Based on one of the greatest novels in history, Victor Hugo's Les Misérables has been set to film at least 9 times, starring casts from Frederick March (1935) to Liam Neeson (1998), Gérard Depardieu (2000), though I personally prefer the Richard Jordan TV version from 1978.
It's a good movie. See it. Take your kids. It's a 4-quad movie for all ages.
Disney and Pixar, now conjoined twins, can run surprisingly similar stories without breaking into civil court. Case in point: Wreck-It Ralph is a Pixar derivative, specifically taken from a superior Monsters, Inc.
Too early to vote for Best Picture? It's got a relevant conflict, American heroes and a funny inside look at Hollywood that will no doubt please the voters. And since Affleck's excellent The Town missed an Oscar nom in 2010, they may throw him a bone.
While not among the best of the Pixar canon, Brave is a tightly (and familiarly) structured work that panders to the worst Scottish stereotypes while creating an endearingly flawed, realistic character struggling with mom’s expectations.
See it, especially mothers and daughters. It’s their movie. (In full disclosure, I am also a brother of a fiery redhead, so the tale had more than a passing connection).
This "found footage" / buddy teen / superhero origins movie effectively packages the issues of friendship, identity and personal responsibility into an entertaining thrill-ride. On a budget.
I love spy movies. I can't understand why anyone wouldn't. And this is John le Carré! The spy master's big story on the big screen.
So why did I have to drive 22 miles to see Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy? Seriously, this is Los Angeles and only TWO theaters want to open a spy movie with Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, John Hurt and a host of other crack actors at the top of their game?
John Truby is one of Hollywood's (and therefore, the world's) leading instructors in screenwriting. He may have coined the term "traveling angel".
The Anatomy of Story is a treasure-trove of information about every part of the storytelling process. It's quite remarkable and intimidating, but you won't find better books about the process.
In fact, it might be TOO detailed. Do we really want the codification of creativity to this extent?
Robert McKee created this foundational text for screenwriting, contributing the concept "Negation of the Negation" as a tool to help writers take their concept "to the end of the line."
A foundational text belonging on every screenwriter's shelf.
