

September 2007 - Real Mom Died (Emphezema related)...This one was quite a blow. Had a pretty rotten relationship, almost to the very end, and when she passed I cried like a baby. Anyone have a time machine?

Today - Lost Grandpa #2. Lost my 1st Grandpa (Called him Poppy!) in 2001, that Grandpa was like my Father - he basically raised me.

Grandpa #2 was a nice man, although I only met him when I was 18 (long story, met my bro when I was 15, and my Dad when I was 18 - I am the king of dysfunction!). But Grandpa #2 was a neat old guy, kinda lost it mentally over these last few months, got very sick this last week and went pretty quick).

But it's weird when I think of this: Everyone who raised me is GONE. Along with the above-mentioned Mom & Poppy, I lost my Grandma in 2005 (she was Nanny, and was like a mother to me).

Nanny had been in a rest home for a few years, didn't recognize anyone for several years. Always seem to be familiar with me though, like she thought I was someone she might have known. One of the last times I saw her, I fed her, and she smiled, content. It was my Driving Miss Daisy moment, like at the end when Hoke feeds Daisy. I really miss her, and never really had a chance to say a proper good-bye.

When Poppy died, it rocked me, too. He'd been sick for a while but hung around, he was strong like that. Last thing he said to me was: "Go, have fun. Don't worry about me." He died 2 days later.

I need to talk to them again. Just a little sit down, give me like 10 minutes with each of them, just to let them know that all the times I rolled my eyes at them or laughed off their advice, well, they were probably right, and I was young and stoopit. And that in my life I'll be okay and I'll do the best I can to make them proud.

I can do that in 5 minutes, but I think 10 minutes is fair.

Holy Amazing Poster, Batman!

Dig My Dug

Windy as shit outside. Took the trash out tonight and noticed that ALL of the freakin leaves have fallen off a tree by the street (it must have happened all at once). The leaves covered the front steps and I couldn't have people tripping up the steps and curbing themselves, so I took care of business. Nothing like raking in the dark.

In other news Jessica Alba is still hot and MTV needs more videos.

In the world of the tube, I gotta say I'm getting sick of Chuck. I liked Chuck a lot, but they are having the same damn conversation all over again - Chuck looks at Hot But Vacant Blonde, she doesn't give 2 shats, he asks are they together like fo' real, she says no it's still just a cover and ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Best thing about the show is the Nerd Herd & Adam Baldwin. Actually, Chuck (the dude) is cool but this plot point sucks cat hair.

Heroes had its big Fall finale. Whoppee. Sylar "is back." I know this because he said it out loud when he started up a conversation with a spinach can.

Laid (the re-write) is cruising along, but I'm realizing now that I could have been working on it for the last half hour but instead I'm typing this very important post. Damn me and my bad decisions.

I'm itching to get some other scripts started/continued/dusted off but I must must must get this re-write out of my way.

I think I just heard the trash cans take a shit all over the street. Damn wind.

Meaningless Update #59704836N

Geez, no takers on the meme deal? Fine. Just 'cause there be a strike don't mean we can't have a lil' fun.

I'm hearing this strike may end by the holidays. Let's hope it does, and us writer folk get a fair shake, and the crews can actually get back to work and continue to feed their babies.

I'm working on a few things. Need to get my Laid re-write done ASAP. As soon as the strike-smoke clears, we're going to get this puppy in circulation. My manager has got some nice plans for it.

I'm looking at some older scripts to punch up after Laid is done. I've got about 3-4 that I'd like to take swipes at. Plus about 10 that I'd love to begin. Just not enough time in the frakkin day.

On TV - Reaper & 30 Rock rule. Chuck has moments. Nip/Tuck is eh. Weeds is getting old. Bionic Woman is better than expected.

In da Theater - I need to see Juno & No Country.

Song of the day: The Killers - Shadowplay.

Create A Logline Meme

Thanks to a Rhys meme tag, here is my meme post. The meme goes a lil' something like this, to quote the lovely Rhys:

1. Post 3 consecutive pages of any script you choose that you've written. It can be a completed project, something you're still working on, a movie, spec pilot, spec episode, whatever...as long as it's 3 consecutive pages. You must tell the title if it's an existing TV show. If it's a movie or spec pilot, revealing the title is up to you.

2. Tag 5 peeps to do the same.

3. Follow the meme around (it can be the people you tagged, the person who tagged you, someone's you stumbled upon) and after reading the pages, come up with a logline/episode summary you think fits and post it beneath the entry. Try to do this for at least 5 people.

4. After your own meme has gotten enough guesses, post the REAL summary/logline and see who got the closest.

Ok. Some of you may know this script from past postings, and if you do, well, I don't know what to tell you. It's called HEADSHOT.

INT. CASTING COMPANY - LOBBY
DAGNUS TODD, a paranoid-type in his late 20s, sits across from JENNY JAMES, a hottie in her early 20s. A pile of her own headshots sits on her lap.
Near her are three other ACTORS. One reads a Variety with a headline that reads:“Indie Film Cast & Crew Found Slaughtered”
Pacing near Jenny is NICK, a perfectly-built dude in his 20s.

DAGNUS
Nice headshot.

Jenny sighs.

DAGNUS
I said, nice headshot.

Jenny looks at him.

JENNY
I didn’t realize you were talking to me.

DAGNUS
It’s cool.

Jenny smiles politely and fidgets.

DAGNUS
So anyways, nice headshot.

JENNY
Oh, right. Thanks.

DAGNUS
No problem. I’m nervous. You?

JENNY
No. I just wanna get it over with.

DAGNUS
It’s my favorite part of the process. The audition.

JENNY
Oh. Well, my favorite part of the process is actually getting the part.

Dagnus laughs annoyingly.

DAGNUS
That’s a good one. Can I use that?

JENNY
It’s all yours.

DAGNUS
You had any big roles?

JENNY
Few things here and there. Was a stand-in on a soap. A few supporting parts in some college films. A lot of theater.

DAGNUS
You’re too pretty for the theater. You should be up on a great big movie screen, in the lead role. Way too pretty.

JENNY
Oh. Um, thanks.

Nick stops pacing.

NICK
Hey, dude. You’re like harassing her. Leave her alone.

DAGNUS
I’m not harassing anybody.

NICK
Whatever, creep.

Nick sits next to Jenny, staring at Dagnus.

DAGNUS
You here for the audition?

NICK
I already got a part. My buddy is the director. I’m just chillin’ like a villain.

DAGNUS
Oh, cool. I’m chilling, too.

NICK
It ain’t “chilling.” It’s chillin.’ And you're not.

DAGNUS
Hey, you say tomAto, I say tomAHto.

NICK
And you’d be wrong.

I hearby tag Tom, Aaron, Robert, Lew and Scriptweaver.

Cranberry Sauced frickin' rooles!

Poster is from a little indie called Teeth. Not sure how the movie will turn out but I like the poster.

Turkey day is over. Thank Christ. Such a pain. But I do look forward to chowing down on the sides (turkey is ok, but I'm not thrilled about eating it). I'm a Stove Top stuffing guy, and I also need to have my cranberry sauce (from a can obviosuly, I won't eat it unless it has the can shape on it. An assortment of pies is nice, I prefer Pumpkin, Lemon, and Apple.

Haven't worked on much this week. Been crashing a lot, maybe I need to switch vitamins. Trying to get my Laid re-write done, and I'm eager to push ahead on some new scripts I've been kicking around.

Songs of the week: Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head and 2 from Radiohead - All I Need & Videotape.

Be safe.