Super 8 is Great Summer Fun
by Janet Lawler

This movie will make you feel like a kid again.

Super 8, the latest movie from director/producer/writer J.J. Abrams is terrific. It literally had us jumping out of our seats. Here is the trailer.



The story is about a young boy (Joel Courtney) who is dealing with the recent death of his mother. He's now cared for by his aloof father, played by Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), who is the town deputy. The boy spends his free time hanging out with a group of neighborhood boys who are making a short film. While shooting a scene at night, they witness a massive train crash and find themselves up to their ears in trouble.

It's a thrilling movie. J.J. Abrams script is tightly written and pays off throughout. The action scenes are amazing. It's paced nicely with scenes between father and son dealing with their fears and grief.

The actors all give solid performances, especially lead actor Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning (Dakota Fanning's younger sister), as well as the cast of young boys.

The adolescent humor is true without being overly crass or gross like in most movies today. It will transport you back to the days when you rode your bike with friends, had your first crush and pondered how to break out of an ordinary small town life. These kids find the way -- and there is no turning back.

Steven Spielberg produced Super 8 and his presence is felt -- in many shots of the film I was reminded of Jaws (the town cop fighting authority and a monster) and ET, kids riding bikes and understanding more about love and yearning than the adults. It's moviemaking at its best.

I saw Super 8 at a screening for the Producer's Guild of America at the DGA (Director's Guild Theater on W. 57th St in NYC). The audience laughed and screamed throughout and applauded at the end (twice!). That doesn't happen often at screenings by "industry types" -- they can be a tough room to please.

They loved Super 8.

So did I.

If you want to see a really fun, suspenseful, heartwarming movie this summer -- check out Super 8.. It's rated PG13. You can bring your kids without worrying much (unless they frighten easily!).

And stay in your seats for the closing credits!! It's then that the audience sees the finished short film the kids were making in the movie. It's sweet and funny.

On a side note, this blog is now available for subscription through the Kindle Store on Amazon.com -- thanks for your support!

Until next time.

THE MYSTERY BOX

J.J. Abrams gave a talk at the TED Conferences a few years ago that is worth revisiting today.

Abrams, the Hollywood writer/director/producer, talks about how as a child his grandfather took him to a magic store in New York City. He purchased a "mystery magic box" for $15 but it promised $50 worth of magic inside. J.J. Abrams never opened the box to this day. He keeps it in his office in Hollywood as a reminder of his beloved grandfather, who bought him his first Super 8 movie camera, and to always remember to chase the mystery in story.

Abrams points out that in many of the best movies what works are not the explosions and the special effects, but the mystery inside the characters or villains.

What we remember about Rocky is not the fight scenes, but the heart of Rocky Balboa not wanting to end up a bum in life... or Die Hard not just the thrilling aspects of a cop battling terrorists in a skyscraper, but of John McClane trying to win back his wife as she contemplates divorcing him.

Quentin Tarantino used the mystery box in Pulp Fiction. When John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson open the trunk of their car and something mysteriously glows in their faces. What was that thing in the brief case?

Or Jaws, when we hardly see the shark in the water but we know it's there... looming... stalking its next victim in the ocean. That mystery hooks us as moviegoers, as readers of a script or story, and pull us in. It hooks our emotions.

Think of movies that you love and there is probably some mystery involved.

Check out J.J. Abrams TED talk... it's a treat. Who knew he was so funny too?



And remember when writing -- to keep the mystery in every scene, every act and on every page of your next story.

Side note, The NY Screenwriting Life is on Facebook. And also available on Kindle as a monthly subscription for .99 cents!! We're like the Lady Gaga of blogs!! .99 cents... check us out.

Until next time.

Woody Allen makes Paris look as Magical as his Manhattan
by Janet Lawler

Nobody makes movies like Woody Allen.

From the moment the credits roll, we know we're in for something quite different, something made on a shoe-string budget but with mega talent.

Allen's latest film is Midnight in Paris starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams -- both are terrific as the mismatched young couple about to have their lives transformed while in Paris.

Owen Wilson, as Gil, does a great job as a Hollywood "hack writer" who longs to live the literary life and finish his first novel. He's a true romantic. While visiting Paris with McAdams (his unromantic fiancee) and her well-to-do parents, Wilson wanders the streets of The City of Lights alone... only to be whisked away and magically taken back in time.

I won't give away the delightful moments of this movie -- but let's just say Wilson gets to pal around with the likes of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald (and booze-guzzling Zelda) and have his novel critiqued by Gertrude Stein.

The dialogue is witty (naturally, written by Woody Allen). The cinematography stunning and the music a joy, drifting us back to the days of Cole Porter and the 1920s.

The movie asks the questions -- why do we so often long for the past? Is nostalgia just a cop out from the present? What are we running from and doesn't every new generation think the previous one was the "Golden Age" of something?

The cast of Midnight in Paris is top shelf -- from Kathy Bates, to Michael Sheen, to Marion Cotillard, to Carla Bruni and Adrien Brody playing Salvador Dali.

I loved every frame of Midnight in Paris. If you're a writer, know one, or aspire to follow your literary heart, you'll appreciate this sweet tale.

The movie comes out May 20th by Sony Pictures Classics. Fresh from the Cannes Film Festival.


If you enjoy this blog and like reading on your Kindle, The NY Screenwriting Life is now available through Amazon for only .99 cents a month. http://www.amazon.com/The-NY-Screenwriting-Life/dp/B004X8FQ4U/ref=cm_cmu_up_thanks_hdr

Until next time.

Broadway and the Fight Against AIDS Continues...
by Janet Lawler

Larry Kramer's revival play on Broadway

Don't miss The Normal Heart now playing on Broadway. 

What an incredibly powerful play!  It's about the AIDS epidemic that struck the New York gay community in the 1980s... and how medical officials, a NYC mayor, a United States president, the medical community and even some in the gay community itself turned its back on the disease and on those dying from it.  

Back then, there were a few brave individuals who raised their voices over the hot button political issue, the homophobia, the bigotry and demanded attention and research be paid to fight AIDS.  Those individuals saved lives.

There is still no cure for AIDS.  It remains a global plague (although never officially labeled one).

Actress Ellen Barkin plays one of these courageous souls -- a NYC doctor -- who screamed from the top of her lungs to fight AIDS while her young, male patients died in droves at her hospital.  Barkin has one major scene toward the end of Act II, where she confronts a government medical panel dragging its feet on giving her funding to fight the disease.  Barkin delivers some of the best lines of the play and leaves the audience stunned and cheering when the scene ends. 

Gosh, I hope Ellen Barkin wins the Tony Award in June.  She's phenomenal.  Go see the play if you're in New York.

35 million people have died from AIDS worldwide.  35 million people.

This weekend in Central Park (May 15th) is the Annual AIDS Walk.  I'll be taking part with a group of my friends.  http://www.aidswalk.net/newyork/   Sign up online, put on your sneakers and join in.  The fight is not over.

After seeing The Normal Heart last Friday night, some of the actors came outside to take pictures and sign autographs.  They were all gracious and enjoyed mingling with theatergoers.

Photos by Carolina Correa.

Actor Jim Parsons

Actor Joe Mantello

Ellen Barkin

John Benjamin Hickey

Right next door another play That Championship Season was just letting out.  That cast includes Christopher Noth, Keifer Sutherland, Jason Patric (his late father, Jason Miller, wrote the play) and others.  The crowd of theatergoers along W. 45th Street went ballistic -- screaming and running to see the actors at the stage door.  Noth and Patric laughed and worked the lines smiling, taking photos with fans and signing Playbills.

Chris Noth greets fans at stage door

Chris Noth & Jason Patric sign autographs

Fun night on Broadway!  Go see this play soon -- it ends May 29th!  http://thatchampionshipseason.com/

Until next time.

The 2011 Tony Award Nominations
by Janet Lawler

Attention theater geeks and theater lovers! The nominations for the 2011 Tony Awards are out. I'm sure some of your favorite actors and actresses made the list -- Edie Falco, Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Al Pacino, Vanessa Redgrave and more.

For some folks, the Tony Awards is the closest they'll come to seeing a Broadway show. Before I moved to New York, I would see maybe one or two shows a year (if I was lucky)-- it was always a special day coming into the city on a Wednesday for a matinee show.

I love seeing plays, but usually everyone else I know wants to see a musical. They say "It's Times Square... it's Broadway... we want singing, dancing, costumes and jazz-hands." Fine, I've seen plenty of big Broadway musicals, but I still like to sit in cramped theater and listen to a well-written, acted play with snappy dialogue... with riveting characters, few costumes, minimal sets... and, unless it's Cabaret or Chicago, please, no jazz hands.

In 1988, I remember convincing my mother to come with me to see Madonna on Broadway. It was Madonna's debut. Madge was starring in David Mamet's play "Speed the Plow". It was a big deal at the time. My mother didn't particularly care for Madonna (the whole Catholic thing) -- and she really didn't care for Mamet (the whole profanity thing on stage) -- but she sat through the play, for me.

However, the next time we came to Broadway we saw Miss Saigon. No more plays, she insisted. "They're long and boring." My mother loved BIG musicals (Tommy Tune and more). She felt she got her money's worth seeing a musical (who could argue -- they landed a helicopter on stage in Miss Saigon.)

Don't forget Mother's Day is this weekend (May 8th). Take your Mom to see a show -- but do yourself a favor and let her choose which one. I bet she picks a musical.

Now more about the Tonys, I'm particularly excited by the list for Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Play this year.

	Ellen Barkin	The Normal Heart
	Edie Falco	The House of Blue Leaves
	Judith Light	Lombardi
	Joanna Lumley	La Bête
	Elizabeth Rodriguez	The Motherf**ker with the Hat

The NY Times review of Ellen Barkin's performance in The Normal Heart said she makes a "slam-dunk Broadway debut".

Ellen Barkin has long been one of my faves. I loved her in the movie Sea of Love (1989) starring Al Pacino. Barkin stole scenes from Pacino in that cop thriller -- no easy task. She also starred in The Big Easy. Barkin is multi-talented, smart and a former Bronx girl. What's not to love?

Al Pacino (a former Bronx boy) is also nominated for a Tony for the The Merchant of Venice.

I'm seeing The Normal Heart this weekend. It's a powerful play written by Larry Kramer, the AIDS activist and playwright. It tells the history of the AIDS pandemic and how it touched everyone's lives in the '80s from nurses to doctors to politicians to the gay community. AIDS is still claiming lives around the world. This play remains relevant.



The Normal Heart promises to be what theater, for me, is truly all about -- conflict, emotion, and the human spirit presented on stage. Here is the play's website http://bit.ly/TNHYouTube

So come visit NYC -- see a musical or drama, or whatever theater your heart desires (Blue Man Group, anyone?). Or just watch The Tonys and sample a little of everything from Column A and Column B. Jazz hands and all.

The Tonys air on CBS, Sunday, June 12th. Here is the official link for the 2011 Tony Award Nominees http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/nominees/index.html

Happy Mother's Day.

Ed Burns' New Movie Wraps Up the Tribeca Film Festival
by Janet Lawler

Ed Burns at Apple Store                                                                              photos by: Janet Lawler

Ed Burns' new indie film Newlyweds ends tonight's 10th Tribeca Film Festival.  It's only fitting. Burns was part of festival's debut in 2001 and remains one of its most popular filmmakers.

Burns recently chatted at the Apple Store as part of its Meet the Filmmaker series.  Packed house.  Seats filled with students, indie filmmakers and admirers.  Several aspiring artists stood up to tell Burns that his first indie movie The Brothers McMullen changed their lives, their college majors, their belief in themselves to make movies.

   Meet the Filmmakers Series

The talk quickly turned geeky (after all, it's the Apple Store).  Burns' shared his tips to newcomers entering the biz: he shot Newlyweds on a Canon 5D (basically a camera that sells for around $2600).  No extra lights.  No makeup or hair crew.  No wardrobe.  His editor cut the film on Burns' desktop with Final Cut.  Bare bones movie making here.  It took twelve days to shoot over four months.  No permits (maybe a couple, he laughed).  "We didn't worry about permits and cops.  My father is a retired NYPD cop anyway.  I would tell them 'Go talk to Sgt. Burns.' 

Scenes were shot on the streets or in public places -- a downtown cafe, restaurant, etc.  Sound recorded on a flash drive.  Burns showed a clip of the movie -- and it looked like a movie!

Meeting new filmmakers

Contest Winner  By Logogo_Boy

Burns is a filmmaker plugged into social media.  Big time.  He ran contests on Twitter asking followers to submit original music or ideas for his next movie poster.  They did.
One lucky artist  won the movie poster contest.  He'll be attending the Newlyweds cast and crew party with Burns at Tribeca this weekend.  Who says Twitter is a waste of time?  Here's Ed's website link http://www.edwardburns.net/

He gives away all trade secrets.  Does he worry about competition?  Some young, hot shot director moving in on his indie turf?  Nah. This Long Island guy would like nothing better than to see fresh movies being made by upstarts.  That's how he made it back in the day.  He hasn't forgotten what it's like to be an outsider looking in.

Ed Burns made it big  -- acting, directing, writing -- he works with Hollywood's top actors and directors, but he isn't clawing to make blockbusters or stay in the box-office rat race.  Not even tempted.

He likes living in NYC with his family and banging out a movie a year for about $25,000.  No big theatrical releases to sweat over.  Those days are gone.  In this digital age, Burns' movies do well online, finding his niche audience through Netflix, VOD, Comcast and Time Warner... and, of course, iTunes. He tapped into that new market a few years back with his indie Purple Violets.  It was released exclusively on iTunes at the time. 

"People said then are you out of your mother-effin' mind?  Nobody will watch a movie on their phone.  That was back in '07," Burns recalled.  "I want to keep making small movies every year.  Stay in the biz.  Making my stories."

Autograph time

Signing a Brothers McMullen poster for a young fan

Burns recalled how years ago, before hitting it big with McMullen, he was walking down the street in New York City and spotted Spike Lee walking right in front of him.  He was a huge fan of Spike Lee, but couldn't muster up enough nerve to stop the director and ask him advice about filmmaking.  Burns says he choked.  "I didn't have the balls to tap Lee on the shoulder that day," he says, explaining why he's quick now to lend an ear to newcomers seeking their way in the biz.

Just one more photo before you go, Ed.

http://www.edwardburns.net/videos/

SIDE NOTES...

Giving a special Shout-Out Thanks to Hot Damn Short Sales for their donation this week here.  We appreciate you supporting The NY Screenwriting Life blog.  We'll keep the posts coming thanks to supporters like you!!

Also looking for a new band to download?  Check out The Wilderness of Manitoba.  They're a Canadian Chamber Folk group that will blow your mind.  Love their music.  Give 'em a listen.  http://www.myspace.com/thewildernessofmanitoba

The Wilderness of Manitoba

Until next time!

SPRING HAPPENINGS

by Janet Lawler

The April showers have let up, but now the high temps are kickin' in big time here in NYC. Whew! My neighbors in Astoria are breakin' out their flip-flops, shorts and sun dresses already -- summer is fast on our heels.  I'm lovin' spring though.  Besides my Easter basket of candy, I got to meet some of my personal writing heroes recently.

Seth Meyers of SNL

First up --Seth Meyers, head writer and anchor of "Weekend Update" on Saturday Night Live. We met at C-SPAN's studios on Fifth Avenue (where I freelance). Get ready.  Seth has a new Saturday night gig this weekend. He's the featured speaker at the White House Correspondents dinner in Washington, DC.  He'll be cracking jokes about Obama with the president sitting right next to him.  Talk about pressure to be funny.

Seth says his SNL gig is his real first-paying job right out of college. Really, Seth Meyers?! Really?? Yes.  NBC plucked him out of his improvisational group fresh after college and he's been working on SNL every since.

Live from New York...

Like most writers, Seth is a procrastinator.  Not good since he has to write a live show every week. (Tina Fey gives credit in her new book "Bossy Pants" to Seth for writing that now classic SNL skit between Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton.  http://www.hulu.com/watch/34465/saturday-night-live-palin--hillary-open   Seth Meyers is not only super cool, but smart and funny... (and um, tall and handsome) what more could you ask for in a writer? 

Next up -- story consultant and author Jen Grisanti. Jen held her mini-workshop and book-signing at The Drama Book Shop in midtown Manhattan earlier this month. She talked about her new book Story Line: Finding Your Gold in Your Life. She offered a free workshop filled with great tips for writers about writing a log line for your own life (no easy task!) -- digging deep when writing your truth -- and writing about universal themes. Jen also has a podcast on iTunes and a YouTube Channel. She's also on Facebook and Twitter.  She's one busy woman, not to mention genuine and down-to-earth as all get out.  Jen will be back in NYC speaking at the Moviemaker Screenwriting Conference June 11-12 with other speakers like Spike Lee and Marilyn Horowitz.  Sign me up!

Janet and Jen at The Drama Book Shop in Manhattan

Everything I really need to know about screenwriting I learned in kindergarten.  Have you seen this video yet?  It's produced by The Onion.  Very funny... and true on so many levels about writing movies today (and cheesy talk show hosts)  http://clatl.com/screengrab/archives/2011/04/26/fast-five-screenwriter-interview-or-all-i-really-need-to-know-about-screenwriting-i-learned-in-kindergarten

Up next here at the NY Screenwriting Life for May -- Ed Burns' new indie flick Newlyweds and the Tribeca Film Festival.  Until next time, enjoy the leftover Easter  jelly beans... and be careful walking around New York in flip-flops.

PS -- here is the C-SPAN interview with Seth Meyers.  http://www.politico.com/click/stories/1104/meyers_gets_ready_for_big_gig.html

Q&A with screenwriter/producer Angelo Pizzo

Screenwriter Angelo Pizzo

by Janet Lawler 

"Sometimes a winner is a dreamer that just won't quit," from the movie trailer Rudy.

  
Angelo Pizzo is an accomplished screenwriter and producer.  He penned Hoosiers and Rudy. Both films usually make the Top 10 Best Sports Movies of All-Time lists.  The NY Screenwriting Life asked Pizzo about his writing ritual and working with actors Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper.


Hi, Angelo, what is your writing process like on an average day?

Pizzo:  Every day is different, I tend to write in flurries with a lot of time where I anguish about what I'm going to write. the last third of a script I tend to write quickly so there is a momentum (and because a producer is ready to send out a hit team because I'm so late).

You've worked with director David Anspaugh on two movies, Hoosiers and Rudy, how did that relationship come about?

Pizzo:  David and I were good friends and roommates in college.

Your IMDB credits say you were a Second Unit Director on both hit movies mentioned above, would you like to direct a movie?

Pizzo:  I have been attached to many of my scripts as a director, unfortunately have yet to get one greenlit.

A screenwriter needs the human spirit and determination of Rudy to keep believing in themselves after facing rejection, how did you overcome early setbacks in your writing career?

Pizzo:. I was fortunate to get a job in development almost by accident and moved up the ranks as an executive fairly easily. I wrote my first script when I was 33 and it was Hoosiers. We got a lot of rejections over a three year period, but I knew that was part of the process. I learned never to take rejection personally in my prior years as an executive. I observed how it ate up and turned writers, directors, actors and producers bitter and disenchanted. Another truth is it takes a minor miracle for any movie to get made. So many, many factors go into it, most out of one person's control.

Besides your own movies, what sports drama is your favorite?

Pizzo:  Raging Bull, Field of Dreams 

What's it like to be at a table reading with Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper on Hoosiers?

Gene Hackman in Hoosiers

Pizzo:  Dennis was shooting Blue Velvet during our table read. Gene said hardly a word, he saved his comments for me the day before we shot the scenes. He wanted to be fresh and immediate with his takes.

How do prefer to watch movies? DVD, theater or online? 

Pizzo:  I love watching movies in the theater, accept the DVD home experience and refuse to watch anything online.

What's the best advice you can give to a screenwriter trying to make it today in the movie business?

Pizzo:  Write, every day. Don't talk about it, worry about it, complain about it. Do it. Passion, vision, commitment count for a lot. Don't do it because you think there is good money or glamor, or fun or hipness. Write the movie you want to see not what you think other people want to see. And always write from the inside out rather than the outside in.

Thanks, Angelo, for being a good sport and for writing movies that inspire us to keep reaching for our dreams.   

Below are the trailer links for Hoosiers and Rudy.  Rent them (along with The Game of Their Lives) and have yourself an Angelo Pizzo movie marathon.

Until next time. 


Rudy Trailer  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDKOlH0I0nQ
Hoosiers Trailer  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diwRrudKHDU

 

A TRIBUTE TO DIRECTOR SIDNEY LUMET
Some "Serpico" Scenes Shot Right Here in Astoria
by Janet Lawler

Copyrighted Columbia Pictures   Sidney Lumet

My two favorite movie directors are named Sidney/Sydney.  I love these two guys!

There is Sydney Pollack, who directed movies like "This Property is Condemned" (1966) starring Robert Redford and Natalie Wood (based on a story by Tennessee Williams), "Tootsie", "Out of Africa" "Three Days of the Condor", "Jeremiah Johnson" and "The Firm". This Sydney also made "The Way We Were". Need I say more? Sydney Pollack passed away in 2008 at the age of 73.

My other favorite Sidney is Lumet.  If I name ten of my favorite movies -- many from the 70s -- this Sidney made most of them.  Sadly for us, Sidney Lumet passed away this week at the age of 86.

Image Credit Freestyle Releasing/Everett Collection

I first saw "Serpico" in 1973.  It was about a cop who blows the whistle on corruption inside the NYPD. I saw it while growing up in the Bronx. The grittiness of NYC up on the screen matched the rawness of the city streets I was experiencing. Crime running rampant. Drugs everywhere, destroying a generation. Government failing from local, state, right up to the White House in the 70s.

Sidney captured on film the fear that Americans, and especially New Yorkers, were feeling in that decade like no other -- long before 9/11 introduced us to a new kind of terror.

I live in Astoria, Queens today.  In "Serpico" there is a scene shot under the Hell's Gate Bridge here.  It's one of my favorite scenes in a movie.  It's just two men talking... a police chaplain and a desperate cop... shouting at each other on an overcast day by the East River.  The scene was used during the Oscars when Al Pacino was nominated as Best Actor for that role.  Pacino paces back and forth talking to the Chaplain like a caged animal... trapped... scared... enraged... the final image is of Pacino standing in a wide shot... under this MASSIVE bridge... alone... shouting profanities as the priest turns his back and walks away from him.  The image is haunting.  It says everything with one shot of film.

Al Pacino as Serpico

There were also other key scenes from "Serpico" filmed here in Astoria right on Ditmars Boulevard.  The scene where Serpico is almost shot by two uniform cops who think he's a perp.  They trap him on a side street by a dumpster until he reveals his badge.  Rent this movie if you haven't seen it -- or rent it again if you have.  It's one of Sidney's best movies.  One of Pacino's best too.

Al Pacino & Sidney Lumet

Sidney's next movie "Dog Day Afternoon" was a comedy/crime drama. A perfect blend of lunacy and suspense.  Al Pacino gave a dynamic performance -- after playing the reticent Michael Corleone in "The Godfather" and Frank Serpico in "Serpico" -- Pacino turns flamboyant in this movie, ranting, prancing outside the bank and stealing the show.

Pacino about to chant "Attica!"

The scene where Pacino yells "Attica! Attica! Attica!" outside that bank is amazing... when he kicks the glass door and tells the cops "to put your guns down"... and gays cheer him behind the police barricades... I couldn't believe this was happening in a movie.  What was going on here??

Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon

"Dog Day Afternoon" showed gay and a transsexual character in a way that a mainstream movie hadn't before. Pacino's character sticks up the bank to get money for his transsexual lover's sex change operation. Sidney took on that story (based on a real incident) and directs a spectacular, confined film with heart.

Sidney said in an interview that he sweated over the scene where Pacino talks to his lover over the phone in "Dog Day Afternoon"... it was 1975, remember... because if done badly, that scene would kill the movie for the American audience. The movie would die on the spot.  It didn't. Pacino, Chris Sarandon and Sidney Lumet created a scene that was intimate, uncomfortable, comical and tragic.  Rent it and see for yourself.

What can I say about "Network"?

It's a classic and perhaps more relevant today. Made in 1976, it predicts today's state of journalism and media. It's as if Sidney Lumet and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky looked into a crystal ball and could see how TV News would change for the worse someday if we weren't careful -- if our news became entertainment for profit -- if corporations ran the evening news -- how we'd change as a collective audience and not for the better. Would we really watch a man blow his brains out on network TV?  Would it get huge ratings then and now?  What do you think?

We're still "mad as hell" like Peter Finch (if not more so today) and still taking it.

Sidney made movies about characters facing outside demons and inner ones and confronting authority. Rent "Prince of the City" or "The Verdict" with Paul Newman as an example of this.  Sidney made small movies (except for The Whiz). He made dramas with razor sharp New York wit and sensibilities. Characters in his movies talked like guys off the streets. His actors looked like guys you knew from your old neighborhood.

Sidney had an authentic eye and voice about New York.  He presented it warts and all.

If you love movies, or wonder how they get made, read Sidney Lumet's book Making Movies. He describes everything from blocking scenes, to rehearsing actors to editing. He lays it all out for us. He gives away his secrets for making magic.  I've read it often (highlighting parts in different colors) because it teaches me something new every time I read it.

There are so many distinct New York directors -- Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Edward Burns, Sydney Pollack, as mentioned above, each present New York City in a different shade of light. Some with romanticism, some with comedy, some with flaws and some with violence. Sidney Lumet is the master though -- the quintessential New York director in my opinion.  His work reflects New York City during the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. He worked in live TV during its Golden Age, the same in film, was a native New Yorker to his core and it showed through his lens with every scene, every syllable and throughout his long legacy of work.  Sixty years of brilliant work.

Sidney Lumet

Sydney Pollack

Thanks, Sidney (and Sydney), for what you guys left us and for what you will continue to teach us through your great movies.  

Until the next time.

Q&A with "Limitless" Screenwriter Leslie Dixon
by Janet Lawler

Does the name Leslie Dixon ring a bell with you? It will if you love movies. Leslie's written the popular movies Hairspray, Freaky Friday, Pay It Forward, The Thomas Crown Affair, Mrs. Doubtfire, Overboard, Outrageous Fortune and now Limitless, still out in theaters.

Limitless opened at #1 at the box office when released in March.

Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro star.

The film has a cool premise. A down-on-his-luck writer can't finish his novel, his girlfriend dumps him and his life is spiraling out of control until he takes a new untested drug. This pill allows him to use 100% of his brain power... they say we only use 20% of our brains (and we all know people who use a lot less, don't we?). So what would you do if you could use all your intellect? Learn several languages? Finish that epic script? Play an instrument or two? Or would your use your new found gray matter for power and greed?

Writer Leslie Dixon answers questions for the NY Screenwriting Life.

NY Times film critic A.O. Scott recently said as a screenwriter you're an example of "disciplined productivity" because of your body of work. Do you write every day or are you a binge writer?

"Disciplined productivity" is a total diss, don't you think? Sound like code for "hack" to me. I am writing nothing at the moment. Totally burned out. This movie took a lot out of me and I feel, at the moment, like a shriveled-up husk. (I have, in the past, approached the task with equal parts inspiration and iron will.)

On Limitless you were producer, had consulting rights and director/casting approval -- was adding these responsibilities a blessing or a curse? Would you recommend other writers doing it?

It was good for the end product, but it makes a lot of people hate you. I'm glad I stuck to my guns, but it's bruising.

What's a table reading like with Robert De Niro saying your lines?

Duh.

Double Duh. What book would you give to a friend starting out in screenwriting?

A screenwriting book? I'd say, better to stick to my standard rule: does the reader want to turn the page to the next page? It's a toughie.

Who is the first person you let read your scripts?

Don't remember who the virgin reader was. I was shoving my work under everyone's nose.

How has the screenwriting movie business changed since your early days in Hollywood?

Huge question. Seismic shift after shift -- from corporations owning studios, to the DVD revolution, which kept older moviegoers home (but brought huge profits), to direct download as a method of delivery, the revenues from which still haven't rolled in the way they should. Literacy was already on the way out when I started, so that much is the same! (One of the reasons I wrote "Limitless" was that it gave me an excuse to write a literate lead.)

Would you write for TV if asked?

I love cable shows more than anything, and if I could start my career over, that's where I'd go. That said, I might not have the brutal monomania to be a showrunner.

Do you prefer watching movies at home, in a theater with an audience or online?

I love being with the audience in a real theater. I don't think you can write for the screen if you don't know how a film affects its viewers -- where they laugh, groan with disgust, etc.

Today when you sit down to write you pretty much know that script will become a movie one day. How did you find motivation and discipline to write before selling your work?

I don't for a second presume that what I write will get made. I have a great batting average, but I still strike out. I've written my heart out and been fired. I've done uninspired work and had it instantly greenlit. I had a good feeling about this one, but you never know. (The only way you, a neophyte, can get through a script is to please yourself. You have to love it, or no one else will.)

If channel surfing on a Sunday afternoon, what one movie will you watch again (and again) if it's on?

The usual suspects. Godfather I or II. Dr. Strangelove. Oddly, Mr. & Mrs. Smith has wormed its way onto that list. It's so damn well directed.

What's next on your plate?

Nothing. I may take a year off, I make take forever. I mean it -- I'm fried. Maybe too much "disciplined productivity?" I've been approached to write a novel, and I'm seriously considering it. I'm such an audience whore, it'd probably get shitty reviews and sell.

Thanks, Leslie. We hope you don't really take forever to tackle your next script. Enjoy some rest and relaxation. Or just pop a pill... ;)

Until next time.

Watch the trailer for Limitless here:

INCITING MOMENTS...THAT CHANGE HISTORY
by Janet Lawler

Sean Astin as RUDY

I love true stories.  Don't you?  That's why we watch Jersey Shore or the Real Housewives that only pretend to be true.  It's also why Hollywood produces movies "based on actual events". When we know something really happened, we invest more emotion into that movie or character.

Think about some of the great movies that were based on real people...Rudy, Silkwood, Serpico, Erin Brockovich, and most recently, The Blind Side.  Would we have been as deeply moved if those movies were about made-up characters with the same names?  Doubt it.

True stories.  We love 'em.  I've been on a big documentary kick lately.  If you look at a documentary in the frame work of a movie script, you see many similarities in telling a solid story with structure: intro of characters, a life-changing inciting incident, conflicts, challenges, violence, hope, then the all is lost moments and finally, God willing, victory in the face of defeat.  We appreciate a strong resolution for having taken the emotional ride with these characters.

American Experience on PBS is hitting one documentary after another out of the park this season.  Each one is powerful and gripping.  I recommend them all.  They're about real people, real instances and tell great tales of bravery and the human spirit.

As writers, we can learn from these actual events in history and from individuals who turned disappointment, repression, violence, and blind raging hate into stories about love, redemption and achievement.

Some of the documentaries to air on American Experience are:

Freedom Riders.  This doc marks the 50th anniversary of Original Freedom Riders.  It asks the question Could You Get On the Bus?  Some Americans did.  They were threatened, attacked and beaten... but their courage helped change the civil rights movement.  Freedom Riders is about our American history. These Americans confronted segregation and death to change the law. It airs May 16th on PBS.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/watch

Stonewall Uprising.  Today with the political debate for marriage equality discussed openly on TV, we forget what gay Americans endured before the gay rights movement: shock treatments, mind-altering drugs, lobotomy, public service announcements denouncing homosexuals, beatings, excommunication, depression, and repression under the law.

Gays growing up in the 40s, 50s, even 60s were arrested, threatened and hunted.  We talk about bullying today in our high schools, but wait until you see what occurred less than just twenty or thirty years ago to gay youths.  There was no coming out then, unlike today.  There was only in.  Hiding for your life.  Stonewall Uprising shows what gay Americans long accepted until on June 28, 1969 when the gay community experienced what one Village Voice reporter who was at the scene called its "Rosa Parks moment" and said no more.  On that June night, when the N.Y.P.D. invaded the Mafia-owned gay bar at the Stonewall Inn  and began handcuffing gays and lesbians for dancing on a Friday night... all hell broke loose.

For the first time ever, gays and lesbians banded together and refused to be led off to jail... it set off a three-day riot in Greenwich Village.  It's the inciting moment that launched the gay rights movement as we know it today.  Stonewall changed the tide.  Pride would overcome shame from city to city across the country.  Stonewall in 1969 wasn't about one night of police harassment in a gay bar.  It wasn't about homosexuals being upset on Judy Garland's funeral day.  It was instead about decades of abuse, hatred and fear rising up and turning on its oppressor.  We see it happening today all over the world.  Stonewall Uprising airs on Monday, April 25th.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZUZKtko4R0&feature=related

Great job, American Experience and PBS!  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/schedule/

On a screenwriting side note, soon we'll have Q&A's with top screenwriters Leslie Dixon (Limitless and Mrs. Doubtfire) and Angelo Pizzo (Rudy and Hoosiers).

Rudy!  Rudy!  Rudy!  Yes, we really do love true stories.

Until next time.

Do the Work by Steven Pressfield 

GET OFF YOUR LAZY DUFF... AND DO THE WORK ALREADY
by Janet Lawler

No more excuses... reach your goals... pursue that dream... but one thing you must do first -- Do the Work. 

That's the title of Steven Pressfield's new book Do the Work (I added the lazy duff part as a warning to myself).

He previously wrote The War of Art which I've read a million times.  I give copies to friends. The War of Art is a short book with a powerful punch if you're looking to overcome procrastination, fear and resistance in accomplishing what you want out of life.

You might still procrastinate after reading The War of Art, but at least you'll know why... and steps to overcome it.

Steve's new book Do the Work comes out in April.  For a short time, you can read the digital edition of this bestselling author's new book for free via the Domino Project.  Cool. We like free books!

GE is sponsoring Steve's book (which means GE's picking up the cost to get free copies out to you -- the reader). 

You can go to Amazon and pre-order your free copy for your Kindle today.  (Man, I gotta buy me a Kindle soon!) It gets auto-delivered on April 20th.  The regular version sells for $12.99 (without discounts).  http://www.amazon.com/Do-the-Work-ebook/dp/B004PGO25O/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1301000199&sr=8-1

We all need motivation and insights on how to keep moving forward with our creative work and every day goals.  Steve Pressfield has overcome his own failures to reach success in his work and life -- he wrote The Legend of Bagger Vance and many other novels -- even one solid tip from Steve could be the gem you're looking for to finally pursue your goal.  Check out Steve's website at http://www.stevenpressfield.com/

The NY Screenwriting Life will review Do the Work in the coming weeks.

Until next time.

A CHAT WITH MOVIE CRITIC ALISON BAILES
By Janet Lawler

Hi Alison, thanks for joining us at The NY Screenwriting Life.  In a nutshell, can you tell us what you've been up to lately?

I write for More Magazine.....two very short film reviews a month....I am a contributing critic on Roger Ebert's new show "Ebert presents at the movies on PBS where my first piece just aired www.ebertpresents.com

  

and I'm soon to start work reviewing for a new website/content provider called Buzz60.  In addition, I just launched my own website www.alisonbailes.com

where I blog and review as much as I can find the time for!

How many movies do you generally see a week?

Not as many as I should!!  I'm constantly feeling that I should see more.....so many new releases as well as catching up on all the stuff I've missed. But I have young kids so I try not to be out every night. Probably about 6 a week?  Although Monday I saw 4 and yesterday 3. So this week it will be 9 or 10.

Is your process as a movie critic more cerebral or visceral?  For instance, do you take notes when first watching a movie you're about to review?  Do you see it more than once before reviewing it?
I do take notes as I find I like to be reminded of dialogue or plot points that strike me as interesting when I later write. I always swear that I will turn the review around the next day....but I don't, cos I'm a procrastinator, so I'm often writing a review weeks after seeing the film. The notes come in handy, if I can read them!  The lasting memory of a film tends to be visceral. I very rarely have time to see a film more than once unfortunately.
  
How important is story in reviewing a movie?  Is that the first element you notice missing or evident more than the directing, acting, etc?

Bad acting is the first thing that ruins a film.  I can't get beyond it. Directing has to be pretty amateurish to ruin a good film if there's a good story compellingly told. I am a stickler for story. It has to be believable for me.....suspending disbelief is OK in very small doses. Sometimes when I find a plot hole then that casts a pall over the memory.  There is something in "Hanna" that I couldn't quite accept, so in my mind the film is tainted, even though it's a great action thriller with amazing performances and a killer soundtrack!!

What advice would you give to aspiring screenwriters who will be writing movies for the next generation of moviegoers?
Write what you know and KISS (Keep it simple, stupid).  Invaluable advice. Even Christopher Nolan who twisted our minds with "Inception" started with "Following"....a more or less simple story.

What summer flick are you most looking forward to seeing soon?

Yikes!! what is there again? I don't care about Transformers or Xmen sequels. I'm pretty much over anything with superheroes at this point. I'm equally unexcited about the Pirates repeat. However I loved the last Harry Potter, so I'm looking forward to how they wrap it all up (didn't read the books, so I don't know!).  I'm really looking forward to Steve Coogan in "The Trip", Terrence Malick's new film, and yes, "The Hangover 2".  I've seen a few of the smaller films coming soon and some good ones are "Pom presents: the greatest film ever sold" from Morgan Spurlock and "A better life" from Chris Weitz.  And because I read the book and liked it.....am interested in seeing what they did with "The Help".

Do you prefer watching a movie in a theater with an audience or at home on Pay-Per-View, Netflix or on DVD?

I rarely watch with a "real" audience.  Mostly it's with a bunch of other critics who tend to be respectful and quiet. I have been spoiled. When I do go to the movies I am appalled at the noise, smells and rudeness of fellow movie goers.  I love to be on my sofa, but it's not as conducive to paying attention 100% so I do try and make it to the screenings.  On Demand is great if you miss the press screenings.

And finally, Alison, do you ever text during a movie? ;)

WHO would answer yes to this question?  I would never text. I don't even look at my phone. But funnily enough, my babysitter had an emergency on Monday and  called me right before a film. I did then check my phone to make sure things were OK.  I felt TERRIBLE about it....and did it under my seat with my hand over the screenlight.  There were only two other people in the screening room but that's no excuse. People who let their phones light up, or tap away at them shouldn't be in the movie. If you can't give the film your attention, then you shouldn't bother to watch it in the first place. No one can multi-task that well.  Everyone can have the occasional emergency. But people who email thru the whole film should know better. 

Thanks, Alison, for taking time out to participate with The NY Screenwriting Life.  

Check out Alison Bailes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ALISONBAILES

and don't text at the movies!

Until next time.