Jeffrey York

Jeff York is an optioned screenwriter, film critic, illustrator, and ad man. He’s also a member of the Chicago Indie Critics, SAG-AFTRA, and a cat lover.

Why Wicked Works

Why Wicked Works

Where Chu was truly brilliant as a director was in his innate understanding of the intimacy of film.

# Read # Style & Substance
6 min read

10 Reasons People Don't Go to the Movies (Looking at You, AMC)

10 Reasons People Don't Go to the Movies (Looking at You, AMC)

AMC, like it or not, stands as the poster child for all the tin-eared thinking that movie theaters are putting out these days ...

# Read # The Business of Art
8 min read

Everything Else Has Come Back, Why Not the Variety Show?

Everything Else Has Come Back, Why Not the Variety Show?

I’d bet on a variety show starring Taylor Swift versus sinking $200 million into another superhero saga any day of the week.

# Read # The Business of Art # Style & Substance
6 min read

Looking for New Stakes? Shame on You

Looking for New Stakes? Shame on You

Shame is, in many ways, like that gun being held on a crowd. Everyone can relate.

# Read # Style & Substance
5 min read

How to Write Better Comedy. Seriously.

How to Write Better Comedy. Seriously.

Shows trying to tickle our funny bones have become so prolific that we have started to collectively yawn—it takes a lot more to stand out.

# Read # Style & Substance
7 min read

How Clothes Can Make the Man (or Woman) in Your Script

How Clothes Can Make the Man (or Woman) in Your Script

Indeed, clothes not only make the man (or woman), but they can tell us so much about a character the second they appear on screen.

# Read # Style & Substance
6 min read

Lights, Camera, TikTok!

Lights, Camera, TikTok!

Look, you’re probably on your cellphone constantly anyway, so maybe it’s time to make more out of your time there.

# Read # The Business of Art
4 min read

Are Studio Heads Nuts?

Are Studio Heads Nuts?

Look, I understand that it’s called show business, not show art, but still, where is the show part in so many of these tin-eared studio exec’s equations?

# Read # The Business of Art
8 min read

The New Heroes in Movies and TV Shows? Villains.

The New Heroes in Movies and TV Shows? Villains.

Getting a fractured audience’s attention is getting harder and harder.

# Read # Style & Substance
6 min read

Are Awards Shows Ruining Show Business

Are Awards Shows Ruining Show Business

I’m all for pushing envelopes, but should cringe be a part of awards show comedy?

# Read # The Business of Art
5 min read

The Three Things All of 2023’s Best Screenplays Have in Common

The Three Things All of 2023’s Best Screenplays Have in Common

It is a shining example of how a film can be distinguished just as much by what its script doesn’t reveal as what it does.

# tag # Style & Substance
4 min read

Please, Doctor Strange, Fix the MCU For Us!

Please, Doctor Strange, Fix the MCU For Us!

... you need to make us want you again.

# Read # The Business of Art # Style & Substance
7 min read

Want to Tell Better Stories? Watch Foreign Films

Want to Tell Better Stories? Watch Foreign Films

Foreign films generally assume the audience is savvier, capable of putting two and two together without having to shove things down their throat.

# Read # Style & Substance
7 min read

Can "Cancel Culture" Be Kicked to the Curb?

Can "Cancel Culture" Be Kicked to the Curb?

Such decisions may get called out, but they are still artistic decisions and that’s where much of the slippery slope of Cancel Culture starts to poison all the water.

# Read # The District
6 min read

Whatever Happened to the Political Thriller?

Whatever Happened to the Political Thriller?

But since 2012, there have been precious few political thrillers popping up on the big screen. Why? It’s not like there aren’t stories ripe for the picking ...

# Read # The Business of Art # Style & Substance
6 min read
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