Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'screenwriter'

'Milk' Screenwriter: Harvey Helped Me Come Out

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:56:00 EST

Sean Penn stars in Gus Van Sant's biopic about an out gay politician who inspired a community; screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, who grew up Mormon, says he was among those for whom Harvey Milk made a real difference.

Charlie Kaufman's Brain Teaser Movies

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 11:40:00 EST

The screenwriter is best known for films that make the human mind the landscape of the story, like Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the new film Synecdoche, NY.

Now Out: 'Changeling,' 'H.S. Musical,' 'Synecdoche'

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Films out this week include Changeling, starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Clint Eastwood; High School Musical 3: Senior Year and Synecdoche, the directing debut of noted screenwriter Charlie Kaufman.

Behind 'Changeling,' A Tale Too Strange For Fiction

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:00:00 EDT

In 1928, a 9-year-old boy disappeared — and when the police "discovered" him, his mother said they had the wrong boy. Screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski fills in NPR's Elizabeth Blair on the sad and sordid story that inspired his new film.

Demme, Lumet on Getting 'Rachel' Married

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:14:00 EDT

Director Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia) and screenwriter Jenny Lumet discuss their critically acclaimed new wedding dramedy Rachel Getting Married.

Novelist Kureishi Has 'Something To Tell You'

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Hanif Kureishi is one of England's best-known novelists and screenwriters. Race and sex and cultural divides in London have always been Kureishi's territory, and they still are. In his latest novel, Something To Tell You, the characters are older, their sexual foibles darker — and the narrator is a psychologist named Jamal Khan — a man who has a lot of guilt.

Auster's New Book Shines

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Man In The Dark is novelist Paul Auster's latest book. The Brooklyn fiction writer, essayist and screenwriter has published more than a dozen novels. His latest adds to his highly praised body of work.

Seth Rogen, Looking Less Geeky These Days

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:52:00 EDT

The Pineapple Express star often portrays less successful members of society — but he's hardly one of them. The actor and screenwriter has four Hollywood projects out this summer.

Excerpt: 'Hero'

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:33:00 EDT

Notable screenwriter Perry Moore switches format for Hero, a novel about a gay adolescent who happens to be endowed with superpowers.

Fatih Akin, Crossing Borders and Boundaries on Film

Wed, 21 May 2008 15:35:00 EDT

Turkish-German filmmaker, 34, drew an Oscar nomination and a Cannes screenwriting award for his hot-ticket movie The Edge of Heaven. Critics say it's his breakthrough as a leading light of the new global cinema.

Oscar-Nominated Writer Malvin Wald Dies

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Malvin Wald, a screenwriter who was nominated for an Academy Award for the 1948 movie The Naked City, died Thursday at the age of 90. He wrote dozens of scripts for motion pictures and TV shows, including Peter Gunn, Daktari and Perry Mason.

Richard Price Details a Gritty 'Lush Life'

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:47:00 EST

Novelist and screenwriter Richard Price discusses his new novel, Lush Life, about the repercussions of a shooting on the Lower East side. Price has written extensively about the realities of inner city life; he is a writer for HBO's The Wire which ends a five-year run on Sunday.

Guys in the Shop Discuss Politics, Oscars

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:00:00 EST

Barbershop regulars Jimi Izrael, Ruben Navarrette and Arsalan Iftikhar are joined this week by screenwriter Alan McElroy. The guys weigh in on John McCain's alleged impropriety, Tavis Smiley's public riff with Barack Obama, and who they're rooting for at this year's Oscars.

Shows May Have Uneven Return from Writer Strike

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:39:00 EST

Striking screenwriters are considering a proposed contract that would end their 12-week-long strike. It looks like voting on it could wrap up tomorrow and -- if all goes according to plan -- they could be back at work as soon as Wednesday. The TV industry already has its sights set beyond that. Producers and studios are scrambling to pick up production and see how much of the TV season they can salvage. Half-hour comedies are expected to get back on the air with fresh episodes faster than hour-long dramas. And some serialized shows -- like 24 and Heroes -- might not come back until next fall because there won't be enough time left in the season to wrap up their complicated plots.

Acclaimed Irish Playwright's Film Debut: 'In Bruges'

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 10:53:00 EST

Playwright Martin McDonagh makes audiences laugh -- and makes them uncomfortable about what they're laughing at. He's had hits on London's West End and Broadway. Now, the Irish writer is set to make a new audience squirm -- and chuckle -- as his screenwriter-director debut, In Bruges, opens in U.S. theaters.

Sundance Film Fest Feels Pinch of Writers Strike

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:42:00 EST

During the first week of the Sundance Film Festival, buyers compete for films in earnest. Competition for films is expected to be tougher this year because the screenwriters' strike means supply is limited. But the highest bidder might not be the best distributor for an independent film.

PBS to Air Adaptations of Jane Austen Novels

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 06:00:00 EST

Andrew Davies is the go-to screenwriter for adapting classic literature for television and the movies. He adapts Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility as PBS prepares to air The Complete Jane Austen.

Late-Night Comedy Returns Without Writers

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:00:00 EST

Two of Comedy Central's most popular shows, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report, are back. They've been off the air since screenwriters went on strike two months ago. They went back on air without material from their writers.

Writers Expected to Picket Awards Shows

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 06:00:00 EST

The big Hollywood awards shows - the Golden Globes and the Oscars Â� are coming soon. Striking screenwriters have already said they won't allow writers to script the Globes and that they will picket. It may be the same for the Oscars, too. Guild members are wondering whether actors and directors will cross the picket lines.

Late-Night Shows to Work Around Writers Strike

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 06:00:00 EST

Despite the ongoing screenwriters' strike, NBC's late-night shows hosted by Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien will go on in January. On CBS, David Letterman hopes to return but may be able to keep his writers. Letterman -- not CBS -- owns the company that produces his show.

Late-Night Shows to Resume Without Striking Staff

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 19:10:00 EST

NBC announced Monday that its late-night shows will resume Jan. 2 without their writing staffs. Evening talk shows on all of the TV networks went into re-runs in November, as soon the screenwriters went on strike. This is a sticky situation for all sides because Jay Leno has been visibly supportive of the striking writers -- and it's unclear whether they will picket him at NBC when he returns to work.

Film, TV Writers Strike Talks at Impasse

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 06:00:00 EST

The talks between the striking screenwriters and the production studios have ground to a halt. The latest round of contract negotiations collapsed Friday, and the prospect of the two sides coming to an agreement in the near future seems increasingly dim. The strike began Nov. 5.

Henry Worked on Many Hits

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 16:23:00 EST

Actor, comedian and writer Buck Henry co-wrote the script for The Graduate and played the role of the hotel clerk. He was also a screenwriter for the film version of Get Smart with Mel Brooks, Catch-22, What's Up Doc and other films.

L.A. Businesses Feel Pain of Film, TV Writers Strike

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 06:00:00 EST

In Los Angeles, the strike by film and television screenwriters is beginning to have financial repercussions beyond the writers and the studios they work for. The ripple affect is hurting caterers, morgues and other ancillary businesses. Negotiations are due to resume Monday.

Survey Says Public Backs Screenwriter Strike

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:11:00 EST

No new talks are planned on the screenwriters strike, but a new survey shows that the public supports the screenwriters.