My DIY film/writing school

Back from the unexpected

Unexpected long weekend - from blogging, at least.

I had a real lull in productivity, where I spent many hours wishing I was asleep, but paradoxically not getting enough sleep.

It was awful.

However, I think I'm back. Got the printout of my first draft and went through it with a red pen making changes.

It's what I started to do a while back, but this time it's different. It's like now I have a clearer "birds-eye-view" of the story, and what it needs.

That's probably helped by the romantic comedies I've been watching lately: Wedding Crashers, Grosse Pointe Blank, and just yesterday, Coming to America.

I've already opined on Wedding Crashers - a very funny film.

Grosse Pointe Blank was brilliant, absolutely brilliant, and I can't understand why Tom Jankiewicz hasn't written anything else. There were some hilarious lines in that film, as well as some great improv from the cast. Obviously the main cast were great, but so was Jeremy Piven (who I've never heard of) and Alan Arkin as the doctor.

Coming to America has some hilarious lines, but somehow they come across funnier in writing than on screen. It seemed a bit sluggish several times throughout. But the overall thing is funny. Eddie Murphy is always somewhat funny, and often hilarious. But I couldn't help thinking it was a film for its time, and is not as funny now as it was in 1988. Maybe it's just me.

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Of note:

• "Writing as always is a revelation, even to yourself, as you write." The words of Screenwriter Bones' latest post.
• "There’s no systematic effort to keep newcomers out of Hollywood." John August.
  

posted by Simon @ 12:10 pm