November/December Horror Project

I guess my plan of penning a first, rough draft of a screenplay for September, October, November and December is a bust. Lesson learned: the human brain can only be pushed so far before it pushes back.

Instead, for November and Decemeber, I've been working on a rewrite/polish of a horror script. You should always be writing on something. If a new idea isn't striking your fancy, then pull out an older script, polish it, and put it out there. That should always be Plan B.

Even though this horror script is a few years old, the idea is still as fresh as the day I wrote the very first draft.

I'm a fan of the annual After Dark 8 Films To Die For horror film festival. I've only missed one. One of my goals is to get a film made that makes it into one of the line up. The 2006 festival introduced me to two of my favorite horror films of recent years - "THE ABANDONED" and "THE GRAVEDANCERS." (I also liked "DARK RIDE.")

November Short Film

I started November with the hopes of penning a very rough, first draft of a long-gestating cop thriller that had been brewing for quite awhile. I had every intention of sticking with my September, October, November and December plan of writing very rough drafts of scripts that I had previously outlined, or at least had a good idea of the general shape of the story. I guess I needed a break. I couldn't get going on the cop thriller. The inspiration just wasn't there.

Putting that aside, I wasted a week - the first week of November -

trying to figure out what project to do in its place. A friend of mine, Rick Hansberry, has had a couple of his short film scripts made; a third on the way. Since he's had success in this arena, I decided to throw my hat into the ring. I've only penned a couple of short film scripts, and that was several years ago.

I love "The Twilight Zone" and both incarnations of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." Using those as guiding lights, I wrote two 10-page horror shorts. For someone who usually doesn't write these, they're quite good.

October Horror Project Finished

My ode to the (unfortunately) late, great horror author Richard Laymon is complete. A very rough first draft anyway. Like the September sports comedy, I can't tell what I have yet. It "seems" good; "seems" to work. I'll know more once I venture into the eventual rewrite.

I'm beginning to wonder if all of this, "I'm not sure what I have, but it 'seems' to be working," is for a reason. In the past I've had an innate sense of what was working in a story, or script, and what wasn't. But that was when I was tackling one project at a time, completeting a draft that I could submit to companies, before moving onto the next script. My current plan for September, October, November and December - to barrel through very rough first drafts of scripts that I had already outlined, or had an idea of the shape of the story, is a new approach for me. Maybe because the speed in which I'm writing is causing this uncertainty of the quality ideas, as I'm writing mostly on creative instinct and not careful planning. Or maybe I'm on the precipice of the next level of my writing, as the September sports comedy is the first pure-comedy script I've written, and the October horror script is striking out into subject matter that is brand new territory for me.

I think it's the latter.

October Horror Project Part II/The 19-Pager

The Richard Laymon-inspired 19-pager is now at page 63. It has been a wild ride, to say the least. (It wouldn't be any other kind of ride when you use the horror cult author extraordinaire as inspiration.) This is definitely Laymon-lite. There's no way his level of violence and depravity would ever make it to a movie or TV screen.

It's been an interesting experience as ideas seem to flow. The reason I stopped at 19 pages last year was because I had a great beginning that I had to get down on paper, but no idea how to proceed. I still didn't have ideas going in now, but those 19-pages felt like the set up for a Laymon story. Since I love three of his novels - Endless Night, One Rainy Night and After Hours, and I count him somewhat as an influence, this could be my chance to pay homage to the late horrormeister. And since this takes place basically in real time over a 24 or 48 period, like a lot of Laymon books, my creativity, channeling Laymon, seem to hit stride.

Of course, this is all a very rough, first draft, but it looks like it will be done by the end of the month.

October Horror Project

I had to make a quick decision. Since October is the Month Of Horror, I needed to write a very rough first draft of a horror script, as part of my goal to finish four very rough first drafts of screenplays before the end of the year. The problem is I had a lot of options: an unfinished horror novel that would also work as a screenplay, a horror thriller of which I had written 19 pages last year, and stopped, and a new idea that would be a different take on the 80's slasher genre.

Right now, I want to finish the 19 page horror thriller - an homage to late horror author great Richard Laymon, who was the master at unspeakable evil in everyday settings occupied by ordinary people. But, the 80's slasher idea is very unique, and I've (very roughly) outlined the first 30 or so pages, and I know the general shape of the story. It may overtake the 19-pager as the month goes on. One way or another, I'm determined to get 100 completed pages of one or the other by the end of the month.

I really liked Laura Jordan in "JOYRIDE 2: DEAD AHEAD." I'm using her as the template for the main character for the 19-pager.

September Sports Comedy Done

It capped out at 120 pages, 20 pages over my original estimate. The screenplay has laughs (which is sort of good, since it's a comedy), but as David St. Hubbins said in "THIS IS SPINAL TAP," "there's such a fine line between stupid and clever." I can't tell which it is yet, and won't until I get into the rewrite. That won't be soon. Okay, off to work on my October Horror Project...

The September Sports Comedy Part 3

(The second best sports movie ever made, "SLAP SHOT." The first, of course, is "BULL DURHAM.")

I'm on p.79 - four pages ahead of schedule. Fantastic. As I suspected, this will turn out to be about a 100 page script. I should have this (very) rough, first-words-on paper draft completed by the end of the day on October 1st.

I don't know if I've addressed this in an older post. (I don't feel like going back and looking it up. I'll pretend I haven't.) This process is very freeing. Since I've only given myself a month to bang out a (very) rough first draft, I'm not trying to come up with the best line, scene or sequence before moving onto the next. Instead, if the line is good/funny enough, and if the scene carries us enough to the next scene, I move on.

I'm only able to do this because:

1. I already had a general idea of the shape of the story before I started. I knew the form it was going to take. Like an architect sketching out a house before drawing the actual blueprint.

2. I knew the genre I wanted to play in and the overall tone of the screenplay, which was a mix of Ron Shelton and broader sports comedies, like "MAJOR LEAGUE." (The original "THE BAD NEWS BEARS" also figures into the mix.)

Normally, I outline, outline, outline, until I have the equivalent of a coloring book picture that only needs to colored in - i.e., the writing of the screenplay. That's because I'm either starting entirely from scratch, or only have a seed of an idea, or a scrap of inspiration, that needs to be wholly expanded and developed. In this case, I have about 4 outlines of scripts that I never got around to writing; each for 100-110 page screenplays, and the writing days until December 31st to get out about 400 pages - or, 4 (very) rough drafts of 100-or-so page screenplays. Timing-wise, this works out.

Tibor Takacs and "ENDGAME"

Director Tibor Takacs has agreed to re-read my femme spy script, "ENDGAME." Awesome. Mr. Takacs is not only the director of the 80's horror/comedy ("horredy"?) classic, "THE GATE," he also directed one of the best direct-to-DVD flicks ever made - the Mark Dacascos espionage actioner, "SANCTUARY."

"Re-read?" You ask. (Or, I asked for you.) Mr. Takacs read, and liked, "ENDGAME" last year. As this business goes, I'm sure it was lost in the shuffle of life. Over the past few years, he's been SyFy's go-to guy for their "SyFy Originals" monster movies. (Generally, I like the SyFy monster flicks. They're like 50's sci-fi flicks only with better special effects.)

Hopefully, the timing is right: Mr. Takacs is (hopefully) ready to do another spy flick and "ENDGAME" will fill The Order. (a reference to "SANCTUARY." If it's not in the movie, it should be.)

The September Sports Comedy Continued And The New NBC Thursday

I'm on page 44 of my Ron Shelton/Will Ferrell hybrid sports comedy. My goal was to write 24-rough draft pages a week until the end of the month, equalling about 100 pages. I'm more or less on course, which of course is great. (Don't you love how I doubly used "course" in the space of two words. I'm impressed, too.)

This script is an interesting experience. It "seems" like it's going to be funny. The jokes work; I'm just not laughing right now. I'll do that when I go back and do the rewrite/polish. Right now, I'm only trying to get the draft down on paper...well, Final Draft.

What's also great is the premiere of NBC's new Thursday night line up. I'm already a viewer of "The Office" and "Parks And Recreation." (I find "30 Rock" bland and strangely overrated.) "Community" looks fantastic. Hopefully, my Thursday night TV viewing, with college football on ESPN, is now full.

The September Sports Comedy Project

No one writes sports comedy like Ron Shelton. He loves examining sports from the inside out - the players playing the sport, not from the outside in - the sport as played by the players. The best comedy comes from observing human nature and behavior. Shelton is a master at this. He's also terrific at making the male friendships in his film as deep and platonically romantic as his male-female relationships.

I'm trying my hand at a Ron Shelton sports comedy, but for one of the more unlikelier of sports. The idea itself lends itself more to a broader Will Ferrell-type of sports comedy. So, I'm going to try to marry the two.

The Plan

(How great is "PLAN 9 FROM OUTERSPACE?" Seriously. It's funnier than some "intended" comedies.)

There are 16 weeks between this week and the end of the year. Since I write on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of each week (because of my work schedule and allowing for a Sabbath day of rest), that means I have 48 days of writing left in 2009.

3 writing days per week multiplied by 8 pages per writing day is 24 pages per week. There are about 4 writing weeks in each month, meaning roughly 100 pages at the end of each month - i.e. a completed screenplay.

I have several screenplays either outlined or enough of the idea to start. My goal is to complete rough drafts of scripts by the end of September, October, November and December. In no way will these be completed scripts. Just building the house, moving onto the next, worrying about the shingling and painting later.

Kim Richey & The Small Town Dramedy

After a brief absence (due to random life stuff), I've returned. Yesterday, I finished my small town dramatic comedy. I'm very pleased with the final result. To some it might be too slight, too much of an inconsequential slice-of-life. Personally, as a moviegoer, I'd love to spend two hours with these characters. My aim was a light confection of amiable characters and breezy humor. I think I hit the mark.

I mentioned in an earlier post that Shawn Colvin had become the soundtrack to this script. (Who I listened to while writing.) While perusing Rhapsody, I came across Kim Richey. I thought I had uncovered an unknown gem. It turned out she has been around for years and, most recently, a collaborator with Ryan Adams. Oh well.

I threw her CD's onto my Rhapsody playlist, along with Colvin. Their brand of country-folk-pop fit the screenplay perfectly. Kim Richey's Glimmer CD is especially good. It will be a purhcase.

All in all, I really like this script. Now, let's hope others will, too.

KING'S X

I caught King's X live (again) in Charlotte, NC last week. Simply put: they're one of the most criminally underrated and grossly underappreciated bands of all time. They're musican's musicians, sounding like what The Beatles would probably be today, if they played straight-out rock.

In time, I hope history gives them their due, because they're certainly due for some duly recognition.

King's X Myspace

"BANDSLAM"

The marketing people at Summit in charge of promoting this should be fired. The TV spots, trailers and posters presented the movie as a cheesy, cornball piece of "HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL" fluff aimed squarely at thirteen year old girls, when it's actually one of the best movies of the year. "BANDSLAM" is smart, real, amiable, warm-hearted and funny, following in the tradition of "SAY ANYTHING," "ALMOST FAMOUS"-mode Cameron Crowe and John Hughes. In fact, Gaelan Connell, the awkward, geeky male lead character, is straight from the Hughes universe, while the intelligent, musician chicks Vanessa Hudgens and Aly Michalka would be right at home in a Crowe's "SAY ANYTHING" or "ALMOST FAMOUS." Hopefully, this gem will be discovered on DVD and those responsible for tanking it will pay a hefty karmic price as they look for work elsewhere.

"INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS"

Like most film geeks in the 90's, I revered Quentin Tarantino as the second coming of cinema. He earned his geek street cred by being just like us - people spending hours, days, weeks, months, years devouring movies. His first two, "RESERVOIR DOGS" and "PULP FICTION," reflected that - a former video store clerk finally getting to share with the world his love, passion and knowledge of film. (Especially, "PULP FICTION" which is probably still the best American movie made since it came out.)

"INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS" is far and away his best work since "PULP FICTION," and a reminder that this guy is one of the best screenwriters who has ever lived. Visually, it's his most accomplished and cinematic work to date. It's also Brad Pitt's best performance. (Of course, a mention must be made for Christoph Waltz, too. Melanie Laurent was also very good.) This might be my favorite movie so far this year. ("BANDSLAM" and "PUBLIC ENEMIES" right up there, too.)

Rewatching Rob Zombie's "HALLOWEEN" To Get Ready For "H2"

(Written in 2007 on my Myspace page. Moved here.)

When it was announced that Rob was doing "HALLOWEEN," most horror fans went into Defcon-Six. I wasn't one of them. (I saved that for the remake of "APRIL FOOL'S DAY.")

Sure, the original "HALLOWEEN," along with the original "THE EXORCIST" and the original "THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE" make up the Holy Trinity of 70's American horror, but this isn't a studio hired gun or a video/commercial hack dashing off a pale replica of the original just to cash in on opening weekend. (See the new versions of "THE OMEN" and "THE HITCHER.")

This is Rob Zombie.

"HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES" was a solid debut. "THE DEVIL'S REJECTS" is one of the best films and best directed films in the past few years.

Let's face it, "HALLOWEEN," along with "FRIDAY THE 13TH" has taken a sharp turn into Huh?-ville. Jason vs. Carrie? Jason in space? Jason vs. Freddy Krueger? He even took Manhattan. (I'm just glad The Muppets got out in time.)

The last good "HALLOWEEN" film was "4." Director Dwight Little did an admirable job of trying to capture the original movie without imitating it. Then, came part five and six. Even the most hardcore "HALLOWEEN" fans have to bend into pretzels defending these. Truly terrible movies. Even the famed "producer's cut" of part six. It's not better, it's just longer.

Then came "HALLOWEEN" Water. Sorry, "H20." Not a bad slasher flick, but it's not a "HALLOWEEN" movie. Take out Laurie Strode and Michael Myers and put in Amy Steel and Jason Vorhees and you have "FRIDAY THE 13TH 10: JASON GOES TO COLLEGE."

"HALLOWEEN RESSURECTION" doesn't even deserve to be spoken about. Moving on.

Now comes Zombie's "HALLOWEEN." The initial outrage was, "he's going to trying to explain evil! He can't explain evil! Michael Myers is just evil to the core!" That he is. And that he still is. Just because you show the early years of a serial killer (I guess Mike is more a mass murderer) doesn't mean you're explaining anything.

Instead of the 'burbs in the Carpenter's original movie, Zombie places Michael in White Trash America. His mother, in a very fine performance by the director's wife, Sherri Moon Zombie, is a stripper who also loves her kids. Especially Michael who wears homemade masks most of the time. Michael is abused by his mother's drunken lout of a boyfriend, terrorized at school, and his sister is a 'ho.

What is interesting, while all of this had probably been taking place long before we entered the movie, our first encounter with Michael killing a pet mouse with a scalpel.

This scene says it all - a point missed by everyone who hates this movie. The drunken lout of a stepfather, the bullies at school, the promiscuous sister only seem, on the surface, like the usual trappings for a kid to grow up to be a serial killer or mass murderer, but we don't see that first. We see Michael killing a rat.

He has been a monster from square one. He wasn't a product of his environment. It only served as spring training.

Young Michael is sent to a sanitarium and is more talkative with Dr. Loomis than he was at home. You get the sense this is the only father figure Michael has had since his real father died, if he's had any father figure at all. When Michael finally realizes Dr. Loomis is just doing his job, getting paid either way, and goes home at the end of the day while Michael is going to be there for the rest of his life, Michael shuts down.

And does a lot of push-ups in his room.

Eventually, gloryhound Dr. Loomis leaves to write his tell-all book and hit the publicity circuit. Obviously, he planned on cutting Michael out of his percentage of the royalties and told him, because Michael breaks out after killing forty-five people with his bare hands.

The last hour is the Cliff Notes of the original "HALLOWEEN", and this is where Rob goes wrong. By referencing moments in the original, even if to add a twist, just brings John Carpenter to mind. If Rob had stayed the course, completely reinventing Laurie Strode and Haddonfield from the ground up, like he did for the first ninety minutes of the movie, he would've had a very good horror film.

What Rob does right he does very right. Michael Myers, in the original, was The Shape - evil incarnate. Like John Ryder in the original "THE HITCHER," is he a man or a phantom? The Boogeyman. The "inhuman" killing machine.

Zombie's Michael Myers is a human inhuman killing machine.

This isn't your part 5-8 Michael Myers. He's not killing for the camera. He's going through drywall, tearing through wooden railing, killing brutally- strangulations, stabbings - because that is what he is. "You keep referring to him as 'it," someone tells Dr. Loomis in the original. "This is not a man," Loomis responds. In the original, Myers was a spectre, not a man. In this one, Michael is a not a man; he's a deranged animal.

This also isn't Michael Myers "HALLOWEEN," "2," and "4." There were complaints that Michael Myers is supposed to be stealthy, like a phantom; not a brutalizing battering ram. My response, you have three movies where he's like a ghost. Can we have one where he's something else?

All in all, a flawed effort, stopping short when it should've went all the way with the re-imagining, but it's the best "HALLOWEEN" since "4."

French Horror Movies

Each decade has a horror brand that influences other horror films of the time and in the future: Italian horror in the 60's and 70's lead to the American slasher films of the 80's. American grindhouse/drive-in movies of the 70's lead to the indie exploitation and "torture porn" (I prefer "gore-nography") films today. The last fad-slash-craze was Asian Horror, primarily Japanese and Korean: RINGU (remade as "THE RING"), "ONE MISSED CALL," "SHUTTER," "DARK WATER," and "THE EYE." The best J-horror flick was also the best remake, "JU ON" and "THE GRUDGE" respectively. The second best J-horror movie, "TALE OF TWO SISTERS," was remade very well as "THE UNINVITED. The third best, "PULSE," had a remake of its own which should've been re-titled "THEY 2." (The fourth best J-horror flick, "SUICIDE CLUB," was never remade, which isn't surprising as most Asian Horror movies are usually the same - first half of the movie, great; second half, "huh?")

Now comes a new trend, French Horror, but I don't see Hollywood remaking any of these ultraviolent and terminally bleak movies. My first French Horror movie (naming it would give it too much credit) was one of the most overhyped and overrated horror movies I've seen. Shamelessly stealing from the classic Dean Koontz novel Intensity, this wasn't a movie as much as it was an exercise in horror movie mechanics.

Unlike Asian Horror, which wasn't always successful but never uninteresting, I wasn't rushing to see my next French Horror movie. Then, I saw the spooky ghost story, "SAINT ANGE." What came after are four of the best horror films in the past twenty years:

"ILS" (THEM) is creepy and psychologically claustrophobic - a home invasion movie by invaders who are seen as just shadows in the hallway, sounds in the other room, blurs outside. "ILS" is a great companion piece to the underrated "THE STRANGERS," both harrowing home invasion flicks, for different reasons.

"INSIDE" is one of the most gruesome movies ever made. Also a home invasion flick,
"INSIDE," unlike "ILS," is not implied and understated. It is unrelentingly violent, one of the bloodiest movies I've seen. It's also the best horror movie since "THE DESCENT," and one of the best slasher movies.

"FRONTIER(S)" is the French's answer to the America's horror subgenre of locals, usually hillbillies, terrorizing unsuspecting visitors or people "just passing through." Here, the sadistic family is lead by a deranged, creepy grandfather, who's a former Nazi war criminal. Taking more than a few cues from "THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE," "FRONTIER(S)" is intensely suspenseful and gory. The skincrawling twist of a Nazi war criminal leading the clan is brilliant.

"MARTYRS" is haunting, harrowing and ultimately jaw-dropping with its final revelation. It's the most intellectual, in its ideas, of the four, and the most disturbing when its overall purpose is stated.

I've since seen "SHEITAN," which I despised. And I've yet to see "CAVALAIRE." Others are in the pipeline.

While I don't particularly like the unrelenting nihilism of French horror flicks - these movie are as pessimistic and bleak as it gets - I appreciate the fearlessness of the filmmakers and their willingness to try to truly frighten and disturb you.

"THE DARK KNIGHT," "INSIDE" And Smoking The Big Cigar Of Life

The parents are on vacation this week, so I'm shuttling out and back housesitting. I'm taking full advantage of Dad's top-of-the-line plasma TV and Blu-Ray DVD player with two of my favorite films of the past few years - "THE DARK KNIGHT," and the wonderful French gorefest "INSIDE" - and the swimming pool. I'm very blessed. God is great, life is good, and I'm smoking that big, fat cigar of life, enjoying every minute of it.

R.I.P. John Hughes

He may not ever be canonized like Hitchcock or Scorsese as one of the greatest directors of all time, but John Hughes achieved what all legends do - an imitable style. "SIXTEEN CANDLES" and "FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF" are two of the best films of the 80's, and two of my favorite comedies. The John Hughes-penned "PRETTY IN PINK" is also one of the best 80's films, but is often overlooked. (Honestly, I admire "THE BREAKFAST CLUB" more than I like it.) Not to mention, writing "NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION," another top-ten 80's comedy classic. And many of his other written or produced films are in regular rotation on TBS. The list goes on.

Sadly, John Hughes' most popular film is the waking nightmare that is "HOME ALONE." For true film fans, however, he's best known for his wildy popular 80's teen movies. Not only was Mr. Hughes able to find the universal comic absurdity of everyone's teenage years, but also its heart, treating it all with warmth and respect. Whether his teen characters were idealized fantasies or painfully realistic, everyone was relatable. That's no small feat and no one has duplicated it since.

God Bless You Mr. Hughes.

Jackson Browne

I caught Jackson Browne in Atlanta last Thursday evening. I grew up listening to Jackson Browne, so it was quite special seeing an artist who's been part of my life all of my life finally perform live. It was a fantastic show. Vocally and instrumentally, he was spot-on. I loved that his backing band was scaled down and not loaded down with four guitar players, two keyboard player, a percussion guy along with the drummer, etc. It was just a basic set up, which let Jackson Browne, ever the consumate professional, shine. He played his hits, some new stuff. My lone complaint of an otherwise satisfying show - no "These Days."

Kidnapping Horror Thrillers And Katie Stuart

Before the first "SAW" film was released in 2004, my kidnapping horror thriller (I don't use titles because I don't want them stolen. They're my titles. Get your own) was making the rounds around town, and was generally well received. However, after "SAW" hit, and depressingly became a hit, my screenplay was suddenly and roundly dismissed as "that 'SAW' knock off." Though my screenplay had elements of what would come to be known as "torture porn," it had a smart, plucky heroine, and an overall interest in thrilling the audience, not disgusting them with various forms of torture. (Watching "SAW" is a form of torture all its own for how amateur-hour it was. But, before you start yelling "SOUR GRAPES!" at me - I really liked James Wan's "DEAD SILENCE.")

My kidnapping horror thriller (or, "KHT" from now on) was deemed to similar to "SAW," and too soon to be used to cash in on its success. So, like a little piece of my soul while watching "SAW," it died.

Flash forward to 2007, I dust off "KHT," and my steadfast manager sends a copy to the terrific Katie Stuart, of whom I'm a big fan. (I think SAW 34 was released during this year, too.) Katie loved it. Lanny loved that Katie loved it. Long story short, we get close to getting it made with "Stu" but it doesn't materializes, once again killing my script. (During this time, Katie and I strike up a brief e-friendship. A very nice, smart and talented gal.)

Last week, a new ending to "KHT" randomly occurrs to me that's the ending the script should've had all along. This week I'm going to change it and send it back out. Maybe this is why it hasn't sold - it's had the wrong ending. I'm hopeful the ending of all of this is Katie doing the movie, and it becomes a classic in the genre. (Meanwhile, "SAW 318" will be opening this fall.)

HENRY: Portrait Of Finishing A Small Town Dramedy

I've decided to take August and finish out the small town dramedy. I like to write to certain seasons: horror movies and dark thrillers are great to work on during winter; breezy comedies and action films during spring and summer; romantic comedies during fall. Since this screenplay is set in spring/early summer, August is a great month to go ahead and put this baby to bed.

The script is 124 pages long. Each week my writing days each are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. (Friday through Sunday is work. Monday is recovering from work.) So, three writing days per week, multiplied by four weeks in August. That's twelve writing days for the month, divided by 124 pages. That's about ten pages per writing day, or thirty pages a week.

I'm doing something extra-sneaky...I mean, "smart." I'm printing out the thirty pages for that week and taking them to work, polishing/rewriting them on my breaks. This amounts to an extra pass over the screenplay, on top of the "official" polish/rewrite I'm doing on my "official" writing days. It's like having two polish/pass/rewrites in one. I know, it's a stellar plan. I'm impressed myself.

But, that's tomorrow. Tonight, I'm grilling fish and watching one of my favorite horror movies - a recently-bought copy of the 2-disc special edition of HENRY PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER. This movie is utterly disturbing. In 1985, a couple of indie producers in Chicago wanted to cash in on the HALLOWEEN/FRIDAY THE 13TH popcorn horror movie craze, so they hired director John McNaughton to deliver one. Instead, he made real-life horror movie - a cold, brutal, unflinching look at the life of a serial killer. This movie is as unsettling as it gets, with an the ending that punches you in the stomach. There's also a making-of documentary. Can't wait. After, I'll need watch dvr-ed How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory to balance out the evening.

Small Town Dramedy Completed

Well, it's finished. It's time to stick it on the backburner and move onto something else. (I'll come back and finish it out later.) My thoughts: Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston would be adorable together in this. The script still needs fleshing out, fine tuning and amping up. But, what I have is a very sweet-natured, good-hearted slice-of-life that ended up tilting more towards the comedy than the drama. I may even decide to go ahead and finish it out in August, having it ready for September. Overall, I like the end result. I think the final product will be what I set out to achieve - a sweethearted confection of a human comedy.

Almost Done

I finish the draft of the small town dramatic comedy tomorrow. (This month has flown by. It seems like I started this rewrite only twenty-nine days ago.) Tonight, it's Manwich, beer and DEATH WISH and the original THE HILLS HAVE EYES. I picked up a used copy of Whiskeytown's Pneumonia last night. I've really liked the CD, just never bought it. Per usual, I put it in as I made said Manwich. More tomorrow...

Shawn Colvin & The Small Town Dramatic Comedy

I have write to music. It makes the act of screenwriting more cinematic. (Plus, I'm a music fanatic and I have an excuse to listen to music.) For dramatic comedies, I write to artists, whereas horror and action I use soundtracks from other movies in that particular genre. (Did I use "whereas" right? I think so. I never get to use "heretofore," or "wherewithal." Or "henceforth.")

Anyway, last year, the first draft of the small town dramatic comedy was written to a Rhapsody playlist of Kathleen Edwards and The Jayhawks. These choices never felt quite right but they served the purpose. I started the rewrite using the same list but quickly decided I needed to find the artist(s) that fit this world.

After a strenuous search on Rhapsody (okay, ten minutes), I decide Shawn Colvin best captured the spirit of this screenplay.

I like Colvin. I have her Steady On CD on its own playlist (for cooking supper when I want to listen to it.) I have Fat City and A Few Small Repairs, along with some Jonatha Brooke on the screenplay playlist, and it's the perfect accompaniment for a breezy, whimsical story.

HK/American Crime Thriller: A Lead

My admirable and patient manager has a contact in a Chinese company looking for action/crime thrillers. Their American pointman is now reading my HK Triad crime thriller/by way of Michael Mann (see previous HK/American Crime Thriller posts if you have no idea what I'm talking about. I'll wait...humming to myself... Caught up? Good.) If he likes it I have to submit a 500 word synopsis broken into three acts to the Chinese company, as that's how they conduct business. If they like that they will read the script. Maybe all of this will end with me working with Johnnie To or Ringo Lam.

Updates & The Police

I love The Police's debut CD, Outlandos D'Amour. What a fabulous record. I dig their other stuff, but this is their most complete work. It's the perfect mix of rock, reggae and Brit New Wave.

The small town dramatic comedy is rolling along as scheduled, page 61. (I'm actually a page ahead, despite leaving early last Wednesday for the Aerosmith/ZZ Top.) It's still frothy and cute; right now tilting more toward comedy than drama. I'm seeing Kelly Preston and Kurt Russell in my head as I write this. I think they'd make a terrific pairing as they are providing the model for the characters.

Aerosmith/ZZ Top In The Atl

I caught the Aerosmith/ZZ Top show in Atlanta last Wednesday night. ZZ Top, seasoned like Tex-Mex chili, cooked. Aerosmith, America's hard rock answer to The Stones, swaggered. These bands are legends for a reason.

It was hot - upper 90's around showtime. That might've contributed to ZZ Top playing only an hour. Aerosmith only went 90 minutes, but Steven Tyler tore his hamstring a couple of weeks ago, forcing the band to postpone or cancel its next six shows. (Not to mention the other band ailments.) Atlanta was their first show back, and despite Steven not being at full speed, moving very slowly and deliberately on stage, I feel very blessed.

Despite the obstacles, it was a very good night of American rock.

Hump Day

After my...adventurous...day yesterday, I decided to treat myself to some Dunkin' Donuts this morning as I worked on my script. ("Mmmm...Dunkin' Donuts.") I'm on page 21, and on schedule, of my small town dramedy, and I'm really digging it. It's breezy, funny, and very light on its feet. A bakery figures prominently into the story, and that perfectly sums up the feeling of this script - a sweet confection.

Last night turned out to be a bust on the viewing - O'Reilly had an uninteresting line up, and Melinda and Melinda was full screen on IFC, not widescreen (luckily, I'd already seen it when it first came out on DVD.) I tried DVR-ed Teachers, the 1984 Nick Nolte teaching flick, but I couldn't concentrate. Companies passing on my scripts don't affect me in any real way. Sure, it's disappointing, but I don't huddle in a corner and rock back and forth while quietly sobbing. Or drink. I tend to go into a temporary tailspin, where I can't concentrate for that evening, bouncing from one thing to the next. Tonight will be more focused. Grilling some chicken and listening to Elton John's Madman Across The Water, one of the greatest CD's by anyone ever, as I do it. Feel like some "Corner Gas" after O'Reilly tonight.

Two Passes

The Lifetime Movie Network passed on my femme suspense thriller. Sony Home Entertainment passed on my Michael Mann/90's Hong Kong crime thriller. Disappointing, of course, but as I always say, onward and forward with optimism and hope.

How To Salvage A Bad Day

Last night, in my excitement of starting the new Dean Koontz novel Relentless before bed, I forget to set my alarm. I usually get up at 9:30. This morning it was 9:45. It's only fifteen minutes but it seemed to be an omen, as I never forget to set my alarm.

I started the re-write/polish of my small town dramedy as planned - ten pages - over breakfast (Coco Krispies and coffee.) A few hours later, seven pages into the script, I see it's approaching lunchtime, and I need to work out and do a little outdoor house stuff before I eat.

Having left my car parked in the driveway overnight, I needed to return it to the garage, so I stick my car keys in my pocket, planning to do it after I'm finished.

I work out and do my outside house chores. I walk to the driveway to move my car, so I can go in, shower, eat lunch while watching an episode of "Batman: The Animated Series. Vol II," then resume writing.

I realize that I've lost my car keys somewhere in the yard

I look. And look. And look some more. The needle in the proverbial haystack has nothing on trying to find these keys. "Needle in Canada" is a better way to put it.

By now, it's almost 3:30. I give up. Starving, I go in and eat lunch and watch my one "Batman" ep and read a chapter of the so-far-so-good-Koontz novel. I'm about to go shower, and return to the writing, when Mom calls wanting to help me find my keys. I tell her it's a lost cause. They're gone. She disagrees. She's Mom so she wins.

At 6:30 I finally get into the shower. No car keys. The day is completely gone and wasted. (I blame it on the alarm clock. Thanks alarm clock that can't set itself. A real alarm clock would.)

Being a victor and not a victim (thanks Joel Osteen for that awesome phrase), I refuse to let a bad day ruin my day. So, I'm cooking something fun to eat, listening to a CD I like while I do it, Shawn Colvin's Steady On, and watching "The O'Reilly Factor," DVR-ed Melinda and Melinda, and "How I Met Your Mother," and "The Big Bang Theory." Maybe even some "Corner Gas."

Tomorrow, I plan an Awesome Lanny Day to make up for today.

Back From The Beach

Yes, I remember that movie from the 80's. No, I've never seen it. Yes, I know it's "TO The Beach," not "FROM The Beach." No, I don't care.

I'm back from Beach Week with the family. I highly recommend the Destin/Panama City Beach area in Florida. White sands, emerald water, hazy heat - it's so choice (to quote Ferris Bueller.) However, it's now "back to life, back to reality" (to quote En Vogue. How do I remember that? Same reason why I remember "BACK TO THE BEACH," I guess.)

Anyhow, I plan to blog a lot more, even if it's short - and if there's only three people out of the five billion on this planet actually reading this. And, as usual, I have another script cooking...

Small Town Dramatic Comedy/"Corner Gas" plug

Last year I completed a draft of a small town "dramedy" (that's "dramatic comedy" for all you non-pretentious, normal people.) Like most scripts, you complete a first draft then put it on the backburner to simmer as you go work on other things. (For me, this "simmering" sometimes can be a year or more.) Since this breezy script takes place in spring, I decided to complete it now, being it's summer. (Both seasons are warm. That's where I'm going with this.)

Over the past year and a half I've become a big fan of "Corner Gas." It's apparently the most popular Canadian TV series of all time. (It airs here on WGN America in the middle of the night during the week.) "Corner Gas" is "Seinfeld" set in the smallest of Canadian small town. If "Seinfeld" was The Show About Nothing, "Corner Gas" is about even less. (The "Seinfeld" similarities end there. The show itself bears no other resembalance to the greatest sitcom of all time.)

I love "Corner Gas" because it's normal, everyday people dealing with normal, ordinary things. Like "Seinfeld," (and "Curb Your Enthusiasm"), it's finding comedy in the minor details of life. What does all of this have to do with my small town dramatic comedy? That was my aim last year.

Game plan: 10 pages a day for my 3 writing days a week (Tuesday-Thursday) from July 7-30. That's 12 total writing days in July, 10 pages a pop, equaling 120 pages (first draft ran 118 pages; close enough.) Mondays and Saturdays as optional catch-up/get ahead days.

Time to roll up the sleeves and see what we have...

"PUBLIC ENEMIES"

The movie I've been waiting to see all year is FINALLY here...well, a week away. One of my favorite directors of all time, Michael Mann. One of the best actors of all time, Johnny Depp. And Christian Bale, who's excellent. Can't wait.

Mann got to make his "Miami Vice" TV series movie, the underrated "MIAMI VICE." Now, he's made his (unofficial) "Crime Story" movie - the short-lived but stylish TV show he executive produced in the 80's.

July 1st, man.

UPDATE: Very good film. Almost a great film. Like with "MIAMI VICE," this may have been trimmed for time, and the added material will improve upon the theatrical cut.

HK/American Crime Thriller: The Final Chapter

I am done. Fini. Over. Finished.

My 90's Hong Kong crime thriller, by way of Michael Mann, is completed. It's off to my manager and I'm off to the beach until next week, and then it's back to the keyboard for my next script.

HK/American Crime Thriller Part III

(Gotta give props to the best pure action movie ever made.)

I didn't get to make as much of a dent in the script at work as I had originally planned, putting me somewhat behind. However, obstacles just make accomplishing a given goal that much sweeter. And I will finish this script by Friday morning.

I've divided the screenplay into four 27 page blocks, putting the final page count at 107-109. I was able to polish around 40 pages at work. That took care of the 27 pages of today (Monday) and about half tomorrow. Wednesday and Thursday, however, I'll have to go a lot slower, having to account for the "at-work" polish that didn't complete, plus this final polish.

Everything is on schedule. What I find ironic, though, is despite this pressure-cooker deadline (that I've imposed on myself), I actually feel a lot looser and more free than my normal writing schedule. Yes, this is like having the house already built and you're just doing touch-ups inside and out, as opposed having to do wholesale changes in the story, but I feel zero stress and I'm actually having a ball. I guess it's because I'm allowing myself mucho-food and DVD rewards this week. Also, it may because this is the script that's supposed to sell and the good Lord is providing me with the needed muse. We shall see...

HK/American Crime Thriller Part II

This week I'll be on my Desert Island. That means phones off, door locked, shades pulled, a plentiful supply of good food and beverage, and nose-to-the-grindstone, pedal-to-the-metal, rock-'til-you-drop writing.

On Friday, my manager contacted me about a company looking for low budget action thrillers in the vein of "TAKEN," "DEATH WISH," etc. I'm actually polishing a script right now - my Michael Mann meets 90's HK Triad potboiler action thriller - that's exactly what they're looking for. Problem is, I'm still polishing it, and I leave for the beach next Sunday.

That means I have until Thursday evening to complete this script.

I got to page 85 (of 107 pages) of the polish last Thursday. That leaves me 22 pages of the original polish, plus starting from the beginning and doing a final pass.

I printed out a copy for work, hoping to knock out a fair amount on my breaks before my actual writing days, Monday through Thursday. Since this isn't rewriting, only polishing, I can just concentrate on making what I have better and not have to worry about changing whole story elements.

I'll break it all up with rewards: "Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 3" and "Batman: The Animated Series Vol. 2" DVD's, DVR-ed "Corner Gas," and Netflix.

No guts, no glory. No pain, no gain. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Away we go...

"NOTHING TO FEAR"

My femme suspense thriller is currently on the desk of the fine creative executives at the Lifetime Movie Network. For a guy in his mid-30's, I generally enjoy Lifetime cable movies (more of the suspense thrillers.) These are usually Canadian productions with an American lead. Sometimes all Canadian. I've been a big fan of Kristin Lehman for quite awhile. (She and Johnny Messner were remarkable on the short-lived TV show "Killer Instinct.") I'd love to see her in the cast. Prayers, fingers crossed. "NOTHING TO FEAR" is tailor-made for LMN.