Brian Work
Writer/Actor/Filmmaker
The Wonder Woman movie is out today! Wonder Woman’s long been one of my favorite comic book characters, and it’s about time she finally gets her due.
One of the benefits of having a beta reader who’s also an awesome artist is you get sweet fan art like this from Marissa Trudel, featuring Lilah Martinez (aka Chimera) from the first book in my upcoming Knights of Fate series. Even superheroes-in-training have their role models.
I’ve found that, especially in the last several years, I’ve been more drawn to writing female-driven stories. My female characters tend to be the ones I enjoy writing the most and whose voices seem to come most naturally. I think a big part of that is because I was raised by, grew up around, and befriended lots of badass women over the course of my life.
So this is a thank you to all of the badass women who have helped shape me and inspire me. I wouldn’t be the badass I am without the badasses all of you are. Much love!
UPDATE: The movie was amazing! It was everything I wanted it to be and more. No Man’s Land had me all sorts of emotional.
After five long years, the time has finally come for the release of Uncommon Law on DVD & Blu-Ray! It’s been a crazy journey getting to this point, and I’m thrilled to finally share it with the world. Uncommon Law is now available for pre-order in the shop!
Details:
- Special Features include a blooper reel and audio commentary with writer/director Brian Work, actor Mick Taylor, and production manager Amy Morrow.
- Blu-Rays cost $20 and DVDs cost $15.
- Shipping is free within the United States.
- Discs will ship on or before November 15, 2016.
About Uncommon Law:
After years of bailing each other out of bad dates by pretending to be married, best friends and longtime roommates Brendan & Melissa receive a court notice that they are now common law married.
Uncommon Law was written & directed by Brian Work, and stars Mick Taylor, Christie Vozniak, Myles Grier, Jules Nobles, Rob Epstein, Mandi Christine Kerr, Kyle Tutton, & Lacey Patten.
Trailer:
Been crazy busy for the last few months, so I’ve fallen way behind on this (and it’s also why I’ve watched so few movies lately, but incidentally has allowed for a lot of audiobooks.) So here’s a long-delayed update for something that absolutely nobody reads because I really just do it for my own benefit.
Movies
- Deadpool (2016)
- Zoolander 2 (2016)
- Zootopia (2016)
- The Loft (2015)
- Spectre (2015)
- The Voices (2015)
- The Witch (2015)
- After Earth (2013)
- Odd Thomas (2013)
- Slightly Single in L.A. (2012)
- The Strangers (2008)
- Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
- Pride & Prejudice (2005)
- The Cat’s Meow (2001)
Books
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (audiobook) — 4/5
- Modern Romance: An Investigation by Aziz Ansari (audiobook) — 5/5
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz #1) by L. Frank Baum (audiobook) — 4/5
- Skeleton Creek (Skeleton Creek #1) by Patrick Carman — 4/5
- 14 by Peter Clines (audiobook) — 5/5
- The De-Textbook: The Stuff You Didn’t Know About the Stuff You Thought You Knew by Cracked.com — 5/5
- I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High by Tony Danza (audiobook) — 5/5
- Predator One (Joe Ledger #7) by Jonathan Maberry (audiobook) — 5/5
- Remember: The Journey to School Integration by Toni Morrison — 4/5
- Jerry Finnegan’s Sister by Jack Neary — 3/5
- Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare — 5/5
- The Only Pirate at the Party by Lindsey Stirling (audiobook) — 5/5
Music
- Art of Dying – “Everything”
- Blue October – “Fear”
- Darius Rucker – “Miss You”
- James Bay – “Hold Back the River”
- Keith Urban – “Somewhere In My Car”
- Rise Against – “Tragedy + Time”
- The Summer Set – “Missin’ You”
- Take That – “These Days”
- Thompson Square – “I Can’t Outrun You”
- twenty one pilots – “Tear In My Heart”
- Twin Atlantic – “Fall Into The Party”
Didn’t see a lot of movies this month, but I did rewatch a couple Disney classics that I haven’t seen since I was a kid; unfortunately, for my money neither Dumbo nor The AristoCats holds up overly well, although I actually enjoyed AristoCats a bit more.
Movies
- The Last Five Years (2015)
- The Revenant (2015)
- Sisters (2015)
- Here Comes The Boom (2012)
- The I Inside (2003)
- The AristoCats (1970)
- Dumbo (1941)
Books
- The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith (audiobook) — 4/5
- Rot & Ruin (Rot & Ruin #1) by Jonathan Maberry — 4/5
Music
- AFI – “A Deep Slow Panic”
- Anna Kendrick – “Still Hurting” (from The Last Five Years)
- David Bowie – “Lazarus”
- The Dreaming – “Painkillers”
- Halestorm – “I Am The Fire”
- Keira Knightley – “A Step You Can’t Take Back” (from Begin Again)
- Mumford & Sons – “Believe”
- Natalie Imbruglia – “I Will Follow You Into The Dark”
- The Struts – “Could Have Been Me”
Two movie highlights this month: The Force Awakens and Begin Again.
First, the obvious: The Force Awakens was everything I was hoping for out of a new Star Wars movie, and may have just taken the spot as my favorite of the whole series. It exceeded all of my expectations and then some. Well written, great story, awesome new characters, and superb acting all around. Daisy Ridley & John Boyega were hands down the perfect casting choices. Even BB8 was a joy to watch. This is not only the Star Wars movie that fans wanted, it’s the Star Wars movie that fans needed.
And then there was Begin Again, the movie that has quickly become one of my all-time favorites. Despite just discovering it, I’ve already watched it several times and shown it to a few of my friends. It’s a modern movie musical by John Carney (writer/director of Once.) Unlike a Broadway style musical where characters randomly burst into song, the songs in Begin Again come from the fact that the characters are musicians, and these are their songs. It has a beautiful story & music, and I absolutely love Keira Knightley in this role. Great performances all around, really. Mark Ruffalo, Catherine Keener, Adam Levine, Hailee Steinfeld… all pitch perfect. The characters feel real and have wonderful story arcs. My emotions were riding high while watching this, as it’s a cathartic, heartfelt story about moving on. Highly recommend.
Movies
- Santa’s Little Helper (2015)
- Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
- Begin Again (2014)
- Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)
- The Call (2013)
- Seven Psychopaths (2012)
- Four Brothers (2005)
- Elf (2003)
- Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003)
- Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
- Trading Places (1983)
Books
- The Dresden Files RPG Vol. 1: Your Story by Leonard Balsera
- Teaching Young Adult Literature Today: Insights, Considerations, and Perspectives for the Classroom Teacher by Jeffrey S. Kaplan
Music
- Adam Levine – “Lost Stars”
- Begin Again Soundtrack
- Butch Walker – “Santa’Self (F*ck Your Christmas Party)”
- Keira Knightley – “Like A Fool”
- The Maine – “Santa Stole My Girlfriend”
- Relient K – “I Hate Christmas Parties”
Movies:
- Creed (2015)
- The Peanuts Movie (2015)
- Two Night Stand (2014)
- Last Night (2010)
- Rocky (1976)
Books:
- Dracula by Bram Stoker (audiobook) — 3/5
I had a great time talking with the Atlanta Film Chat podcast this week! We had a really fun conversation talking about Uncommon Law, writing, the struggles of making a film without a budget, my love for romantic comedies & Japanese RPGs, and more. Please download & give it a listen!
When you think of an “indie film” you don’t typically think of a romantic comedy. The genre gets derided as being formulaic and unimaginative. However, filmmakers like this week’s guest Brian Work disagree and only want to make the films they want to make.
Movies:
- Crimson Peak (2015)
- The Martian (2015)
- The Visit (2015)
- Another Me (2014)
- The Babadook (2014)
- Mama (2013)
- The Box (2009)
- Dead Snow (2009)
- Road House (1989)
Books:
- The Fires of Calderon (Balance Keepers #1) by Lindsay Cummings – 3/5
- You’re Never Weird On The Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day (audiobook) – 5/5
- World of Warcraft: War Crimes by Christie Golden (audiobook) – 4/5
- Looking for Alaska by John Green – 4/5
- Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan – 4/5
- Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, Vol. 1: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman – 5/5
- Dreamlander by K.M. Weiland – 3/5
- The Martian by Andy Weir – 5/5
Music:
- A Great Big World – This Is the New Year
- Darling Parade – Crash & Burn
- Gwen Stefani – Used To Love You
- Hamilton Cast Album
- Leslie Odom Jr. – Wait For It (from Hamilton)
- Lindsey Stirling – Shatter Me (feat. Lzzy Hale)
Another couple of months where I didn’t get out to the movies too much, but I did do a good amount of reading. I’m taking a class on Teaching Young Adult Fiction, which has given me a good excuse to check out a lot of YA fiction.
Movies
- American Ultra (2015)
- The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)
- Trainwreck (2015)
- The Maze Runner (2014)
- Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
- The Marine (2006)
- Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988)
Books
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (audiobook) — 4/5
- The Battle of Jericho (Jericho #1) by Sharon M. Draper — 2/5
- Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman — 3/5
- Paper Towns by John Green — 5/5
- Code Zero (Joe Ledger #6) by Jonathan Maberry (audiobook) — 5/5
- Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (audiobook) — 4/5
- Lies My Girlfriend Told Me by Julie Anne Peters (audiobook) — 5/5
Music
- Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness – “Cecilia and the Satellite”
- Halestorm – Into The Wild Life
- James Durbin – “Parachute”
- OneRepublic – “I Lived”
- Panic! At the Disco – “Hallelujah”
- Rascal Flatts – “Come Wake Me Up”
- Sixx:A.M. – “Gotta Get It Right”
Words can’t express just how excited I am to hold this in my hands. Thank you so much to everyone who has been involved with making Uncommon Law a reality. It really is a dream come true.