-
In the Spotlight
8 Screenwriting and Hollywood Secrets About Me
by Jaden
The Deep Friar gave me this bloggy-wog tag to write 8 random things about me. I don’t know how to do this without embarrassing myself, so here it goes…
1) I wrote a script called The Sixth Sense a few years before M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense hit the theaters. Mine will remain unregistered and in the closet forever. Dark little bad script, you stay there, and don’t ever come out!
2) When I was 19, I wrote Nick Cage a letter inviting him to hang out with me. A mutual acquaintance gave it to him. ***Silence*** Good gawwwwd! Did Nick miss out or what?!
3) I dream in feature length movies, which is one reason I chose to study film.
4) I have a published writer in the family.
5) I have not met Charlie Kaufman, but I met his twin brother.
6) With my rolling suitcase bouncing over cobblestones, I squeezed by John Malkovich and his lovely family on a tiny sidewalk in the rainbow neighborhood of Paris last summer. For a moment, I thought I had gone to the half floor. Only after checking out young Mr. Malkovich Junior (quite a good looking kid), did I notice his famous pop! Bad girl! Somebody spank me; I could be Junior M’s mother! The mom, by the way, is super sexy and was rattling off in French. All of this was happening in front of a gay bondage store with a bunch of black leather, whips, and handcuffs in the window. Gawd, I love Paris.
7) My favorite Hollywood mansion belongs to a screenwriter. It has a bar, disco floor, movie theater, a gazillion rooms, 3 levels, 3 wings, 2 level guest house with a cat that uses the toilet, a salt water pool, the best Halloween parties ever, several movies have been shot there, and to all of our chagrin, the biggest conman in Hollywood set up camp there for several months.
8) The only time I ever wished I was a smoker was when Benicio Del Toro asked me for a cigarette at the Sin City premiere. In smoker talk, asking me for a cigarette means he thinks I’m hot, right? Dang, I blew it!
WHO IS NEXT?
The rules (according to Brett’s blog!):
- Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
- People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
- At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people (or 2!) and include their names.
- Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’ve been tagged, and to read your blog.
..{Finger Shush 
photo credit: misscelophane }
Most Famous PG Underwear Scenes in Cinema
by Jaden
A few of my writer contemporaries wrote posts recently that related their website’s topic to underwear. I couldn’t resist but to join in the fun.
Here is my countdown of the most famous *PG-esque sexless underwear scenes of the last four decades.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Never have granny-panties looked so good as on Scarlett Johansson in the opening scene of Lost in Translation, written and directed by Sofia Coppola.
The scene is written like this:
INT. CHARLOTTE’S ROOM - NIGHT
The back of a GIRL in pink underwear, she leans at a big window, looking out over Tokyo.
CUT TO:
Melodramatic music swells over the Girl’s butt in pink sheer
underwear as she lies on the bed.
TITLE CARDS OVER IMAGE.
Sixteen Candles (1984)
Written and directed by John Hughes, Molly Ringwald plays a teen girl named Samantha who gives her panties to the high school geek in exchange for information about the boy she likes, Jake.
Played by Anthony Michael Hall, Farmer Ted the geek tells Jake about Samantha, “I mean, not many girls in contemporary American society today would give their underwear to help a geek like me.”
Like Lost in Translation, these are not the sexiest panties, but the scenes written around these underwear are priceless!
Samantha’s best friend tells her, “Last night at the dance, my little brother paid a buck to see your underwear.” Samantha screams.
Risky Business (1983)
By far one of the most famous non-sexual underwear scenes is Tom Cruise dancing in his tighty-whities, singing to Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock ‘n Roll,” just after his parents leave him alone in the house.
Written and directed by Paul Brickman, I think this scene is so famous because it is something to which we can all relate. It is that embarrassing performance that most of us would never do in front of anyone else. It is that private moment alone in your underwear using some inanimate object as a microphone as you sing at the top of your lungs to your phantom audience. Come on, you know you have done it. Tom Cruise goes over the top in this scene, it was sort of the precursor to Oprah’s couch, and we love him dearly for it.
Alien (1979)
Writers Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett didn’t specifically write in the script what Ripley was or was not wearing, but director Ridley Scott made a fine choice dressing tough and sexy actress Sigourney Weaver in white cottons. Again, as with the other three movies, these are not the sexiest underwear and the scene has nothing to do with sex, but the way the underwear are worn and the way the scene is shot, makes for a lasting impression.
What is your favorite PG-esque underwear scene in cinema?
You may see Melissa’s brilliant panty twist on writing at Writing Forward in her article called Briefs are Not Just Underwear. Melissa was inspired by Brett Legree from 6 Weeks who wrote about why blogging for profit is like collecting underpants.
*PG-esque: Some of these movies are R-rated, but none of these underwear scenes are sexual.
Spank David Lynch, That Naughty Boy
by Jaden
On my site, I focus on teaching people the basic rules of screenwriting for Hollywood so that people have a chance to make a sale.
In my heart is another thing: creative freedom.
David Lynch is one of my top five favorite filmmakers and by far the most unruly of the bunch. Who else breaks all the rules of screenwriting better than David Lynch? Due to his screenwriting delinquency, Lynch does not have pop appeal. Most people I know (outside of Hollywood), walk out of his movies saying, “I didn’t get it.”
Despite confusing the average Joe, Lynch has a large dedicated following, oodles of respect, and some of the coolest weirdest films ever made: Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, Twin Peaks, Crumb, and Wild at Heart.
I praise Lynch’s selection of unique actors and lifelong commitment to them: Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, Isabella Rossellini, Kyle Maclachlan, and others.
Not too long ago, Lynch launched a bizarre website with odd things for sale like coffee (yum), coffee cups, ringtones, posters, and a few films.
One special item for sale on David Lynch’s site is the DVD “I Don’t Know Jack,” which is a documentary about Jack Nance the actor in Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Twin Peaks, Lost Highway, Blue Velvet, and Wild at Heart,
who died from a head injury shortly after a brawl at Winchell’s donut shop.
Also, you will find on his site, the David Lynch Foundation that teaches transcendental meditation to troubled youth.
Poke around on the David Lynch site, see what you find.
Mother of Marfa! A Film Festival
by Jaden
Marfa, Texas rose over the horizon into my view when my unconventional 
brother and his herd of exceptionally talented artist friends migrated there from San Francisco, California.
What everyone wonders is: Why on earth would you move out to Texas and why are you talking with a reversed-lisp? (Marfa is spelled with f and not th; it takes a long time to accept this.)
Marfa is said to be a microcosm of Manhattan in the way that 10% of the 2,000 town folk are art enthusiasts who open galleries, create art installations, and host performances.
Oscar winning films shot in Marfa are: There Will Be Blood (2007), No Country for Old Men (2007), and Giant (1956), a fantastic film starring James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson.
Do you love actors like Dennis Hopper and Daniel Day-Lewis? If so, go to marfafilmfestival.org to learn more about the Marfa Film Festival that gallops May 1 - 5, 2008 in Texas. If you are spontaneous and have some extra rope, jump on a plane and rent a horse to get yourself out to Marfa for a wild and weird filmophile adventure.
Screenings in the corral are: There Will Be Blood On the Set, Night of the Hunter, True Stories by David Byrne (from Talking Heads), plus 40 other feature, short and experimental films.
While you are out there, check out the Marfa Lights at night, it is some kind of alien-science-military-astronomical-electro-thermal-automobile-mountain-quartz mystery.
Chapter 27 Murders John Lennon Again
by Jaden
The internal life of a famous murderer is an interesting high concept screenplay that is usually an easy sell, 
but for some reason, Chapter 27 is not appealing to the critics. The reviewing public (possibly Internet users born after 1980 who do not comprehend the importance of John Lennon or for what he stood) seem to like the film.
Why kill? Why kill a peace preaching person who is adored by the world over? It is the burning question we all want to know and why we would go to see a movie like this. Does this movie answer that question? A little bit.
There are many conspiracy theories and endless explanations for John Lennon’s death. He was one of the strongest voices for peace of all time who was globally in conflict with politicians and religious leaders. Many see Lennon’s death as the end of a major movement towards peace.
Chapter 27 is about Mark David Chapman who went to New York, stalked, and killed John Lennon of The Beatles. This story takes the angle that Chapman’s mentality floated somewhere between mental illness and religious zealousness.
Not mentioned in Chapter 27 is why would a Christian hate the peace-loving Beatle?
On March 4, 1966, Lennon said to the London Evening Standard, “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I do not know what will go first, rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. We’re more popular than Jesus now. Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary.”
Did the young 25-year old religiously-turmoiled killer Mark David Chapman know about this statement in 1980? I don’t think Chapman was even a Christian yet when Lennon made that comment.
Chapman was obsessed with J.D. Salinger’s outstanding book Catcher in the Rye wherein the narrator goes on about how “phony” everyone is. According to Chapter 27, Chapman decided that Lennon was a wealthy phony and should therefore be killed.
Relating the ever-inspiring Catcher in the Rye to this sicko is not something I enjoy having in my brain file. According to Leto, for rights reason, they were unable to use much of what was written in the screenplay that tied the murderer’s actions and thoughts to the Salinger novel. Thank heavens for that! I’m already traumatized.
Whereas I thought the title Chapter 27 was a reference to law and murder, researching the matter, I discovered otherwise. Catcher in the Rye has 26 chapters, so supposedly Chapman was writing the 27th chapter with John Lennon’s death. Also, John Lennon is said to have been into numerology and multiples of 9. Lennon and his son were born on the 9th and he wrote a few songs with the number 9 in the titles. His first home address was 9 Newcastle Road. Lennon was murdered in the evening of December 8th in New York on what would be the 9th in his English homeland. (27 is 3 times 9, in case you didn’t do the math on that one.)
Author Robert Rosen wrote a book called Nowhere Man: The Final Days of John Lennon that elaborates on the numerology. Rosen states that the movie’s title “comes from the section of the book called The Coda, which includes Chapter 27. The producers claim to have based their story on the Chapman bio Let Me Take You Down, by Jack Jones. The problem with the Jones book, however, is that it doesn’t explain how 27 numerologically connects Chapman and Lennon. As has been reported in Mojo magazine (and various other publications), only Nowhere Man fully explains what Chapter 27 means.” The Coda section, Rosen explains,”is based on original research, including interviews with people who’d interacted with Chapman outside the Dakota. I also attended Chapman’s court hearings, but I did not interview him.”
Before Chapter 27 was made, a British version of the film called The Killing of John Lennon came out by writer/director Andrew Piddington, based on official court transcripts, journals, depositions, and interviews with Chapman himself. On a small budget, Piddington’s film faired a little better with the critics than Chapter 27, but it was still met with mixed reviews. Piddington welcomed the “controversy, adverse criticism, and scorn.”
Watching these kinds of movies about real killers makes me a bit uneasy because I don’t want to be part of the machine that glorifies and encourages freaks. Oh yay, you shot someone, wow, you are really f’n special. Way to make a name for yourself.
Here’s the clincher that really chaps my hide. Not only does this murderer of one of the greatest most beautiful musicians of all time get to live, but Chapman is also currently eligible for parole! Ain’t that a kicker? And who has been paying for this guy to live in prison for the last 28 years? Us! The American taxpayers. Chapman probably costs us about $4,000 a month; more than we spend on ourselves! I don’t get it.
With so many important issues to discuss, the hour long interview I attended with Jared Leto (where I was clearly not the one asking questions) only focused on the actor’s weight gain for the movie.
In two months, Leto gained 67 pounds for the role and required a wheelchair because he was so out of sorts and had troubles walking. To gain the weight, he said he stuffed his face with fast food constantly. On the Internet are reports that he drank pints of melted chocolate ice cream and olive oil — aack!
How exactly he lost that 67 pounds, Jared never really answered. Was it cocaine? Anorexia? Bulimia? Carrot juice? What? All that his interviewers and presenters kept saying was that he was “sick.” My friend said that there is probably some secret Hollywood drug diet that they don’t want leaked to the press. I don’t know, but actors sure do turn it around quickly. Jared joked: Like a pregnant woman, the bulk of the weight came off quickly, it was those last few pounds I couldn’t get rid of.
Jared said that no one forced him to gain the weight, that he chose to do it himself and that it really helped him to get into the psyche of his character. The weight altered his gait, his voice, and his emotions. At the end of the work day, there was no going home and taking off the uniform.
By the time I saw him, Jared was as skinny as a rail again. How he lost the weight — who knows?!
Jared Leto and Lindsay Lohan give quality believable performances that truly merit recognition.
Writer/director J.P. Schaefer’s screenplay Chapter 27 is not faulty, it is just not great. It plainly walks us through three days of a mildly disturbed person’s life.
I could not find out much information on Schaefer, but Leto said he was 20 years old when he wrote and directed the script. Schaefer looks much older in pictures, but if he is or was young, then he did a pretty good job with Chapter 27, all things considered.
The fact that writer/director Schaefer was not even born yet when John Lennon died could explain his irreverence to the human being who is now a mythical legend.
To be fair, I don’t have a negative review of Chapter 27. If it was not John Lennon about whom we are speaking, if it was not someone who gave his life to worthy causes and who charmed the world with his gift of music, if Chapter 27 was just another stalker movie, I would tell you that it is a fine movie.
The problems I have with Chapter 27 are 1) who we are talking about here, John Lennon, is far too important to be a nonentity in this film, and 2) there are far more interesting and in-depth ways to tell this story.
As a film unrelated to the truth or a real person, it is a satisfactory movie. Though it would not get as much press, I would have enjoyed this film far more as fiction with a man who stalks and kills an undisclosed celebrity. The way this story is told, and because we don’t see or learn anything about John Lennon, it could have been anyone. In this case, it would have been to the filmmakers’ advantage to make it fiction.
Writing this review makes me feel sad and empty because I want to give credit to the filmmakers and actors for their valiant efforts, but something feels wrong about it; there is a lack of respect. The film and its entities come across as purely financially driven and naïve.
Someone as special as John Lennon warrants a better explanation for his untimely death than what Chapter 27 bestows upon him.
A distant dead star, John Lennon’s brilliant light continues to shine, and no little energy-sucking black hole is going to snuff it.
photo credit: Atari, Gracinha & Marco
-
Subscribe
content rss