As Avatar moves closer to breaking Titantic’s number one place in box office history, controversy has raged in the press and elsewhere about the film, about what James Cameron was trying to say, about the supposed underlying political, social or moral agendas at work in the film and generally about what the film means and why it is so popular. Here are some interesting links.
Continue readingTrapped as an Enduring Film Theme
Dr. Howard Suber, author of The Power of Film, says that the majority of all great films could be titled “Trapped.” Here he talks on a panel at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum about the enduring interest in Holocaust films, illustrating that theme
Continue readingThe Limits of Imagination
Their challenge as leaders is to step forward decisively and make the hard potentially divisive decision on their own.
Continue readingBiggest Sleeper Hits of the Decade
Here’s a list of the biggest sleeper hits of the last ten years. What patterns do we see? Only two could be classified as drama, and both feature foreign locales and are about foreign nationals. Two are documentaries (one is a comedic practical joke video). Four are comedies. And two are horror films.
Continue readingNancy Meyers – It’s Complicated
PART AND PARCEL of her uniqueness is Nancy Meyers’s focus on making films that both feature and speak to middle-aged women, a demographic that studios traditionally ignore.
Continue readingInvictus – Power of Conscience
The excellent film, Invictus, starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela is a great study in Power of Conscience leadership.
Continue reading2009 Spec Script Figures
For those of you figuring the odds of making a spec script sale (or trying to allocate your time toward what would be most productive in your career)— here is an unscientific wrap-up of the market from Jason Scoggins, a partner at the literary management and production company Protocol.
Continue readingTarantino’s Top 2009 Movie Picks
Quinten Tarantino, leaving his film Inglourious Basterds out of the mix, lists his favorite films of 2009. Not necessarily my choices but interesting never the less.
Continue readingOther Internet Success Storied
#ThinkpieceThursday – Studios are increasingly out of the loop when it comes to discovering new talent.
Continue readingMake a Plan
Managing our time needs to become a ritual too. Not simply a list or a vague sense of our priorities. That’s not consistent or deliberate. It needs to be an ongoing process we follow no matter what to keep us focused on our priorities throughout the day.
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