TV Reviews

Imagine: Your character pours a glass of wine after a hard day on the job, takes in the aroma like it’s ambrosia, letting his palette embrace all the subtle complexities. If the devil really is in the details, simply stating it’s a glass of wine is not enough. There’s a big difference between a $500 bottle of Haut Brion and two-dollar Night Train. When I think of my uncle – a guy who has lived in a motel room for close to two decades – it’s impossible not to identify the man without a can of PBR in his hand. Not that I have anything against Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, but…

A few years ago, Richard Stayton, the editor in chief of Written By magazine, and I had a screening of A History of Violence for our students at Glendale College, and the screenwriter, Josh Olson, came in for a Q&A after the film. The questions were the standard “Who inspires you?”, “How do you research?”, “Do you write for specific actors?”, and of course the always expected, “How do I get an agent?” Olson’s answers were for the most part standard and forgettable. To be honest, I couldn’t even begin to tell any details of what was discussed, expect for one thing, and…