Message Board

After weeks of vicarious indulgence in the consummately credible and always enjoyable communiques posted here, I've made the leap to put aside my fears of rejection and ridicule and enter the discussion. What with the new year and it's pesky resolutions approaching, shedding this fear seemed much more managable than shedding any of my other vices which are far too numerous to mention here.

I am a perspiring writer. Most of you are aspiring writers, but I live in Texas (Hell) where it rarely freezes over. I've been writing for a few years and have been a finalist in Austin and done well in a handful of other contests. But, alas, my real life too often encroaches upon my writing "hobby".

However, since stumbling across MovieBytes, I have found the motivation to pursue my dream of entertaining the masses, or just the parishioners attending Mass. And although I have little in the category of wisdom beyond what is already available on this message board, it would be ever so gratifying to consider myself one of you.

But beware! Now that I've taken the plunge, you may not be able to keep me out of your pool.

M.E. Krueger gbfh

Sam

So much praise. So much flattery. So much tribute. So much endorsement.

So how much do I owe you?$$

Thanks for the kind words.

M.E. Krueger

Thanks to all for the welcoming words. May your goals be met in this, the year of the sheep. And to Richard, SALSA sounds good to me. Kindly contact me at gbfh@earthlink.net.

M.E.

In the category of appearance, I choose to believe the woeful fact that many excellent broadcasters land in radio instead of more visual outlets due to deficiencies in facial appeal doesn't also apply to the writer versus the actor. Just because we work behind the scenes doesn't mean we should be mistaken for said behind.

I feel certain Mary Kay is a vision of lovliness, but also a visage of determination aided by efficiency. Many of her postings are ernest attempts to share an accumulation of valuable information demonstrating her intelligence and benevolent nature. Other messages reveal Mary Kay's sense of humor.

So were we to meet, I wouldn't be surprised to see an ageless blonde about 5'6" tall, fit and firm, with an easy smile and graceful carriage. Then again, in this wild-ass worId we live in, I wouldn't be surprised to see a lengthy line of movie lovers waiting to buy tickets for "Anaconda II".

Mary Kay

Thanks for the guesswork. You get an A- because my lengthy dark hair is quite the opposite of curly and while I could fill out a sweater where it counts thanks to the dominance of the " big boob gene" in my family, just yesterday it was so warm here it was shorts and a T-shirt as usual.

ME

How about a life time achievement award for writing a decent sequel?

ME

Pete & Natasha

The truth is I resemble a few of Ellie May's "critters" more than Ellie May.

ME

You know you live near Dallas when your permanent address is Interstate 635. Car dealerships are more plentiful than the Texas-sized roaches. Football at every level must be worshipped and every strip shopping center will have a nail salon, hair salon and tanning salon attached. Proper use of grammar is considered down right unfriendly. Home heating units are nostalgic works of whimsy. Air conditioners of all sizes must be worshipped. State Flower: Tumbleweed. All things considered, this must be utopia.

ME

How does you screenplay grow? With complete quiet, soothing music, TV on low, or rock and roll? Just curious as to what works for others. M.E.

Is it just me, or has all the life been zapped out of this message board since the extra heavy duty thread questioning the merit of its content surfaced?

In hopes of getting things back to some semblance of normality and keeping within the framework of competitive screenwriting discussion, I ask the following question:

Do you ever hold back on the sexual content of your screenplays because you may ask friends and family to preview your work?

Farewell yes, but also thank you. Thank you for displaying the courage to face the one in fifty odds of your space exploration ending your life. Thank you for choosing to use your skills for the betterment of mankind even though your names would have remained anonymous to most were it not for the tragic attempt at re-entry. Thank you for being pioneers in the truest sense and thank you for exemplifying the kind of character we should all strive to emulate.

ME

It's not a movie, but Tony Soprano seems to be quite a barbecue chef.

ME

Congratulations!

ME

Gil

I'd call that a moral victory. Congratulations.

ME

If you go to their website fadeinmag.com you can see the names of the quarterfinalists. Good luck.

ME

MR DUCKS MR NOT DUCKS OSAR CM WINGS LIB, MR DUCKS

ME

OR... ' em are ducks. 'em are not ducks. Oh yes they are, see 'em wings. Well I'll be, 'em are ducks.

ME

My guess is the gutless money men would rather go with something that "had" legs rather than stand up on theirs and produce something original.

On a more positive note, I read this week that they are finally going to start filming Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt action novels with Matthew McCaunahey (sp?) as Dirk Pitt, starting with "Sahara". It was a fun read that should make an extremely entertaining movie.

ME

Does anyone know their stand regarding e-queries? If it's positive, does anyone have an e-mail contact.

Thanks, ME

Gil -

The heading of your post sounded so ominous I hesitated to open it. Glad I did. Congratulations!

ME

Colin - Here it is:

Dear Mary Ellen,

Thank you for submitting Expiration Date to the 2003 Heart Of Film Screenplay Competition. Close to 4,000 writers submitted their screenplays in the adult and comedy categories, and only a little over ten percent make it to the distinguished second round.

Expiration Date did advance to the second round, but did not make it to the semi-finaols. This is a tremendous acomplishment, and you should be proud. I hope your screenplay's recognition will encourage you to continue your writing. We welcome your subnissions in future Competitions.

Good Luck, B.J. Burrow

To Adrian and Paul -

I participated in Austin as a finalist in 1997. Here’s my commentary as a shy, somewhat introspective attendee. Also, this was quite a few years ago so much of what follows may no longer be the case.

You were immediately given a badge to wear which indicated your level of good fortune (finalist, semi-finalist, etc.). From that point on, you are forced to accept the fact people are constantly staring at your chest in order to determine the value of striking up a conversation. Don’t get me wrong, everyone is quite friendly, but it soon became just like high school where the finalists were the popular people, the semis were the acceptable group and so on.

I took advantage of several sessions with impressive panelists and knowledgeable speakers covering diverse topics. However, there was little to be gained that couldn’t be found in the screenwriting section of Borders. There were success stories, horror stories, amusing anecdotes and interesting tales about the trade, but with the popularity of the internet and message boards like MovieBytes, that’s no longer novel. Additionally, the “mass meetings” were so crowded the chances of questioning your favorite scribe are very minimal although all the guest speakers and panelists were extremely engaging.

If you’re planning to bring a suitcase of scripts to spread around, be forewarned that just like in real life, those in attendance will smile politely and advise you to query them when they get back to their home bases. So be prepared to bring and exchange quantum amounts of business cards. Of course if you’re extremely good looking, tall, short or in any way memorable, you’ll have a better shot at being remembered after the festival.

Please don’t think I’m criticizing the Austin Film Festival because I’m not. I had a great time, especially in the evenings. It’s a college town with lots to do and it was filled with people I had something in common with, but it’s not a panacea for writers, it’s a celebration of writers. Have fun if you decide to go.

ME

Paul,

You're welcome. If you have any specific questions, email me a imgbfh@yahoo.com.

ME

Paul,

Back in 1997, you were notified by phone shortly before the festival that you were a finalist. Judging goes on up until the luncheon when the winners in all categories are announced.

Also, they are including an impressive attendance of production companies this year, so if you have good work to take with you, go network and have a great time.

Good luck.

Mary Ellen

It seems the Grim Reaper has been working overtime this year. We have lost so many beloved icons from past movie greatness as well as music and television favorites.

While I am deeply saddened by these loses, I'm also heartened by the fact their performances are forever available in various forms of recording media. As I kiss the air I'm still fortunate enough to breathe, I wish the up and coming actors and other entertainers good luck. They surely have big shoes to fill.

ME

If you ask me, there’s something disturbing about football on television. It’s not the bone crushing tackles followed by the additional piling on of extra, extra, extra large player men - that’s sport. It’s not the excessive celebrating after a terrific play or a touchdown - that’s an emotional release. It’s not the disgruntled head coaches behaving like three year olds when officials make judgments against them - that’s spirited leadership. It’s not the tragedy of witnessing an injured player being carted off the field - that’s drama. It’s not the unsightly view of 300 plus pound “athletes” stuffed into spandex pants that could give way to the laws of physics at any moment - that’s cause to put away the chips and switch to light beer.

It’s not the incessant build up to the start of football season - that’s good business. It’s not the plethora of pregame shows every Sunday - that’s setting the mood. It’s not the morons hosting these events - that’s comic relief. It’s not the post game autopsies that go on and on until the teams take the field again - that’s keeping football top of mind. It’s not the generic coach speak that infiltrates every level of the game - that’s mandatory. It’s not the generic player speak that permeates every level of the game - that’s learned from the coaches. It’s not the token female sideline reporter asking the hard questions - that’s just plain ridiculous. It’s not the cheerleaders who seem to be taking the tackiness of duct tape to new extremes with every move they make - that’s eye candy.

It’s not the announcing teams who often have less charisma than death - that’s tough luck. It’s not the hoopla associated with the Super Bowl that makes it seem more life altering than the discovery of the wheel - that’s talking heads in overdrive.

It’s the commercials. There are way too many. Even though some of them are clever or amusing, after you’ve seen them fifteen times in one game, you vow to ignore those sponsors during your next shopping trip. If you ask me, football games would be much more enjoyable if they saved all the commercials for half time - like that’t going to happen.

ME

If you ask me, there’s something disturbing about football on television. It’s not the bone crushing tackles followed by the additional piling on of extra, extra, extra large player men - that’s sport. It’s not the excessive celebrating after a terrific play or a touchdown - that’s an emotional release. It’s not the disgruntled head coaches behaving like three year olds when officials make judgments against them - that’s spirited leadership. It’s not the tragedy of witnessing an injured player being carted off the field - that’s drama. It’s not the unsightly view of 300 plus pound “athletes” stuffed into spandex pants that could give way to the laws of physics at any moment - that’s cause to put away the chips and switch to light beer.

It’s not the incessant build up to the start of football season - that’s good business. It’s not the plethora of pregame shows every Sunday - that’s setting the mood. It’s not the morons hosting these events - that’s comic relief. It’s not the post game autopsies that go on and on until the teams take the field again - that’s keeping football top of mind. It’s not the generic coach speak that infiltrates every level of the game - that’s mandatory. It’s not the generic player speak that permeates every level of the game - that’s learned from the coaches. It’s not the token female sideline reporter asking the hard questions - that’s just plain ridiculous. It’s not the cheerleaders who seem to be taking the tackiness of duct tape to new extremes with every move they make - that’s eye candy.

It’s not the announcing teams who often have less charisma than death - that’s tough luck. It’s not the hoopla associated with the Super Bowl that makes it seem more life altering than the discovery of the wheel - that’s talking heads in overdrive.

It’s the commercials. There are way too many. Even though some of them are clever or amusing, after you’ve seen them fifteen times in one game, you vow to ignore those sponsors during your next shopping trip. If you ask me, football games would be much more enjoyable if they saved all the commercials for half time - like that’s going to happen.

ME

As a long time fan I can hardly contain my glee that the Cubbies have won their division. It has restored my faith in dreams coming true. Then again, if they actually win the title, I will be extremely worried about my mortality as will countless others who are only "holding on" long enough to see the Cubs win the World Series.

Now I don't know whether to cheer them on or not. If only the conflict in my writing was filled with such uncertainty...

ME

HOLY COW!

Again I say, how about those Cubs!

Long suffering fan, ME

Hi Tom -

Whenever I'm feeling bewildered by contest results or unanswered queries, I equate this avocation we doggedly pursue to junk mail.

Throughout the week I receive dozens of unsolicited catalogs - all of which are the very best product the companies sending them out can piece together. Then, depending on my mood, the tides, or my horoscope for the day I may toss some and flip through the others. On another day, I toss them all without even looking at the covers. And on some days, I sit down and read them cover to cover - because it's a subjective process. I like what I like and no one can force their tastes on me regardless of the packaging.

If I put the readers in my shoes as I go through the junk mail, it's easier to understand what appear to be discrepancies in judgement.

Keep your spirits soaring and your keyboard roaring. Good luck.

ME

Aaron -

Congratulations and good luck with the finals.

M.E.

Welcome Fraser -

I must say you've chosen a career path even more mind boggling than science and with far less finite answers. However, in regard to your question, my suggestion is that you write the story you want to write - the one that's in your heart. Then if you feel it's necessary, you can always season it a bit with a pinch of fiction. Hope that helps a little in your decision making process.

Good luck.

ME

I noticed they have changed the time for sending out invitations from "the end of October" to the first of November and the Pitch from November to December. Hope that helps your anxiety.

ME

Rather than bizarre, for me, scanning the posts at MovieBytes is a guilty pleasure filled with intrigue and suspense. Is Ellum really Terri? Will Gil’s award winning script get made into an award winning feature? Is Terri really Ellum? Will one of us win the Nicholl? Will one of us win the lottery? Is there any difference?

The dual identity accusations leave me with a feeling of envy because I barely have enough lucid thoughts to comprise one personality let alone two or more. How do these multiples pull it off? Brain Viagra? Repeated viewings of Sybil? Regardless, I admire your stamina, especially in terms of backbiting, backstabbing and most of all backtracking. Well done! God, how I love the exhilarating feeling of self-righteousness.

Of course the valuable information gleaned from the boards is what draws us writers in waiting together. Thanks to all for the many insights. And to those scribes who have left for destinations unknown, please return, even if only for a visit. Maybe it’s a case of “good ol’ days” syndrome on my part, but your presence is surely missed. And lastly, welcome to all newcomers. The “VACANCY’ light shines bright here in bizarre-o world.

ME

Here's my modest offering:

A world renown bounty hunter takes on more than kidnappers while attempting to rescue a billionaire family held hostage in the South China Sea.

I like the idea of not revealing it's his past coming back to haunt him right away. It may provoke enough interest to request your script to find out what the bounty hunter encounters. Hope this helps you decide.

ME

Once when I listed a script with InkTip, the interest was scant to say the least. Then I changed the logline to Film X meets Film Y and the hits really escalated. I did make sure the film titles I used were very familiar ones though. Hope this helps.

ME

Hi -

Paula is right. Movie Magic and Final Draft are both very good. I've only dabbled with Movie Magic, but have used Final Draft with ease for about seven years and can happily recommend it. I imagine there are other programs as well, but I have not researched that option. However, I have nothing negative to offer in respect to the two I have used. Hope this helps a bit in your decision. ME

I realize this is a bit off topic, but I was watching the Natural today, and once again I wondered why Darrin McGavin isn't listed anywhere in the credits. Does anyone know the reasoning behind this.

Thanks - ME

Thanks, Randy. It's one of those "things" that's always bugged me and I can't recall hearing of any ill will involving McGavin during filming. It's become such a quandry, not having the answer nearly prevents me from concentrating on the actual film.

ME

Thanks, Jill. That's a very plausible explanation.

ME

Randy,

Thanks for sharing Paula's skills with us. Good to know, and good luck with the rewrite.

ME

Hi Joe,

Someone from Done Deal apparently called Bravo and was told something should happen this week. Good Luck!

ME

Welcome to the board and congratulations on finishing your first draft. Congratulations also for having the patience to improve on your work before sending it out to competitions. There are people on the board who charge for their services, but from the comments, it's money well spent. There's a thread started by Randy Roberts about networking on this board you may wish to review. If you'd like my humble yet free opinion of your screenplay, my email is listed on my profile page. Good luck.

ME

To anyone waiting for the Bravo results:

After others posted emails from Bravo saying finalists would be notified by November 12, I contacted Bravo to clear up which finalists they were referring to. Was it the top 50, the next 10, the lucky 5 or the final 2? The response was if you have not heard anything by November 12, you can assume you did not place in any of the rounds. However, that does not mean they haven't already contacted some of the top 50 finishers. They also attached an article with more information which I transcribed and posted on the Done Deal site (www.scriptsales.com) that indicates there were more than 7,000 entries. Good luck to those who have been contacted and good luck to those still waiting.

ME

I'd like to share my annual fictitious Christmas newsletter. But first, here are a few tips for enjoying its contents:

1. I'm practically a hermit who loathes hot weather. 2. Mr. Krueger is about as sociable as the guards outside Buckingham Palace 3. I've restored four homes and am a professional artist. 4. I have three daughters, and 5. I'd never be so foolish as to have twelve house pets - I have only eleven.



Season’s Greetings! What a whirlwind year this has been. I just returned from a much needed cruise to the Bahamas. You all know how I love the constant sunshine and balmy weather in the Caribbean. If only those ships sailed down the Amazon! That’s about the only place I haven‘t visited yet. I actually had to make an appointment with my computer so I’d stay home long enough to get our yearly family newsletter completed.

For starters, I overheard Mr. Krueger utter the “R” word a few weeks ago. Even though he’s got several productive years left, the mere thought of him actually retiring and being at home all day catapulted me into action. I immediately sent away for the home study course “You, Too Can Be a Wal-Mart Greeter”. I can’t wait to see his face when he pulls that out of his stocking on Christmas morning. What a perfect second career for someone as friendly and outgoing as Mr. Krueger.

I finally completed our home renovations. It wasn’t easy finding tri-color shag carpeting, but that was a breeze compared to what it took to locate our new dirt colored naugahide sofa. Looking back, it may not have been such a good idea to have most of the electrical outlets removed, but when I go retro, I go all the way. You’ll never believe this, but I did most of the painting myself! Considering the only painting I’d done until now was by numbers, the outcome was surprisingly eye catching. It must be, because anyone who drops by can’t seem to stop staring at the walls.

I’m not going to bore you to tears once more by repeating how I always wanted six sons and how thrilled I was when all six arrived like clockwork. Oh, silly me. I just did it again. Well, the good news is they will all be home for Christmas. The bad news is they won’t be leaving after the holidays. Marvin found out the hard way that Subway diet you see on TV only works if you restrict your intake to less than six sandwiches a day. Now he’s lost his job as a nude model until he drops another seventy-five pounds. Damn that Jared! Leo’s license was suspended, so he lost his paper route, but he’s taking a correspondence course in telemarketing. Wilbur was laid off from his job as a funeral home make-up artist because “baby boomers” apparently aren’t dying off fast enough and his twin brother Wally can’t seem to find any openings in his field - taxidermy. Sometimes I wonder if watching all those horror films while I was pregnant with those two mischief makers was a mistake. Harold is still trying to pull himself together from the break-up with his girl friend. However, his father and I are beginning to think he’s had enough time since the romance took place when he was in the fifth grade. At least little Leonard is gainfully employed. The manager at Starbucks says he can have his job back as soon as he’s completed his treatments. It seems he was unable to kick his double mocha latte habit on his own.

So it looks like our little home will be bursting at the seams this Christmas, but at least there aren’t a dozen troublesome pets to go along with the half dozen boys! That’s one Christmas blessing for which I’m truly thankful. Happy 2005!

According to their website, the results will be posted at 9:00 PM Hollywood time. Good luck.

ME

Sorry, I neglected to mention the posting date is today, 2/15/05.

ME

Have you noticed how the majority of current male actors with enough clout to open a film have monosyllabic first and last names? For example, Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Will Smith, Jude Law, Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise. Do you suppose it's merely a coincidence?

ME

I forgot to mention Hugh Grant, Jet Li and Ice Cube. By the way, I didn't say all the A-list actors and I probably should have selected a different word than majority. It was just something slightly interesting to me.

One word titles are great for marquees, too -Jaws, Vertigo, Indiscrete, Volcano, Speed, The Matrix, Miracle....

If you're rushing to finish your Austin Film Festival entry, you now have until June 1, 2005 to get it postmarked. They have updated their website to show the change.

ME

Just got back from the theater and with regard to the script, I think "Sith" is an anagram for what bears do in the woods.

ME

Isn't it great we still have a few holiday greetings we don't have to change in order to be politically correct? Anyway, here's hoping 2006 brings much success to all. And thank you, Frederick, for making this all possible.

ME

I like it, but I think it's a bit redundant to refer to him as a widowed father and then to mention the death of his wife.

I'd say: Tormented by the death of his wife, a father......

ME

and any other Texans lurking or otherwise - How about those Longhorns!

ME

Hey Randy,

I saw Firewall. I'm afraid I don't share your high opinion of this film. Here's the review I wrote for another site:

“Firewall” By the Smoking Critic, M.E. Krueger

You’ve probably heard someone bum a cigarette off another smoker, but the makers of “Firewall” bummed the whole pack. For example, the rainy climate and the professional wife was bummed from “Disclosure”. The child with syringe dependency was bummed from “Panic Room”. Mary Lynn Rajskub, made recognizable from her role in “24” where she works closely with “Jack” Bauer was directed to bum the name “Jack” for her new boss, Harrison Ford. The most ridiculous bum of all can be seen in countless films where a sixty-something man is husband to a babe at least twenty years younger and father to precocious school age children.

To sum up this disaster, when the ending credits began to roll, I was fidgeting for my lighter when I heard a distinct voice behind me say he wanted his money back. Well, the line forms to the left. From the obvious plot devices to the “foreign” bad guys, this was a complete waste of valuable smoking time. I’d worry about exposing spoilers in this review, but there are no surprises or devices in “Firewall” that we haven’t already seen in weekly episodes of “Law and Order”.

Without going into detail, the bad guys take over Jack’s home and family thereby forcing him to monkey with the bank’s computers. Oh yeah, he’s a security expert at a bank. At this point, there’s a lot of techno-speak mere mortals can’t really follow, but Jack somehow manages to upload 100,000,000.00 into the bad guy’s offshore account. Then there are some mandatory murders, some bad driving and way too much running and jumping for a man of Ford’s years. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Mr. Ford’s incredible acting ability because in some scenes he looked as crumpled and depleted as an empty soft pack causing me to worry about his actual well being. I couldn’t help thinking a quick smoke might calm his frazzled nerves. I know it would have improved my disposition by this point in the movie.

At the end of this film, I had a strong suspicion there must not be any mirrors in the Ford household because he apparently refuses to act his age. The long anticipated face off with the bad guy, who is four inches taller and at least twenty-five years younger than Ford, is totally unbelievable. Unbelievable in that even one of the blows delivered by the bad guy would have left the recipient comatose, but not our Jack, who manages to triumph over evil in a very nitpicky fashion. Then again, perhaps I’m being too picky for expecting one of the few film icons left in Hollywood to reward his loyal fans with a worthwhile project. Also, I’ve chosen not to mention this film’s writer, director and most of the co-stars so you won’t be tempted to hold their backs to this firewall.

The Smoking Critic’s Rating: One a scale of 1 – 10: 3 Butts Up

Congratulations.

ME

Congratulations.

ME

Sorry about that redundancy. There seems to be some technical difficulty. Then again, why not twice the congratulations.

ME

Long time Moviebyter Linda Armstrong also made the semifinals with "Enclave" in Scriptapalooza. Much deserved congratulations to both Linda and Barb. Good luck as the contest progresses.

ME

Linda would never mention it, but she's also just made the quarter finals in Nicholl as well as Paige with Enclave. Congratulations!

I'm happy to share the news that my little project "Death Meets Taxes" made the first cut. Congratulations to all others who advanced and keep on writing to those who didn't. Your day will come.

ME