Futurist Ray Kurzweil: Hollywood Gets Sci-Fi Movies Wrong

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There are some writers (“hacks!”…ahem) who pen their stories based on other people’s work. You know who they are, the scribes whose work seems derivative of other people’s movies, TV shows, novels, video games, or comics because…well…they are derivatives. Unoriginal. Hackneyed.

And then there are real writers who pen stories based on reality. On human experiences. Or in the case of sci-fi writers, on real science. Damon Lindelof has done that. He co-created TV’s Lost, produced the recent reboot of Star Trek, and has written the upcoming Alien prequel Prometheus.

It’s no surprise then that he interviews Ray Kurzweil, well known futurist, about the flaws of Hollywood sci-fi movies and other real-world aspects all writers should know about. Check it out:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/risky-business/sxsw-2012-damon-lindelof-ray-kurzweil-297218

 

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Director Alexander Payne and his co-writers Jim Rash and Nat Faxon won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay, a feat that wasn’t that much of a surprise considering all the buzz for The Descendants. Or was it?

Did you expect it to win? Who among the nominees did you think or want to win? Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin for Moneyball? John Logan for Hugo?

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2012/02/oscars-alexander-payne-praises-the-descendents-screenwriters.html

Transformers Writer to Adapt Matterhorn Ride into Movie

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Ehren Kruger (writer of The Ring films and the Scream and Transformer sequels) recently scored a deal with Disney to write the screenplay that was originally based on the Matterhorn ride at Disneyland.

Apparently now it’s going to be a much broader adventure movie. That’s great news, considering any movie based on a concept as limited as an amusement park ride usually turns out poorly (see Eddie Murphy’s The Haunted Mansion) — The Pirates of the Caribbean notwithstanding, of course.

So what’s your take on the deal?

From a writer’s perspective, I think this is great for Ehren. He’s a strong writer I’ve admired since Arlington Road. And though I refuse to recognize the Transformers sequels and I consider them abominations that have ruined my childhood love for the toyline, I know he had to appease many more corporate heads than just director Michael Bay. And I really enjoyed Ehren’s Imposter, even though it didn’t get much play at the box office or with critics.

Check out the full story at http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/transformers-matterhorn-ehren-kruger-brian-beletic-293843.

 

Why Do Good Scripts Turn into Bad Movies?

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We’ve all done it. We’ve all asked, “How can someone honestly make a movie as bad as that?” And writers always ask, “How can someone honestly write a movie as bad as that?”

Well, here’s how. Sean Hood explains how his good script became a bad Hollywood flop. And if you’re wondering what the bad movie was, it’s this lovely piece of box office blubber:

 

A Book On the Horizon

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One of the most important talents a writer must possess, other than writing, is multitasking. Balancing a bunch of spinning plates — researching, reading, watching, interviewing, meeting — is all a part of the profession.

The next plate in my juggling act? A book.

I just had a meeting with one of mixed martial arts’ top coaches. He’s a legendary champion, teacher, and motivator, and now he’s the mentor to some of the biggest fighters in the UFC and other leagues around the world.

At the moment, I can’t say who it is yet, but I will after we’ve solidified the deal. But I can say he wants me to write various projects with him, including a training manual and biography. As a martial artist myself, all  I can say is, in the world of the great “Big” John McCarthy, “Let’s get it on!”