FrankenScript :: Lee Gabel's Screenwriting Journal/Blog

So at the beginning of the year, I ran across Scott Myers 1-2-7-14 plan. In a nutshell, Scott suggested to read 1 screenplay per week, watch 2 movies per week, write 7 pages per week and work 14 hours per week prepping a story. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but after doing it for [...]

The fact that this really happened is more interesting than the actual film. How can people take advantage of others without expecting any consequences? The characters are all played with confidence, especially Spacey, but I just could not feel any sympathy for these thieves. There’s a powerful scene at Abramoff’s Senate hearing, but it’s a [...]

Today marks two years since connecting with a talented Hollywood writer/producer. He has patiently read through multiple drafts of  several of my screenplays and offered comprehensive notes and suggestions all screenwriters would kill for. I kept everything completely professional and delivered, sometimes after agonizingly long periods due to day job conflicts. This feedback has prompted [...]

Be warned. This movie is  not for the faint of heart. It is extremely violent and gory, and although the violence portrayed is equally against both men and women, the story thread feels focused more on violence against women. This will be the deal breaker for some. I think the story still would have stood [...]

Here’s a story about good cops and bad cops. It feels like many films that have come before. The same but different, but in this case, not different enough. We know almost from the outset who is good and who is bad. This is a smart move in that it builds suspense as things slowly [...]

This is a touching story about a boy who feels he doesn’t belong anywhere, and the mysterious uncles he never knew taking him in and treating him like he was one of their own. Duvall and Caine have great chemistry together, one being the “Bud Abbott” to the other “Lou Costello”. Osment delivers a solid [...]