I'm currently in South Africa, rejuvenating my batteries and trying to decide what next to write. It's all part of the process.
Deciding which of the many ideas I have I want to work on, and...
Clearing my mind to make way for clarity of writing.
While I'm a huge advocate of writing every day, at least while you're working on something (I take a few weeks off in between projects), I also strongly suggest that writers take time to focus on other things, see or appreciate the world, and broaden their horizons. It's a big world, and as writers, we try to tell stories that relate to many different aspects of it. Don't kick yourself too much if you take time off every now and then. It's much better to do that than to burn out. My philosophy: to make a story short, every experience you have, good and bad, strengthens you as a writer. Do what you need to do to be able to tell the stories you want to tell.
If you don't read the title closely, you'd probably think I were referring to the first brains-free entry in the Fast and the Furious series (lovingly called the "F&F series" by fans and your mom) titled The Fast and the Furious. But I'm not. While you can see that I'm CLEARLY not talking about the second or third films, 2 Fast 2 Furious or Tokyo Drift. If you look closely and note the lack of articles in the title of the series, you'd know I'm referring to the upcoming fourth installment of the series. See: Fast & Furious. Sequel, duh.
Didn't know there was a new Fast and the Furious movie coming out? If so: good, and I envy you. But if you (like me and apparently most of America) caught Quantum of Solace this weekend you were probably exposed to dangerous amounts of stupid when you saw this tacked on to the front of the movie. To help ease all of your suffering, we're gonna Trailer Trash a movie that hasn't even come out yet. That's right, kids. This movie sucks from the future.
Enough chit-chat. Prepare yourselves: this is what poo will look like in the year 2009:
At 0:14 - Ok, they let us know the truck is full of gasoline. How much you wanna bet it explodes by the end of this scene? At 0:18 - Children, don't try this at home. At 0:35 - What? Whaaaat? At 0:45 - That's right, crank the sucker to 35. At 0:56 - This looks dangerous. At 1:12 - Whoa! WHOOOOA! I knew that thing would explode! At 1:16 - "Can you look into the camera, Mr. Diesel - or can I call you Vin? Vinny? Ok, there we go. Thanks!" At 1:18 - Cue video game music. At 1:25 - Juuuust like it's 2001. At 1:29 - Remember when Paul Walker was a promising young actor? Yeah, me neither. At 1:35 - Oh, those crazy Duke boys. At 1:45 - The guy in the middle hasn't seen the first few movies. At 1:48 - Vin Diesel's laugh - can't tell if the character thought the joke wasn't funny, or the actor himself. At 1:58 - New model, still stupid. At 2:08 - I hope 2009 never comes.
I'm gonna skip over the big question regarding WHY there's even a fourth one of these movies (I'm blaming you, West Virginia) and focus on my next question: What is Vin Diesel doing back in the series? Hasn't his career passed that point? Shouldn't he at least know better by now?
Trailer Trash is a weekly tribute to oddball, cheesy and often just plain terrible movie trailers. Writers: These movies got made... so can yours! You can read through our archive by clicking here.
Screenwriting blogger extraordinaire Ken Levine has posted his always-hilarious seasonal movie preview. My favorite bits:
CADILLAC RECORDS -- Story of Chess Records, famous R&B and Blues label of the 50s. Beyonce as Etta James. Younger audiences won’t know who Etta James is. Older audiences won’t know who Beyonce is. Age groups in the middle will be watching QUANTUM OF SOLACE for the third time.
BEDTIME STORIES – Adam Sandler in a feel-good CGI effects-loaded holiday movie for the whole family! Filled with wonder and magic and that shit.
- The director must have experience: “I now have an official first-time director rule. That’s an official no.” - The movie can’t have “Zombie” in the title: “That’s an instant no.” - It also can’t have zombies in the movie: “Anything zombies is an immediate walk-away.” - The script must be special: “It has to be something that makes me nervous when I read it.”
What, When, Where is a weekly guide to select screenings, discussions and events in the NYC-area of interest to screenwriters.
Opening this weekend...
QUANTUM OF SOLACE, written by Paul Haggis and Neal Purvis, dir. by Marc Forster
Premise:Seeking revenge for the death of his love, secret agent James Bond sets out to stop an environmentalist from taking control of a country's water supply.
Playing: Everywhere.
Casino Royale was my favorite Bond movie in a long, long, long time. I felt like it returned the series to the exercises in badassery they used to be. Hence, a little discouraged to see the lukewarm reviews. Don't let me down, Mr. Bond.
Premise:The story of how impoverished Indian teen Jamal Malik became a contestant on the Hindi version of "Who Wants to be A Millionaire?" -- an endeavor made without prize money in mind, rather, an effort to prove his love for his friend Latika, who is an ardent fan of the show.
Playing at: Angelika, Lincoln Plaza Cinemas
Lots of great buzz about this. I've got a love-hate relationship with his movies (Love = Trainspotting, Sunshine, Shallow Grave, hell, even enjoyed A Life Less Ordinary... Hate = 28 Days Later, grrrrr) but I'm eager to check this one out.
A CHRISTMAS TALE, written by Emmanuel Bourdieu and Arnaud Desplechin, dir. by Arnaud Desplechin
Premise:The Vuillard's shared history of physical and mental illness, estrangement, self harm, and loss doesn't lead itself to the idea of a cheerful holiday season. But can a Christmastime reunion, a scheme concocted by three of the youngest family members, finally bring peace their clan?
Playing at: IFC Center, Lincoln Plaza Cinemas
It's not even Christmas yet - why are so many holiday movies being advertised already? (Four Christmases, I'm looking at you.) Anyway, I really want to see this one. I just wish it were opening at a time when I was remotely in the holiday spirit.
Premise:The documentary profiles some of the power players in the underground Harry Potter creative community. I'm not talking sinister meetings in the woods about the Dark Arts. Instead, the film offers us a seven-year-old rock star and his teen pop idols, hilarious audio-commentary set to the movie and online creative writing sites waging war with corporate agents.
Playing at: Cinema Village 12th Street
I feel like I'm one of the few people left in the world who is still in the dark with the whole Harry Potter thing. I haven't read any of the books, and the only bit of the movies I've seen was the first one on mute, while listening to the hilarious Wizard People, Dear Readers commentary track by Brad Neely. All I know is the series is that it's about a school of wizard kids who play soccer on brooms or something.
I'll get around to 'em eventually, I know. But in the meantime this documentary looks interesting, and hey, it's got Brad Neely in it!
The Screenwriters League is a collective of NYC-based writers sharing their experiences as they build their careers from the ground up, and hoping to impart any knowledge they gain along the way.
I'm currently in South Africa, rejuvenating my batteries and trying to decide what next to write. It's all part of the process.
