DVD Has Hollywood Screenwriters Sharing Secrets of Success
For some reason, screenwriters are the low men (and women) on the totem pole in terms of
Tales from the Script
the Hollywood pecking order. This disrespect persists despite the fact that the script is the blueprint upon which the whole production is based. For one way to think of a scriptwriter is as the architect whose words a director follows in fashioning a vision into a feature film.
Nonetheless, screenwriters “don’t get no respect,” even those whose movies have been big hits. At least that’s the prevailing complaint repeated throughout Tales from the Script, a revealing documentary featuring interviews with dozens of the best in the business, including Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption), John Carpenter (Halloween) and Shane Black (Lethal Weapon).
This is a flick which ought to be mandatory for any aspiring writer considering heading to Hollywood to take a shot at punching up treatments, since the showbiz-hardened veterans featured here have a lot of sage advice to share about the pitfalls of the profession.
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DVD Sequel Features Profiles of Prominent African-Americans
Film critic Elvis Mitchell and director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders collaborated on another series of fascinating interviews with a mix of African-American artists, activists, academics and athletes. Many are instantly-recognizable icons who need no introduction, such as Tyler Perry, Laurence Fishburne, Melvin Van Peebles, Bishop T.D. Jakes and Angela Davis.
Others are a little less known, like Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, comedienne Maya Rudolph, country singer Charlie Pride, gangsta’ rapper RZA, painter Kara Walker, clothes designer Patrick Robinson and Oscar-nominated scriptwriter Suzanne De Passe. And then there are those who have met with success away from the limelight, including Episcopal Bishop Barbara C. Harris, community organizer Mahora Carter and Dean of Meharry School of Medicine Dr. Valerie Montgomery-Rice.
What all 15 share, nonetheless, is the toll exacted on their psyches and souls by being black in America, something they weigh-in on honestly, each from a unique point of view. Walker talks about how weird it felt to be criticized by a college professor for painting a still life instead of a subject reflecting the black experience.
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Paul Mooney Concert Flick Shot at Strip Club
For this hilarious concert flick, comedian Paul Mooney brought his irreverent standup act to The Lodge, a gentleman’s club located in Dallas, Texas. With so many scantily-clad strippers and waitresses walking around, this made for a very distracting backdrop to the goings-on onstage. In fact, the DVD includes a 10-minute featurette entitled “The Ladies of the Lodge” devoted to a parade of topless entertainers.
But I digress. The real reason to check out this film is for Mooney’s unique brand of humor. While the content is funny, it often feels a little stale, since it was obviously taped a while ago. So, jokes about Hilary Clinton’s campaign antics, Janet Jackson’s bad breakup, Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitism and an explanation why Brad Pitt will never leave Angelina Jolie feel outdated.
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