This list of the best screenwriting books — all of which I’ve read — are useful depending on where you are in your screenwriting journey. If you’ve already written something, I’d go for Akers’s “Your Screenplay Sucks!,” which will highlight the mistakes you didn’t know you made, and help you correct them. Also, Croasmun’s book … Continue reading “Best screenwriting books I’d recommend” The post Best screenwriting books I’d recommend appeared first on George Thomas Jr.s’ “Action! Romance! Intrigue!” screenwriting blog.

As a former newspaper reporter, I was happy to see “The Post” fast-tracked to production and wide release. Director Steven Spielberg has said the urgency was a direct reaction to the Trump presidency, but, from a screenwriting and journalistic perspective, the film resonates beyond cinematic confines. It speaks to the core problems plaguing the media … Continue reading ““The Post,” fake news, democracy, and the war on journalism” The post “The Post,” fake news, democracy, and the war on journalism appeared first on George Thomas Jr.s’ “Action! Romance! Intrigue!” screenwriting blog.

Given the many flavors of comedy and personal taste, is it even possible to create something that is universally funny? The Writers Guild of America’s list of the 101 funniest scripts ever written may be more definitive for some than others, but, if nothing else, the list reflects how broad comic appeal can be. While the … Continue reading “The best comedy writing starts with characters” The post The best comedy writing starts with characters appeared first on George Thomas Jr.s’ “Action! Romance! Intrigue!” screenwriting blog.

While Saturday Night Live, with its skewering political satire, has returned to late-night prominence, another sketch comedy, north of the border, is equally worthy of praise: Baroness von Sketch Show. Launched last year on CBC, the female-driven sketch comedy appropriately won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Variety or Sketch Comedy on International Women’s Day. Led … Continue reading “Baroness von Sketch: Keen satire, devilishly female” The post Baroness von Sketch: Keen satire, devilishly female appeared first on George Thomas Jr.s’ “Action! Romance! Intrigue!” screenwriting blog.

As someone with a background in broadcast journalism and film, I tend to be extra critical of documentaries. Too many tend to be poorly structured, indulgent, boring, uninformative, or some combination thereof. But “13TH” is among the more cogent and compelling documentaries I’ve seen in years. Director Ava DuVernay, who also brought us the fact-based feature … Continue reading “13th Amendment documentary: Slavery, hypocrisy, and profit” The post 13th Amendment documentary: Slavery, hypocrisy, and profit appeared first on George Thomas Jr.s’ “Action! Romance! Intrigue!” screenwriting blog.