I’m taking a screenwriting class at New School and have been doing writing exercises instead of blogging.

Part of the writing process is figuring out your influences and favorite and least favorite movies. This helps carve out your own voice. So the following is a little list of favorites and influences. I’m dong stream of consciousness here so there may be some that are not exactly crowd pleasers.

General influences: Steve Martin, Woody Allen, Tina Fey, Chuck Klosterman, Chevy Chase, Jennifer Aniston on Friends, Shirley Maclaine, Neil Simon, David Ives, David Mamet, Christopher Durang, Wendy Wasserstein, the humor section in Reader’s Digest

TV influences: Golden Girls, Laverne and Shirley, Alice, One Day at a Time, Love Boat, Different Strokes, All My Children, Growing Pains, Full House, Friends, Curb Your Enthusiasm, In Living Color, Cosby Show, Saved by the bell, Spoonie Luv Crank Yankers sketch, Moonlighting, Roseanne, Who’s the Boss, Remington Steele, SNL, Married with Children

Movie influences: Annie Hall, When Harry Met Sally, Hannah and her Sisters, Moonstruck, 40 Year Old Virgin, Jerry Maguire (I never thought the romance angle was believable but I liked the dialogue), Terminator 2, Beautiful Girls, Bend it like Beckham, Meet the Parents, Punch Drunk Love, Sideways, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,  Bridget Jones, Sliding Doors