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What Maisie Knew: Dir. McGehee & Siegel

Although star names litter this cast, with Julianne Moore playing a rock star mom, Steve Coogan a workaholic dad and Alexander Skarsgard a gentle stepfather, it’s really all about Maisie. Read more

Coldwater: PJ Boudousque Interview, LRFF

When Coldwater premiered at SXSW in March, everyone wanted to know who its leading man was. Who is PJ Boudousque? Playing the brooding 17-yr-old Brad Lunders who’s sent to a Read more

Writer/Director Vincent Grashaw: Interview, LRFF

Little Rock Film Festival has a stellar line up this year. It's has proven itself as the hottest new place to see up and coming indies. One if which, Coldwater, Read more

Top 10 Best Gangster Films

I dunno what it is, exactly, about gangster films being so enjoyable… but they are.  Maybe they help us release our inner violent demons, maybe it's because we all secretly Read more

What Maisie Knew: Dir. McGehee & Siegel Coldwater: PJ Boudousque Interview, LRFF Writer/Director Vincent Grashaw: Interview, LRFF Top 10 Best Gangster Films

Movie Reviews

All The Way With Alloway

What Maisie Knew: Directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel

Although star names litter this cast, with Julianne Moore playing a rock star mom, Steve Coogan a workaholic dad and Alexander Skarsgard a gentle…

PJ Boudousque: Coldwater, Little Rock Film Fest

When Coldwater premiered at SXSW in March, everyone wanted to know who its leading man was. Who is PJ Boudousque? Playing the brooding 17-yr-old Brad…

Writer/Director Vincent Grashaw: Little Rock Film Fest

Little Rock Film Festival has a stellar line up this year. It's has proven itself as the hottest new place to see up and coming indies. One if which,…

Frances Ha: Writer / Director Noah Baumbach

Baumbach has always been known for his knack at character complexity. He explored the uncomfortable and awkward plagues of family and adolescence in…

TV Reviews

Film Festivals

Top Ten Lists

10 Great Pursuit Scenes

The Lists
Films center on the main goal of our protagonist and we’re always entertained by watching someone we’re rooting for work to get what they want. Great pursuit scenes have similar recipes: a clear obstacle for the character, a…

Top 10 Film Writing Partnerships

The Lists
It’s a phenomenon that is still hard for me to wrap my mind around: the screenwriting partnership. I admit it. I have a hard time writing ANYTHING when there is another human being within a 1-mile radius of me. So, it’s no…

Top 10 Best 90's Action Films

The Lists
The 90's were an amazing time for action movies. Maybe I'm saying that purely out of the bias that I was raised in the 90's, so that was the action era I know the best. A lot of the recent action films have a cool aesthetic,…

Top 10 Antiheroes

The Lists
Let’s get the academic stuff out of the way first. According to Anca Gata’s piece on antiheroes, he/she is someone who “rejects tradition and old values,” is “usually frustrated [and/or] isolated” and “not only lacks…

Screenwriting Features

Top 10 Best Gangster Films

I dunno what it is, exactly, about gangster films being so enjoyable… but they are. Maybe they help us release our inner violent demons, maybe it's…

Top 10 Family Friendly Not-So-Scary Movies

As everyone knows, Halloween is a time to get your freak on, quite literally. After all, it is the one night you can scare the socks off of other…

Hollywood: Confessions of a Personal Assistant

Upon arrival in Hollywood many future writers will find themselves in the role of the personal assistant. This type of job can help you build a…

Internships: A Cautionary Tale

If you are in film school, it’s likely you will make it to LA as part of an internship program. If used properly, this can be a great opportunity to…

Get Free Screenwriting Tips from TSL

Film is Visual: Show, Don't Tell!

Screenwriting Script Tips
The theatre, for the most part, is verbal storytelling; therefore, it’s not uncommon for the playwright to tell the story through talking heads. But film is a visual medium, and the screenwriter must think cinematically. He can't write a bunch of description paragraphs on what a character is thinking. He can only write what we see, because in a movie, it’s usually not what a character says that is the most telling. It’s what the character does that really shows the story. The old cliché is truth: action does speak louder than words. And it’s your job to describe the…

Five Plot Point Breakdowns

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Screenplay Five Plot Point Breakdowns
Screenplay Genre: Drama / Sport Movie Time: 132 minutes 1. INCITING INCIDENT Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood), owner of a gym and manager for up-and-comer Big Willie Little (Mike Colter), meets Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) training in his gym. Frankie ignores Maggie’s attempts to recruit him as her manager, though she catches the eye of retired boxer and Frankie’s friend, Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris (Morgan Freeman), who gives her training advice after-hours. (00:15:10)

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