But I don’t think I would put any comedies in my Top 10 favourite movies of all time. I can’t think of any “perfect” comedies.

I just watched the 2003 movie “The Human Stain” and at the risk of derision from Jay for his disdain of the human propensity to focus on the present and ignore the past, I have to say that this movie has become my favourite film of all time.

Imagine my surprise when I went to Rotten Tomatoes and discovered that it only has a 41% critic-rating. (I have to add that the “important” critics looked on the film more favourably.)

Bringing screen-writing into this discussion, I have to admit that I watched the film only because Nicholas Meyer wrote the screenplay. (He wrote (uncredited) and directed Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.) Okay, having Nicole Kidman in the film influenced my decision as well.

Another topic that I would like for you to address is screen-writing credit arbitration through the Writers’ Guild. Nick Meyers has done quite a bit of uncredited screen-writing like for “Fatal Attraction.”

I realize that a screen-writer can’t take all the blame (or credit for that matter) for what gets put on the screen. Maybe you could mention some examples where writers think that their writing has been ruined by directors, actors, or even other writers.

“People are becoming dumber, but more opinionated.” – a line from “The Human Stain.”

I’d also like to hear any comments regarding script doctoring.

I have always thought that the reason why Hollywood movies are so boring is that writers follow screen-writing rules that make everything seem the same. Or maybe it’s because film executives like formulaic films that remind them of previous blockbusters and so they end up stripping the originality during the process of rewrites.

Another topic of interest that you could address is the difficulty in adapting books into screenplays.

(OK, I’ll have to admit that I’ve liked everything that M. Night Shyamalan has written, but maybe that has more to do with M. Night Shyamalan the director. )