How 2025's Best Movies Landed on the Right Ending

This was a fun one. For the Los Angeles Times, I spoke to the writers of five of this year's Oscar-nominated screenplays to learn how they decided on the ending of their movies. If you want to hear the stories behind Blue Moon, Bugonia, It Was Just an Accident, Sentimental Value and Train Dreams, click here. 

My Interview With Gus Van Sant and Austin Kolodney, the Team Behind 'Dead Man's Wire'

Dead Man's Wire is one of Gus Van Sant's strongest films in years. And it's writer Austin Kolodney's first big-screen credit. For Screen International, I talked to each of them about this long-in-the-works real-life thriller ... and how a comment made by Werner Herzog helped influence the final product. You can read our conversation here. 

My Interview With Pam Brady

You may not know her name, but you know her credits: Pam Brady has been a writer on everything from South Park to Hot Rod. For Cracked, I talked to the Emmy winner about her animated series she co-created, #1 Happy Family USA, but we also discussed filthy jokes, her upcoming Smurfs movie and why she thinks real life is overrated. Hope you enjoy.

RaMell Ross Breaks Down the Secrets of the 'Nickel Boys' Screenplay

I feel very fortunate this awards season to have gotten to spend some time with RaMell Ross. I've already profiled him for the Los Angeles Times, and I've also moderated a few Q&As with him. Today, I'm happy to unveil this new L.A. Times piece, in which he and I focus on Nickel Boys' screenplay, breaking down three crucial scenes and discussing how they evolved from the script to the screen. I was especially pleased that Ross shared a few secrets about these scenes which, I don't think, have been talked about anywhere else. Check out the piece here.

My Interview With the Cast and Crew of 'Oppenheimer'

So, this was a massive undertaking, but I can't tell you how pleased I am with how it turned out. 

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been talking to different people in front of and behind the camera who were involved with Oppenheimer. Specifically, we've discussed Christopher Nolan's screenplay, which I've read and is a real wonder. Folks like Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr. gave me insights into how the script changed on set, and then Nolan and others shared tidbits regarding what was added and what was changed.

The design team did an incredible job with this piece -- hope you enjoy.

My Interview With Anna Drezen

Anna Drezen was one of the head writers over at Saturday Night Live. Then, she decided to leave the show (and New York) to move to Los Angeles to create the adult animated series Praise Petey. Now that the first season is over, I talked to her about her new life, her new job, and her panic garden. Hope you enjoy.

My Interview With Rebecca Miller, Writer-Director of 'She Came to Me'

As part of the Los Angeles Times fall film preview, I spoke with Rebecca Miller, whose new movie is a comedy. This may surprise people who know her most from dramas like Personal Velocity and The Ballad of Jack and Rose. But in recent years, she has found herself thinking more about embracing the lighter side of life. We talked about that, and a lot of other things. You can read my profile here.

My Interview With Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin and Wendy Molyneux, the Writers of 'The People We Hate at the Wedding'

Lizzie and Wendy are sisters from a big family. They're also a writing team on Bob's Burgers who co-created the newish Fox animated series The Great North. For Cracked, I hopped on a Zoom with them to talk about writing with your sibling, and their new movie The People We Hate at the Wedding. Somehow, mouse anuses also came up. You can read our conversation here.