Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Be careful what you wish for.

A few days ago I posted about how excited I was about seeing Crazy, Stupid, Love. I was elated at its PG-13 rating and wanted all the teens to go see it. Apparently, the filmmakers wanted the same thing because in a movie that starred Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone, there was way, way too much time given to the storylines involving the unknown teenagers in this film (although I admittedly watched America's Next Top Model when Analeigh Tipton was a contestant, and  was rooting for her to win because she was the cool, open-minded girl who gave that transitioning girl her hormone shots). I felt like every time I was invested in the Carell/Moore/Gosling storylines, slam! We'd be back on those damn kids.

I thought the movie seemed a little choppy in places. The tone of some scenes didn't seem to flow with the previous scene. Perhaps the scenes were rearranged during editing, I don't know. I didn't read the script, though have heard it was quite good.

Steve Carell was pretty fantastic. I could see him getting a Golden Globe nod for comedy on this one. It wasn't an easy part to play, and I think he nailed it. Ryan Gosling is suprisingly funny, still seems a bit weird, and gorgeous as ever. I thought he and Emma Stone had great chemisty, and I wanted to see more of them together.

There were definitely some moments and situations that I didn't see coming. That's always refreshing, and worth the admission price. Overall, the film was actually funnier than I thought it would be. There were even a few laugh out loud moments, which are becoming more and more rare.

I think I'm being harder on this film because I had hope that it could be one of my favorites of all time, a rom com that I would watch on Sunday when it plays all over cable and I don't even care that there are commercials. This was not that movie. The film was good, but it didn't leave me with the warm, fuzzy feeling I wanted, and I'm not itching to see it again anytime soon.

Weather

It was a typical July morning in Los Angeles. The sky was overcast; sometimes the June gloom seeps into other months. But then the skies opened up and it poured for ten minutes, just like a winter storm. Strange.

Nicholl Fellowship - part over

I officially received my three Nicholl rejection letters. My script that I had the most hope for (the only one that was really ready to send in the first place) received two positive reads, which is nice to know. What's not nice to know is that it didn't receive high enough positives to garner a third read, therefore, it did not make the top 20%. Bummer.

Part of me is relieved that this is all over for me. I would have loved to have been named a Quarterfinalist, it would've been a big confidence boost. But not making the cut makes me reevaluate what I do have going for me: I write commercial stuff, stuff that has a chance of selling. And that's what I need to focus on.

Time to start sending out query letters. One of my goals is to get a manager this year, and I still have five months left to do that. The time to start is now.

 Congratulations to everyone who advanced in the Nicholl, and to the lucky, lucky people that manage to win.

This is Awkward.

I love me a good teen dramedy, and Awkward. on MTV fits the bill. It's well written and the characters are fun. I'd describe it as Gilmore Girls meets Glee, but darker and no singing. And it's only half an hour, which I love, because even though I like the show, sometimes shorter is better and 22 minutes of commitment is much easier than 42.

My only gripe about the show is that it relies too heavily on the lead character's narration. The lead actress, Ashley Rickards, is talented and doesn't need the help; she should say something funny rather than think something funny. The show would end up being, well, funnier.

If you haven't checked out Awkward., it's worth your 22 minutes.

Captain America: The Mediocre Beginning of Another Hopefully Uncrappy Franchise

I haven't seen any comic book movies this summer. Not even X-Men, which was well-reviewed, and I loved the first X-Men movie, so I've been upset at myself for missing it. Since all the critics seemed to enjoy CA, I thought it would be a last ditch effort to see a good summer popcorn movie.

Okay, it's been a long summer season, and I think the critics' brains have been fried. My expectations were raised due to all the good buzz, and boy was this disappointing. I don't think I've ever seen Chris Evans in a movie, and I know all the young hot guys in Hollywood competed for this part, so I expected his charisma to just leap off the screen at me. Nope. Not that he was bad, but I didn't feel like this guy was a star. (Oh, I just remembered, he was in Scott Pilgrim, not that it matters.) And Hugo Weaving doing his best Werner Herzog! All I could think of was Werner Herzog reading Go the Fuck to Sleep (the best celebrity reading so far). It was so hard not to get the giggles every time he was onscreen.

The movie starts out slowly, ahem, boring. Just as it gets interesting, it becomes a montage. Captain America is never, not even for half a second, ever in danger. There is no tension at all. No big obstacles for him to work around and outsmart. No suspense. Isn't that what action movies are all about? Halfway through the movie I turned to Hubs and said, "I set my expectations way too high." He thought the movie was even worse than I did.

I will keep Captain America in mind when writing action in the future. Your protagonist needs to be in peril. Preferably more than once. The audience shouldn't be able to figure out how he/she is going to escape. There must be tension. The opening scene should be awesome in some way that's unexpected. The last scene should be solid and feel like a real ending. The best part of the movie shouldn't be a trailer for another movie.

A Few Thoughts on R-Rated Comedies

The cineplexes have been filled with R-Rated comedies this summer. I saw Bridesmaids, Horrible Bosses, Bad Teacher, and No Strings Attached and Going the Distance (which came out earlier this year). I have not seen Hangover 2 (I saw the first one, so I think I already saw the second one) or Friends with Benefits.

Okay, I loved Bridesmaids. Yes, it had its moments of raunch, which usually aren't my thing, but they made the movie funnier. Therefore, it's R-rating was earned. And, this movie, whether it was rated G or R, had a soul. The characters came first. I cared about them and wanted everything to work out for them. Even the moments of raunch were character driven, not just stuck in there to be gross for the sake of being gross. Future R-rated comedies take note.

Another R-rated comedy that worked for me was Going the Distance. The dialogue was witty and frank. The cursing was funny and natural sounding. The nudity was comedic. Good chemistry between Justin Long and Drew Barrymore. R-rating earned. However, I think the R-rating hurt this film. It was promoted as a simple rom com, not the raunchy R-rated comedy that it was. The rom com crowd didn't want it, the raunch crowd didn't know about it. Ironically, it's one of the best rom coms I've seen in a long time, it just happens to be rated R. It was much, much funnier than the more successful No Strings Attached, which lacked in chemistry and character development.

I enjoyed Horrible Bosses, but I didn't think it needed to be rated R. I mean, Aniston didn't even get naked. No R-rating there. Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day have all proven to be hilarious on network television with no swears. Plus, there should have been more Golden-Globe-Winner Colin Farrell. He was hilarious. And sorely underused.

Bad Teacher definitely didn't need to be rated R. Take out an unfunny dry humping scene and a couple out-of-place f-bombs and it could've easily been PG-13. Why is it so uncool to be PG-13? Maybe I'm biased because I tend to write PG-13 comedy. In real life, I love to swear. It's a vice I relish in. Oddly, I always find it hard to make my characters swear. In my writing, profanities are like exclamation points; I use them sparingly for emphasis.

This pattern in my writing stems back to my teenage years. When I was in high school, all I wanted to do was go see movies. I lived in a small town and there wasn't much to do if you weren't causing trouble, so I spent a lot of my free time at the movie theatre. And the box office lady, nicknamed Skeletor, was the Guardian of the Realm of the R-Rated. She knew exactly who was seventeen and who wasn't, and it was her sacred duty to protect our innocent eyes. And, shockingly, my entire adolescence I was under seventeen. So movie options were limited.

I think I'm always writing for my sixteen-year-old self. Yes, I write scripts about adults, for adults. But I remember when I was a teen I wanted to see movies about adults. I wouldn't have wanted to see Selena Gomez and Leighton Meester trouncing around Europe (not that there's anything wrong with that). I would've wanted to see Bridesmaids. I would've wanted to see Horrible Bosses. I would've wanted to see Bad Teacher. And I would've wanted to see Crazy, Stupid, Love.

As an adult, I'm still excited to see Crazy, Stupid, Love. It looks like it has soul. I hope all the high-schoolers, and everyone else, show up and prove that it's profitable to make a funny PG-13 movie so Funny = R is no longer the law of the land.

Battling Writer's Block

I have not been nearly as productive the last few months as I should have been. I've had the luxury of taking some time off of work and in the last half of 2010, I wrote like a madwoman. I completed first drafts of two screenplays, did a major rewrite of a third, and wrote a drama pilot. Not too shabby. Even better, I think all those projects are solid pieces to enhance my portfolio...after I do one or two more rounds of revisions.

2011 came around and I was still on fire. At the beginning of the year, I wrote a comedy spec, which also turned out well. And then I was done, spent. I missed bringing home a paycheck, and I missed the socialization I got at work. Who would've ever thought I liked people so much? But, worst of all, my enthusiasm for all my half-ideas dried up. Yes, I had writer's block. And it sucked. All spring, I wrote nothing. I'm sure I could've done a better job of pushing through it, but I felt uninspired and helpless. This was the first time I've had such a creative block. It was my worst fear, and wallowing in it felt like I was confronting it, I guess. I don't know. I don't have any great advice on how to get through writer's block. But it's over, and hopefully it won't return, ever. But that's a lofty goal. Part of me is glad I've gone through it. I survived. I didn't even need to go on anti-depressants.

I just landed a new job that starts in a couple weeks. It's going to be hard. It's going to be a lot of hours. The commute is not going to be fun. But I'm happy to be collecting a paycheck again. I'm relieved to have a set schedule. And I'm really unafraid of writer's block now. Whenever I'm working and don't have the time I'd like to have for writing, that's when all the ideas come. Oh, cruel, cruel creativity. So I'm looking forward to having little time to write and making the most of it. Creativity, bring it on.

Rivera

Hubs took me to a wonderful birthday dinner at Rivera in downtown L.A, a restaurant that specializes in upscale Central American cuisine. I've been wanting to go there for a long time, and I wasn't disappointed.

Let's start with the drinks. I had the best drink of my life, the Barbacoa.

This drink is made with mezcal, something I'd never tasted before. Mezcal is made from agave, the same plant used to make tequila, but where tequila is spicy, mezcal is smokey. Add some chipotle, red pepper, ginger, simple syrup, and I don't know what else, and you have the best drink ever. Smokey, spicy, and just a little sweet. And a chunk of beef jerky to garnish. So, so good. Whenever I go to L.A. Live or Staples Center, I'll be sure to run across the street to Rivera and have one of these.

Hubs had a good drink, too, though I don't remember the name or what was in it, besides tequila. But it had this amazing chunk of ice that slowly melted. So pretty.

Rivera has a lot of small bites, so we ordered two. The Equadorian Crudo was very fresh. A perfect, light summer starter.

The Arepas, dense corn cakes, with Soft Shell Crab were also delicious. Small but hearty and served with a good sauce. Plus they wrote on the plate in celery salt or something which was cool.

For entrees, I ordered the Puerco Pibil.

It was good. The sauce was fine, not too sweet, not too smokey. The pork was fine as well, could've been a little juicier. Nothing amazing. Hubs ordered the Duck Enfrijolada, which was duck and goat cheese tucked between two blue corn tortillas. This was pretty darn good.

We ordered a side of black beans. Our waiter warned us they were spicy. I feel restaurants always over-warn about the level of spiciness. But I have to hand it to Rivera; these black beans were spicy. To the point that I wouldn't have wanted them any spicier or I think my taste buds would've been numb. The beans were also quite sweet, so having sweet combined with hot was unique.

My favorite food of the night were the tortillas. Yes, plain and simple tortillas served with a guacamole that had a little kick to it. But these were the best tortillas I've ever had. Soft, yet sturdy, with pure delicious corn flavor. And gorgeous presentation with a beet shaving.

For dessert we shared the bread pudding. Loved the roasted, salted peanuts, but it wasn't overly special. Looked gorgeous, though.

I don't know if I need to eat another meal at Rivera. The food was good, but my favorite dishes, the tortillas and those black beans, could be ordered at the bar over a Barbacoa.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Football is coming back! Yeeeeaaaahhhhh!

Okay, confession time. I have not been a lifelong football fan. I played softball growing up. I watched Cubs games everyday. I worshipped Ryne Sandberg and Mark Grace. Walter Payton? The Fridge? Who? The '86 Bears and the Superbowl Shuffle? I was oblivious, no memory whatsoever.

I think a lot of people get into football in college. The huge tailgating parties, the drunken camaraderie. Well, I went to art school. We had an ultimate frisbee team and that was the extent of our sports program. Football was that thing they played in that spaceship they built on top of Soldier Field a few blocks away.

Hubs is from Boston and a big Patriots fan. I only started watching football after meeting him, but I fell in love. With him and with football.

Football makes me happy. It's aggressive, yet athletic, something is always happening. It's my favorite way to waste a Sunday, and the thought of not having that option this year was depressing. But no more worries. The season will now go on. The lockout is over.

And, finally, Go Bears?!

R.I.P. Amy Winehouse

Though Amy Winehouse's death doesn't come as a complete shock, that doesn't make it any less tragic. Her music and her amazing, soulful voice had a unique, honest vibrance and vulnerability that pop music hasn't had in a long time. And it stinks that we won't get any more of it.

Happy Dogs

Sometimes we just need a little doggy pick-me-up. These photos were taken at the Pasadena Kennel Club Dog Show on June 5. Happy procrastination!

A Quick Note on the Last Harry Potter

I've quite enjoyed the Harry Potter franchise. The Prisoner of Azkaban was by far the best film, and a few of the other ones have been good as well. But I'm ready for it to all be over. Let these poor kids move on with their careers, if that's even possible at this point. I do believe it will be possible for Matt Lewis.

Seriously, who would have thought that out of all the HP kids, Neville would grow up to be the most dashing? He looks like a young Clive Owen. Note to studios: the ladies are definitely down with young Clive Owen.

A-Frame

A-Frame used to be an IHOP in Culver City. Its current form is much improved. No booths line the walls. Instead, it's communal eating; large tables seat multiple parties. All in all, the food was really fun and I'd love to go back and try all new items, since our stomachs were only so big.

We started out with some fun appetizers. The Kettle Corn sounded interesting.

Hubs loved it: crunchy, sweet, salty, tangy. Something in this kettle corn tasted too fishy for me. Not a fan.

But the Heirloom Pickles were amazeballs.

This was my favorite dish of the night. Pickled carrots, cucumbers, radishes, pears, and fennel. With a creamy sesame sauce. Loved the sauce, and I'm picky about condiments. I'm all inspired to pickle now.

After our neighbors raved about the Beer Can Chicken we decided to order that.

The chicken was fine, juicy meat and crispy skin. The two sauces it came with were the selling point. One was a sweet cilantro sauce, the other a spicy, smokey chili. Hubs preferred the cilantro, I liked the red chili, so that worked out.

I wanted to try A-Frame's version of Clam Chowder. If you love Thai green curry (minus the curry) and clam chowder, this might be your new favorite soup. Lots of clams. The portion was much larger than I expected, almost too big. I liked this dish, but it tasted exactly how I thought it would (which was quite delicious), but I wouldn't get it again because there was no element of suprise.

I'm over churros. I'm fairly convinced I've already had the best churro of my life at Senor Fred's, and the main reason it's the best churro is because it comes with the most amazing hot chocolate ever. But everyone around us was getting the churros, and our waiter was raving about them, and my pick of a black pepper schezchuan ice cream sandwich suddenly seemed less exciting.

Meh. Fried pound cake rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Served with a chocolatey malted milk with ice cream. It wasn't very exciting. Again, no suprise flavors to make it special. Next time I'm trying the ice cream sandwich.

Chocolatey Delight

Last night I saw a comercial for Chocolatey Delight. It goes something like this: It's after dinner. A woman sits on her couch. She's craving chocolate. Her chihauhua turns into a chocalate bunny rabbit. The woman goes into the kitchen and has a bowl of corn flakes with chocolate chips in it. Craving curbed. Chocolate bunny turns back into chihuahua. Crisis averted.

And Chocolatey Delight is healthy! Only 120 calories per serving. That doesn't include milk.

Here's a thought. If you're craving chocolate, eat a piece of chocolate, dammit. If you eat of bowl of cereal just for a few bits of chocolate, is that really satisfying? Plus, cereal is expensive. So is milk. For $2 you can buy an organic dark chocolate bar, eat two pieces of it after dinner every night and it will last you all week. It's better for you than a bowl of cereal; less calories, less sugar, and dark chocolate in small quantities is good for your heart. But the best part? It's chocolate. Real, delectable, delicious chocolate. Satisfied.