Astoryah - Recent Posts

RE: Adaptations

Christopher Fink — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 17:28:14 +0000

@luciar I haven't seen Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass but I am intrigued now and will seek it out. That's up my alley, when filmmakers serve the soul of a story with a new, creative direction that can broaden the theme.

One of my favorite approaches to that is the Coen brothers' very loose adaptation of Homer's Odyssey in O Brother Where Art Thou? And it has a secondary Easter Egg, the title is an homage to Preston Sturges' screwball comedy, Sullivan's Travels which has an Odyssey inspiration, about a comedy film director who wants to make his first serious film titled, O Brother Where Art Thou, about the suffering of the poor and homeless in America and the studio is freaked out. They try to convince him that it's career suicide and finally find the approach to deny him, what does he know about suffering? He's a rich, successful director. He can't help but agree then comes up with a brainstorm, he will disguise himself as a homeless person, live among them and learn first hand what suffering really is. And genuinely amusing and dramatic events follow as he goes on this Odyssey.

So in the Sturgis' hands, The Odyssey was adapted into a screwball comedy that wove in a powerful theme about poverty and hopelessness in America. And this was 1941. Hard to imagine Hollywood studios making a film like that today, especially the Ellison empire of Paramount and WB.

RE: What are your Oscars predictions?

Christopher Fink — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:45:13 +0000

@feroetling I've heard lots of good buzz about it.

RE: AIn't filmmaking the craziest damn thing?

Christopher Fink — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:41:16 +0000

My favorite filmmaking experience is when actors surprise you with their choices. Many directors go into shooting a film with a very clear vision of how the script will be executed yet some of my favorite directors are well known for deferring to the creativity of their actors and giving them the freedom to plus their script and film.

For me, that can be magic.

RE: What are your Oscars predictions?

Christopher Fink — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:35:04 +0000

The Odyssey is certainly a frontrunner for many of the major categories, including Best Director and Best Film. Many films have yet to come out but hard to see it not getting a mountain of noms.

RE: What are your Oscars predictions?

Christopher Fink — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:32:37 +0000

The documentary category is going to be one of the most competitive in years. Between You Can See Everything, Naza, Musk, and The Alabama Solution, there may be a winner but these all look to be winning docs.

RE: Adaptations

Feroetling — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:24:18 +0000

I’m a big Mike Flanagan fan, I had the pleasure of attending a WGA conversation he had last year around adaptation. I think his approach is super interesting. He takes a lot of creative freedom but his aim is to adapt the themes of the work through the sensations he had while reading the source material. He called it “symmetry in writing”. He also stressed not to worry too much about fans and hold on to what the source material means to you as the new writer.

RE: What are your Oscars predictions?

Feroetling — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:09:33 +0000

I hope Forgotten Island wins in animation! Though I’m also very excited to watch the new LAIKA studios film! That’s going to be a competitive category this year.

What are your Oscars predictions?

LuciaR — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 09:02:26 +0000

Perhaps too early to tell but I think we have some clear contenders! I'm personally rooting for The Invite and thought Olivia Wilde did an incredible job directing that movie. I'm also excited to see The Debut and Nathan Fielder's new documentary You Can See Everything, which some say could be the first doc to be nominated for Best Feature.

Being Spanish, I also hope La Bola Negra gets some recognition 😎

RE: Adaptations

LuciaR — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 08:53:48 +0000

Completely agree that the key element is staying true to the heart of the source material. This said, I have recently seen some very bold adaptations that really turned the original story on its head. I thought every possible adaptation of The Wizard of Oz had been made until I watched Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass by David Wain and Ken Marino - it is remarkable how closely it follows the beats and characters of TWOZ while creating a whole new narrative set in current times in Hollywood.

I left the movie theatre feeling like I could be braver in my approach to adaptation, while still honouring and respecting the source material.

RE: Hello!

LuciaR — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 08:38:59 +0000

Hi all! I'm Lucía, a screenwriter based in Madrid. I love writing comedy and I'm currently in post-production for my web series Trendsetting. Excited to connect with fellow filmmakers 😀