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Television writers acknowledged
I don’t normally watch awards programs shown on television. They tend to be long-winded, drawn out and frankly boring affairs. Of course, if I was in the running for an award of some sort, they’d be as exciting as.
I didn’t watch all of Australian television’s Logies Awards presentation last night but did catch the last half hour or so. I should have gone to bed as I was very tired, but kept putting off the effort of doing so.
What I did see pleased me. Not one but several of the award winning actors paid tribute to the excellent writers of various television series. Writers are far too often overlooked in such events, but where would they be without the writers first having the ideas for the story lines, and then doing the hard work of putting the plot, characters and setting and all the other elements of a good story together? Without writers – good writers – we’d have no television drama, no comedy series, no films and little entertainment.
I know it’s not an Australian series, but I’ve recently become a fan of the American crime series called Castle. In an interesting twist, the main character is a crime writer called Castle who helps a detective and the police solve everyday crimes. I also enjoy the gentle humour incorporated in the scripts.
Enough from me: I’d like to acknowledge the fine skills of the many wonderful television and film writers out there. Well done.
Another night at the movies
2 Comments »23rd June, 2007; Category: Movies
Last week we got around to seeing “Shrek the Third” movie at our local cinema. Sad to say we picked a Saturday night and the theatre was practically full of rug-rats. Despite the average age of the audience being somewhere around six or seven, it was still an enjoyable evening.
While not as funny as the previous two in the series, “Shrek the Third” is still good entertainment. It must be hard for the writers to come up with new material in a series like this. Most of the cliches have been used, so it takes quite an imagination to come up with new gags.
I’m not sure if I embarrassed my wife or not near the beginning. The old king of Far, Far Away was turned back into a frog at the end of “Shrek 2″. The beginning of this latest movie sees him on his death bed. The shocked audience was very quiet during this sombre moment.
Then yours truly has to mutter, “He’s going to croak.”
No-one laughed.
I guess I’ll just stick to my day job.
A night at the movies
Last night we went to see “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” at our local cinema. The first in this series quickly became a favourite of ours and the DVD copy has been much used in recent times.
I thoroughly enjoyed this latest offering, marvelling at the amazing special effects and the over the top sword fights. It is not quite as funny as the first in the series but still most entertaining. I find it interesting how Keira Knightly has developed as an actor, from an average performance in “Bend it like Beckam” through a great portrayal in “Pride and Prejudice” and on to this series. I thought she was somewhat out of her depth in the first “Pirates” movie but this last one has her in a very dominant role. She obviously revelled in the opportunity to show off the vast range of her talents, sword fighting being one of them.
It was interesting to see this latest movie in the “Pirates” series just two days after seeing the second in the series (“Dead Man’s Chest”). We missed this when first released in the theatres and I’ve only just recently bought the DVD. This particular movie is the poorer for having only one scene featuring Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa. Fortunately he has a much more prominent role in this latest movie.
Now for a warning to all who have yet to see the movie – or those impatient people who leave the theatre before the credits have finished. There is a most important scene AFTER all the credits have finished – so stick around. It rounds off the story nicely.
Movies about writers: Casablanca
No Comments »5th May, 2007; Category: Movies
I guess millions of words have been written about the wonderful classic movie Casablanca over the years since its release. It is not my intention to add too many more words to what has been already written. I want to take a different tack to most writers on the subject.
It has been quite a few years since I last saw the movie. I recently bought a copy on DVD and we had a film night last night. Not having seen it for so many years it was almost like coming to a movie for the first time. It was a memorable experience.
This article is in my series called Movies About Writers. At first glance this movie is NOT about a writer, nor is it about writing. Think again. Writing as a mechanical act does feature on a few brief occasions through the movie but that is not what I would like to focus on.
One short piece of writing given a very prominent place in the movie is a letter. The letter written by Ilsa Lund (played by Ingrid Bergman) is delivered to Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) as he is about to leave Paris. This was during a flash back to when they had first met some time earlier. The letter is short, simple and extremely poignant. It is a turning point of the movie and upon this letter revolves the whole tension between the two main characters.
Simple words. Yet so devastating in their effect upon Rick. We feel the intense disappointment of Rick as he screws up the letter and tosses it from the train as it moves off. The pain of that moment floods back as Ilsa enters his bar in Casablanca and the passion of their love is reignited. Just a few simple words, but their devastating effect is so far reaching.
Writers everywhere should take note; a few, simple words can leave a lifelong legacy. Encouraging words can turn a life around for good but words of rejection can destroy a life.
Such is the power of the written word.
Movies about writers: The Notebook
Last night I saw the movie called “The Notebook” for the first time. I found it a very enjoyable yet thought provoking story. With the enduring nature of true love as its main theme, the story seems lighthearted enough but with many poignant moments, especially the ending.
While the movie only mentions writing and poetry in passing, the whole story revolves around the reading of what is a journal like notebook. The story it relates is both joyful and deeply touching, especially in its sadder moments. To me it illustrated the importance of the written word in holding on to treasured memories and joyful moments.