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Mature Romance is Great!

I watched Open Range last night on my boyfriend's recommendation.  (From 2003 starring Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, and Diego Luna.)  It had a cowboys vs. cowboys conflict of "open range" cattle vs. the land owner.  The conflict culminates in a rather amazing and intense shoot-out sequence. 

But I also give kudos to Mr. Costner for his execution of the mature love story sub-plot.  Even before today's romances for mature adults (Hello, Meryl Streep!) he portrayed a credible, romantic and understated love story between two adults who could accept and love each other as they are today, regardless of all that may have come before. 

I like it because it speaks to where I am in life, and it's so, well, mature.  Also, the characters were all likeable, despite their quirks and pasts...

What other "mature love stories" have you seen recently that really spoke to you?  Do you have any all-time favorites? 

Screenwriting Master Class Begins This Week!

Yay!  My screenwriting master class begins this week with Kevin Jackson!  I really enjoyed the first 8-session program I did in the fall, and got started on my first screenplay, but everything ground to a halt over the holidays. 

Now, with class starting up, and after my "review" with Kevin this past Friday, I am ready to pick up where I left off, develop my characters, and learn from them.  I can best create my main character by "becoming" like her.  My "conceit" is a character who is how I want to be.  I have to practice "being" like her, then put her personality on the page.  It's the perfect exercise for me to practice what I'm learning from The Purpose Driven Life, Maria Gamb, David Neagle, Think and Grow Rich and others.  These are the kinds of teachings I want to display in romantic comedies. 

It will make romantic comedies great again!

But I'll only succeed if I do it first.  I walk the walk, and then I can talk the talk!  Yay!

Got Script?

The last class of my 8-session screenwriting class with Kevin Jackson of Lombardi Street was this past Tuesday.  The program was phenomenal, in my opinion. I have about 54 pages of script written, along with a list of characters, my "3-6-3 page," and other tools I learned along the way.  I have until December 15 to turn in a more or less complete script.  Lots of work these next 11 days!

There may be a master class beginning January.  I'm pretty psyched about that, because, as I told Kevin, I don't think I ever would have written one word of an actual script if I hadn't been in the class. Now I have a script well on the way, and the tools to move on to the next one as soon as I choose. 

Is there anyone out there who is wondering what it takes to get a script written?  I can put you in touch with Kevin...I'm a firm believer in being in a program and/or getting a coach or mentor to support myself in accomplishing major goals.  I'm also a firm believer in lifelong learning.  It's never too late to learn something new or change a behavior.

So who's got a script in your head that needs to get onto paper?  Let me/us know! 

My George Clooney Movie Idea

Just the other day I heard that George Clooney had been robbed at gunpoint while on a trip to Africa last year.  I don't remember hearing about it at the time.

Then today I read in my Purdue Perspectives - the alumni newsletter for Purdue's School of Agriculture - about the Ethiopian professor who won a World Food Prize for his research on sorghum.  (It's a prize started by Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug - look it up!) That story is totally inspiring.

So here's how I put the two together:  A famous movie star decides he wants to make a difference in Africa, but he also wants to get lots of people and non-profits involved.  So he decides to hold an "America Idol" type televised giveaway program.  Kind of like Oprah did last year with one of her giveaways.

So, the audience gets personal glimpses into the star's personal life, images of realities in Africa, images of the non-profits at work, and competing, and something special in the selection process... (That's my conceit - what criteria he uses to choose the winner!)

I know most of us don't think what's going on in Africa is too fun, but I do want this movie to be light hearted.  You heard it here first, folks!

Service and Life

Queen L saves the life of a young farmer - a nobody.  He's grateful, but she tells him that since she saved his life, technically he owes her his life.  But, she does not ask him to offer his life of service to her.  She asks him to offer one year of service to her - doing whatever she asks of him.

God saved us for service.  We are called to excel.

When the farmer comes to begin his year of service, he first gets trained in some hand-to-hand combat. Then Queen L challenges him on different seemingly impossible quests.  He keeps trying to beg off because of his lowly background... She insists; he challenges his beliefs.  He does what he didn't think was possible. He is a changed man at the end of the year.

Queen L sets him free at the end of his year of service, and points out he has the choice: Go back to your lowly farmer status, or go on to do great things in service to others.

Some references to use:
Jeremiah 1:5
Ephesians 2:10b; 4:4-14
Phillipians 3:14
1 Peter 2:9
Romans 12:1; 1:6-7; 8:28-30
2 Timothy 1:9
1 Corinthians 6:20; 1:2,9,26; 7:17
1 John 3:14

Notes for Thomas and Anna

When they go away:

Thursday night - She brings him a gift from home

Friday am - Anna and the other women go for a walk in the garden

Friday evening - Everyone is kind of hanging out reading and enjoying music

Sat  am - Women are hanging out doing beauty tips and sewing and crafts and other women friend things; a letter arrives for Anna that one of the women tries to read, but Thomas takes it, makes light of reading it aloud, then slips it to Anna and the men leave for hunting or some such.

Sat afternoon - Anna is alone in the the library and Thomas comes back from hunting to see how she's doing.  They have a few minutes alone before being called to dinner

Dinner - Some guy challenges Anna and she totally puts him down, but sweetly. 

Night - they all play cards.  Anna wins (0f course).

Sun - they take a boat ride to the picnic grounds.  Go home that afternoon...

Sat afternoon - Thomas

7 Best Films to Watch Over and Over

I was flipping through IMDB and Netflix today trying to find which Christian Bale movies I have not yet seen that I could get a fix.   Laurel Canyon is at the top of my list, and hopefully arriving Saturday.  Anyway, the thought occurred to me, there are some films that I would and could (and have) watch over and over and over.  Here are my top seven in no particular order:

Harry Potter 1, 2, and 3 (I'm counting them as one)
Moulin Rouge
The Matrix (just the first one)
LA Confidential
Twilight
Penelope
Star Wars (the first one - A New Hope - the REAL first one!)

I know my brother Jim has Caddy Shack on his list. 

Which movies are on your list to watch again and again?

Marc Platt, etc.

Yesterday I read about Marc Platt receiving an award and it's the first I ever heard of him.  He's one of those now on my list to contact for my ultimate life goal:  Making movies that reflect people living as their "Highest Self," or however I will finally say it. 

I say I'm writing based on Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill, but Hill's book has been recommended to me by the likes of David Neagle, Ali Brown and others.  I listen to a phone call with, say Baeth Davis and Kendall Summerhawk this past week, and it's a lovefest.  Why can't we all live and be this great? 

I love that Hollywood is an influencer, and when they can take these ideas and show/demonstrate Hill's principles on film, they will be producing the BEST action, rom-com, comedy, etc. EVER, while teaching without being didactic. 

Living as our highest selves automatically means there aren't cliches. Everything is created in the moment.  

Anna and Thomas

A love story based on the principles of Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill.  Written with James McAvoy in mind as Thomas, because this role is Max/Tom/Robbie all in one.  I need a clever, happy, beautiful, innocent but not naive 20-year old Anna.

The idea is to have characters who live by the principles of Think and Grow Rich -- faith, autosuggestion, integrity, and "the mystery of sex transmutation," etc.  (You'll have to read the book.) 

Actually, what I really need is someone to write the stories for which I have ideas.  I am a master (mistress?) at fantasizing the stories, but my writing sounds so pedestrian.

This is a period story, early 1900's, in England.  (Actually, before Think and Grow Rich was published, but I'm confident many of the tenets can be found in other, earlier great literature and philosophy, from which my heroine learned.)  They both have a rather pressing need to marry, so they enter into a marriage of convenience.  But that's just where we start off...

What We Do

We're the marketplace for "laws of the universe" film and movie script ideas. If you have a movie idea that demonstrates the laws of the universe, and you need help developing the script, come here to start a conversation, seek help, etc.

Or contribute your ideas for a film/script and let somebody else run with the idea...

Or come to hear other peoples' ideas and write the cript for them.  We invite all levels of talent.  The important part is: Transforming American film to reflect the actual workings of universal laws, rather than the illusions of life (e.g. scarcity, the need to suffer, etc.).

And basically, I just love movies!

Dorothy