With his first HBO special, the writer-comedian disarmingly balances satire, straight comedy, and old-fashioned pathos.
The writers have acknowledged our new understanding of Patty as an enigma in order to tease us with what seems to be a process of humanization.
Understanding Screenwriting #14: The Reader, Milk, The Day the Earth Stood Still, & More
As often happens, the documentary is better than the feature film.
David Gregory is a total toady.
The critics hated, hated, HATED this movie. And it was number one at the box office two weeks in a row. With good reason.
What makes the whole thing gel successfully is a canny creative team.
Understanding Screenwriting #12: John Michael Hayes, Quantum of Solace, Boomerang!, Boston Legal, & More
John Michael Hayes was one of the best screenwriters of the 1950s and ’60s.
Understanding Screenwriting #11: Changeling, I’ve Loved You So Long, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, ER, & More
The flaw in Clint Eastwood’s iris.
Understanding Screenwriting #10: Synecdoche, New York, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, & More
Charlie Kaufman makes the basic rookie mistake most people do when they direct their first feature.
Understanding Screenwriting #9: Rachel Getting Married, Body of Lies, How I Met Your Mother, & More
I was so busy trying to find Anne Hathaway’s face in the frame that I missed the emotion she was expressing.
It seems not at all coincidental that Don is visually defined by that broad-shouldered suit and the hat that shades his eyes.
Understanding Screenwriting #8: Eagle Eye, American Gangster, The Captive City, The Ex List, & More
This being a big-budget American film, there is the obligatory car chase, not bad of its kind.
Understanding Screenwriting #7: Miracle at St. Anna, The Tall Target, How I Met Your Mother, Ugly Betty, & More
I have not read the novel, but James McBride’s screenplay is a mess.
After hitting fans with bombshells a-plenty in “Six Months’ Leave,” it’s only to be expected from Mad Men that the follow-up would go in an entirely different direction.
What we need is the Broadcast News version of The Women.
Ironically, I watched “Six Months’ Leave” for the second time the night before I learned of David Foster Wallace’s death.
From the opening title sequence of Dexter, the motif of humans-as-meat is firmly established.
Understanding Screenwriting #5: A Girl Cut in Two, Tired of Kissing Frogs, Towelhead, True Blood, 90210, & More
Claude Chabrol knows this territory and how to run it on film.
Understanding Screenwriting #4: Vicky Cristina Barcelona, I Served the King of England, Juno, & More
Talk about rookie mistakes.
The premiere of Fringe does not reveal much beyond what we already know about the mind of producer J.J. Abrams.
At the end of the episode, the biggest thematic question remains unanswered: Who is the golden violin, apparently perfect in all ways but unable to play music?