It's pretty rare for me to hold forth on any subject, and about myself almost never. And verbally? Forget it. I prefer to stay in the shadows until called, lurch briefly into view, communicate with facial expressions, then shift back into darkness. It's what made me so great at job interviews in the way back. Interviewer: "So, Walker, tell us about yourself." Me: *shifts uncomfortably* *vomits* Nevertheless, the lovely Scott Myers of Go Into the Story (the official screenwriting blog of the Black List), convinced me to speak at length about my least favorite topic: me. He … [Read more...]
News From the Corner of Screen and Writing…
Got a bit of wild news last week. I'm one of the winners of the 2019 Nicholl Fellowships--a competition I've been entering yearly for at least a decade now. It's completely unexpected, very wonderful, and somewhat anxiety-producing. It may also inspire an uptick in donut-eating. Posting about winning a competition (of any kind) is not something I would normally do. My brain, bless its fluttery little heart*, doesn't like public attention--even for positive reasons. Give me good news, and I'll instinctively look up, searching for the piano about to drop on my head. But I decided to post … [Read more...]
Blade Runner Redux: New Toys and Old Toys
I saw Blade Runner 2049 on opening night. Now, a full week on, several friends have expressed surprise that I haven’t at least made a Facebook or Twitter mention of my impressions. I don’t think I will because I recognize that I’m uniquely unqualified to judge the film on its own merits. The original has meant too much to me. I couldn’t give an objective review its 35-year later sequel if I tried. But I can’t say nothing about it, so I’d like to praise a bit of continuity world-building they brought forward from the original film into this one. It’s the wonderful juxtaposition of shiny new … [Read more...]
Blade Runner, Je T’aime
I rewatched Blade Runner last night as a sort of prep session before seeing the new Blade Runner 2049. The original is my favorite film (still) and has been for the past 20 years, so I’ve got the thing pretty much memorized, but it seemed fitting that I see it again. From this point on, any popular discussion of Blade Runner is going to center on the new film, or at least include it in a big way, and I feel a strange sense of loss as a result. Silly, maybe, but there it is, so watching the original was also about visiting this universe for a last time while remains the dominant version out … [Read more...]
When a Movie Makes You Crazy
I saw a movie on Thursday, and it blew me away. Julia Ducournau’s Raw is about a young veterinary student who becomes a cannibal. It’s the best new film I’ve seen twenty years. I’m going to skip the traditional accolades here. Too many writers are better at describing why the film is great than I would be. And reviewing is not what I do on this blog. I will sometimes point you toward things I like, but mostly it’s a bizarre show and tell with a bit of futurism. So I will instead describe my reaction to Raw, and that will serve as my review. It will also demonstrate how crazy I … [Read more...]