Category: Opinion

The Film Every Film & TV Writer Should See

Not surprisingly, our headline above refers to The Rewrite, written and directed by Mark Lawrence back in 2014 and starring Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei. No, we don’t know who rewrote it. But that doesn’t mean a rewrite or three didn’t happen, yeah?

by Pinar Tarhan

Marc Lawrence’s The Rewrite (2014) is absolutely delightful. Of course, your chances of enjoying it are higher if you like Hugh Grant and/or Marisa Tomei, romantic comedies that aren’t like every other romantic comedy and movies about writers. Not to mention, the cast includes J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney. J.K. Simmons’ loving but tough/sentimental (you need to see it) character provides a hilarious contrast to his Oscar-winning, ruthless role in Whiplash.

I’m a fan of the genre, director/writer (Mark Lawrence) and the cast. And as a screenwriter (aspiring, but still), I do have a weakness for movies featuring screenwriters and their world. read article

Peggy Bechko has Some Serious Tips for Action Writers

by Peggy Bechko

Love to write action sequences? I know I do. But, since we like to write these things we need to do our research ahead of time so we don’t write something really dumb into our scripts or novels. I’m not going to go into every possible scenario, but let’s thinks about a few things to get our brains in gear and pondering the realities of what we write. Plainly we can take some license in our creations, but it’s best to know what’s real before we go off on our own paths.

Like what, you say? Well, for one thing, those fisticuffs? Those mano on mano, hand-to-hand fights we sometimes cook up are a lot of work. In ‘real life’ they usually last only a few seconds for regular folks. Might last longer for someone really well trained in martial arts or some form of hand-to-hand combat.

The combatants are going to tire out really fast because it’s really hard work, not to mention painful when somebody gets slugged. That character you just put in a fist fight for the first time will react differently than the character who’s been brawling all his life. Definitely something to keep in mind when you write those slug-fest scenes. read article

Kathryn Graham: Deconstructing Supergirl & Homophobia

by Kathryn Graham

*** CAUTION! Mild spoilers for Supergirl if you are 11 weeks behind. ***

Last week, I was perusing a comment section on TV Guide regarding Alex & Maggie’s breakup on Supergirl. One fella, let’s call him Major Homophobe, said he was glad it was over. The show ‘isn’t about lesbians’ and now they could ‘get back to what it’s really about’. read article

The Drunk Guy’s Guide to Every Hollywood Movie Ever Made

Found on Twitter:

Ed Solomon has had a hell of a career. We think you should follow him on Twitter – @ed_solomon – just like we do.

Peggy Bechko: Writers, Let’s Get to the Subtext!

 by Peggy Bechko

If you’re a writer of any stripe at all, then you’ve heard about and/or considered subtext. For the rest of you the beginners, those in need of review, let’s talk.

For starters remember, characters you create are always doing something. They’re not just sets of talking heads. They do things. They do a log of things and they go through all sorts of drama common to the human condition. And, as live people, they don’t actually SAY most of what they mean, they express it in some way, thus the subtext. read article