Hammer & Sickle Time
Nearly 20 years after falling from grace in America, MC Hammer moves to Russia to rejuvenate his career.
Based on the artist’s true story.

The Stubstitute (aka Hook Dreams)
An amputee substitute teacher coaches an inner city high school basketball team to the state finals where they face elite private schools.
Writer: Barry P

Cheeseroni
Pizza Hut develops a new type of pepperoni made entirely of cheese, allowing them to squeeze even more cheese into every bite.
Writer: Jason May

The Lizard Whisperer
A pet shop owner is called in to save the day when thousands of killer geckos and salamanders ravage a small Texas town.
Writers: Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio

Johnny Depp

Jay A. Fernandez and Borys Kit – HollywoodReporter.com

Are you ready to see Jack Sparrow swashbuckle his way through a big, flashy musical number?

Choreographer-turned-director Rob Marshall is in talks to take the wheel of the massive “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise from director Gore Verbinski. Disney and series producer Jerry Bruckheimer have been eager to set sail on a fourth installment with star Johnny Depp back in his bandanna as Sparrow as early as next year.

Verbinski, with scripts from Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, directed the first three films to $2.67 billion in worldwide grosses (the last, “At World’s End,” was released in 2007). When he exited the franchise in April, the studio immediately sought a fresh take to continue the pirate voyage on a potentially smaller scale. (The last two pictures cost north of $400 million, together.)

Marshall, who is finishing up the Weinstein Co. musical “Nine” for a November release, is not an obvious choice for a loud action-and-mayhem tentpole. But presumably, if he can corral the singing, acting and dancing talents of Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Sophia Loren and Stacy Ferguson, he can handle cannon battles, funny monkeys and angry natives.

The CAA-repped Marshall has directed the films “Memoirs of a Geisha” and “Chicago,” which won six Oscars, including best picture, in 2002.

Steven Zeitchik and Borys Kit – Hollywood Reporter

 Johnny Depp is coming off an acclaimed role in “Public Enemies” and stars in one of the most anticipated movies of this weekend’s Comic-Con, “Alice in Wonderland.”

But the Mad Hatter is facing an unusual situation: Like the character he plays in “Alice,” he soon could be killing time.

Depp is attached to a number of high-profile development properties but is facing a landscape devoid of “go” pictures — those ready for production. Instead, there are a dizzying number of possibilities and schedule permutations, none of which seems likely to result in a produced movie for him anytime soon.

Producers have been interested in Depp for the title role in Warner Bros.’ “The Incredible Mr. Limpet.” Kevin Lima’s remake of the 1964 fantasy comedy that would continue a whimsical, if slightly less drama-intensive, streak for the actor. He has not signed on, however, and in any event the pic would not go into production until next year.

Meanwhile, the fourth installment of “Pirates of the Caribbean” remains a priority for Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. At an earlier point, it was going to be the next picture for Depp, who toplines as Jack Sparrow. But with Gore Verbinski no longer directing the franchise, the ship has slowed.

Disney is seeking a new director, a process that could take time. Although the studio is believed to want an established helmer of franchise and action fare, it has put the word out to agents that it would be open to younger directors and new ideas, potentially prolonging the process. That could mean as much as a four- or five-year hiatus since the 2007 release of the previous picture, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.”

(Disney also would like to scale back the size and budget of the next movie compared with previous installments; for that reason, it likely won’t bring back relatively pricey Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley.)

Because of the “Pirates” lag, a Depp project that was supposed to go into production after the Sparrow-fest, “The Lone Ranger,” could end up getting pushed back further, though there’s also a possibility it could shoot ahead of the nautical tale.

For the moment, though, “Ranger” also remains locked in the stable. “Pirates” writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio have written a script for the Disney/Bruckheimer update, but the studio could wind up commissioning a polish or another draft. There’s also no director, and Depp is attached to play Tonto, with the title role still to be cast.

Finally, Warners’ feature update of the ghoulish TV series “Dark Shadows” — a Depp/Tim Burton collaboration that might have shot later this year or early next year — also might be back-burnered. Burton still has work to do on “Alice,” which opens in March, and tends to spend a lot of time on prep work.

What the possibilities boil down to, besides head spinning, is that there are projects with momentum that Depp has not signed for, and projects he has signed for that don’t have a lot of momentum.

In other words, it’s a very 2009 phenomenon brought on by a star’s choosiness on the one hand and studios’ increasing caution on the other. (In what might be an emerging mini-trend, Will Smith and Leonardo DiCaprio happen to find themselves in similar situations.)

The result is that Depp could face a year or longer without appearing on the big screen.

That might not sound like a major departure, but for moviegoers, it will seem like a shift. Depp has been in one of the most fertile periods of his career: The actor also stars in the Hunter S. Thompson adaptation “The Rum Diary” and had a supporting role in Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” which hasn’t yet been released in the U.S. In the past nine years, Depp has not had more than two movies come out in any 18-month period; if “Imaginarium” gets a release by the end of 2010, he’ll have had four.

Then again, the absence of a new role might mean a respite from his breakneck schedule. Even a pirate needs some time off.

(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)

Atomic testing awakens a deadly creature who the locals refer to as Gojira.

Directed by – Ishiro Honda

Written by – Ishiro Honda, Shigeru Kayama, Takeo Murata

Starring – Akira Takarada, Momoko Kochi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, Fuyuki Murakami, Sachio Sakai, Toranosuke Ogawa, Ren Yamamoto, Miki Hayashi, Takeo Oikawa, Seijiro Onda, Tsuruko Mano, Toyoaki Suzuki, Kokuten Kodo, Kin Sugai

Absolute classic flick and what got me hooked on movies in the first place. Still have fond memories of being at my grandparents on a Sunday and watching some of the old creature features, this being one of the best.

Nuclear testing by the French has mutated one of the local wildlife in the South Pacific. Now it’s headed towards America with one thing in mind but it’s not what you think.

Directed by – Roland Emmerich

Written by – Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich

Starring – Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Kevin Dunn, Michael Lerner, Harry Shearer, Arabella Field, Vicki Lewis, Doug Savant, Malcom Danare

Absolute piece of garbage and probably what almost killed Godzilla. Or he would have at least wished to be alone for a little while after this one. Why, oh why can America not do a remake properly. This one is way off the mark from the original and it’s a shame anyone even wanted to do this one.

And the winner, hands down is the original. Wow, I see a pattern happening here. Will a remake ever surpass the original? This is a no brainer really. I guess I could have put Gojira head to head against the American tinkering of the original titled Godzilla: King of the Monsters where they decided to insert Raymond Burr into the flick. Had I done that though and I would have missed the chance to destroy the 98 remake that I had been so excited for when it was first released.

I love Godzilla and have since I was about 4 or 5 so I was understandably excited when I heard of an American remake. Wow, what a disappointment. First of all, what the hell is Godzilla? Is it really necessary to base him off a real animal? He’s freaking Godzilla! He gets pissed off and stomps the crap out of whatever random town he happens to be close by. Who cares if he appears realistic or not. Transformers makes me angry in the same way. (Sorry, couldn’t help but get that shot in.) I’m not even sure that was my biggest problem with the flick. It has this cartoony feel to it throughout with characters shooting each other a slightly comedic look before yelling ‘RUN’ and taking off in some random direction. To top it all off, Godzilla is pregnant(???) and we get to spend the last 20 or 30 minutes of the flick watching Jean Reno and Matthew Broderick run around in circles trying to escape hundreds of Godzilla babies. In the same way that Godzilla stomps through towns, this movie stomped on all the love I had for Godzilla in the first place.

Now the original flick is truly powerful at certain points. There’s nothing comical in the subject matter. An obvious comment on the perils of war and atomic weapons, there was one scene after Godzilla first rampages onto land that takes place in a hospital. A group of children surround their mother who is put onto a stretcher and taken away. Obviously one of the children breaks down and is comforted by Emiko Yamane (Momoko Kochi). It is a truly moving moment in a movie that most people will assume is about a giant monster squishing stuff. That moment alone makes this one better than the remake. Even though the movie is over 50 years old, it still looks pretty good. Godzilla himself was probably more convincing than he is now. I think with the endless string of films featuring Godzilla nowadays, battling one giant creature after another, the message of the film has been lost. Even I had lost sight of the fact that the movie carries a powerful message. In fact I’d venture to say that the monster himself is almost secondary in the plot compared with the images of war that are portrayed.

I don’t think anyone could disagree with me here that the original far surpasses the remake and if they did, I don’t think they’d ever convince me otherwise. It was great for me as a child and it was even more powerful to me as an adult.

Under the marquee – Will

Shau’ Dir das: Fluch der Karibik 4 der Film

Walt Disney Pictures hat es geschafft, gleichermaßen das Wiederaufnehmen des Piratenfilm- Genre und eine gute Zusammenarbeit mit Der Fluch der Karibik zu bewerkstelligen. Also ist es kein Wunder, dass sie die Gans nicht töten wollen, die die goldenen Eier legt, und so viel Gewinn wie möglich erzielen wollen.

Seeing as it is a rather dreary day in Milwaukee, WI, and my workload is rather light this morning, I figured I’d write up a quick post. Most of the content…scratch that all of the content heretofore posted on this blog has been regarding movies, so I figured it was about time I got off my keister (that’s right, bringing back keister) and do something different.

As an avid reader I thought it would be interesting (for the handful of you out there who also read in your spare time), to throw up a list of the books I am currently reading and also the sites, mags, blogs, and newspapers I attempt to read frequently. So here goes.

Books:

The Trial, by Franz Kafka – A great read. I really should have finished this by now, but I am slowly plucking away. Kafka’s subtle humor and insight into the human condition are spot on.

Magazines:

Variety, www.variety.com -  The #1 source for TV/Film industry news.  A must read if you ever want to “make it” in the industry, or even if you are just a passionate couch potato who watches too much TV or too many movies.

Wired, www.wired.com -  Geek paradise. Gadgets, Science, Games, Movies, Business.  Anything and everything a nerd, geek, techy, or average consumer could want.

Entertainment Weekly, www.ew.com -  My most trusted source for Entertainment analysis. Blogs, reviews, and interesting columns from writers Stephen King, Diablo Cody, and more.

Websites:

www.imdb.com -  Probably one of my favorite sites ever created. The ultimate database of Film/TV info.

www.wordplayer.com -  I love this site. Helmed by Terry Rosio and Ted Elliot (accomplished screenwriters of Pirates of the Caribbean) they provide industry insight, writing lessons, and words of encouragement through their extensive column section. Also included are dozens of guest columns from pros like Stephen King, and Frank Darabont (director of The Shawshank Redemption).

www.rottentomatoes.com -  Another good one. Compiles movie reviews from all over to give a surprisingly accurate barometer of how “good” a movie is.

www.g4tv.com -  Excellent Geek hub. Links to G4 programs  “Attack of the Show” and “X-Play,” as well as “The Feed Blog” which provides some of the most prompt nerd news in the nation.

www.nytimes.com -  Being too cheap to pay for this yearly, I stop here to get a dose of news from the left.

www.wsj.com -  Same as above, I stop here to get my news from the right.

www.espn.com -  I’m a dude, I need my sports.

Newspapers:

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, www.jsonline.com -  My local daily, and a great paper. One of a dieing breed.

Blogs:

So many to choose from, but few I actually frequent on a regular basis. Enjoy.

www.neilgaiman.com -  A fantastic writer with a good blog. Love reading his stuff.

www.leifbrostrom.com -  Fellow Marquette Student with a knack for finding the best rap you’ve never heard.

www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/ -  Gotta have my daily Packers updates during the off season.

www.filmschoolrejects.com -  A great site for film fans. Various columns/blogs to follow.

www.oliviamunn.com -  Humor and hotness combine in G4’s “Attack of the Show” co-host.

www.kevinpereira.com -  “The online musings of a cable television darling”  – couldn’t have put it better myself.

Holy crap, that turned into a mammoth of a blog post. I guess I spend a lot of time reading, especially about movies, although that is really no surprise to me. But like the venerable Dr. Suess said, “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”  What words of wisdom.

Think I should read something else? Then recommend it! I am always looking for new stuff to read, so comment and let me know where I should look next.

If you are looking for an Applicant Tracking System, or any HR or Talent Management system, talk to HRchitect first. We have unparalleled knowledge of the HR and Talent Management vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation.

Jobscience, Inc., a market leader in automated workforce management, has launched the first applicant tracking system to natively incorporate Google Apps and Salesforce CRM. The application integrates a Google Apps account with any edition of Salesforce CRM. The Jobscience custom recruiting application, developed natively on the salesforce.com’s Force.com platform, allows small to medium size companies to publicly broadcast jobs, accept online applications, and utilize Google Docs to manage resumes and other recruitment-related documents.

The launch of Jobscience for Google Apps is the latest in several recent announcements of Jobscience’s use of cutting-edge technology for recruitment, including a native iPhone application.

“The recruitment industry is moving toward a candidate-centric, CRM-style approach to applicant tracking, and we’re on the leading edge of that movement,” said Ted Elliott, CEO of Jobscience. “We believe salesforce.com and Google have the strongest cloud computing platforms for CRM and document management, respectively. We also believe recruiters should have the best tools at an affordable price point, with functionality that helps them ultimately place higher quality candidates at an accelerated rate.”

By partnering with cloud computing leaders Google and salesforce.com, Jobscience is delivering the power of on-demand, Software-as-a-Service cloud computing to Human Resources departments of companies large and small, including Ryder, United Utilities, and TriNet.

For more information on Jobscience, please visit www.jobscience.com

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect

My apologies for the cruddy layout of this blog.  For anyone who reads this before I change it up, this is still a work in progress.  I wanted to switch some of my posts from The Nate Review over to this blog, but I have no idea how to do that without switching the whole blog over, and I don’t want to do that.  So this blog will be a fresh start in terms of film reviews, updates, and the like.  Over the weekend I’ll hopefully be able to make some changes, and kind of get the layout how I want it. 

 In the meantime, here are a few updates in regards to films that I’m keeping an eye on.

Production Weekly is reporting that Mike Newell is in talks to direct Walt Disney’s revamp of the Lone Ranger.  I’ve long been a fan of the masked man, and I’m excited that for the first time since 1981, he’s going to be back on the big screen.  And anyone who’s seen the highly entertaining but completely awful Legend of the Lone Ranger knows that this story needs a fresh take.  Johnny Depp is signed on to play the Lone Ranger’s Indian companion, Tonto, although I don’t know who will play the role of the title character.  Newell is probably most well known for his work in the Harry Potter series, directing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which in my estimation has been the best of the five films released so far.  He also did Donnie Brasco, which I’ve never seen but have heard was fantastic.  So in my estimation, this portends good things for Tonto, Silver and Company.  The bad news is that the screenwriters are Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott, who foisted on the world the completely horrendous Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, which is one of the worst movies of the past five years.  On the other hand, Rossio and Elliott have shown more than once that they are capable of putting together an engaging story.  They wrote The Curse of the Black Pearl as well, which was excellent, as well as Shrek and the National Treasure franchise, both of which I enjoyed.  That should give you an idea of what to expect from the Lone Ranger.  It probably won’t be high on substance, but it should be highly entertaining and Depp is always fun to watch.  Plus, I think the character of Tonto might be a bit different from his usual characters (the dark, tormented, or slightly wacky variety).  So it should be interesting to see what he does with the role.

A second trailer has been released for Michael Bay’s next installment of the Transformers franchise.  This has only whetted my appetite, and I can’t wait to see it.

And for a movie that’s a bit closer to release, here is the trailer for Christian Bale’s movie Terminator: Salvation.  I’m not into the Terminator franchise, but I’ve got to say this looks pretty cool.

Guess that’s all for now…hopefully I’ll get this site up and going over the weekend.

Jettez un oeil à: Pirates des Caraïbes 4

Pirates des Caraïbes 4 devrait sortir dans les salles en 2012, l’histoire devrait se concentrer sur Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp)

Title: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Year: 2003
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writer: Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio; story by Elliott, Rossio, Stuart Beattie and Jay Wolpert
Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport, Jonathan Pryce
Music: Klaus Badelt
Distinctions: formerly on IMDb’s Top 250
Synopsis: um… pirates
How I saw it: probably in the theater (can’t remember), on video several times (have on DVD), most recently February 2008
Subjective Rating: 9/10
Objective Rating: 7/10 (points off for concept, cinematography and special effects/design)

This is one of those movies where I tend to forget how good it is (I suppose my memory of it gets obscured by its terrible ending and crappy sequels), and then when I rewatch it I’m startled by how much fun I’m having. The plot is clever, the action is loads of fun in a cartoonish way, and every other line coming out of Johnny Depp’s mouth is hilarious (and, by this point, iconic).

‘Til Breath Do Us Part
The sad but true story of a man whose wife divorced him because of severe halitosis. Based on a New York Times article.
Writer: Maury James

2011
A group of scientists discover that the world was created by aliens, and is nothing more than a giant bomb designed to blow up the entire universe in 2011, one year before Roland Emmerich predicted.
Writers: Terry Rossio & Ted Elliott

Baby Blues
9-month old triplets hit the road as the nation’s top rhythm and blues band.
Based on a pitch by Fred Savage.

Tür : Çocuk / Bilim Kurgu / Animasyon / Uzay
Gösterim Tarihi : 28 Ocak 2003
Yönetmen : Ron Clements , John Musker
Senaryo : Ron Clements , John Musker , Ted Elliott , Robert Louis Stevenson (Kitap)
Müzik : Johnny Rzeznik , James Newton Howard
Yapım : 2008, ABD , 95 dk.

Seslendirenler : Roscoe Lee Browne (Arrow) , Dane A. Davis (Morph) , Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Jim Hawkins) , David Hyde Pierce (Dr. Doppler) , Austin Majors (Genç Jim) , Patrick McGoohan (Billy Bones) , Laurie Metcalf (Sarah) , Brian Murray (John Silver)

Jim Hawkins adında bir genç, zamanla farklı yönlerini keşfedeceği mürettabatla birlikte uzayın derinliklerine doğru bir yolculuğa çıkar…

Dr. Jekyll ve Mr. Hyde romanının yazarı Robert Louis Stevenson’un bir diğer ünlü romanı Hazine Adası’nın şimdilik son sinema versiyonu. Filmin diğer versiyonlarından farklı olan yanı ise Disney yapımı bir animasyon olması.
Hikayenin fütüristik versiyonunda, macera ve dolayısıyla yolculuk başka dünyalarda, yaratıklarla içiçe geçiyor.

Oke leuke cast, leuk Will Arnett…maar ehm…was dit echt nodig?
Goddamn Disney…whatthefuck happened?

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer brings his first 3-D film to the big screen with “G-Force,” a comedy adventure about the latest evolution of a covert government program to train animals to work in espionage. Armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, these highly trained guinea pigs discover that the fate of the world is in their paws. Tapped for the G-Force are guinea pigs Darwin (voice of Sam Rockwell), the squad leader determined to succeed at all costs; Blaster (voice of Tracy Morgan), an outrageous weapons expert with tons of attitude and a love for all things extreme; and Juarez (voice of Penelope Cruz), a sexy martial arts pro; plus the literal fly-on-the-wall reconnaissance expert, Mooch, and a star-nosed mole, Speckles (voice of Nicolas Cage), the computer and information specialist.

Directed by two-time Oscar®-winning visual effects master Hoyt Yeatman—”G-Force” takes audiences on a high-octane thrill ride, proving once and for all that size really doesn’t matter.

06-08-2009

Comingsoon.net ha parlato con Jerry Bruckheimer di Pirati dei Caraibi 4, e il produttore ha confermato che il film uscirà nell’estate del 2012.

Ted Elliott e Terry Rossio, sceneggiatori degli altri episodi, stanno lavorando attualmente allo script, che è quasi terminato. La fase successiva sarà, ovviamente, il casting. Nessuna notizia per quanto riguarda il regista, anche se si presuppone che sarà Gore Verbinski. Brukheimer ha invece detto che possibilmente verranno girate alcune sequenze in IMAX – ma girano rumour che la produzione punti ancora più in alto, possibilmente girando alcune sequenze in 3D stereoscopico e presentando il film nei cinema 3D.

E nel frattempo continuano gli strani rumour, il più recente è di ieri: il Daily Mail e il Sun (quotidiani decisamente inaffidabili) hanno annunciato che Russell Brand avrebbe firmato il contratto per interpretare il fratello di Jack Sparrow, Jonathan Sparrow. Non è la prima volta che i due quotidiani annunciano casting che poi si rivelano bufale, quindi vi consigliamo di considerare questa informazione non confermata.

Nel film invece non ci saranno Keira Knightley che di Orlando Bloom, mentre si pensa che Geoffrey Rush avrà un ruolo: nel film lui e Depp dovrebbero andare alla ricerca della Fonte della Giovinezza, intravista alla fine del terzo episodio.

Pirati dei Caraibi 4 uscirà nel 2012.

www.badtaste.it

The Walt Disney Company had a big presentation a couple of days ago where they announced a bunch of new movies, including three starring Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street). These are a new adaptation of The Lone Ranger written by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio (National Treasure: Book Of Secrets) where Depp will play Tonto and George Clooney (Burn After Reading) might play the titular character, a new part live-action/part CGI adaptation of Alice In Wonderland written by Linda Woolverton (Mulan) and directed by frequent collaborator Tim Burton (Sweeney Todd…) so yeah obviously, and as expected, a fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean film.

Source

It was also announced that Cars 2 would be released in 2011 instead of 2012 and that the story will have Mater joining Lightning McQueen on a world tour. Additionally several short films entitled Car-toons will be set between the two films and will air on the Disney Channel and perhaps before some theatrical films. Thus, the Disney/Pixar film originally planned for 2011, Newt, will instead be released in 2012.

Source

Stumble It!

There are numerous screenwriting programs out there, but for my mind there is only one worth using: Movie Magic Screenwriter.

I’ve been using this software since way back when it was known as ScriptThing, and was the poor orphan cousin of Final Draft (Hollywood’s 2nd biggest software package).

Well boy oh boy haven’t things changed now!

A great screenwriting program should do everything that you, as a writer, don’t want to do. And it should do it at the click of a mouse, without your having to think about it. That way a trained monkey can learn to use the program WITHIN 5 MINUTES…and actually get stuck into writing their next spec script, and NOT spend days / weeks trying to figure out what Control L does to an index card view screen. 

A great screenwriting program also has to be scalable though, so the pros can use it.  Because while the basic stuff might impress a newbie…it needs some *grunt* to impress the pros. And yup, you guessed it, Movie Magic impresses EVERYONE.

But any-hoo, I don’t work for Write Brothers Inc (the guys who make Movie Magic) so don’t take my word for it. Have a squiz at what some other folks have to say about it, and check it out for yourself.  They even allow you to download a FREE demo of Movie Magic to try before you buy.  Neat huh…

—–
I’ve tried most of the competing programs, and found Movie Magic Screenwriter to be far and away the best and most intuitive of the bunch. It’s straightforward enough that a new user can start writing perfectly formatted screenplays within moments of installing it. And it has powerful outlining and production features for those who need them. A perfect program, I will not write without it. “

– Evan Katz Exec Producer, “24″ and “JAG”
——————————————————————————–
“I’ve used Movie Magic Screenwriter for many years. Nothing is as simple, powerful, intuitive and versatile. And the support is outstanding.”

“Writing for “24″ is hard enough. Thank God we’ve got Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 that let’s us get our ideas down with maximum ease. ”

– Manny Coto, Executive Producer, “24″, “Enterprise” and “The Outer Limits”
——————————————————————————–
“I’ve used Movie Magic Screenwriter for many years. Nothing is as simple, powerful, intuitive and versatile. And the support is outstanding.”
 
Paul Haggis, Writer, Director,Letters from Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers, Crash (Best Picture & Best Original Screenplay 2005, Million Dollar Baby (Best Picture 2004)
——————————————————————————–
“Movie Magic Screenwriter is the gold standard throughout the Hollywood studio system…. Superior program for addressing the challenges of production rewrites. There is no better screenwriting software on the market.”
 
Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio, Writers, Pirates of the Caribbean 1, 2, & 3, Shrek, Aladdin, Mask of Zorro
——————————————————————————–
“I was the typewriter machine kind of guy and for several years I refused to switch to a computer. I thought it was going to be difficult and messy. But lot of friends finally convinced me. I bought my computer and: it was impossible to write a decent screenplay. I was always fighting the keyboard, with bad results, until someone recommended Movie Magic Screenwriter to me. Bingo! Suddenly everything became easy and professional and clean and…perfect. Movie Magic Screenwriter allowed me to concentrate on my writing, not on the keyboard. Now, all of my friends have switched to Movie Magic Screenwriter and we are very, very happy with it.”

Guillermo Arriaga, Writer, Babel, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, 21 Grams, Amores Perros
——————————————————————————–
“Movie Magic Screenwriter is the most intuitive and flexible screenwriting software on the market today.”

Michael Goldenberg, Writer/ Director,Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Contact, Bed Of Roses
 ——————————————————————————– 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MOVIE MAGIC CLICK HERE

Cheers!
Brian M Logan
ThatActionGuy.com

I’m almost finished page 4! I think that’s admirable, considering how busy I am. I’m a stay at home mom to two awesome kids (2 1/2 and one year old). I love them to pieces, but free time has become a foreign concept for me. I feel great when I can write a few lines!

So I’ve run into a few cool sites in my research on how to write screenplays. I’m sure you seasoned script writers know about these, but I’ll mention them in case there are some fresh faces like me out there. The first one is triggerstreet.com is a site that was co-founded by Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti. It’s an awesome place for undiscovered talent to show off their stuff and get reviewed by peers. Various plays and short films have been produced by this company. In Spacey’s own words:

“I want to try to do something inspiring and interactive for new talent and for the filmmaking community,” said Kevin Spacey. “Our goal is to give encouragement and visibility to artists who have no access to the industry. When I needed help in starting my own career, many people gave me encouragement and became my mentors. Now I feel that if you have done well in whatever business you are in, it is your duty to send the elevator back down and try to help bring up the next generation of undiscovered talent.” (from this site)

I love Kevin Spacey even more now. I didn’t think that was possible after American Beauty and K-Pax.

Another great site is wordplayer.com. This is a site where we can get some great insight and advice from some big time screenwriters like Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio (who co-wrote Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean just to name a few). Great site!

Well, that’s it for now, folks. If I can write this post, I sure as hell can get out another page on my script. Wish me luck! And I know what you’re thinking….. “What band?”

Los guionistas Ted Elliott y Terry Rossio, que se ocuparon de la trilogía Piratas del Caribe, preparan ya su nuevo proyecto para Disney y el productor Jerry Bruckheimer.

Se trata de una adaptación de The Lone Ranger, mítico personaje al que los hispanohablantes conocemos como El Llanero Solitario, por la que ambos escritores ya están negociando. Classic Media tiene por el momento los derechos de uno de esos mitos modernos que nació ni más ni menos que en los años 30.

En The Lone Ranger un grupo de marshalls persigue sin descanso a una banda de criminales. Pero los fugitivos les tienden una emboscada y acaban con todos los defensores de la ley. Salvo con uno, que gracias a la ayuda de un indio, se recobrará para perseguir a sus atacantes y defender el orden como un misterioso enmascarado.

Además de un serial radiofónico, El Llanero Solitario tuvo una serie de televisión en los años 50 enla que Clayton Moore daba vida al defensor de la ley, que ejercía siempre su labor a lomos del famoso corcel Silver.

So, says Mr Self-Critical, why bother writing a site about writing? Who’s gonna read the thing anyway?

Me, for one, I spit back at him.

I see, says the bastard. It’s a vanity press.

No, me, I repeat. As in me, a writer. A writer would read it.

Writers will read it!

He’s not convinced, but I am.

You know why?

Because when I’m writing (read: grinding the grind, seeing to that searing, solitary business of sliding ass into seat and squeezing sentences from cerebellum as easily as blood from stone, sir), nothing is more heartening and motivating and…well, soothing…than reading the words of someone else who’s grinding too.

Due to this scientific truth:

Only a writer can feel sorry for a writer.

Don’t believe me? Ask anyone who isn’t a writer.

They don’t get it.

Oh, poor thing, say They, what a terrible go of it you have, plinking around on your ‘pooter, making up funny names for places that don’t exist. How hard it must be for you, blessed with the time to jot down all your cute ideas. I’d do just the same, if I didn’t need a real job and a real life and real people to spend my time with instead of imaginary ones.

Yes. The only Greek chorus who’ll stand behind me and chant “hear, hear” when I trumpet the difficulty of this particular calling is one made up of fellow butt-in-chair, fingers-on-keys freaks who know damn well what I’m talking about when I say writing fiction is only ever pleasurable when you’re finished doing it, and only then if you can ignore all your own Mr Self-Criticals long enough to believe what you’ve just spent the last three years of your life jotting down isn’t complete and utter horseshit.

Writing is not a lark. It’s not even a larf.

It’s more punishment than reward.

It ain’t for the weak of heart, nor for dilettantes and hobbyists.

And it has nothing to do with vanity, Mr Self-Critical.

That’s why this site, the Inlanders site, is not my “consolation prize” in case I never publish the book. It’s not a formalized proof to show for myself, should the words I agonize over in the manuscript not reach an audience themselves.

This site is for people like me, people who look for sites just like this while they’re still hip-deep in the shit, down in that trench of misplaced and misused words all heaped atop each other like the severed limbs of felled soldiers, a gangly and ungainly labyrinth of jutting arm-stumps and bleeding torsos and dangling legs you gotta shove your way through, head down and teeth gritted, if you wanna make it out.

It SUCKS in the trench.

So if that’s you right now, or whenever you find this, if you find this – know I’m there with you, sister. I got your back, brother. Keep on chopping your way through. Together we’ll make it.

Ahem.

All this bluster serves as hopefully worthy introduction to the author bearing an inaugural link in the Writers section of my blogroll at right, one Elizabeth Bear.

Lady’s written a helluva lot more fiction than I have, in nearly the same amount of lifetime. And she’s published a scary-large chunk of it. Yesterday I read her short story Tideline, a 2008 Hugo Award nominee, found it boffo, and immediately scoured the web for any traces of non-fictional musings from the gal.

What I found was a blog started in 2003, when Elizabeth was just on the cusp of becoming a published novelist. A blog that perfectly (and honestly) captures what it feels like to be down in the trench, to claw your way out of it, and bravely jump back in for more of the same. Reading Elizabeth, I felt like we shared the same brain, so identical to my own thoughts and feelings were hers. She even uses some of the same jargon I throw around when referring to what it is I do with my disheveled lump of words that might one day be a novel: I poke it, I prod it, I kick its sorry ass until it stands on two feet and uses one of them to kick my ass.

This blog is for Elizabeth, the same way her blog is for me.

It’s for all us fools.

Fools stupid, crazy or masochistic enough to make a go at this plodding, elaborate drudgery of building fictions for public consumption. That’s who I’m writing this site for.

Thank God others have done the same for me.

A few of them are already in the blogroll: Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio of Wordplayer, whose essays nursed me through my years of trying to become a professional screenwriter (and remain potent for me today); Dan Simmons with his Writing Well columns and accompanying forum for aspiring scribes; Rick Kleffel, perhaps the only existing writer-fanboy for fictive practitioners of all persuasions, including us spec-eff weirdos.

And now Elizabeth, whose blog I wish I’d found back when I was in the first-draft trench with Inlanders.

For what it’s worth, I’m reading her tale - of becoming a published novelist - in its entirety now.

Hear, hear.

- Stephen Reese

Dovrei finire in poco tempo, questa settimana..

Pirati dei Caraibi – La maledizione del forziere fantasma (2006, avventura) Consigliato? Sì. FILM DELLA SETTIMANA
Un film diretto da Gore  Verbinski scritto da Terry  Rossio, Ted  Elliott
Cast Johnny  Depp, Orlando  Bloom, Keira  Knightley

La trama in questo film conta poco. Nel senso, è un seguito nato per il successo al botteghino del primo capitolo. E non perché questo sia meno riuscito del suo precedente capitolo, ma come nel primo, la trama è abbastanza incasinata e piena di sotto trame. Vi potrei dire qualcosina, sì, ma sarebbe inutile perché già dopo qualche minuto dalla visione quel qualcosina si è evoluto dando vita all’enorme albero che fa la trama.
Il primo capitolo (e come sempre la stupidità di chi decide i nomi italiani dei film si vede. il primo capitolo si chiama La maledizione della prima luna, mentre se avessero seguito il titolo originale si sarebbe chiamato Pirati dei Caraibi – La maledizione della prima luna, danto più coerenza alla trilogia) è un bellissimo film di avventura. Questo, dopo la prima visione, potrei definirlo anche inferiore al primo, ma sarebbe una cosa stupida da fare poiché il primo l’ho visto almeno dieci volte e ho colto tutte le cose che alla prima visione sfuggono. Perciò, su quale sia il migliore, non lo so. E forse non vorrei saperlo.
Dopo un inizio abbastanza confuso, questo secondo capitolo parte bene. Hanno tentato di dare uno stacco tra i due film, ma non ci sono riusciti. In fondo la parte peggiore da scrivere in un seguito è proprio l’inizio e cioè quando la storia non c’è ancora. Quello che subito salta all’occhio è la coerenza della storia con il primo capitolo, dei personaggi, della regia e del modo in cui la storia si evolve. Dopo la visione, infatti, sono andato a vedere così per passatempo chi fossero gli sceneggiatori e chi il regista, anche se già si era capito che era lo stesso gruppetto del primo capitolo. Credo che questa sia un’ottima cosa. Fare un seguito commerciale di un film bello come La maledizione della prima luna è sempre una sfida difficile, ma quando le idee per il continuo, le inquadrature e i dialoghi nascono da chi ha dato vita a quei personaggi, sono sicuro che il compito è molto più leggero. Lieto anche di sapere che il terzo capitolo, definito da molti il migliore dei tre, ha sempre lo stesso cast tecnico. Vedremo.
Questo forziere fantasma funziona. E’ un ottimo film d’avventura che diverte e intrattiene. Può risultare lungo per alcuni di voi (dura sulle due ore e venti) ma posso dirvi che non è assolutamente pesante. Chi ha visto e amato il primo capitolo, adorerà questo seguito poiché nessuno personaggio si smentisce. Io l’ho iniziato a vedere alle undici di sera, e finito all’una e mezza. Perciò se vi dico che non pesa credeteci. Lo consiglio a tutti, anche se ha il finale aperto ma non bastardo. Nel senso che si sapeva, all’uscita di questo film al cinema, che sarebbe stata una trilogia. Guardatevelo, magari una bella maratona con tutti e tre.

La promessa dell’assassino (2007, drammatico) Consigliato? Nì.
Un film di David  Cronenberg scritto da Steven  Knight
Cast Viggo  Mortensen, Naomi  Watts, Vincent  Cassel, Armin  Mueller-Stahl

Qui, ssssssignore e ssssssssssssignori, troviamo il classico esempio da film delusione, che spesso colpisce la massa. Anche se qui la massa non c’entra poiché questo film in pratica solo a me NON è piaciuto, la delusione dopo la visione resta…
Una donna partorisce il proprio bambino e poi muore. L’infermiera che l’assistita è una capera e così ruba il diario che la donna aveva con se per portare il bambino, sopravvissuto, dai parenti della donna morta. Così, seguendo un bigliettino da visita di un ristorante, entra in contatto con alcuni tizi poco raccomandabili…la mafia russa.
Cronenberg è per molti un grande autore. Regista di film come La mosca, A History of Violence, ha  una reputazione di tutto rispetto tra i cinefili appassionati. Questo è il suo secondo film che guardo (numero 91 nel quadernetto) e non lo vedo così poi tanto autore autore. E’ bravo a dirigere, sì, ma credo sia la conseguenza di fare film da anni e anni. Cioè, un qualsiasi tizio imparerebbe qualcosa.
I suoi due film che ho visto sono abbastanza violenti. Anche se sono storie in grado di partorire ottimi prodotti se sfruttate bene, vengono appunto sfruttate male. Risultano incompleti, se vogliamo forzati, se vogliamo troppo stereotipati. Ma parliamo solo di questo qua e non dei suoi due film che ho visto.
E’ un film con delle ottime basi, con un cast fantastico che fa il suo dovere in maniera molto eccellente. Sembra, però, andar di fretta verso la seconda metà, la storia e la sceneggiatura regge poco anche se la fotografia è fantastica. Il personaggio di Mortensen è fantastico. Lui è ormai un mio piccolo mito, ma viene rovinato purtroppo dalla parte finale.
In questo film c’è la famosa scena della sauna in cui il personaggio di Mortensen si ritrova a combattere contro due sicari completamente nudo. E’ una scena molto bella e cruda, diventata cult molto prima dell’uscita del film nelle sale. Prima di questa scena il film era guardabile, dopo scade molto. Nel finale, come molti suoi altri ‘colleghi’.
Non ho capito cosa c’entra il titolo con il film.

Jumanji (1995, avventura) Consigliato? Sì.
Un film di Joe  Johnston scritto da Chris  Van Allsburg, Jim  Strain, Greg  Taylor, Jonathan  Hensleigh
Cast Robin  Williams, Jonathan  Hyde, Kirsten  Dunst, Bradley  Pierce, Bonnie  Hunt

Jumanji è un gioco da tavola maledetto che fa arrivare direttamente nella realtà le penitenze che un giocatore subisce avanzando le caselle. Che l’avventura abbia inizio!
Io sono cresciuto con Jumanji. Una mattina mia madre tornò a casa con la videocassetta nelle buste della spesa, e da allora l’ho guardato tante di quelle volte che ho perso il conto. L’altro giorno lo rimandavano su sky e l’ho rivisto, dopo anni. E’ bellissimo guardare un film con cui sei cresciuto. Ricordi vagamente un’atmosfera, delle sensazioni, delle situazioni che avevi completamente rimosso. E’ un film che si lascia guardare senza troppe pretese. Lo consiglio a tutta la famiglia per passare una bella serata. E’ un film che dovrebbero sapere tutti i bambini. Vogliamo il seguito! Vogliamo il seguito!
Solo ORA ho capito che l’attore del padre e del cacciatore e lo stesso. Madò.

Maria Antoinette (2006, drammatico) Consigliato? Sì.
Un film scritto e diretto da Sofia  Coppola
Cast Kirsten  Dunst, Jason  Schwartzman, Rip  Torn

Ritratto inedito e fuori dagli schemi della regina Maria Antonietta. Che si annoia al ritmo del rock&roll.
Sofia Coppola, prima sceneggiatrice e poi regista dei film Lost in translation e Il giardino delle vergini suicide, a me piace molto. Questo Maria Antoinette, come Il giardino delle vergini suicide, è tratto da un libro. Questo, però, non aiuta la sceneggiatura che, a differenza de Il giardino delle vergini suicide, risulta statica e confusionaria.
La prima ora del film passa in una maniera ripetitiva e indecisa. Per i primi venti minuti non si parla molto. Anzi, si parla molto poco. Dal ventunesimo al sessantesimo minuto c’è la situazione che il principe, che sembra gay, non si vuole trombare la principessa. E lei piange. Dopo la prima ora (il film dura poco più di due ore) ci sono cambiamenti e scene mitragliatrici a volte brutte proprio. Esatto, nella prima parte c’è una lettura di una situazione in modo molto lento e ripetitivo, dopo una lettura delle situazione alquanto da discutere. La regia non mi piace: è confusa e a volte spinge troppo la mano verso la sperimentazione. A volte si sfiora parecchio il videoclip. Poi, ci sono rimasto semidimmerda quando dopo un ora della discussione del problema sul fatto che al principe non interessa di scopare con Maria Antonietta, la situazione finisce in una piccola scena, ma proprio minuscola, per poi far continuare il film con una scena in cui la regina partorisce un bambino. Cioè… non che sognassi la scena porno, però almeno una degna scena soft che finisse quella parte del film durata anche troppo.
E’ comunque un film che consiglio, per qualche strana ragione. E’ la storia della donna, non della regina ne del periodo storico. E’ un film per femminuccie. Bellissimi i costumi dell’italiana Milena Canonero, che hanno vinto l’oscar.