James Moran

This week, in lieu of my usual witterings, I offer you:

At The Editing Room, Rod Hilton writes ‘abridged scripts’ of popular films – but in an indecently irreverent spirit that harks back to web classics “movies in a minute” and “movies with bunnies”. Behold his takes on The Bourne Ultimatum, The Departed and Ronin.

Bang2Write head script-reader, Lucy, is oft-name-checked in the UK scribosphere – and for good reason: her Write Here, Write Now blog has gems aplenty to offer, like no, your script idea has not been nicked, Worst. Feedback. Ever., and The List. (Collective fedora-tip: Messrs. Barron, Clague and Stack.)

A mere twelve months ago, Severance scribe James Moran listed seven reasons why his beloved horror genre can sometimes suck ass. Read. Memorise. Avoid. (Insta-fedora-tip: Write Here, Write Now.)

Former Paramount Theatre manager Dan Slevin used to throw together the best – the best, I tell ya – weekly e-newsletters. I may have been in the wrong city at the time (Christchurch, then Dunedin), but the reviews, descriptions and one-liners were a pleasure to read, and welcome heads-ups on what might (eventually) hit the South Island. He’s now the Capital Times film reviewer – and generously reprints his reviews at his blog, Funerals and Snakes.

And for something different, try killer-fact.com where literary quizzes (what novel opened with “Call me Ishmael”?) gleefully rub shoulders with polls like which Spice Girl to eat first when all the food has run out on your desert island. (Fedora-tip: NZBC.)

Update: the killer-fact.com page now says “This account has been suspended – please contact billing…”. Guess you’ll have to take my word for it.

Cruisin’… cruuuisin’… cruuuisiiiin’…

Just discovered the gorgeously effervescent Julie Goes to Hollywood, previously Things They Don’t Tell You in Film School, whose Bunuelesque observations on Juliewood, California have to be read to be believed. Meet her here; see her here.

James Moran at the pen is mightier than the spork has an interesting blow-by-blow account of his rise and rise as a screenwriter, from getting an agent through to a finished product.

James Henry joins the blogroll because of his impeccable taste in comics. And he’s a Green Wing-er. (Fedora-tip to Danny Stack.)

The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain have a blog where the posts aren’t just parochial – you’re as likely to hear about why Hollywood neglects women as the juicy possibility that the BBC is planning a producers academy. RSS feeds are, like, just so cool.

Helen Leggatt has an entertaining and illuminating blog, A Brit in the Boonies, on life as a Pom immigrant on the Cantabrian plains. I recommend her plum jam recipe.

Donna of Mike and Donna’s Adventures fame has been busy. Mike’s travels provide proof that real life will always be much crazier than whatever fevered imagination can provide.

Tag: James Moran