How to Succeed in Screenwriting

Austinite Vance Kotrla's screenplay advances in the Heart of Film Competition.

"...slot as finalist in the Austin Heart of Film screenwriting competition. Kotrla has clearly schooled himself in the art..."

Sept. 28, 2001 Screens Feature by Kimberley Jones

Austin Film Festival: Film & Screenwriting Awards Announced

Grown in Detroit and Tobruk take top honors

"...Winners were also announced today for AFF's screenwriting competition......"

Oct. 24, 2009 Screens Post by Kimberley Jones

Austin Film Festival: Podcast People

John August takes his Scriptnotes podcast to church

"...the start of the live taping of his Scriptnotes screenwriting podcast, John August (Big Fish) looked up at the..."

Oct. 26, 2014 Screens Post by Michael Agresta

The Pen-Ultimate Fest

Austin Heart of Film Screenwriting Conference & Festival

"...and writer said during the Austin Heart of Film Screenwriting Conference's "Free for All" public panel discussion with Hopper..."

Oct. 10, 1997 Screens Feature by Russell Smith

Rambo: Last Blood

Last blood? We can only hope, as Rambo goes full MAGA

"...¡Ay caramba! Bad hombres, awful screenwriting, and a way past his prime Sly make for..."

Sept. 27, 2019 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Half Magic

Heather Graham turns director in empowerment comedy

"...The movie marks the directorial and screenwriting debut of Graham, who also stars as Honey, the..."

Feb. 23, 2018 Movie Review by Steve Davis

I, Daniel Blake

Ken Loach's latest offers dignity in the face of humiliation

"...the iconoclastic film director Ken Loach and his longtime screenwriting collaborator Paul Laverty, I, Daniel Blake represents their most..."

June 2, 2017 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Their Finest

How to make a propaganda film in World War II England

"...Catrin learns the ropes of screenwriting from Tom Buckley (Hunger Games’ hunk Claflin, who demonstrates..."

April 14, 2017 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Kubo and the Two Strings

Sublime animated movie is disguised as kids' fare

"...first though, the narrative arc is straight out of Screenwriting 101: the hero's journey, a quest to complete, an..."

Aug. 19, 2016 Movie Review by Josh Kupecki

The Counselor

Cormac McCarthy pens his first screenplay, and Ridley Scott directs the tasty cast.

"...as you’d expect from Scott, but also boasts the screenwriting debut of Texas’ literary dirty-deeds godhead Cormac McCarthy. The..."

Oct. 25, 2013 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

21 & Over

Some clever moments rescue this fall-down-drunk comedy from its baser instincts.

"...In their directorial debut, screenwriting team Scott Moore and Jon Lucas (The Hangover, The..."

March 8, 2013 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

Michael Caine zips around on a giant bumblebee and Dwayne Johnson is a pectoral spectacle in this family-friendly, fantasy-island adventure tale.

"...some pretty swell CGI creatures and some downright lousy screenwriting. Imagine something along the lines of an ABC Afterschool..."

Feb. 10, 2012 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Life During Wartime

Todd Solondz revisits the family from his film Happiness, but the characters are all played by different actors, and the result is no less disconcerting.

"...sun-drenched vacuum, Hollywood, where she meets up with self-obsessed screenwriting sister Helen (Sheedy), who, unsurprisingly, is a callow, chain-smoking,..."

Aug. 20, 2010 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

AFF Knows We Like to Watch

Local film Harmony and Me tops sneak peek at festival lineup

"...documentaries about black comedy (Robert Townsend's Why We Laugh), screenwriting (Peter Hanson's Tales From the Script), and the 2008..."

Aug. 26, 2009 Screens Post by Kimberley Jones

Sin Nombre

Winner of dual awards for directing and cinematography at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, this immigrant drama is suffused with gritty realism, poetic imagery, and melodramatic hokiness.

"...striking, and his storytelling abilities are strong, but his screenwriting skills rely heavily on sappy formulas that add nothing..."

April 17, 2009 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Separate Lies

Julian Fellowes is two for two: The English actor’s first big screenwriting credit, Gosford Park, netted him an Oscar, and with this directorial debut, he again demonstrates a mastery of British uppercrust dramas.

"...two for two. The English TV actor’s first big screenwriting credit, the 2001 Robert Altman whodunit Gosford Park, netted..."

Oct. 28, 2005 Movie Review by Raoul Hernandez

Batman Begins

Batman Begins … and it's about time. The movie is great fun, and also a terrific relief.

"...David Goyer’s watertight script is a marvel of the screenwriting craft. It moves with surprising speed (the film is..."

June 17, 2005 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Look at Me

An acute observation of the ways in which we fail to communicate marks this French film, which won the screenwriting award at last year's Cannes Film Festival.

"...is the latest dramatic group portrait from the married screenwriting team of Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri (The Taste..."

May 13, 2005 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Dallas 362

The actor Scott Caan makes a strong debut as a writer-director in this atmospheric character study in which he also co-stars with Shawn Hatosy, Jeff Goldblum, and Kelly Lynch.

"...follow his dream. Caan’s strength lies not in his screenwriting (at least at this point), which becomes evident as..."

April 22, 2005 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

The Incredibles

Animated take on the superhero genre overflows with wonderfully silly shenanigans and knowing insight into modern parenting.

"...the imagery, but here, via Bird’s more-than-capable directorial and screenwriting skills, it runs to the front of the frame..."

Nov. 5, 2004 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Pauly Shore Is Dead

Born and bred L.A. narcissist Pauly Shore turns auteur for this comedy film outing about … himself.

"...addition to starring in, he also directs and receives screenwriting credit (along with pal Kirk Fox). It’s pure Pauly..."

Oct. 22, 2004 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Valentine

"...and now so unoriginal as to be a grade-school screenwriting template -- revolves around a masked killer who, way..."

Feb. 9, 2001 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

The Sixth Day

"...interesting cachet. Either way, the future posited by husband-and-wife screenwriting team Cormac and Marianne Wibberly has a nastiness lurking..."

Nov. 17, 2000 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Trixie

"...coincidences, hints, and implausibilities that wouldn't survive an elementary screenwriting class' roundtable discussion. The film-noir retread, and the romantic..."

July 21, 2000 Movie Review by Bryan Poyser

Double Jeopardy

"...thing that is surprising is the insulting neglect that screenwriting duo David Weisberg and Douglas Cook (The Rock) give..."

Sept. 24, 1999 Movie Review by Sarah Hepola

Olympia

"...through their own organic sense of story rather than screenwriting-workshop dogma. Olympia isn't the kind of movie everyone will..."

Nov. 13, 1998 Movie Review by Russell Smith

In & Out

"...price of admission. As in Jeffrey, Rudnick's approach to screenwriting is a bit gimmicky and built around hit-or-miss payoff..."

Sept. 19, 1997 Movie Review by Russell Smith

Selena

Selena Quintanilla Pérez, the barrier-crashing Tejano singer who was murdered at the age of 23, is the subject of this biopic that was also the breakout film role for Jennifer Lopez.

"...worst writers to ever accrue more than two major-movie screenwriting credits. His chronology of Selena's career triumphs, romance with..."

March 28, 1997 Movie Review by Russell Smith

Glory Daze

"...Milano. From the pen of Rich Wilkes, whose less-than-illustrious screenwriting career has thus far given us such execrable comedies..."

Oct. 11, 1996 Movie Review by Joey O'Bryan

The Chamber

"...Burwell's score is appropriately melancholy, and the script, by screenwriting legend William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)..."

Oct. 11, 1996 Movie Review by Joey O'Bryan

1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10     NEXT ›    14 »