Archer: “Skytanic” part 1
We are living in a second golden age of television. Some of the best writing in any field is being done right now there, from the finely-calibrated social analysis of Mad Men to the demented dark fantasies of The Venture Bros. Somewhere in between those two shows lies Archer, perhaps the most consistently well-mounted farce ever presented. Comedy is hard, and farce is the hardest form of comedy, and the scripts for Archer manage to deliver quality, satisfying, twenty-minute farces on a weekly basis. Those twenty minutes fly by like a cool breeze but actually are hard won crystalline comedy. Today, let’s look at my favorite episode from Season 1, “Skytanic.”
Synopses of movies I haven’t seen, based solely on their posters: Think Like a Man
The one guy is like “Whu-oh” and his wife is like “Grrr” and this one woman is like “HELL-o!” and her guy is like “Sigh” and this other guy is like “Yikes!” and this lady is like “Don’t You Dare” and another guy is like “Heyyyyyy” and another guy is like “Who, me?” and his girlfriend is like “Come here, you sexy thing!”
Elmore Leonard’s rules
I can’t remember where I got this from, but this pretty much says it.
Every time I find myself typing the word “suddenly,” I want to kill myself. On the other hand, I use exclamation points all over the place in my screenplays. Screenplays seem to demand it for some reason.
ATTENTION!
Attention Angelenos!
SECOND SATURDAY is here!
It’s a live serial, at the awesome Six01 Studio!
Three storylines, by Todd Alcott, R Scot Gemmill, and Michael Udesky!
It is hysterical and outstanding! I’ve been going to rehearsals and I can attest to this fact!
COME SEE IT!
There are actors you will recognize from TV!
Attendance is mandatory!
Saturday at 8, at Sixo1 Studio, 601 S. Anderson St, in the heart of beautiful downtown Los Angeles!
Query
For a new project, I’ve been watching movies about evil computers and university advanced-science communities.
My primary concerns are:
1. How are supercomputers built, and how do they operate?
2. How do the people who would build such a thing, in a university setting, behave?
As ever, I turn to my community of readers for help. Movies about evil supercomputers, and movies about university-level scientists. What should I watch? What should I read? I’m sure the science-fiction world is teeming with great novels on these topics, I just don’t know enough to track them down.
Thanks!
Favorite screenplays: The Poseidon Adventure part 4
Once The Poseidon Adventure metaphor turns literal, the movie becomes largely about problem-solving and group dynamics. The Rebel Priest leads, The Cop keeps order, The Lonely Man has ideas and watches out for The Waif, The Girl moons over The Rebel Priest, The Boy knows everything, The Elderly Jewish Couple kvetches, The Whore bitches, The Waiter falls to his death.