MulhollandDrive Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Well, it's official. The Writers Guild of America is going on strike tomorrow. Here's hoping the strike ends quickly and that all parties come away happy. And writers? Use this time off to study my choices for the seven best screenplays of the 2000's:

The 40 Year Old Virgin by Judd Apatow & Steve Carell

The blending of improvisation and the written word gives Apatow's two classic comedies -- Knocked Up would be the other -- a feeling of authenticity that is all too rare in today's film world. Apatow takes the strategy of writing for specific performers and their strengths, and it really pays off. Scoff if you want at a sex comedy making the list, but for a movie to be this incredibly funny -- while keeping an oddly touching romance and a spot-on character study afloat -- the screenwriters deserve high praise.

About Schmidt by Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor

One of the saddest comedies ever made, and one of the most truthful and painful portraits of old age. Payne and Taylor specialize in scripts about people on the verge of cracking, depressed souls who tend to find the smallest redemption possible. Payne/Taylor characters never go from Point A to Point B over the course of the screenplay, they go from Point A to Point A.1. The small, gradual changes in their characters are reflective of the way actual humans (as opposed to movie humans) work. Warren Schmidt's personal growth is so minor that it is confined to the last thirty seconds of the film, but when it comes it's an emotional punch in the gut.

Director David Lynch is one of those filmmakers you either love or hate. From the wildly entertaining and disturbing Blue Velvet to his take on Frank Herbert's epic novel Dune through his more recent projects like Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive, he's shown his flair for creating unusual, unsettling and deeply complex stories. From his work and the fact that he sometimes shys away from press for his projects, some may assume he's some sort of socially inept hermit who's only source of expression is through his films.

Fortunately, the director has given us a few glimpses into his life, especially through his own website where he's rumored to appear in the forums from time to time, ready to discuss the good and bad about any of his films or the merits of a good cup of coffee. And now, according to Twitch Film, we'll be getting even more insight into the man known as David Lynch. How, you may ask? By watching an upcoming documentary about the director -- a teaser for which is already up at the Twitch Film site. According to the sight, the documentary has been shooting for over two years during the time Lynch was making his latest project, Inland Empire.

The documentary filmmakers have amassed over 700 hours of footage and when the documentary is completed it "will give the most current perspective on one of cinema's greatest directors and will bring to life his creative process and joy for living life to its fullest potential." As I'm a huge fan of the man and his films, I'll be very interested to see this documentary once its released. Lynch is a very talented and sometimes misunderstood genius who deserves to have his story told. Besides, any man who eats at Bob's Big Boy every day for eight years is alright in my book.