FrankenScript :: Lee Gabel's Screenwriting Journal/Blog

This is a feast for the senses, deeply creative, complex and inventive. The film is not hard to understand or follow if you pay attention, although there is a heck of a lot of exposition explaining how the dream worlds work. Still, it’s a fascinating journey packed with action and suspense. The personal story of [...]

My screenplay “Vermin” got two positive reads but didn’t place in the Nicholl Fellowships quarterfinals. However, it was in the top 20% of 6,304 entries. Still good in my view but I still have much work to do. I am pleased. The email with the news continues to be a class act. I wish more [...]

This is a truly excellent film, portraying both gang life and the lives of immigrants, both struggling to survive. The film is unsparingly honest and deeply involving, as characters from both worlds meet with a common goal: to find a better life. Friendships are made and lost, and betrayal and dishonesty are dealt with swiftly [...]

Yeah, it’s unpleasant but there’s too many plot lines going at once that water down the entire movie. And for a story about crack use in the inner city, there’s not much to show. I suppose the filmmakers are trying to show how crack use affects so much more than just the users, but a [...]

This is a chilling and disturbing documentary and tracks the creation of the sociopathic monster known as Monsanto. After watching, I could not shake one particular idea, which went something like this: “Now, Monsanto is all about the bottom line, about profit. They control the seed to grow crops. They control life. They have the [...]

A very good, very violent portrayal of the Camorra crime syndicate. It has a very documentary feel to it with the hand held camera work, natural locations and lighting. Plus it’s based on fact. It feels like you’re right there, watching one criminal kill another. It’s unpredictable and merciless, perfectly capturing underworld life and how [...]