I’ve been writing all my life. At least most of it. And I suppose there’s a kind of self-indulging redundancy as I write about my writing, but what the hell. In a nutshell, my voice takes on a variety of viewpoints and seldom my own. I like complex characters who think and act, and aren’t stupid. However, I have weakness for a great loser in any film. My characters are almost always flawed because humans are flawed. Showing how a character over comes his/her shortcomings in a story or conquering the almost impossible is what makes a character grow. I love meaty dialog, but not over written. I like meaning in words, but am careful to not rely on words alone. As a director, I’m a very visual writer, but not too expository. I believe a script has to be a good read and fairly easy to get through. If a script is too tedious, the flow will be interrupted.

As a comedy writer, jokes aren’t my thing, but funny character quirks are very much my thing. There’s nothing wrong with a great punchline, but if the punchline is unexpected and comes from a unique character–even better. I love His Girl Friday-type dialog because it’s packed with information and delivered economically. Economy of dialog is key. Creating the illusion that people talk economically is the fun part, because in reality, we don’t. Having an actor who can deliver deliberately designed dialog in a natural way is a writer’s dream and a director’s goal. And if the actor brings some extra spice into the kitchen–even better.

Comedies that made me the writer I am today include Annie Hall, Princess Bride, M.P. and the Holy Grail, Raising Arizona, Dr. Strangelove, There’s Something About Mary, Planes Trains & Autos, Fletch, A Fish Called Wanda, Some Like It Hot, When Harry Met Sally, Fargo, Barton Fink, and The Graduate to name a few.

As a writer of suspense and thrillers, I always strive to marry a great action puzzle with rich characters–preferably guy/gal next door types who seem to get themselves into impossible predicaments. I shy away from cliche flashy foreign cheese when it comes to action movies because there are so many of them that are just not fresh. Thrillers/action flicks have the potential of being a great meal, not just a salad with a few toasted pecans. The Matrix comes to mind as a high-concept, beautifully executed comic book-style film. The Usual Suspects is another great thriller. Chinatown, Rear Window, Jaws, Pulp Fiction, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Godfather, and the list goes on. All of them–a full meal.

Hmm, now I’m hungry.