ALL Guides
ISA Reviews: The Bye Bye Man with the ISA's Scott Markus
The Bye Bye Man misses its opportunity to create a truly frightening monster. What makes a great movie monster? The Bye Bye Man thinks it's a villain that combines the ghoulish look of Lord Voldemort, the haunting presence of "Candy Man", and the ability to create psychological terror a la Freddy Krueger. Unfortunately, those pie....
ISA Reviews: The Duplass Brothers Comedy, Table 19
Table 19 is an uneasy mix of indie comedy and maudlin narrative. The new comedy Table 19 comes with a sterling cast of comedic actors (Anna Kendrick, Craig Robinson and Lisa Kudrow among them), an indie pedigree (the story is from the Duplass brothers), and an institution like weddings ripe for the takedown. So why isn't writer/director Je....
ISA Reviews: The HBO Dramedy, Barry
HBO’s “Barry” takes aim at role-playing and the desire for fame.
Can a hit man go straight and find happiness in Hollywood? That’s the question that the wickedly witty new HBO dramedy “Barry” asks. Created by Alec Berg and star Bill Hader, the dark comedy follows contract assassin Barry as h....
ISA Reviews: The Latest Horror Phenomenon, Get Out
Get Out is a horror movie that couldn't be more timely or terrific. Sometimes movies are so of the moment, they seem prescient. Such is the case with Get Out, a new horror film from writer/director Jordan Peele of Key & Peele fame. It's a story about racism, rights, and caste systems in theaters at a time when such issues are at th....
ISA Reviews: The Magnificent Seven with Derek Asaff
The Magnificent Seven pays homage to classic western films & their tropes. Can a remake of a remake be any good? Well, in the case of Antoine Fuqua's remake of the 1960 classic The Magnificent Seven, which itself was a remake of Akira Kurosawa's legendary Seven Samurai from 1954, the answer is a qualified yes. While it doesn&#....
ISA Reviews: The Reimagined Cult Favorite, Twin Peaks
The new “Twin Peaks” is as revolutionary a show today as it was in the 90’s.Anyone expecting the return of “Twin Peaks” to be a warm and cuddly trip down memory lane doesn’t get David Lynch. The series he created with Mark Frost in 1990 revolutionized television with its complex “Who killed Laura Palmer&rdq....
ISA Reviews: The Shape of Water
“The Shape of Water” blends fantasy, morality and horror into a steady stream. Guillermo del Toro is a filmmaker of singular vision. His movies are almost always morality tales, uniquely blending elements of fantasy, romance, and horror into a seamless mi....
ISA Reviews: The Walking Dead
Halloween Special! "The Walking Dead" keeps killing it as it enters its seventh season. For those who are obsessed with "The Walking Dead", and it appears that most of its viewers are, the seventh season premiere delivered on its cliffhanger from last spring. All summer long, fans were teased with the possibility of tw....
ISA Reviews: Tim Burton's, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is vintage Burton. Ransom Riggs' 2011 YA bestseller is the perfect material for a director like Tim Burton to adapt to the screen. Its vivid fantasy world, quirky characters, and sense of wonder are tailor-made for the director. Unfortunately, the complex story also brings out the director....
ISA Reviews: Tomb Raider
Despite a game Alicia Vikander, the reboot of “Tomb Raider” feels dusty and derivative.The rebooting of “Tomb Raider” should have yielded something better than this decent, but uninspired attempt. It had brilliant source material to adapt from with the successful 2013 relaunch of the Lara Croft v....
ISA Spotlight Interview with the Writer of The Post, Liz Hannah
To put it lightly, it was a pleasure having Liz Hannah on the ISA's Curious About Screenwriting podcast. Her story of success is nothing short of miraculous, but the podcast host, Max Timm, discussed with Liz the importance of setting oneself up for such a miracle and how there is no such thing as an overnight success. While Liz only brie....
ISA Spotlight: Fast Track Fellow & Contest Winner, Hennah Sekandary
In a 2017 edition of the ISA Spotlight, the ISA Development Program is highlighting six of our star writers in conversation with the co-head of the Development Program, and writing coach, Max Timm. Get To Know Hennah: Hennah Sekandary was raised in Southern California. Her parents emigrated to the U.S. from Kabul, Afghanis....
ISA Spotlight: Fast Track Fellow & Rising Star, Melissa Birks
Having been chosen as one of our first (of two) Fast Track Fellows, Melissa Birks remains one of our most sought after writers in the ISA's Development Program. She has recently signed with AJ Harris of the Savage Agency and her serial killer thriller project Uncaged is currently being shopped around town as a Jack The Ripper origin story.....
ISA Spotlight: Industry Veteran & Contest Finalist, Glenda Ganis
To celebrate Women's History Month, the ISA is featuring three of our rising stars and recent contest winners. Spotlighting female writers, producers, and filmmakers is happily (though slowly) becoming the norm in Hollywood and we couldn't be happier to be able to share our talented female members and their successes. In this interview....
ISA Spotlight: Navigating a Screenwriting Career with Travis Opgenorth
In a 2017 edition of the ISA Spotlight, the ISA Development Program is highlighting six of our star writers in conversation with the co-head of the Development Program, and writing coach, Max Timm. Get to Know Travis: A recent Table Read My Screenplay - Park City contest winner, Travis considers himself to be a fear-facing adven....
ISA Spotlight: Oscar Nominated Timo von Gunten & His Railroad Lady
In the first ISA Spotlight edition of 2017, the ISA Development Program is highlighting six of our star writers in a conversation with the co-head of the Development Program, and writing coach, Max Timm.
Get to Know Timo Von Gunten (and let's all cheer him on during the upcoming Oscar ceremony): Born 1989 in Zurich, Timo von ....
ISA Spotlight: Powderpuff & the Writer's Store Champ, Chelsea Watkins
In the first ISA Spotlight Newsletter edition of 2017, the ISA Development Program is highlighting six of our star writers in a conversation with the co-head of the Development Program, and writing coach, Max Timm. Get to Know Chelsea Watkins:Chelsea Watkins, a Los Angeles native, had her first job in the entertainment industry....
