Podcast appearances and mentions of daniel stiepleman

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing OUT OF MY MIND (2024), from a screenplay by Daniel Stiepleman, from Sharon M. Draper's novel, the film is directed by Amber Sealey.  The coming of age story of a teenage girl, Melody (Phoebe-Rae Taylor), with non-verbal cerebral palsy who gains an opportunity to attend high school outside of her usual special education classroom and how she and her loving family struggle to help her fit in.  The film clocks in at 1 h and 42 m, is rated TV-PG and is currently streaming on Disney+.  Please note there are SPOILERS in this review.#OutOfMyMind #SharonMDraper #AmberSealey #DanielStiepleman #PhoebeRaeTaylor #MelodyBrooks #RosemarieDeWitt #DianeBrooks #LukeKirby #ChuckBrooks #EmilyMitchell #PennyBrooks #JudithLight #MrsV #ComingOfAge #Drama #FamilyDrama #CerebralPalsy #FemaleFilmmakerFriday #WomenDirectors #WomensHistoryMonth @DisneyPlus #FridayFamilyFilmNightOpening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

This week on the podcast, join Luke Kirby (actor, "Chuck Brooks"), Amber Sealey (director), and Daniel Stiepleman (writer) as they chat with DJ Bob about this important film, "Out of My Mind." They'll discuss what drew them to the project, the challenges and triumphs of bringing this heartwarming story to the screen, and offer insights into their unique creative processes. Tune in to hear behind-the-scenes stories and more. And don't forget to check out "Out of My Mind," streaming on Disney+ November 22nd!

This week on Pop Culture Confidential we talk about a legend,  a role model, and a real bad ass, US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. My conversation is with someone who knows her very well, Daniel Stiepleman. Stiepleman is the screenwriter of the movie “On The Basis Of Sex", based on a major part of her life,  and he also happens to be Justice Ginsburgs nephew. We talk about the case at the center of the movie, his aunts first reaction to Mr. Stiepleman wanting to write her story, her notes on his screenplay, and more.  "On The Basis Of Sex "is directed by Mimi Leder (The Leftovers) and stars Felicity Jones as Justice Ginsburg and Armie Hammar as her husband Martin Ginsburg. The film premieres in Sweden on International Women's Day , March 8th , and is out in the theaters in the US.

Today's guest is the brilliant actor Felicity Jones, known for her previous roles in The Worst Witch, Spiderman 2, Rogue One and The Theory Of Everything which won her an Oscar nomination. Her newest role is playing the "Notorious RBG" Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in On The Basis Of Sex which is out now.As the Guardian said recently on RBG: "At 85, she remains one of the few progressive hopes on what’s set to become an increasingly Trumpian supreme court and after the documentary RBG was a surprise box office hit this summer, timing couldn’t be better for its narrative counterpart."Ginsburg was one of the few female lawyers at Harvard and her professors were awful and sexist to her. She worked so hard and then became one of only female justice on the Supreme Court and the gender-based laws she has changed means we can live the lives we do, so many parts were deeply moving: her relationship with her daughter, her supportive loving husband. She has spent her life fighting for social radical change and demanded laws be updated. I definitely want to try and channel even 0.1% of her levels of determination. The script was written by RBG's nephew Daniel Stiepleman and it was directed by Mimi Leder. I recommend you going to see it immediately! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Every Saturday morning, movie critic Francesca Rudkin joins Jack Tame to take a look at what is playing at the movies this weekendCold PursuitCold Pursuit is an upcoming American action film directed by Hans Petter Moland from a screenplay by Frank Baldwin. It stars Liam Neeson, Laura Dern, Emmy Rossum, William Forsythe, and Tom Bateman. It is a remake of the 2014 Norwegian film In Order of Disappearance, also directed by Moland. The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on February 8, 2019, by Summit Entertainment. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances, as well as the film's dark humor, and noted it to be as good as or better than the original film.[2]On the Basis of SexOn the Basis of Sex is a 2018 American biographical legal drama film based on the life and early cases of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Directed by Mimi Leder and written by Daniel Stiepleman, it stars Felicity Jones as Ginsburg, with Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Jack Reynor, Cailee Spaeny, Sam Waterston, and Kathy Bates in supporting roles. The film had its world premiere at the AFI Fest on November 8, 2018, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 25, 2018, by Focus Features. The film received generally favorable reviews from critics, who acknowledged it as "well-intentioned but flawed," and praised Jones' performance.LISTEN TO THE AUDIO ABOVE 

"Resilence is more than bouncing back from adversity. People who are resilient keep pursuing their goals in the face of challenges. Consequently, learning how to regulate your brain's motivational machinery is a key aspect of resilence." —Rick Hanson, Ph. D, author of Resilient: How to Grown an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength and Happiness Living well and successfully reaching our fullest potential in part resides in understanding what is and is not in our control. Once we understand what we have control over, for example, and for today's post/episode's purposes, the mind, then we need to be willing to take the time to learn how it functions and how we can use its talents to enhance the overall quality of our lives. Dr. Rick Hanson shares in the introduction of his book Resilience that "the brain is continually remodeling itself as you learn from your experiences. When you repeatedly stimulate a 'circuit' in your brain, you strengthen it." After reading his book, which is organized by the needs we have as human beings - safety, satisfaction and connection - readers discover the skills, and then the tools to build those skills to build our resilience. "True resilience fosters well-being, an underlying sense of happiness, love and peace." And in order to foster the sense of each of them and hardwire them into our being, we need to experience them, seek them out and consciously savor them so as to remember how to live each day consciously as we build a life we love living each day. Hanson asserts and I have to certainly agree, when we practice and improve our resilience in good times or seemingly benign moments in our everyday lives, we "will feel less anxiety and irritation, less disappointment and frustration and less loneliness, hurt and resentment. And when the waves of life come at you, you'll meet them with more peace, contentment and love in the core of your being." So let's start by looking at our everyday lives and discovering how we can strengthen the muscle, the skill, that is resilience. 1.Take care of your own well-being first "Being good to yourself is good for others. When people increase their own well-being, they usually become more patient, cooperative, and caring in their relationships." We can only give our best selves when we care for ourselves well. When our needs are met, we can help others who are in need of generosity, understanding and patience. Read/Listen to episode #242 for 31 Ways to Practice True Self-Care. 2. Notice and savor enjoyable moments Creating the habit of being self-compassionate is a learned skill. And with any skill, it takes conscious effort and repetition to habituate the skill into our default systems. Hanson advises, "Once you're having [an enjoyable] experience, feel it as fully as possible and take a little time —a breath or two or ten — to stay with it. The more often you do this, the more you will tend to hardwire psychological resources for yourself." Once you have strengthened this skill, you will be better able to utilize it during difficult as well as joyous times. ~Learn more about self-compassion and how to cultivate it in episode #122 3. Welcome Enjoyable Moments into Each Day Conscious living is thoughtful living to pay close attention to how our days are constructed. Now this doesn't mean we have to plan every minute of the day and it doesn't mean everything must be nose-to-the-grindstone work or striving for nothing but perfection. What Hanson encourages is to understand and find what is enjoyable about the tasks you both want to do and have to do. Completing a project at work for example, while the entire task may not be enjoyable, ask yourself, what is and focus on that. In so doing, you are more engaged, more attentive and more likely to give your best and have a more positive outcome. On the flipside, for those activities you enjoy, make sure you partake in them regularly and savor the enjoyment you derive from doing so. Each time you focus on the reward, the enjoyable part, the brain releases dopamine, norepinephrine and natural opioids which then prioritizes in your mind what actions it wants to continue to pursue unconsciously. So essentially, you are beginning to hardwire your brain for wanting to do things that you consciously know will add quality to your life whether the enjoyment comes from have-to tasks or want-to tasks. 4. Repeat the superpowers you want to be part of your brain's hardwiring "The more [neurons] fire together, the more they wire together. In essence, you develop psychological resources by having sustained and repeated experiences of them that are turned into durable changes in your brain." Hanson shares that our character strengths, mood, skillful ways, outlook, good habits, etc. are predominantly learned as only one-third are innate in our DNA. The remaining two-thirds are acquired through learning. This is good news, but it also means we have a massive responsibility in recognizing that we are who we either consciously or unconsciously choose to become. As Hanson coins, "who we learn to be". 5. Encourage Beneficial Experiences "See the jewels around you." The brain's negativity bias is programmed to protect us, and so it will bring to the forefront, if we aren't the master of our mind, all the negative in our days. However, when we understand why the brain is doing this, we can counteract it by seeking out, observing, savoring and incorporate more positive little moments into our day. From savoring your breakfast or that cold glass of water, observing the beauty of the day, or the happy step of your pup as you head out for your walk, when we pay attention to the good experiences, we are nurturing our well-being. Why? Because if we are regularly letting the negative take the stage of our attention, there is "wear and tear on your body and mind". 6. Understand the essence of learning What we learn, we become, and since two-thirds of who we become is learned, knowing how to learn is essential, so we can do it well and learn what will improve the quality of our everyday and overall lives. Hanson's acrynom for learning is HEAL (H - Have a beneficial experience; E - Enrich it, A - Absorb it; and finally, L — Link it to replace or soothe painful material). The first three steps are the essence of learning. With that said, we need to live consciously. We need to choose experiences that are beneficial or have the potential to be beneficial. To enrich each of these beneficial experiences, we need to be fully present, taking everything in, slowing down, looking for something we had not seen if we are experiencing something beyond the first time, and then become clear as to why the experience is valuable to you. (a more detailed list regarding how to enrich experiences is hared on page 58 of Hanson's book). Once we have enriched it, we need to savor the experience, or absorb it. To be clear, and Hanson points this out and I think this is vitally important to not misunderstand: Absorbing doesn't mean hanging on, clinging and not letting go. In fact, you are letting it go because you were never holding on to it, just noticing it, being present with the experience and appreciating it. Absorbing has to do with letting yourself feel good, letting yourself bask in the warmth of what has been part of your experience and in your own way, letting it become a part of you. Experiences can stay with us forever. Make sure the experiences that stick are wants that truly jewels. 7. "Let the Flowers Pull the Weeds" I love this analogy, and the neurology behind the concept demonstrates how we can rewire our mind to reframe or eliminate negative thoughts and unhelpful attitudes about life and replace them with beneficial ones. Hanson points out that practicing mindfulness will be a helpful tool to be able to grow flowers whilst bringing as well to your attention the weed you want to replace. Because when you are able to hold two thoughts simultaneously, it is then that the good can begin to replace the negative, as you are able to recognize that good that is true and begin to chip away at was no longer serving you. 8. Be Mindful of The Self-Critic and Strengthen the Inner Nurturer "There are two different attitudes or 'voices' inside us all, one that is nurturing and another that is critical, one that lifts up and one that weighs down. This is perfectly normal. The inner nurturer brings self-compassion and encouragement. The inner critic helps you recognize where you've gone wrong and what you need to do to set things right . . . for most people, the inner critic goes way overboard . . . it's big and powerful, while the inner nurturer is small and ineffective, which wears down mood, self-worth and resilience." The inner critic needs to be kept in check, and this can be hard to do when moments in life, people in our lives become frustrating or hard to work with. We can be excessively harsh on ourselves which is why in such moments, we especially need to have a strong inner nurturer. A simple truth to keep in mind is that overtime those of us who allow our inner critic to run rampant are actually less productive in what we are critical about, and ultimately, that bleeds into our overall quality of life the elevation of living well we are able to reach. 9. Practice "liking" more and "wanting" less "The root of [wanting] means 'lack'. It's natural to like things that are pleasurable, such as a sweet dessert with friends. But issues arise as we move from liking to wanting, from enjoying a meal together to insisting on the last piece of pie." When we let our "auto-wanting" take control, we are pulled from the present, we are infusing our minds with the belief that we are not enough or what we already have is not enough. This is draining physically and potentially financially. Instead, practice appreciating - window shopping, so to speak. Whenever you feel "any sense of pressure, compulsion or 'must-ness'", take a breath, recenter yourself and remind yourself that the advertisers are doing their job, but you can still appreciate the beauty, goodness, awesomeness, etc. without funding their cause. This is where the skill of being content will help tremendously. As was shared last week, in episode #244, contentment can be felt everyday, all day, as contentment is not dependent upon external sources. And when we are able to be content, it becomes easier to 'like' versus 'want'. 10. Healthy Intimacy Begins with Healthy Personal Autonomy "Paradoxically, in order to get the most out of 'we', you need to stay centered in 'me'." Intimacy as it appears in our lives can be cultivated with mere acquaintences as well as a romantic partner of 50 years. As defined in the book, intimacy is "to make familiar or known". And the knowledge of self and security within oneself is the foundation. Because when you are confident that you are able to take care of yourself, you can step forward to be engaged with others, knowing your limits, knowing your boundaries. And if necessary, knowing that if the limits or boundaries are not respected, you can step back and take care of yourself well. With the relationshps you begin to build or relationships you are currently in, assess if you are able to do the following things: fully express your thoughts and feelings ask for what you want trust your judgment if others disagree with you stand up to others If you are unable or were unable in past relationships that no longer are a part of your life, you may recognize you do not have full personal autonomy in that particular relationship. These may be relationships you either now recognize need to be stepped away from as you now can pinpoint why they don't feel right, or, if it is only one of the items on the list, you have a specific focus you can bring up to try to improve the relationship. "Much as autonomy enables intimacy, intimacy supports autonomy. Close and nurturing relationships help a person feel safe and worthy as an individual, which promotes a confident independent. In a positive cycle, autonomy and intimacy feed each other. Together, they make you more resilient." Moving forward, keep these abilities in mind as you should be able to exercise all four in a healthy relationship as too should the other person with you in the relationship, thus embodying the paradox shared in the above quote. We often hear the word "resilence" uttered during times of strife or hardship, but the truth is, as Dr. Rick Hanson points out, strengthening the tool or skill of resilience can elevate the quality of our everyday lives in all of the good moments that we have as well. As is often discussed here on TSLL and on the podcast, our mind is an amazing mechanism, and to understand how it works, have patience with the rewiring process if we are choosing to do so, can yield awesome outcomes for our life, enriching the journey and lead us where we truly want to go. Petit Plaisir —On the Basis of Sex ~Felicity Jones stars as Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsburg and Armie Hammer stars as her husband Marty Ginsburg screenwriter Daniel Stiepleman is Ginsburg's nephew wrote the script which was then approved by Ginsburg's daughter, Jane, a prominent figure in the legal world and in the film as well - she is currently a professor of law at Columbia University Ginsburg was one of just nine women in the Class of 1956 The question posed to the 9 women at their welcome dinner by the dean, played by Sam Waterston was verbatim what was said. When Marty was diagnosised with testicular cancer during his third year of law school, Ruth did collect notes from his friends and typed up his essays as he dictated them—a process that often began near midnight. When he finished around 2 a.m., she would turn to her own coursework. Regarding the case - Moritz v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue - While the legal side of Moritz’s case is accurate, Ruth didn’t fly to Denver to meet with him. It was Marty who made first contact, and he didn’t do so face to face. According to Ginsburg herself, “We met Charles E. Moritz for the first time in the fall of 1971, the night before the argument. He took us to dinner in Denver. He had to hire a babysitter for his mother.” Source for more details regarding the film and history from Slate.com https://youtu.be/28dHbIR_NB4 https://youtu.be/tYH9KJ_T6XM

A Q&A about On the Basis of Sex, with actor Justin Theroux, Director Mimi Leder, and Screenwriter Daniel Stiepleman (RBG’s real-life nephew).  More info found at http://focusfeatures.com/on-the-basis-of-sex.  Moderated by Rachael Janowski. About the movie: On the Basis of Sex is inspired by the true story of a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg – then a struggling attorney and new mother – who faces adversity and numerous obstacles in her fight for equal rights throughout her career. When Ruth takes on a groundbreaking tax case with her husband, attorney Martin Ginsburg, she knows it could change the direction of her career and the way the courts view gender discrimination. The film also chronicles the storybook-like romance between Ruth and Marty, a partnership that succeeded both personally and professionally. Participant Media’s On the Basis of Sex is directed by Mimi Leder (The Leftovers, Deep Impact) from an original screenplay by Daniel Stiepleman. On the Basis of Sex stars Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Armie Hammer (Call Me by Your Name, The Social Network) as Marty Ginsburg, Ruth’s husband and legal partner. Rounding out the cast are Justin Theroux (The Girl on the Train, The Leftovers), Jack Reynor (Detroit), Cailee Spaeny (Bad Times at the El Royale, Pacific Rim: Uprising), Stephen Root (Get Out, All the Way), with Sam Waterston (Law & Order) and Oscar®-winner Kathy Bates (Misery). Visit http://g.co/TalksAtGoogle/OnTheBasisOfSex to watch the video.

Moon Zappa interviews screenwriter Daniel Stiepleman about his feature film, On the Basis of Sex which chronicles the early career of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

“On the Basis of Sex” is a fictionalized account of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's formative years as a lawyer and law professor. The film is informative, in a dutiful way, but it's a skin-deep celebration of someone who's never settled for superficiality in her life's work. Hints of her future self appear, but only in flashes. Mostly the production takes its cues not from real life but from film clichés. The fateful flaw isn't hard to locate. It's the script, which was written by Daniel Stiepleman. For one thing Stiepleman has no experience writing feature films; for another he's Justice Gisnburg's nephew. That constitutes double jeopardy for filmgoers who may wonder why the production is so predictable, in spite of the best efforts of Felicity Jones as Ruth and Armie Hammer as Martin Ginsburg, her loving, charming and endlessly supportive husband. Apparently Marty Ginsburg was all of those things and more, a reputation that's burnished by “RBG,” the fascinating documentary released earlier this year. Still, Hammer's portrayal of the fictionalized Marty is monotone, or rather tri-tone; this guy is loving, charming, and supportive at every moment. The only glimpses of the young Ruth Bader in the documentary came from still photos, and from home movies shot during her undergraduate days at Cornell—a strikingly beautiful young woman asserting her intelligence and sense of purpose in a man's world, and, in the 1950s, aspiring to a place of prominence in a man's profession. That's when “On the Basis of Sex” picks up the fictionalized Ruth—a Cornell grad about to enter Harvard Law School in 1956. We're moved by the hope and resolve that radiate from Ruth's face, and so what if Felicity Jones doesn't quite nail her subject's baroque New York accent. The question of accents raises the larger question of why the role of a quintessentially American heroine was given to an English actress. But casting isn't what vitiates the story's power. Neither is accuracy. The film reminds us of the lowly status of women as recently as 1972, when Ruth, in conjunction with Marty, argues an ostensible tax case that becomes an early success in her almost half-century-long legal battle for gender equality. The trouble with “On the Basis of Sex” is that it fails to make the case for its subject's exceptionalism. We're certainly told how determined she is, how devoted and intelligent, and you can find those qualities in Felicity Jones's performance. What's missing, though, because the writing and direction don't dare to dramatize it, is the steely fury that must have been burning in Ruth's soul all along. There's no way to imagine this young woman growing into the flesh-and-blood thinker and fearless fighter who commands our attention, with renewed urgency, from the intersection of law, politics and mortality. I'm Joe Morgenstern. I'll be back on KCRW next week with more reviews.

Host Jeff Goldsmith interviews screenwriter Daniel Stiepleman about On the Basis of Sex. Download my podcast hereCopyright © Unlikely Films, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.