Adapting a play from stage to screen is tricky business. Ideally, you want to convey the drama in a way that doesn't feel stilted or artificial. This is usually done by expanding scenery to multiple locations or enlarging the scope of the few that are already on the page. It also doesn't hurt to have … Continue reading The God Complex – Freud’s Last Session
Greetings and salutations from the other side of 2023's dumpster fire! We endured a lot last year, and sadly, we're probably about to suffer through a whole lot more. Between ongoing wars, the possible end of American democracy, rampant racism and antisemitism, and Kim Kardashian trying to become a lawyer, the prospects for 2024 do … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – January 2024
One of the greatest frustrations of mainstream cinema is when you watch a movie that could have been great, but it's clear that the effort was entirely phoned in for box office. This happens a lot with franchise fare, where you can see the passion and creative drive wither away over multiple installments, and no … Continue reading It’s Not That Hard – Godzilla Minus One
Over 150 films were deemed eligible by the Academy to compete for the Oscar for Documentary Feature. Last week, more than 90% of the field was eliminated, whittling the contest down to 15 semifinalists. I had already seen a few of the candidates, and since the announcement, I've ticked a few more off in my … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The Doc is Out
It is a rare thing when I am truly offended by a movie, even rarer when it's an independent one. There are usually a couple of mainstream pictures each year that fill me with rage because of how craven the corporate cash grab may be, or the overabundance of fart jokes in lieu of a … Continue reading Forget About It – Memory
The old adage is to write what you know. It's a simple enough idea. If you've experienced something, and can remember it vividly, it's easier to describe and put into words than something completely alien. But what about writing something you wanted to know? That's the intriguing starting point for All of Us Strangers, a … Continue reading Coming Home – All of Us Strangers
I've talked before in this space about the difference between subtlety and nuance in screenwriting. By basic definition, one feeds into the other, but in the practicalities of scripting for film, the two are similar but distinct ideas. You can be nuanced without being subtle, and vice versa. It comes down to the approach of … Continue reading The Write-Offs – American Fiction
The first major mile marker for next year's Oscars has finally been crossed. Today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released their shortlists in 10 of the 23 categories. Participating branches and members have been viewing submissions, attending bake-offs, and voting for the past few weeks, and now the semifinalists have been revealed. … Continue reading Moving On to the Pre-Blitz – 96th Academy Awards Shortlists
We come to it at long last. Tomorrow the Academy will announce the shortlists in multiple categories, including International Feature. I've done my best to be as comprehensive as possible in watching and analyzing everything I could find, but I didn't accomplish all I wanted to. There were several private screenings that I got invites … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The Gamblers
Ever since my first screenwriting class in my junior year of college, I've adhered to the mantra of "show, don't tell." It's the basic idea that when it comes to writing for film, it's more often than not better to let the audience see what's going on, rather than just talking about it. There are … Continue reading Neighborhood Watch – The Zone of Interest
I Actually Paid To See This 