THE WAY is The Way To Go! By Caitlin McCarthy

Check out Elizabeth Searle’s ON MY MIND piece on VIDA/HerKind

Caitlin McCarthy received her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Emerson College.  An award-winning screenwriter at international film festivals and labs, Caitlin has two feature films in development: WONDER DRUG with producer/star Alysia Reiner and Oscar-nominated director Joan Stein Schimke; and RESISTANCE with director Si Wall. Caitlin is also partnering on writing/creating the TV series PASS/FAIL with Jim Forbes, a multiple Emmy, ALMA, AP and Golden Mic award-winning writer, producer, correspondent and narrator; and developing the TV series FREE SKATE with creative producer and choreographer Michael Masionis. In addition to screenwriting, Caitlin serves as an English teacher at an inner-city public high school.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are happy to reprint Caitlin McCarthy’s post on the film THE WAY.  

And check out Caitlin and Elizabeth Searle ‘tracked down’ by the TrackGals in the Boston Herald…

THE WAY is the way to go! By Caitlin McCarthy

This week, I was one of the lucky winners on Facebook who scored a VIP ticket to the Boston advance screening of Emilio Estevez’s new film THE WAY, starring his father Martin Sheen. (“Like” THE WAY on Facebook if you want to hear breaking news about their screenings, meet-and-greets, activities, etc.) THE WAY is about an American father who travels to France to recover the body of his estranged son who died while traveling “El camino de Santiago” from France to Santiago de Compostela. Written and directed by Emilio Estevez, THE WAY is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends, and the challenges we face while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world. It was filmed entirely in Spain and France along the actual Camino de Santiago.

Before I continue, I have a confession to make: As a screenwriter, it’s very hard for me to suspend disbelief during a film. I find myself noting the inciting incident, plot points, objective correlative – you name it. But that didn’t happen during THE WAY. Much to my surprise, I found myself crying within the first 15 minutes of the film. Martin’s performance was *that* moving, and Emilio’s script was *that* tight. Now I know what you’re thinking: Why would I want to see a film that makes me cry?  Is this some kind of religious film? I’m not into that. 

Read Full Post »

Romney & Ryan, Robo Duo: Rating the Risk

Check out Elizabeth Searle on Generation Basement, coming soon on VIDA…

ROMNEY & RYAN,ROBO DUO: Rating the Risk

As Romney finds his match in fellow martian, Paul Ryan, we asked our blog commmentators for reaction.

LITOTES posted this opening salvo on Facebook:

Breaking! Romney announces VP pick Paul “kill Medicare” Ryan. In related news, Obama ad writers order 16 additional tons of ominous background music.

Indeed, that Background Music will come in handy if the Obama camp chooses to do its own version of an ad run in Ryan’s home state, regarding Ryan’s plans to slash Medicare.  The ad depicts a ‘Granny’ in a wheelchair being shoved off a cliff.

Ryan as the Sheriff of Nottingham

About Ayn Rand fan Ryan, our blog fave LUPINS had these bracing words of warning:

“Paul Ryan is dismaying in every respect, taken on his own. Haven’t studied numbers or specific states enough to know if it’s something that we Obama-ites should dare revel in yet.  However buoyed some Democrats are by a perception of improved chances against the new ticket, the Draconian consequences of a GOP victory have escalated ominously. It is absolutely IMPERATIVE that all hands must STOP crowing about the Ryan selection and avoid overconfidence at all costs. The President, Vice President, their campaign and all surrogates need to act on the assumption that this is the fight of our lives, because that’s what it is.

We give our ‘last word’ (and it is also a word of warning!) to blog Wise Man OL’ BILL:

Beware of Ryan. He is brilliant, new and shiny enough to be a public sensation long enough to sell even a dullard like Romney. Remember “W”? Any outrage is possible.

(photos & cartoons: Googleimages, The Other 99%, Ryan as Sheriff from InternetWeekly.org, dailydose.com, yahoonews.com)

 

Read Full Post »

Cruel Close-Ups: Kristen Stewart & Jordyn Wieber

Cruel Close-Ups: Kristen Stewart and Jordyn Wieber

Is Kristen Stewart the first starlet in history to apologize publicly– not only to her partner, Robert Pattison but to the entire USA– for an affair? Was the tough-cookie Twilight star driven to such extremes via Tweet torture?

Is Robert Pattison still speaking to her?  headlines ask breathlessly.  The wrath of Twilight fans has been raging online and the mainstream media has gleefully jumped onboard. Pattison– whose tragically handsome Edwardian face seems carved out to portray noble suffering– has inspired a frenzied reaction among his fans.

But today’s media needs no push to pile on a ‘fallen woman.’ In a much different arena with a much different young woman, a frenzy of cruel close-ups was aimed at gymnast Jordyn Wieber this same week.  When she failed to place as one of the top two US gymnists, the TV screen and the papers the next day were filled with Jordyn in tears, her hands covering her face, only her perky ponytail showing.

Later, Jordyn earned glowing ‘comeback’ coverage as her team won Gold.  No such public redemption awaits the already heartily hated Stewart.  Of course infidelity is a much different public ‘fall’ than missing the top gymnist cut by a few points. However deserving Kristen Stewart’s downfall may be and however undeservingly Jordyn suffered, both Jordyn and Kristin have been spotlit in cruel close-ups.

And does anyone ‘deserve’ to have their lowest moments nationally broadcast?  As Jordyn sobbed uncontrollably, the TV camera remained on her even as the voiceover piously informed the viewers that ‘we won’t talk to Jordyn right now.’ But as the network cut to a commercial, the same voice assured us, “We’ll be right back with her reaction.”

(photos: NYDailyNews, celebblog, celebritiewallpaper.com, Googleimages)

 

Read Full Post »