The ISA Podcast

EXCERPT FROM THE PODCAST:

"... as writers we can feel terrified. We have a blank page and it looks like the entire world is available, but if you start to put limitations on what you can do, you can create something bigger, because you focus in on what you really want to do and then you can make that one focused idea big...You want to just get all of it down, get it out, what is it this inner story is trying to say, let it be free, let it be big.

Web Series writing is about what you can do right now, right this second. Don’t let limitations stop you from making this, don’t let lack of money stop you from making this.

When we think about traditional television series, there are certain confines of the narrative structure. We have to be able to sustain a half-hour or an hour every week. But one of the things that I think is really exciting about Web Series is, because Web Series are so short, you can kind of blow the roof off the house...you have the freedom to do it your way."

"Kingsman: The Golden Circle" misses the brass ring.

The edgy action spy comedy “Kingsman: The Secret Service” was a worldwide hit in 2014, so it’s not surprising that a sequel was inevitable. Unfortunately, “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” moves too far away from the charms of the first one. The main character of Eggsy (Taron Egerton) is given short shrift to make room for a host of American spies played by stars like Channing Bridges and Halle Berry. Julianne Moore’s villain is too cartoonish, almost like an “Austin Powers” baddie. And the whole shebang goes on 30 minutes too long. It does have wicked wit, clever action sequences, and the elegant Colin Firth, but it’s too big and bloated to be golden.

This is a podcast recording of the ISA's Facebook Live broadcast of Wine Wednesdays. Please note that some promotions offered during the live broadcast are not offered to the participants listening to the recording. We can, however, assist you if you wish to find out more information regarding ISA events, contests, or consulting offers. Just reach out to [email protected] and we will be happy to help.

Join ISA staffers Max Timm and Felicity Wren for our regular Wine Wednesdays Facebook Live broadcast sponsored by the Nickelodeon Writing Program. We'll talk screenwriting and take your questions about the ISA and the art, craft, and business of writing screenplays, all while enjoying a nice glass (or two) of wine.

Subjects and themes change from week to week, so stay tuned for the live broadcasts that occur on most Wednesday evening at 7:00pm Los Angeles time. For a specific schedule and set of announcements, "Like" the ISA Facebook page and keep up to date.

This is a podcast recording of the ISA's Facebook Live broadcast of Wine Wednesdays. Please note that some promotions offered during the live broadcast are not offered to the participants listening to the recording. We can, however, assist you if you wish to find out more information regarding ISA events, contests, or consulting offers. Just reach out to [email protected] and we will be happy to help.

Join ISA staffers Max Timm and Felicity Wren for our regular Wine Wednesdays Facebook Live broadcast sponsored by the Nickelodeon Writing Program. We'll talk screenwriting and take your questions about the ISA and the art, craft, and business of writing screenplays, all while enjoying a nice glass (or two) of wine.

Subjects and themes change from week to week, so stay tuned for the live broadcasts that occur on most Wednesday evening at 7:00pm Los Angeles time. For a specific schedule and set of announcements, "Like" the ISA Facebook page and keep up to date.

This is a podcast recording of the ISA's Facebook Live broadcast of Wine Wednesdays. Please note that some promotions offered during the live broadcast are not offered to the participants listening to the recording. We can, however, assist you if you wish to find out more information regarding ISA events, contests, or consulting offers. Just reach out to [email protected] and we will be happy to help.

Join ISA staffers Max Timm and Felicity Wren for our regular Wine Wednesdays Facebook Live broadcast sponsored by the Nickelodeon Writing Program. We'll talk screenwriting and take your questions about the ISA and the art, craft, and business of writing screenplays, all while enjoying a nice glass (or two) of wine.

Subjects and themes change from week to week, so stay tuned for the live broadcasts that occur on most Wednesday evening at 7:00pm Los Angeles time. For a specific schedule and set of announcements, "Like" the ISA Facebook page and keep up to date.

This is a podcast recording of the ISA's Facebook Live broadcast of Wine Wednesdays. Please note that some promotions offered during the live broadcast are not offered to the participants listening to the recording. We can, however, assist you if you wish to find out more information regarding ISA events, contests, or consulting offers. Just reach out to [email protected] and we will be happy to help.

Join ISA staffers Max Timm and Felicity Wren for our regular Wine Wednesdays Facebook Live broadcast sponsored by the Nickelodeon Writing Program. We'll talk screenwriting and take your questions about the ISA and the art, craft, and business of writing screenplays, all while enjoying a nice glass (or two) of wine.

Subjects and themes change from week to week, so stay tuned for the live broadcasts that occur on most Wednesday evening at 7:00pm Los Angeles time. For a specific schedule and set of announcements, "Like" the ISA Facebook page and keep up to date.

“Mother!” is too much allegory and not enough story.

Director Darren Aronofsky has a great track record making dark character studies (“The Wrestler”, “Black Swan”), but the characters populating his latest film are more symbolic than human. His script for “Mother!” may seem to be telling a story about a young woman whose tranquil life with her husband is disrupted by a mysterious couple, but it’s supposed to be a biblical allegory about the torment of Mother Earth. The movie’s first half plays like a horror movie, but the preachy pretentions of the second half ruin the scary fun and make for the most confounding film of the year so far.

“It” is a runaway hit, but it should have been truer to Stephen King.

Did “Stranger Things” help pique interest in the similarly-themed “It” and make this new Stephen King adaptation a runaway hit? Perhaps, but the film stands on its own merits with sharp performances by its young cast, a ton of creepy set pieces, and a clever exploitation of an audience’s fear of clowns. Still, this big screen version of the 1986 bestseller could’ve been better. It makes some basic horror movie mistakes – why do characters always get separated after they vow not too? – and moving the time period up three decades destroys some of its naiveté. Yet, its theme about conquering fears is a winner, no matter what year. And you know its eventual sequel, when the adult versions of the children return to battle the clown again, is sure make a killing too.

“Twin Peaks” ends with a confounding but fitting finale.

Anyone who was looking for straight-forward storytelling from Showtime’s revival of “Twin Peaks” should have looked elsewhere. Filmmaker David Lynch loves complex dream worlds and his series finale was equally astounding and confounding. Since they wrote the original series together back in the early 90’s, Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost have defied many conventions of screen narrative. This revival was no different, mixing tones, leaving plot strands dangling, and leaving lots of room for interpretation. “Twin Peaks” was more than just the odyssey of FBI agent Dale Cooper (a never better Kyle MacLachlan), it was an interactive television experience requiring its viewers to make their own conclusions.

Did “Game of Thrones” finish season 7 with more craft than cunning?

“Game of Thrones” is a worldwide phenomenon and that’s due to its involving storylines, superb cast, and state-of-the-art production values. Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have done an incredible job in their adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s sprawling novels even if this season lost a bit of the magic. The battle scenes and acting remained enthralling, but some of the characters seemed to lose their cunning. Worse, the show’s plotting often strayed towards the convenient and hastily expedited as it gears up for its eighth and final season. Still, this epic series puts most television and film fare to shame. And its commentary on power, abuses of it, and what truly are the spoils awaiting the victor always give fans a lot to talk about. No wonder it averages 2 million Tweets per episode!