‘End of Watch’ Director David Ayer: “Genre Expectations Can Kill Creativity”

Jack talked to End of Watch writer/director David Ayer about the found footage structure of the film, as well as about his screenwriting career. This could be helpful for aspiring scribes who can’t let go of their early ideas: “The earlier scripts of mine that didn’t get made didn’t get made for a reason,” Ayer told us. “I thought they were brilliant. I thought people should’ve handed me bags of money for them. Oh God, I’ll never touch of those scripts. I’ll never dig up the old pirate’s chest to see what’s in there.

Additional recommended reading: Robert Levin gave End of Watch a ‘B’ grade, highlighting its acting and “existential depiction” of South Central peace keepers.

8 Most Ridiculously Unlucky Movie Families

What do the McFlys, the McAllisters and the McClanes have in common besides an Irish name? They’re all ridiculously unlucky, as noted in the latest list from David Christopher Bell. What other clans are even less fortunate than the ones tormented by Biff Tannen, an easily forgotten child and regular proximity to terrorist plots, respectively? Maybe those haunted by ghosts, sharks and immortal, murderous family members? Or, how about some hapless vacationers?

The Movie That Has Everything: ‘Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans’

More family vacation drama can be found in the classic silent film Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, which Cole and Landon discussed in their latest spotlight on one of the greatest movies of all time. The wine-drinking pig is possibly one reason for its lasting acclaim.

But Landon summed up more: “Sunrise is a one-of-a-kind Hollywood movie. Its artistic expression really is still resonant after all these years, but Murnau’s artistry isn’t merely something to be admired (as it is inNosferatu) or something used to make a larger point (as it is in The Last Laugh). It’s Murnau’s best because it goes so many places, accomplishes so much emotionally, earns all of it, and does so through a visionary style that also manages to suck the audience in.”

NBC’s ‘Revolution’ Doesn’t Live Up to the Hype

One of the big new television series of the fall is Revolution, a sci-fi drama from producers J.J. Abrams and Jon Favreau, the latter of whom directed the pilot. In her latest Channel Guide column, Amber rated the show, bringing up problems like the “unnecessarily cagey” dialogue and “laughable scenes” that cause it to be “disappointingly mediocre.”

Additional recommended reading: with the show premiering this week, we reposted Kate’s report on its presentation at Comic-Con: Jon Favreau, J.J. Abrams, and Eric Kripke Turn Out the Lights with Their Ambitious ‘Revolution.’

Roman Polanski Will Give Us a Peek Into a Director’s Twisted Sexuality With ‘Venus in Fur’

We often appreciate someone who can laugh at their past sex-related scandals (Pee-Wee Herman’s “heard any good jokes lately?” self-jab at the VMAs, for instance), but Roman Polanski‘s statutory rape offense will never be a forgivable, let along laughing, matter to many. So, the news that the Chinatown director is set to adapt Venus in Fur is interesting, to say the least.

To say more, Nathan asked, will it ”be a misstep to try and sell this to a public who’s already uncomfortable thinking about the man’s past crimes? Is art something that should be judged on its own merits, with no consideration given to where it’s coming from? … Will this guy ever not have us talking?”