There's an agreeable slouchy quality to the southern-fried caper movie, LOGAN LUCKY. The actors all drawl (it's set in and around Georgia) and the money-laden target is Formula One. It feels somewhat like it was written and directed for a lark -- and the huge reason for that could be that Stephen Soderbergh announced he was retired from Hollywood a ( Read more... )

Ahhh, Taika Waititi. He's so askew and charming! Yes, his stuff is indie and low budget, filled with eccentric characters. But he's basing them on real New Zealanders like himself. He's half-Maori and half-Jewish (which explains his other performing name, Taika Cohen; Taika is Maori for Tiger). He co-wrote, directed and acted in (he was the kind- ( Read more... )

I watched the SHERLOCK Special on PBS again tonight. I'm going to critique Mark Gatiss writing, so don't read unless you're okay about SPOILERS.

( Read more... )

( Read more... )

( Read more... )

The 2nd movie in Peter Jackson's Hobbit series is THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG. Those gnarly dwarves with their younger (so somewhat more impetuous) wizard manager Gandalf the Gray come to the mountain where the stolen dwarven gold has been locked away by the ancient evil dragon Smaug. Now is the time when the small hobbit thief Bilbo is meant to earn ( Read more... )

( Read more... )

Tomorrow it will be 2 weeks since Orca joined the Wheeler Hyde Park household!

( Read more... )

I like dark comedies A LOT. Comedies about emotionally retarded men being hedonistic and irresponsible, not so much. THIS IS THE END was co-written by two of Hollywood's Judd Appatow associates, Seth Rogen (who stars in it, as himself) and Evan Goldberg. These are the two Canadian writer-friends (since childhood) behind such movies as SUPERBAD ( ( Read more... )

I was a writer on the team "Project X" that made an entry into Austin's 48 HR Film Project last weekend. The good part was having a challenge (see below) and actually writing a short script based on group brainstorming in just 2-3 hours. And also, supporting my buddy Ceasar as he gets back into film making. He got months of training at the NY Film ( Read more... )