Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Sideways and Tootsie



After putting these movies off for awhile, I finally sat down and watched them! I started with Sideways, a comedy about two guys who go off on a wine tasting adventure during the week before one of them gets married. When the movie first started, I wasn't sure what to think of it. Here are two guys whom I didn't really like much. One stole money from his mother while visiting her for her birthday. The other was determined to sleep around as much as he could before getting married. But after the movie got going, I really started to like it. There were some really funny moments, and some things I did not see coming. I began to sympathize with the one character (Paul Giamatti's Miles), and while I never got over his sleaziness, Thomas Haden Church's Jack was hilarious! I'm not sure what I think about the ending, but I really enjoyed Sideways overall.


Tootsie was also pretty good. Dustin Hoffman plays Michael Dorsey, an actor who cannot find work so he takes a job as an actress. His career as Dorothy Michaels takes off and he finds himself attracting the attention of several men. He also finds himself falling in love with Julie, another actress who works on the same show as Dorothy. Hilarity ensues as Michael tries to show Julie he loves her while fending off the unwanted advances from a male co-star and Julie's father.
So I have now seen all five movies that Gotham Writers' Workshop's Writing Movies book deals with. I'd like to re-watch The Shawshank Redemption and probably Die Hard) but even if I don't get to them right away I'll be able to get caught up reading the book (I'm about three chapters behind right now)!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Screenwriting!


This summer, I am taking a screenwriting course from Gotham Writers' Workshop. I have just finished up the third week of ten and I'm really enjoying it. I've got the beginnings of a screen play coming together and I like learning about an area of writing which I have never dealt with.

To help with the course, I purchased Gotham's book Writing Movies: the Practical Guide to Creating Stellar Screenplays. Writing Movies deals mainly with five movies: Die Hard, the Shawshank Redemption, Thelma and Louise, Tootsie and Sideways. I've seen the first two movies in the past, but had never seen the latter three. I watched Thelma and Louise on Saturday, but have put off watching Tootsie and Sideways for the last week. So tonight, with nothing to do tomorrow afternoon, I'm going to watch both of them!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!


Crystal King
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris
I got a Power Miners Crystal King for my birthday!!!!! This weekend has been a lot of fun - I hung out with friends and family and just generally had a great time. Thanks everyone!!!!!