I made the mistake of watching this film for the first time on a plane. Planes can never do justice to any film, and is only better than watching a film on an ipod. That said, I finally got a chance to rewatch it last night. The Coens have achieved a great feat in adaptation. The rough, minimalist style of McCarthy’s original is beautifully executed here. The Creative Screenwriting Interview with Joel and Ethan Coen expresses it very well. They answer repeated questions with “It’s in the book.” Also, please see these interviews with McCarthy and Oprah. My favorite quote is him quoting Faulkner; “I only write when I’m inspired, and I’m inspired every day.”
McCarthy’s brilliant analysis of the growing violence in America is repeated here. Very little music or explanations are necessary.
On to personal matters;
I had a very good interview with UCLA in New York. They asked me a number of interesting questions, most of which I was prepared for thanks to the insights of studentfilms.com, which can seem uplifting, strange and desperate all at once, not unlike the application process.
On Monday I found out that I was waitlisted in non-ranked order. A blow. Then yesterday I lost my cell phone. Another blow. But, the cell phone came back, and I am 45 pages into the third version of my screenplay. I feel that I finally know my characters and the direction they are headed. I have a self-imposed deadline of my birthday, April 28th to finish the first draft, and I know that I will. The power of positive thinking.
