I'm thinking I may take a page from the wonderful Jill Golick and break down episodes of some of the shows I've acquired.
Anyone have requests as to what they'd like to see?
Brotherhood
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Heroes
The Shield
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Shopping
My credit card companies must love me.
Went and bought new DVDs on my lunch break today. Unfortunately Best Buy wasn't stocking Friday Night Lights (I had a few choice words about that), but a little internet research later and it's looking like I'll be making a trip to Futureshop on the way home to pick up a copy.
What I did buy (yay for debt!)...
Heroes - How could I not? Sure the show has some problems (dreadful payoff on the "Save the cheerleader, save the world" bit), but I'm still planning on speccing it. It's going to be interesting to see how things go with all the spin offs and marketing hype that's swirling around this show. Is it well enough established to support all the crap they're heaping on top of it?
Dexter - I've seen a couple episodes of this, but not being a TMN subscriber missed more than I saw. I liked what I did see though, and I'm definitely going to spec this show as well.
The Shield (Season 1) - This is a show I've always meant to follow, but somehow never did. It was on sale for a little under $25, so figure I might as well pick it up. Should be a handy reference point if I ever decide to develop a cop-type show.
Brotherhood - I've heard good things about this show, though I've yet to see it. It was only 20 bucks though, and it won a peabody award, so hopefully it'll be worth it.
Went and bought new DVDs on my lunch break today. Unfortunately Best Buy wasn't stocking Friday Night Lights (I had a few choice words about that), but a little internet research later and it's looking like I'll be making a trip to Futureshop on the way home to pick up a copy.
What I did buy (yay for debt!)...
Heroes - How could I not? Sure the show has some problems (dreadful payoff on the "Save the cheerleader, save the world" bit), but I'm still planning on speccing it. It's going to be interesting to see how things go with all the spin offs and marketing hype that's swirling around this show. Is it well enough established to support all the crap they're heaping on top of it?
Dexter - I've seen a couple episodes of this, but not being a TMN subscriber missed more than I saw. I liked what I did see though, and I'm definitely going to spec this show as well.
The Shield (Season 1) - This is a show I've always meant to follow, but somehow never did. It was on sale for a little under $25, so figure I might as well pick it up. Should be a handy reference point if I ever decide to develop a cop-type show.
Brotherhood - I've heard good things about this show, though I've yet to see it. It was only 20 bucks though, and it won a peabody award, so hopefully it'll be worth it.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Delinquent
Two weeks since my last post? Somebody smack me.
In my defense I was really sick with this damn flu that's been going around, and we're in the middle of delivery on one of our shows, so things have been hectic. Hectic and miserable.
Haven't been writing as much as I should either, which always makes me grumpy. Been banging my head against this spy show idea I had (yes the one that I didn't outline when I should have). It still has some serious problems, and I'm fresh out of inspirational new ways of tackling them. Going to set it on the back burner, come back to it with fresh eyes.
Which is actually for the best, cause another great idea fell into my lap, and it's going really well. Have a short synopsis and a couple of (very) light character sketches in the bag, planning on breaking the pilot over the next week, then we're off to the races (whee!).
Other cool things...
Kristen Bell (aka Veronica Mars) is going to be on Heroes! Thank God too, I was starting to worry that I wouldn't be able to get my Kristen Bell fix this year (I know she's attached to Gossip Girl, but from all the rumors that show sounds like it's in a spot of trouble).
Kevin Smith is going to direct an episode of BSG. Not really sure how I feel about this one. Big fan of Kevin's, but his strength lies more in the humor and raunch, not so much the space battles and hard Scifi. On the plus side he does have his comics background to draw on, so hopefully things will be alright.
It's the dog days of summer and the new fall TeeVee season's right around the corner (though as others have noted the concept of a "season" doesn't seem to fit that well anymore), and that means all of last years shows are going to be coming out on DVD soon. It's looking like I'm going to be quite a bit poorer after tomorrow.
On the shopping list so far: Heroes, Friday Night Lights, Dexter and BSG. Also going to snag latest season of The Wire when it comes out. Might also pick up FotC and Intelligence, but we'll see how the ole bank account holds up.
Anyone have other suggestions as to worthy purchases?
As to what shows I'm looking forward to this fall, in no particular order:
Reaper - Looks like a comedy version of The Collector. The pilot's been getting good buzz.
Pushing Daisies - Interesting concept and, again, getting good buzz.
Bionic Woman - If only for Starbuck
There are a bunch more I'll probably drop in on (K-Ville, Life, Dirty Sexy Money, the trainwreck known as Cavemen, but I probably won't stick around them too long...unless they're really good of course).
Should be an interesting year...though word is that most of the new shows suck pretty hard...
In my defense I was really sick with this damn flu that's been going around, and we're in the middle of delivery on one of our shows, so things have been hectic. Hectic and miserable.
Haven't been writing as much as I should either, which always makes me grumpy. Been banging my head against this spy show idea I had (yes the one that I didn't outline when I should have). It still has some serious problems, and I'm fresh out of inspirational new ways of tackling them. Going to set it on the back burner, come back to it with fresh eyes.
Which is actually for the best, cause another great idea fell into my lap, and it's going really well. Have a short synopsis and a couple of (very) light character sketches in the bag, planning on breaking the pilot over the next week, then we're off to the races (whee!).
Other cool things...
Kristen Bell (aka Veronica Mars) is going to be on Heroes! Thank God too, I was starting to worry that I wouldn't be able to get my Kristen Bell fix this year (I know she's attached to Gossip Girl, but from all the rumors that show sounds like it's in a spot of trouble).
Kevin Smith is going to direct an episode of BSG. Not really sure how I feel about this one. Big fan of Kevin's, but his strength lies more in the humor and raunch, not so much the space battles and hard Scifi. On the plus side he does have his comics background to draw on, so hopefully things will be alright.
It's the dog days of summer and the new fall TeeVee season's right around the corner (though as others have noted the concept of a "season" doesn't seem to fit that well anymore), and that means all of last years shows are going to be coming out on DVD soon. It's looking like I'm going to be quite a bit poorer after tomorrow.
On the shopping list so far: Heroes, Friday Night Lights, Dexter and BSG. Also going to snag latest season of The Wire when it comes out. Might also pick up FotC and Intelligence, but we'll see how the ole bank account holds up.
Anyone have other suggestions as to worthy purchases?
As to what shows I'm looking forward to this fall, in no particular order:
Reaper - Looks like a comedy version of The Collector. The pilot's been getting good buzz.
Pushing Daisies - Interesting concept and, again, getting good buzz.
Bionic Woman - If only for Starbuck
There are a bunch more I'll probably drop in on (K-Ville, Life, Dirty Sexy Money, the trainwreck known as Cavemen, but I probably won't stick around them too long...unless they're really good of course).
Should be an interesting year...though word is that most of the new shows suck pretty hard...
Monday, August 13, 2007
Bourne Again
Saw this movie opening weekend. Thought about blogging about it, thought better about it, went back and forth. I have a feeble mind that I can’t make up.
Problem is that this movie’s been festering there. Most summer movies I see, then promptly forget. But not Bourne. Bourne’s stuck around, and for good reason.
It’s a damn fine movie. What summer action flicks are supposed to be.
Let’s break it down.
1. Set-pieces.
Movies are built around set-pieces. Car chases or dance numbers, doesn’t matter, they’re all set-pieces. To quote the wonderful John August, a set-piece is “a scene or sequence with escalated stakes and production values, as appropriate to the genre.”
The Bourne Ultimatum has some beautiful set-pieces.
What makes them great is not only the fact that they’re executed extremely well, but they’re also unique (not in an “I’ve never ever seen this before,” but in an “I’ve never seen this before in a big summer blockbuster.”).
Take the Waterloo train station sequence. In a normal action flick the hero would probably spoof all the surveillance with some techy gizmo, or he’d just go through guns blazing taking out the opposition.
Instead Bourne gets by using observation and wit, only resorting to violence when he has to. It was a fun alternative to what we normally see, and it’s something that helps set Jason Bourne apart from all of the other action superheroes that flood the summer multiplexes every year.
2. An interesting hero.
Jason Bourne is an interesting guy. He’s an assassin who doesn’t want to kill anymore. A man who doesn’t know who he is (or where he came from). It makes for a lot of interesting dynamics floating up there on screen.
Most important though is the fact that Bourne feels like he could be the guy sitting next to you in the theater. He’s the action movie equivalent of the every man. He can’t jump on (and off) of a hovering fighter plane (go go John McClane!). Instead of blasting his way out of every situation he does his best to outwit his opponents. Of course when he’s cornered he’s vicious and fights to win.
Which brings me to my next point.
3. Violence that feels violent.
Too often the action in action movies feels sanitized, glamorized and Hollywoodized. Balletic fight sequences may have their place in the fantastic Chinese kung-fu operas, but it’s refreshing to see a fight scene in which they scrabble for whatever advantage they can get.
I like seeing heroes fight dirty.
If those three points weren’t enough there was this doozy.
Damn that’s cool.
Problem is that this movie’s been festering there. Most summer movies I see, then promptly forget. But not Bourne. Bourne’s stuck around, and for good reason.
It’s a damn fine movie. What summer action flicks are supposed to be.
Let’s break it down.
1. Set-pieces.
Movies are built around set-pieces. Car chases or dance numbers, doesn’t matter, they’re all set-pieces. To quote the wonderful John August, a set-piece is “a scene or sequence with escalated stakes and production values, as appropriate to the genre.”
The Bourne Ultimatum has some beautiful set-pieces.
What makes them great is not only the fact that they’re executed extremely well, but they’re also unique (not in an “I’ve never ever seen this before,” but in an “I’ve never seen this before in a big summer blockbuster.”).
Take the Waterloo train station sequence. In a normal action flick the hero would probably spoof all the surveillance with some techy gizmo, or he’d just go through guns blazing taking out the opposition.
Instead Bourne gets by using observation and wit, only resorting to violence when he has to. It was a fun alternative to what we normally see, and it’s something that helps set Jason Bourne apart from all of the other action superheroes that flood the summer multiplexes every year.
2. An interesting hero.
Jason Bourne is an interesting guy. He’s an assassin who doesn’t want to kill anymore. A man who doesn’t know who he is (or where he came from). It makes for a lot of interesting dynamics floating up there on screen.
Most important though is the fact that Bourne feels like he could be the guy sitting next to you in the theater. He’s the action movie equivalent of the every man. He can’t jump on (and off) of a hovering fighter plane (go go John McClane!). Instead of blasting his way out of every situation he does his best to outwit his opponents. Of course when he’s cornered he’s vicious and fights to win.
Which brings me to my next point.
3. Violence that feels violent.
Too often the action in action movies feels sanitized, glamorized and Hollywoodized. Balletic fight sequences may have their place in the fantastic Chinese kung-fu operas, but it’s refreshing to see a fight scene in which they scrabble for whatever advantage they can get.
I like seeing heroes fight dirty.
If those three points weren’t enough there was this doozy.
Damn that’s cool.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Ten Things...
I've been tagged by that little meme circulating around the scribosphere (courtesy of Matt). This is actually a good thing, since I'm at a cousin's wedding this weekend and don't have the time to come up with an actual post.
So, uhm, thanks Matt!
Without further ado; Ten Things You Didn't Know About Me!
1. I've broken my nose twelve (12) times. This may lead you to believe that I'm a boxer, or brawler, or some-such. I only wish that were true. Instead I'm just really, really clumsy. I've broken my nose falling down stairs, off beds, crashing my bike into a tree, skiing into a tree, catching an elbow while playing basketball, skating, and so on and so forth.
The good thing is that after breaking it for the fifth time it wasn't a big deal anymore (what's that? my nose is perpendicular to my face? eh...it happens).
2. I used to take jazz dance lessons. And I LIKED them! Don't look at me like that!
3. I hated piano lessons until I stopped going to a conservatory and started learning "cool" songs. I'd bring a recording of something to my teacher and he'd help me learn it my ear.
I went from learning Mozart to learning the theme for Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was grand.
4. I started writing for the theater. After highschool my friends and I thought it would be fun to start our own theater troupe. No one else wanted to write anything, so I took the reins. We put on three one-acts and two full length plays before calling it quits. It was really fun.
5. I got kicked out of university for poor attendance. My grades were good, I just had more important things to do than to be in class (like play pool in the bar). Thankfully I managed to convince them to let me back in without too much fuss.
6. I wanted to be a cowboy. The thought of riding around the open plain, sleeping under the stars, was incredibly appealing. And then I tried to ride a horse. After getting dumped off a couple of times I'd had enough. Leave the horse riding to some other chump.
7. I'll work for beer. Back in university I'd spend every summer working as a landscaper. There was one guy that always wanted us to cut his lawn, but never wanted to pay us the twenty bucks it would cost. Eventually we worked out a deal, he'd give us a six-pack and we'd cut his lawn. Smiles all around.
8. I never take good pictures. Ever. Anytime someone tries to take a picture of me I'll manage to mess it up by either having my toungue sticking out (and not on purpose!) or by having food in my mouth. It's a curse.
9. I can (or used to be able to) swear and order beer in eight languages. English, French, Yiddish, Arabic, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Polish. God forbid I need to do anything else cause then I'd be reduced to gesticulating wildly.
10. I've never had a sunburn. Ever. Despite this fact I don't really tan. Chalk it up to genetics.
So some of those are pretty lame, but the family beckons. I know I'm supposed to tag a bunch of folks now, but I'm not because I think that every screenwriter with a blog has been hit by this puppy and it's time to let it die.
Yall can thank me later.
So, uhm, thanks Matt!
Without further ado; Ten Things You Didn't Know About Me!
1. I've broken my nose twelve (12) times. This may lead you to believe that I'm a boxer, or brawler, or some-such. I only wish that were true. Instead I'm just really, really clumsy. I've broken my nose falling down stairs, off beds, crashing my bike into a tree, skiing into a tree, catching an elbow while playing basketball, skating, and so on and so forth.
The good thing is that after breaking it for the fifth time it wasn't a big deal anymore (what's that? my nose is perpendicular to my face? eh...it happens).
2. I used to take jazz dance lessons. And I LIKED them! Don't look at me like that!
3. I hated piano lessons until I stopped going to a conservatory and started learning "cool" songs. I'd bring a recording of something to my teacher and he'd help me learn it my ear.
I went from learning Mozart to learning the theme for Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was grand.
4. I started writing for the theater. After highschool my friends and I thought it would be fun to start our own theater troupe. No one else wanted to write anything, so I took the reins. We put on three one-acts and two full length plays before calling it quits. It was really fun.
5. I got kicked out of university for poor attendance. My grades were good, I just had more important things to do than to be in class (like play pool in the bar). Thankfully I managed to convince them to let me back in without too much fuss.
6. I wanted to be a cowboy. The thought of riding around the open plain, sleeping under the stars, was incredibly appealing. And then I tried to ride a horse. After getting dumped off a couple of times I'd had enough. Leave the horse riding to some other chump.
7. I'll work for beer. Back in university I'd spend every summer working as a landscaper. There was one guy that always wanted us to cut his lawn, but never wanted to pay us the twenty bucks it would cost. Eventually we worked out a deal, he'd give us a six-pack and we'd cut his lawn. Smiles all around.
8. I never take good pictures. Ever. Anytime someone tries to take a picture of me I'll manage to mess it up by either having my toungue sticking out (and not on purpose!) or by having food in my mouth. It's a curse.
9. I can (or used to be able to) swear and order beer in eight languages. English, French, Yiddish, Arabic, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Polish. God forbid I need to do anything else cause then I'd be reduced to gesticulating wildly.
10. I've never had a sunburn. Ever. Despite this fact I don't really tan. Chalk it up to genetics.
So some of those are pretty lame, but the family beckons. I know I'm supposed to tag a bunch of folks now, but I'm not because I think that every screenwriter with a blog has been hit by this puppy and it's time to let it die.
Yall can thank me later.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
"Friends, Romans, Countrymen..."
"...lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him."
I love Shakespeare. Whenever I'm somewhere that's doing a production I'll do my best to go out and see it.
Some of the highlights:
Seeing Richard III in a Cathedral.
The Taming of the Shrew on top of a mountain.
Romeo & Juliet on a beach.
The "Scottish Play" at Stratford.
I've seen most of Shakespeare's plays, including some of his lesser performed works like Troilus and Cressida. But I'd never seen Julius Caesar, until last night at least.
It was a great performance all around. Nice minimal set design. Great costumes. Solid acting with a couple of stand out performances.
What really set it apart for me though was the number and quality of the soliloquies. Mark Antony, Brutus, Caesar. Of all Shakespeare's plays this one had some of the best speeches.
It's too bad that modern narrative seems to have shifted away from monologues and soliloquies. Sure, every now and then you'll see a show in which a character or two gets a monologue, but somehow they're no where close to Shakespeare.
Anyone have any suggestions for a great, modern, television soliloquy? A "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" type speech for a modern generation?
Sounds like my next project...
I love Shakespeare. Whenever I'm somewhere that's doing a production I'll do my best to go out and see it.
Some of the highlights:
Seeing Richard III in a Cathedral.
The Taming of the Shrew on top of a mountain.
Romeo & Juliet on a beach.
The "Scottish Play" at Stratford.
I've seen most of Shakespeare's plays, including some of his lesser performed works like Troilus and Cressida. But I'd never seen Julius Caesar, until last night at least.
It was a great performance all around. Nice minimal set design. Great costumes. Solid acting with a couple of stand out performances.
What really set it apart for me though was the number and quality of the soliloquies. Mark Antony, Brutus, Caesar. Of all Shakespeare's plays this one had some of the best speeches.
It's too bad that modern narrative seems to have shifted away from monologues and soliloquies. Sure, every now and then you'll see a show in which a character or two gets a monologue, but somehow they're no where close to Shakespeare.
Anyone have any suggestions for a great, modern, television soliloquy? A "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" type speech for a modern generation?
Sounds like my next project...
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Outlining
I. Hate. Outlines.
Always have. I'd get a big fat zero whenever a teacher asked me to write an outline cause I'd never do it. Of course then I'd write a really kick ass paper and get an A anyways, so things would work out.
Unfortunately an essay and a screenplay are two very different beasts. My outline phobia may have been fine back in the day, but it's a huge liability now.
Case in point. I'm currently working on a fun little spy pilot. Came up with some great characters, an awesome 'A' plot and a decent 'B' and 'C'. Did the relevant research and then I started to outline the episode.
And then my brain got in the way. Don't you just hate it when that happens?
Started the outline and just kept rewriting, reworking it, adding more and more detail, never getting past the teaser, until I finally realize that I'm just writing the damn thing. Figure "what the hell!" I'll just keep going.
Big mistake. The end result could charitably be called a big, steaming, puddle of vomit. A veritable train wreck. And you can be damn sure that an outline would've saved me from a lot of the problems I have now.
That's okay though. It highlighted some story problems I hadn't considered. And I've got some good thoughts for how to solve them. Just a damn shame that I didn't work them out before spending all this time writing a first draft.
Lesson learned. Next time I write the damn outline.
Always have. I'd get a big fat zero whenever a teacher asked me to write an outline cause I'd never do it. Of course then I'd write a really kick ass paper and get an A anyways, so things would work out.
Unfortunately an essay and a screenplay are two very different beasts. My outline phobia may have been fine back in the day, but it's a huge liability now.
Case in point. I'm currently working on a fun little spy pilot. Came up with some great characters, an awesome 'A' plot and a decent 'B' and 'C'. Did the relevant research and then I started to outline the episode.
And then my brain got in the way. Don't you just hate it when that happens?
Started the outline and just kept rewriting, reworking it, adding more and more detail, never getting past the teaser, until I finally realize that I'm just writing the damn thing. Figure "what the hell!" I'll just keep going.
Big mistake. The end result could charitably be called a big, steaming, puddle of vomit. A veritable train wreck. And you can be damn sure that an outline would've saved me from a lot of the problems I have now.
That's okay though. It highlighted some story problems I hadn't considered. And I've got some good thoughts for how to solve them. Just a damn shame that I didn't work them out before spending all this time writing a first draft.
Lesson learned. Next time I write the damn outline.
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