The Running Wild Blog
Articles on the craft of filmmaking and the films we create.
MOVIE MONDAY: Western Movie Reviews – Week 197 – The Invaders
Each Monday, I continue to share Western movie reviews. For more of my movie reviews, click here to follow me on Letterboxd. Week 197: The Invaders (1912) The more I see of his work, the more I prefer the silent westerns made by producer (and sometimes...
MOVIE MONDAY: Western Movie Reviews – Week 195 – Scarlet Days
Each Monday, I continue to share Western movie reviews. For more of my movie reviews, click here to follow me on Letterboxd. Week 195: Scarlet Days (1919) Unfortunately, D.W. Griffith's only feature length Western is a misfire. How underwhelming it must...
MOVIE MONDAY: Western Movie Reviews – Week 194 – The Silent Man
Each Monday, I continue to share Western movie reviews. For more of my movie reviews, click here to follow me on Letterboxd. Week 194: The Silent Man (1917) This is the leanest, most muscular William S. Hart picture I have seen so far. It seems that he and Ince...
How to be an Efficient Filmmaker (and Person): Part 4 – Planning Ahead & The Rest
Click here to read part three. PART 4 - PLANNING AHEAD AND THE REST The past few weeks, I have described some simple practices I used to complete 12 feature films in 12 months without going crazy or losing control of the project, methods I continue to use till this...
BONUS WESTERN MOVIE REVIEW: And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003)
As a Western fan, it's hard not to enjoy this film. I mean, when Raoul Walsh is introduced as a character halfway through I smiled with glee. Ultimately, it's about filmmaking as much as it is about Western history and the titular character. Pancho Villa is...
MOVIE MONDAY: Reviews of Centurion, Wolf, and The Last Legion
My weekly movie reviews. You can also read these on letterboxd. This week focuses on three films set in Late Roman Britain. Centurion (2010) Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars I saw this film years ago and it didn't leave much an impression. At the time, I thought it was...
How to be an Efficient Filmmaker (and Person): Part 3 – Set a Timer
Click Here to Read Part 2 PART 3 - SET A TIMER A problem I had for a while was focusing too much on one task while neglecting others. I'd pour all my time and energy into writing a script and let my social media management slide. Or I'd spend days working on a...
BONUS WESTERN MOVIE REVIEW: The Tall Men (1955)
Raoul Walsh's The Tall Men feels like three Westerns crammed into one. First, there is the tense psychological snowbound conflict between three men, more akin to the work of Anthony Mann of Delmer Daves. Second, there is a relationship comedy/drama between...
How to be an Efficient Filmmaker (and Person): Part 2 – I Love Lists
Click here to read Part 1 PART 2 - I LOVE LISTS The companion to my calendar is a series of lists I keep to track my tasks through the days, weeks, and months of work. These lists, as shown in the featured screenshot, vary from being project specific (The Tombstone...
How to be an Efficient Filmmaker (and Person): Part 1 – Keep Up with Your Calendar
How to be an Efficient Filmmaker (and Person): Part 1 - Keep Up with Your Calendar "How did you make 12 Westerns in 12 Months?" I get that question often. People wonder how it was possible to plan, shoot, and even start post-production on twelve films in a year. The...
