FrankenScript

I took some time off from screenwriting this past week to dig out an old project of mine. When my son was young, long before the Kindle existed, I wrote and illustrated a picture board book for his birthday. I even constructed a board book prototype so that we could read it any time he [...]

I really admire Joss Whedon. He takes risks and twists genres in ways you wouldn’t expect. Most people going into this movie think it’s a horror film. In the first ten minutes audiences will be scratching their heads wondering what’s going on. This is good. And Whedon gives us just enough information to keep our [...]

I had forgotten how good this film is. Saw it first before immersing myself in screenwriting. Now that I know what makes a script great, it’s clear to see all the little nuances that make the story and characters pop, of course including masterful direction by Stephen Spielberg. Holly Hunter is brilliant.

Like so many animated films released these days, this one is filled with unique and quirky characters that do a good job entertaining us. There’s lots of gags set up and paid off, but the story is completely predictable. I guess it doesn’t matter too much if you’re laughing all the way through. Still it [...]

The movie wastes no time setting up the premise. The entire family is instantly likeable. We’re supposed to feel sorry for Dan, played brilliantly by Steve carrell, and we do. He’s the loveable sad sack. It was interesting to try and guess the direction of this story, because the way it played out, the two [...]

As soon as this movie began, I got an immediate “Logan’s run” vibe (if you’ve  never seen the original “Logan’s Run”, seek it out). At 16 minutes in, I’m not sure what’s going on. I have lots of questions, but so far the movie is compelling enough to stick with it. But soon I began [...]

Good, sad, but it boils life down to to its very essence. Love. Honest love will save you. It’s hard to imagine what I’d do if I knew the world would be ending, but I’d like to think it wouldn’t be much different than this. All the way through, I kept wondering how this is [...]