I'm Beowulf, and I'm ’ere to kill your mons-tah!

This is a fantastic film: intelligent, beautiful, visceral, sexy, funny. It’s great to see a film that delivers on the blockbuster thrills, but also makes you think. The plot twist screenwriters Giaman and Avary have added is inspired - I won’t spoil it, but it relates to the second battle (pictured - and no she wasn‘t all naked and gold and curvy in the poem, and yes there is a good reason for it)

It’s a great example of the saying that if life is one thing after another, drama is one thing because of another, and…well I won’t spoil it, but the twist also relates to the central theme of storytelling, and …look, just go see, ok?

If there’s any justice, then it'll win an screenplay oscar. There isn't, and it won't (Something dull and worthy like Atonement will) But hopefullyRay Winstone's delivery of the line “I am Beowulf, and I am ’ere to kill your mons-tah!” will do down in history with “You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off” and “You talking to me?” as one of those lines that everyone quotes. Fantastic!

Phillip Palmer has more here. Official site here.

Soidarity

Hello!

Hello! Long time no blog, how the devil are you all?

I've been busy working on my metlab script. Almost finished the outline, so I'm going to start writing it next week. Met my script editor yesterday*, and she had this sage advice: "get writing, bitch!"

Had to get one of those job things - my redundancy money's nearly run out, so I've got an xmas job working on Wines and Spirits at Tesco. It's hard work this work lark, isn't it? Still gonna try to do 25 hours a week writing.

And finally, for those of you not on thier mailing list, The Screenwriters Festival have announced (drumroll) THE THIRD INTERNATIONAL SCREENWRITERS' FESTIVAL - TUESDAY 1st TO THURSDAY 3rd JULY 2008 They want your suggestions - so "whether it is a guest speaker you would like us to try and get or a session suggestion you feel should be covered or explored, please e-mail us at info@screenwritersfestival.com ."

If you didn't go and you want to know what you missed, or you did and want to wallow in nostalgia for the summer of '07, there's a review of this years festival here, (where they claim to know where I live!) and you can still watch the offical video blogs here, and blagging Andy's here - where you can play spot the Arnopp!


*actually went for a coffee with Lucy, Danny and Dom, but "met my script editor" sounds like I was working rather than skiving and listening to Lucy slagging off every film ever made ;)

Success!!

I got onto the metlab scheme! Hoorah!


For those that don’t know, the scheme is being run by John Sweeney of the London Metropolitan University. He’s looking to develop a slate low budget but interesting and commercial films, based on the theories in his book - Successful Business Models for Filmmakers.


They’ve selected 4 spec monkeys (including me! Sorry did I mention that already?) We’ve got to meet with John and his script editor - our very own Lucy - every 6 weeks for 9 months, and at the end of it they‘ve got some big companies willing to look at the slate. Should be fun, and I’ve got a deadline to deliver a first draft by 8th January. So big up to Lucy for the heads up on that.

In other news, I didn’t get to the Finals of the BSSC, the shortlist for Digital Shorts, or the Red Planet shortlist (but props to Andy C, who did) Worked out I’ve entered about 31 competitions/scheme in the last two years, so one success, and two and a bit* near misses ain’t bad at all.

I’ve also won a 3 month free trial for lovefilm.com, thanks to those nice people at Euroscript. I got my first DVDs this AM, including the first part of Doctor Who Key to Time Box Set. Been looking forward to watching Episode One all day - Tom Baker. The Time Tunnel Titles. On a Dark Autumn Saturday Evening. After the football results. Mmm. Marvellous. Enduring image, isn’t it? Hmm?


If you need me, I’ll be behind the sofa : )



* I got to the ¼ finals of one competition, but so did about 2000 others, so I‘m not counting that.

Memed again!

From Lianne this time - pick a song that inspires you to write something, post the lyrics here and then post the video if you can.

I was going to talk about the sublime Hickory Wind by Gram Parsons. When I was at Uni, long ago and far away, I used to listen to a tape of GP/Grievous Angel when I couldn’t get to sleep. Hickory Wind was near the end of the second side, so if I was still awake when I got to it, then I knew I probably wouldn’t get to sleep. One of the lines in the song goes: “It's hard way to find out that trouble is real, In a far away city, with a far away feel” Hence the blog title.

However, there isn’t a decent version of that song on You tube, so instead, in Solidarity with our American colleagues, heeeeere’s Billy

Memed!!

Memed by Lucy. Okay Five things I’m proud of but others would consider lame. Lucky the question wasn’t Five things I’m NOT proud of but others would (rightly) consider lame!

1) I am a Doctor Who fan. A Sci fi geek. Trouble is, that’s no longer something to be ashamed of. The geeks have inherited the Earth! I remember buying DWM in WHSmiths just after the first new series had aired, and the young lady on the till saying “Dr Who?” in a voice that I took to mean *sad!* before continuing: “When‘s it coming back then?” Wasn’t it better when these things were secret guilty pleasures? Well, no. As The Smiths said, them were rotten days.*

2) I stayed in and watched Music and Lyrics with The Girlfriend last weekend. Now I could say I tolerated it for her sake, but the truth is: I liked it. I even cried a little bit at the end. Oh yes. And I was sober. I don’t mind Rom Coms anyway. Why are lame films about lurve considered, well… lame, but lame films about killing people are cool? Don’t get me wrong, I like both, but who decides these things? And why do we listen to them??

3) I prefer staying in with The Girlfriend watching lame Hugh Grant movies** to going out these days. Yes, I am old and boring, and (nearly) old enough not to care.

4) I am happier working than “chilling” - Arnopp blogged about this somewhere here and he’s right. Me get bored when have nothing to do. Me like to work. Me trying to convince myself of this as will have to get paid work soon.

5) I will kill again. Only joking. or am I?? Wha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Right, I meme Stuart , Jon, Oli, Pillock and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Or Robin if any of the above are too busy appeasing any human rights abusing tyrannical Oligarchs.


* being a Smiths fan - also no longer lame.

** Not exclusively Hugh Grant films, I mean I wouldn’t want you to think that I’m some huge Hugh Grant fetishist, I mean I‘ve only dabbled a few times, ok? I can control it, it’s not a big thing. Why are you all looking at me like that??