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May 2009 Archives
May 1, 2009
Bait
Author: Russell Mulcahey Genre: Disaster/Action Storyline: 8 Dialogue: 7 Characterization: 6 Writer’s Potential: 7 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Recommend Logline:A disparate group of people find themselves trapped in a flooded grocery store after a tsunami, and they’re forced to work…
Posted by D. B. Bates at 7:54 AM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
Father of Invention
Author: Jonathan D. Krane and Trent Cooper Genre: Comedy Storyline: 6 Dialogue: 8 Characterization: 6 Writer’s Potential: 7 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Pass Logline:After being released from prison, a disgraced infomercial entrepreneur tries to rebuild his fortune, redeem himself in…Posted by D. B. Bates at 6:35 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
May 2, 2009
I’m with Cancer (a.k.a., 50/50)
Author: Will Reiser Genre: Comedy Storyline: 8 Dialogue: 8 Characterization: 7 Writer’s Potential: 8 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Consider Logline:A young radio producer’s life turns upside down when he’s diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Synopsis:ADAM ROSEN (25, cheerful…
Posted by D. B. Bates at 10:13 AM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
Medallion
Author: David Guggenheim Genre: Action/Thriller Storyline: 3 Dialogue: 5 Characterization: 3 Writer’s Potential: 3 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Pass Logline:Just released from prison, a professional thief must elude police as he searches New York City for his daughter, who’s being…Posted by D. B. Bates at 1:46 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
Opposites Attract
Author: Dan Ewen Genre: Romantic Comedy Storyline: 6 Dialogue: 9 Characterization: 8 Writer’s Potential: 7 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Consider Logline:When an uptight career woman swaps bodies with her lazy slob of a fiancé, the couple must cope with each…Posted by D. B. Bates at 10:36 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
May 3, 2009
Keep It Together (a.k.a., Love, Wedding, Marriage)
Author: Caprice Crane & Anouska Chydzik-Bryson Genre: Romantic Comedy Storyline: 3 Dialogue: 4 Characterization: 4 Writer’s Potential: 3 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Pass Logline:A newlywed marriage counselor is horrified when she discovers her parents plan on divorcing. Synopsis:Just before her…
Posted by D. B. Bates at 12:23 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
May 7, 2009
The Romantics
Author: Gail Niederhoffer Genre: Drama Storyline: 4 Dialogue: 4 Characterization: 5 Writer’s Potential: 5 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Pass Logline:A group of college roommates reunite for a wedding. Synopsis:In an old Victorian house, seven roommates sleep. LAURA wakes first and…
Posted by D. B. Bates at 10:45 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
May 8, 2009
Cold Skin
Author: Jesús Olmo Genre: Horror/Fantasy Storyline: 5 Dialogue: 5 Characterization: 5 Writer’s Potential: 5 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Pass Logline:Two men fight strange monsters on an otherwise deserted island in the Atlantic. Synopsis:1924. A Portuguese ship, illegally smuggling explosives, crashes…
Posted by D. B. Bates at 10:18 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
May 9, 2009
Learning Italian
Author: Kevin Reynolds Genre: Comedy/Thriller Storyline: 6 Dialogue: 4 Characterization: 5 Writer’s Potential: 5 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Pass Logline:When two spies happily stationed in Sicily are reassigned, they decide not to leave, resulting in the government sending an assassin…
Posted by D. B. Bates at 11:04 AM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
May 11, 2009
The Killer Elite
Author: Gary McKendry and Matt Sherring Genre: Thriller/Action Storyline: 5 Dialogue: 4 Characterization: 5 Writer’s Potential: 5 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Pass Logline:A group of mercenaries are forced to avenge the deaths of a wealthy Arab’s sons. Synopsis:Mirbat, Oman, 1972….
Posted by D. B. Bates at 11:04 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
May 12, 2009
Wolves
Author: David Hayter Genre: Horror/Action Storyline: 5 Dialogue: 4 Characterization: 6 Writer’s Potential: 6 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Pass Logline:A teenager discovers he is a werewolf and becomes a target in a small town filled with vicious werewolves. Synopsis:CALEB RICHARDS…
Posted by D. B. Bates at 3:37 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
May 7, 2009
Hot Tub Time Machine
Author: Josh Heald & Jarrad Paul & Andrew Mogel and Steve Pink Genre: Comedy/Sci-Fi Storyline: 6 Dialogue: 7 Characterization: 7 Writer’s Potential: 7 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Consider Logline:After accidentally traveling through time to 1986, a group of losers must…
Posted by D. B. Bates at 5:17 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
The Job
Author: Brad Mirman Genre: Thriller Storyline: 5 Dialogue: 6 Characterization: 5 Writer’s Potential: 5 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Pass Logline:When a group of professional thieves are double-crossed during a Budapest casino heist, they must race to get out of the…Posted by D. B. Bates at 12:03 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
May 6, 2009
Blink
Author: Stephen Gaghan Genre: Comedy Storyline: 2 Dialogue: 3 Characterization: 1 Writer’s Potential: 3 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Pass Logline:A college student, with an uncanny ability to read facial tics and emotional cues, tries to decide what to do with…
Posted by D. B. Bates at 11:01 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
Weapon
Author: A. Thomas Genre: Action Storyline: 3 Dialogue: 3 Characterization: 3 Writer’s Potential: 3 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Pass Logline:When a ruthless killer is released from prison with a price on his head, rival assassins race to murder him. Synopsis:From…Posted by D. B. Bates at 5:19 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
May 5, 2009
Ceremony
Author: Max Winkler Genre: Romantic Comedy Storyline: 3 Dialogue: 6 Characterization: 4 Writer’s Potential: 4 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Pass Logline:A young children’s book author tries to stop the woman he’s sleeping with from marrying the man she’s engaged to….
Posted by D. B. Bates at 10:30 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
Protection (a.k.a., Bullet for the Border)
Author: Brandon Noonan Genre: Action Storyline: 1 Dialogue: 3 Characterization: 1 Writer’s Potential: 1 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Pass Logline:After failing to escort a political family through Mexico, a mercenary must cross the U.S. border to find the family’s daughter,…Posted by D. B. Bates at 4:35 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
May 3, 2009
The Details
Author: Jacob Aaron Estes Genre: Comedy Storyline: 3 Dialogue: 4 Characterization: 2 Writer’s Potential: 3 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Pass Logline:A husband’s little white lies spiral out of control, resulting in extramarital affairs and murder. Synopsis:JEFF and NEALY LANG celebrate…
Posted by D. B. Bates at 4:22 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
May 18, 2009
Tribes of October
Author: Nick Vallelonga & Paul Sloan Genre: Crime/Sci-Fi Storyline: 5 Dialogue: 3 Characterization: 5 Writer’s Potential: 5 Jump to: [Synopsis] [Comments] Recommendation?Pass Logline:Survivors of an Apocalyptic disaster attempt to police a ruined New York City. Synopsis:In the not-too-distant future, New…
Posted by D. B. Bates at 10:35 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Professional Script Coverage
May 9, 2009
…Not to Be
So there’s this script floating around by John “How the fuck did I get nominated for an Oscar twice?” Logan that adapts Shakespeare’s Coriolanus into modern action-movie context. Except for one little detail… It keeps the language. Here’s what the script reminded me of:
Now, I’m not terribly familiar with Coriolanus, but I think it’s safe to blame the scripts flaws more on the adaptation than the source. Shakespeare scholars can feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but I have the strong suspicion that Logan cut massive reams of dialogue in favor of long sequences of modern street warfare. If you’ve ever seen Death Wish 3, you’ve seen these action sequences. Except Death Wish 3 has guys getting stabbed in the head with a knife duct-taped to a loose floorboard, which puts it a little ahead of Coriolanus.
Because of the focus on action, and the strong desire to keep the story in a two-hour feature timeframe, dialogue has to get cut. Only problem: all Shakespeare had to work with was dialogue, so in cutting scenes, story and character development fly out the window. The entire second act is a clusterfuck of bizarre, rushed plot twists and double-crosses that, I assume, are properly set up and fairly dramatic in the play.
To me, the problem hinges on the choice to keep Shakespeare’s dialogue. Who do they want to come see this movie? Shakespeare fans, who will hate the poor adaptation even if they dig the action (which they probably won’t)? It honestly seems like they want this movie to be seen by teen boys who like watchin’ shit get blowed up.
Posted by D. B. Bates at 12:32 PM | Print-Friendly | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Screenwriting Articles
