Michael T. Starks

Category: Storytelling

  • Icarus

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    Somebody at Telluride attributed the following quote to Guillermo del Toro. It may be included in the new Leonardo da Vinci documentary by Ken Burns. “The lesson of Icarus isn’t to stop flying so high. It’s to build better wings.” I love this idea! Daedalus, father of Icarus, knows the limitations of the wings he…

  • Gems from Telluride

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    One of my favorite things to do during the Telluride Film Festival is to attend the Noon Panel Discussions, the Conversations, and the Q&A Sessions. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the talks I attended on Saturday. “All cultures are remembered for two things: their brutality and art.” This came up during…

  • Movies Challenge Us

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    When I start watching a movie, I try to finish watching it. Sometimes, I stop watching a movie because it’s so bad that I can’t justify spending the time — even though we learn a lot about movie making by watching bad movies. Sometimes, I stop watching a movie because I don’t like it. When…

  • Conflicting Priorities

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    We want many different things throughout our lives. Sometimes, the things we say we want are not consistent with our actions. So here’s a question. Should we believe our actions or our words? And if we don’t do the things we say we want, what’s holding us back? While I think fear often holds us…

  • Firearms and Explosions

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    While eating dinner at Mi Mexico in Ouray, I overheard a conversation happening at a long table next to me. At least ten men were sharing their adventures blowing stuff to smithereens. No, they were not terrorists. They were movie makers. Or at least they were responsible for making war scenes in movies look good.…

  • Biographies

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    Biographies and autobiographies can be inspiring. I finished listening to Govt Cheese by Steven Pressfield on Audible tonight. He went through many, many years of writing stuff nobody wanted before he finally wrote The Legend of Bagger Vance, while in his early fifties, which was adapted into an excellent movie directed by Robert Redford. (Full disclosure: I haven’t read…

  • Believe It Or Not

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    One of the TV shows I enjoyed watching as a kid is The Greatest American Hero. While it wasn’t a great TV show, I enjoyed watching it. And the Theme Song has always stayed with me. Here’s my attempt to sing and play it. What I love about the song and the show is that…

  • Learn More to Get Unstuck

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    Sometimes, I consider working on a creative project and feel completely stuck. I don’t know what to do next. I don’t know how to move forward. When this happens, I often try to learn something new to get unstuck. I don’t have an annual subscription to Masterclass and Maestro because I prioritize learning each week.…

  • A Conversation in Song Lyrics

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    As a creative challenge, I’m putting together a short movie scene written entirely in song lyrics. INT. KITCHEN – MORNING JILL (26), still in her PJ’s, pours herself a glass of orange juice. CHELSEA (27) enters through the front door to their apartment, wearing a rumpled fancy dress. Instead of going to her room, Chelsea…

  • Better or Worse? (Part 4)

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    Now that I’ve answered Question #1 (in parts 2 and 3), let’s move on to Question #2. Is my life better or worse now (in 2024) than when I was a kid (in the early 1970’s)? This is a difficult question to answer. The things we want and need and value change over time. Should I evaluate…