Kristin Thompson (with David Bordwell) continues an emerging tradition at the Observations on film art site.
“… Once again, at a time of year when critics are picking their 10-best lists for 2009, we jump back ninety years and give our choices for 1919….
“… With 1919, we’re approaching the decade when many of the most widely […]

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“… I asked 150 assistants, creative execs, readers, managers, agents assistant producers, producers, etc., for their top 5 favorite scripts that didn’t make the Black List. Like the Black List, their suggestions would be completely anonymous. Since nobody really knew this was coming, and since the list has no cache, unlike the Black List, there […]

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“… (T)hese last ten years have been great for screenwriters.  They’ve certainly revolutionized how I watch TV, thanks to a number of technological developments….”
Go to Jill Golick’s place …

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Billy Mernit on the year’s best rom-coms.
Go To Billy Mernit’s Place …

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“The latest show I’m on is the longest I’ve ever worked with a crew. Sure, there are day players, sick days, and the occasional person may come and go, but the core people more or less stay the same. And the other day, as we said goodbyes for our holiday break, each hug I got […]

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Bert Briller’s review of Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” appeared in the Thursday, December 19, 1946 edition of Variety.
Roger Ebert and James Berardinelli wrote about the film more than a half century later, after passage into the public domain helped it become a familiar holiday tradition for many.
Go to Briller …
Go to Ebert …
Go […]

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“… (T)hough they feel like defeats, sticking points are actually good signs. A sticking point means we’ve arrived at a threshold. We’re on the brink of moving to a higher level. That’s the good news. The bad news is that when Resistance gets wind of our impending advancement, it races ahead of us and strews […]

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“… In order to write stories like the ones that move you, you need to look at the specific stories that affect you and figure out what those authors and filmmakers are doing to get the effect they do. So what I keep prodding you to do in these articles is - make a lot […]

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“… Claudine Longet … was a willowy brunette with exquisite doe eyes and luscious lips. Laura Petrie but French. She was also a successful recording artist but believe me, if she looked like Charles De Gaulle she couldn’t give away one record. But I found her incredibly sexy, even when she was singing Silent Night […]

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Deranged videographer Mike from Milwaukee breaks down the Star Wars prequel into its non-working parts. Not safe for work, children, fanboys, or the easily offended.
(via John Penny)
Go to review at YouTube …

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Anne Thompson talked with Nancy Meyers (”What Women Want,” “Something’s Gotta Give”) about her latest film, “It’s Complicated.”
“… I know my agenda. I know what I want to accomplish every day, what I want to execute. My script is locked. Like, that’s what we’re there to do, bring it to life, keep pushing, making it […]

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Jim Cirile interviewed Bob DeRosa (”The Air I Breathe,” “Killers”) at the Coverage, Ink/Writers On The Storm site.
“… I’ve noticed in my life that trying to do something in this industry and having people say, ‘Nope!’ That really fires me up to figure out how I can turn a no into a yes….”
Go to interview […]

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“If you’re keen to make it as a TV writer, then an inevitable step in the process is to write a trial episode for one of the soaps. These trials are also known as ‘Shadow Schemes’. Essentially, you’ll go through the process of writing a real episode from the official storylines without it actually being […]

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Final spec market numbers for 2009.
Go to site …

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Marjorie E. Glantz & Scott Fickas’ “The Grass Is Always Greener,” Paul Littell’s “Toy Soldiers,” and Kevin Lee Miller’s “Trigger Mom” have been named quarterfinalists in the 3rd Annual StoryPros International Screenplay Contest.
Go to site …

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