I was doing an exercise on this film for my scriptwriting class and decided to add something extra to the assignment. Considering the fact that I’m always referencing the things or people that inspire me, I thought I’d post this.

Enjoy!

Back To The Future has been my favorite movie of all time for as long as I can remember. I would describe myself as being optimistic and hopeful, which is really what this film says. Its message is clear: the future is not written; it’s what we make it. There’s so much hope to that idea that the best way I can describe my feelings on this film is that every time I see it I walk away with a smile on my face. The true joy in filmmaking or even in television is the ability to resonate with an audience and, upon continued viewing, appreciate the film even more. This film continues to inspire me because it reminds me that great films are what got me interested in this profession in the first place.

There’s nothing shown in this film that doesn’t need to be in the mise en scene. Everything within the frame is necessary and is either part of some exposition, an in-joke or a means for providing backstory. Upon this latest viewing, it occurred to me that there’s a beautiful relationship in the father son dynamic of this film. Marty teaches his father to stick up for himself, which in the future leads George to tell Marty that anything is possible. One could not exist without the other and for me it’s one of the more inspiring aspects that the film offers.

The other core emotional element to this film is the relationship between Doc and Marty. I’ll always go on record to say that there has never and will never be better chemistry on screen between two people than there was between David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as Mulder and Scully on The X-Files. However, Doc and Marty come in at a close second and maybe in some respects tie up with the Mulder and Scully dynamic. Obviously there’s no sexual tension like there was for Mulder and Scully, but that’s not the point. The point is a friendship that exists only on screen that conveys a sense of mutual respect and love for one another. The major defining moment for their relationship is when Marty and Doc are about to part ways and Marty hugs Doc. Brown. He’s torn up about his fate in the future and will do anything to stop Doc’s death, which for me being the sap that I am is quite moving.

If I had to make one complaint about this film it would be the only scene that feels contrived for the sake of plot: when George, who has just saved Lorraine and defined who he is allows another guy to push him away and start dancing with Lorraine, only to knock him down and finally kiss her. It exists only to add more suspense to Marty’s predicament and contradicts the character growth we have just witnessed in George for the entire movie. Thankfully this scene is so small that it doesn’t quite hinder the movie in the way that it could have. In a movie that is so great and so heartfelt, it’s a minor complaint at best.

Back To The Future is a film about filmmaking. The script is the exact blueprint for how great scripts work. Everything fits so perfectly in this film that I’m amazed every time I watch it. The film gave me back the courage to write great things of my own and will continue to be an inspiration in my life for years to come…

Written by Vince Gilligan, Directed by Bryan Cranston

One of the things that continues to amaze me about Breaking Bad is the willingness of the writers to actually use the visual medium that is television. What I mean is that oftentimes too many shows become convoluted with dialogue and as a result have no room to breathe. The opening teaser to the season three premiere entitled “No Mas” is dialogue free and conveys more of a setting, pace and tone for the season than any brilliant dialogue ever could.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Season two was one of the most unique seasons of television I have ever seen. How many times have we seen an episode of a show that shows the end in the teaser, then spends the rest of the hour explaining how we arrived at that end moment? Granted, many shows do this well but frankly, I’ve grown tired of it. I have always remarked that the writers on Breaking Bad try and show (remember show, not tell) the audience something they have never seen before or, if they have seen it, show it in a new and fascinating way. Season two did just that. The opening teaser for the season showed us a cryptic black and white pool with a pink teddy bear that looked burned floating in it. It was the ending images of the season. In other words the first episode showed us the end of the season, not the end of the episode, and as the season progressed we understood more and more events or story beats that would lead to the plane crash that took place over Walter’s home. Not only did the writers devise a circular season, but they made it work beautifully. By the way, the episodes that feature the black and white opening have titles with dual meanings that form a sentence revealing what happens in the season finale. The sentence says: “Seven Thirty-Seven Down Over ABQ”.

“No Mas” begins a week after the plane crash, with Walt finding out that he is the man responsible (indirectly) for it and Jesse accepting his role as “the bad guy”. Meanwhile Skyler finally finds out that Walt is indeed a drug dealer (or as he says it, “manufacturer”) and demands his signature on their divorce papers in exchange for her silence. The teaser of the episode introduces The Cousins, two men sent by the Mexican Cartel to kill Walt. They arrive at the shrine of Santa Muerte, based of a religion that seems to worship death. Throughout the episode we get glimpses of the horrors that The Cousins are capable of as well as seeing that they are getting closer to Albuquerque.

What I love about the episode and the show in general is that it just gets better. It never betrays the characters with regard to who they are and what they’re willing to do. It does not change them for the sake of progressing the plot. Instead, story points are introduced and never forgotten and virtually every decision that Walt makes on the show has some sort of consequence. The use of visual images to convey what Walt in particular is feeling is nothing short of genius and Vince Gilligan’s writing has never been better. Bryan Cranston continues to show that he is easily the best actor on television and also manages to do one hell of a job directing. The rest of the actors, particularly Anna Gunn as Skyler, really show that they can match Cranston’s work and assure us that the show will continue to impress us.

From a credit standpoint I am very happy to see that most of the writers (aside from Vince, obviously) are still with the show. The writers include George Mastras, Peter Gould, Moira Walley-Beckett, Sam Catlin and John Shiban. New additions include yet another X-Files writer, Thomas Schnauz, Diane Mercer and perhaps my biggest joy, Michelle MacLaren, who directed my favorite episode last year entitled “4 Days Out” and got her start on of course, The X-Files. This may seem arbitrary to most people but to me, and hopefully anyone actually in the television business is signifies that these people actually want to work on this show. I have now met Vince Gilligan and can substantiate what has been said about him being one of the nicest guys one could ever meet. He runs his show in a similar fashion, most likely earning the respect and appreciation by anyone who works under him. What I’m getting at is the show works because of the people involved and because the man in charge knows what he is doing. Gilligan, the writers and the cast have already openly stated that this season will be the best yet and from the quality of just one episode already, I have to say that I agree.

Hey there everybody! This episode we’re going to be talking about Alice in Wonderland and Labyrinth. Listen to in depth discussion on characterization, directing and stupid fucking dancing. Also, friend of the show Ash has a new movie review show that is available on youtube. It is called Hop on Pop Culture. Check it out!

Every film site will be talking about the Oscars. They will be fighting over whether Sandra Bullock should have won and celebrating that Avatar didn’t. So instead I am going to just talk briefly about the show itself.

For the first time in a great many years I watched the Oscars. I didn’t really care who won. Although, I was pleased that Avatar did not get best picture. I watched the Oscars primarily for Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. If you’re a fan of comedy, or live action versions of radio shows, then you have to be in love with the work of both of these men. So I started watching with the hope that they would bring a new dimension to the program. I was disappointed.

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Jay Leno came back to The Tonight Show on Monday and the result is pretty much what everyone expected. It was just bland, safe “entertainment” that only serves to highlight why he should be taken off the air. The man is simply not funny. His jokes are obvious and lame. His interviews are boring and the only humor derived from his sketches seems to be the idiocy of the people he meets. In other words,  almost anyone could do what he does because he adds nothing to the situation.

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Today we’re going to be discussing the new Kevin Smith movie Cop Out. The consensus between Casey and I seems to be that overall it is a pretty funny movie, but it is kind of a mess plot and tone wise. In other words, if you’re getting drunk, there are worse movies to have on while you’re doing it. Rosemary’s Baby comes to mind.We also talked about Clerks and Kevin Smith as director and a man.

Show notes: Here are the links to the articles we were talking about in the news portion.

AMC Order Pilot for Walking Dead

Ben Stiller Talks Zoolander Sequel

Matt Damon Says he will Not be Back for Bourne

Leno Returns

I love cartoonist Joe Dunn. Not in a weird way. I just have several candid shots of him in the shower hanging above my bed. Normal. Anyway, Mr. Dunn has drawn a funny comic about the movie Cop Out. This is fortunate for me as Cop Out is the very movie we will be reviewing on the next podcast. (Joe Loves Crappy Movies)

Attention all Fantasy Geeks! (myself included) HBO will be putting into production Game of Thrones. Maybe, if the show is a hit, we’ll finally be able to see how the fucking series ends. (Variety)

Ah, Chuck your weekly antics make life, in a small way, worth living. If you are a fan of Chuck (and you should be) you’ll probably enjoy a somewhat rambely interview with two stars of the show, Zachary Levi and Joshua Gomez. (Collider)

What the fuck. Harrison Ford is talking about doing another Indiana Jones movie. At what point are we, as a society, allowed to take treasured cultural icons away from their creators in order to save them? We did a podcast about Indy 4 and if you’ve heard you can understand why the news of a possible 5th instalment fills me with trepidation. (movieweb)

Recommended by an Assassin

I have been trying to re-read books that I originally read in middle school. One of these is The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul. I can’t believe how much better I am able to appreciate it now that I am not a complete idiot.