On the occasion of his first foray into directing, the greatest screenwriter of the last 25 years — for screens small ('The West Wing') and big ('The Social Network') — opens up about his unlikely journey from actor/bartender to writer, dissects his strengths (dialogue) and weaknesses (story) and opens up about past controversies (drugs, the Sony hack) and criticsms (how he handles female characters).

But first: But first: THR reviews editor Jon Frosch joins Scott to discuss critics' feelings about 2017 films, including how he and other members of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association recently arrived at their picks for the 43rd LAFCA Awards.