HANGING UP - Walter Matthau's Perfect Swansong

Angie, did l ever tell you about the time l got a gun from John Wayne?

No.

Pat and I wrote a picture for him called Luck Runs Out.

Oh.

Yeah, he was a very nice guy. They say that he had a very small pecker.... but that didn't keep him from being a real He-Man.

The trailer for 'Hanging Up' would have you believe that the film is a lightweight chick-flick; something for the girl's to sit around watching and laughing as Meg Ryan runs around comically whilst phoning her sisters. This is certainly an element of the movie, but it's only one element, and there is actually a lot more that the film has to offer.

I always think of 'Hanging Up' as a Nora Ephron film, but in fact; it was directed by Diane Keaton. Let's first begin by figuring out who did what:

Originally, it was a book, by Delia Ephron.

The screenplay is by Delia Ephron and Nora Ephron.

It's directed by Diane Keaton, who is also a star of the film.

It's produced by Nora Ephron.

And Executive Produced by Delia Ephron.

So who did what, exactly, and how? We'll never know. Anyway:

Eve (Meg Ryan) has to deal with her Father, Lou (Walter Matthau) who is in hospital, and dying. Her sister's Maddie (Lisa Kudrow) and Georgia (Diane Keaton) are too busy with their self-absorbed lives to deal with the fact their Father is coming to the end of his life. Everything is left to Eve to cope with.

Despite Meg Ryan's character taking the brunt of the responsibility, Lou is always asking after his other daughters; painfully unaware of how they are not there for him. To make things even more complex, Eve's husband is constantly insisting that she should have nothing to do with her Dad because he is a selfish drunk who's caused her a lot of pain.

The film is sad, yet hopeful, complex, yet simple, funny, yet sad again -- in fact; it's very real. It's something that a lot of people will relate to. Meg Ryan shines in the film in one of her best performances-- mixing the adorable comedic style she has made her own, along with some subtle, moving moments.

But the real magic comes from Walter Matthau. This film was released in 2000, the year he died-- which made and makes this film even more poignant. Matthau is absolutely delightful in the film --- playing a role that is hilariously funny, as he obsesses constantly over "John Wayne's pecker;" but is also tinged with sadness as it's clear the character is losing his memory. There are also some very emotional and dramatic scenes that show how capable Matthau was as an actor.

If you've ever had to take on a lot of responsibility when those around you won't take accountability for everything that's going on, then you'll relate to this film. Her sisters don't hear her, her Father keeps forgetting who she is, and her Mother doesn't want anything to do with the situation. This isn't a typical Meg Ryan film, and it isn't a typical Ephron film. It's something personal, a truthful roller-coaster about life, death, and siblings.

I strongly recommend it. There are not enough films like this.

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'HUKKLE' is a truly unique and mesmerizing movie.

HUKKLE (HICCUP in English) is a Hungarian movie, directed by György Pálfi that made virtually no sense to me - but I loved it. It's artistic, without being artsy-arthouse-bullshit, it's confusing without being pretentious or condescending, and it's simple and minimal without being.. well, without being pretentious artsy bullshit.

It was just extremely fascinating to watch. There is virtually no dialogue in the film, and no main character. The film follows the lives of a bunch of interesting looking people and a bunch of different animals in a small Hungarian village. The various animals and insects play as big a role as the human characters. HUKKLE is very short for a feature film, at only 78 minutes - and it flies by. Visually, it's extremely compelling. As a cinematic experience (well, DVDmatic) it was unique, exciting and um, unique again. I don't know how to explain it.

This film is definitely original, hugely captivating, oddly humorous and, ultimately, a real delight. Just don't ask me to explain what it was about. I recommend it, without being able to say exactly why.

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Acting Competition Winner - 'Get Out' by ERIC GEYNES and LAURA EVELYN

The competition was to create a scene, no longer than one minute in length, on the theme of 'leaving,' in only one shot. They were the rules; and it was down to actors to come together to create something original.

The winner is 'GET OUT' by Eric Geynes and Laura Evelyn. Please watch it before reading on:

Originally I had planned to get an established industry actor to judge which film is best -- but we only had a very very small amount of entries, far less than expected -- so I took on the judging responsibilities myself.

This film stood out far ahead of the rest. Here's why I think it was great:

First of all - doing anything in one single take is hard. A minute is a long time. Most of the films we watch barely go four seconds without cutting to another angle. These actors were able to hold my attention for the full minute. And although I'm judging based on acting, and not direction - it's worth mentioning how the scene was set-up because it aided the scene greatly. The way we're shoved into the corner of the room with only the door to look at really adds an element of humor.

There are two clear characters in this film. We really get to know them. This is hard to get right even when you're creating a ten minute short film. But here we clearly have a struggling actress who's annoying, desperate for a role, perhaps lightly insane - and we have a busy casting director who has no time for bad actresses/weird people. The scene is made interesting by two opposing character types who are both desperate to get something done: i.e. - she's desperate to keep getting back into the room, and he's desperate to get her the hell out of there.

Laura is hilarious in this: I love the smile she does eleven seconds into the film; and the physical humor of practically being crammed out of the door on the twenty three second mark.

The fact that Eric is so interesting on screen is actually quite surprising considering he has his back to camera for most of it. What I like about his performance is that he is always moving; always trying to get to the end of the meeting/scene/day -- it adds a real pace to the proceedings. He also moves swiftly, and naturally, between the subtle, small moments - like when he calls her a 'fucking nutter' and the bigger, crazier moments, when he is matching Laura's energy levels as he tries to kick her out of the room.

It's also worth mentioning the great writing. Well, I say writing but I imagine they improvised most of this. What I am getting at, is the structure. As a short scene, it raises the bar another level by the surprise at the end. First, he kicks her out for her terrible acting, secondly, he kicks her out after she comes back for her bag-- but it's the third moment that makes it hilarious; the hilarity of the fact she's left her shoes in there. Her shoes!? Even though this was down to a great concept, rather than the acting (although the acting was great throughout) it goes to show how actors look better when the time is taken to get good material.

ERIC GEYNES relocated from Toulouse to London in 2003 after a career in professional swimming. Eric has been busy; with roles in films such as CLASH OF THE TITANS and HEREAFTER. He is also a writer-director (which isn't surprising, given the elements that made up the film in this competition) and is currently in post-production on his second short film. You can view his spotlight here

LAURA EVELYN's recent theatre credits include A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM and STIFFED!. Laura appeared in the feature films SCRATCH and POPULAR UNREST --- and she plays the lead role in the upcoming film WILBY PARK, which is a psychological-thriller due out later this year. You can view here spotlight details here

I recommend you visit their page's and watch their showreels. They are very talented and destined for great things. Exciting!

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SCREENWRITING Advice, Ideas and Inspiration

I am not one of those people who says "To write a successful screenplay, you need to follow a 17 point plan and you must have an incident with a dead chicken." For me, if I can give any advice - it's that you should do whatever you can to be YOU, and to get that onto the page. I am not telling you what to write; in fact, I honestly don't want to tell you anything, because I don't really know anything. I just want to share things that have helped me over the years. Below are links to things I have written that may, I hope, inspire.

To begin with; it's important to realize; even Aaron Sorkin has self-doubt. Self-doubt is a troubling thing; because if you're not careful in can make you become one of those writers who never actually writes. A lot of people quit screenwriting because of heartbreak, but not before they find many things to do instead of writing.

Sorry if you think it's a bad idea to talk about self-doubt and the lack of confidence. But it's best not to ignore things that are there (things that we all have to deal with.) But don't worry; there are things we can do about it. You need to remember: it's your screenplay, not anyone else's. If you listen to other people too much, you'll go insane. So stop listening to the critical people around you -- not only are they bad for you but pretty soon, every time you mess up or, worse-- don't write, you'll blame them-- them??? but who are THEY?

Don't be polarized by writer's block, INTERACT with it, dance with it, see what it has to say.
When you finally realize this is what you want to do with your life -- you make that decision; and you realize, truly, that this is your life. It's now or never.

I always find it helpful to realize why my work is important in the world. If you make a comedy, it's IMPORTANT, because we NEED to laugh and smile; if you're making a crazy horror film, we need to get more in touch with the parts of ourselves that feel the extremities of fear, and LIFE. IF you're writing an inspirational film about a marginalized section of society.. it's important because you could inspire millions to improve their lives. If you write a story for children, and it only ends up being half as good as you hoped.. you may inspire one child, you may make their life BETTER. How amazing! Never underestimate the importance of your writing in the wider world.

If you're a Kid In The Front Row like me; you should look back to your youth for inspiration. There's so much magic there. And if there's not magic, there's pain; and a lot of who you are and who you've become is from that place. Your memories and feelings from long ago will inspire your writing.

Why do you want to be a writer? So many reasons. Once you've figured that out -- I can only give one bit of advice. It has nothing to do with content or how to configure a scene or whatever, I'm not the guy for that. All I ask of you -- is that you write from the heart. And KEEP CREATING AGAIN AND AGAIN. The magic comes from turning up for work every day and getting the words down, because one day, the magic will strike. And that is why you write.

And lastly; listen to what SCOTT ROSENBERG has to say. That I insist on.

I am sincerely so excited and inspired by all of you -- I love it when you're writing and I am concerned when you tell me you're not writing. Keep going! Keep believing in yourself, keep me informed of your progress. Your ideas are needed in the world. Sure, writing is hard, making a script sale is hard, getting anything produced is hard. But right now, that's not your concern. Your concern is writing. Deep down, you know you were born to do it. I can't wait to hear from you that you've written FADE OUT some time soon.

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