FrankenScript :: Lee Gabel's Screenwriting Journal/Blog

Sheer creative brilliance shines in this Hayao Miyazaki classic. This is an example of a writer-director who truly understands the mind of a child, how they act and what fascinates them. The detail is astounding, with every frame existing as fine art in its own right. The story is touching as well, and easy for [...]

This is what grassroots film making is all about. Josh Fox didn’t know what he was getting himself into when he started to document his findings. The end result is undeniably important. As he travelled across the United States, he encountered more and more people affected by natural gas fracturing. A story emerged, one of [...]

Other than with Starblazers when I was a child, I have never been a fan of Japanese animation (anime). I don’t think it was because the visual style, but lack of exposure. I never sought it out. After watching this, my whole view has changed. Spirited Away is one of the most magical and unique [...]

Not 10 minutes into this film, my six year old son identifies Inigo Montoya, played brilliantly by Mandy Patinkin, as a good guy even though what he is doing is bad. “I like that guy,” he said. That is the sign of a great story and well defined characters. Good guys and bad guys and [...]

This is a very good film. It is introspective and slow to get going, but it takes that time to build depth to its characters, even with the main character being a man of few words. He drives. He loves to drive. Driving is his life, but even that is not enough anymore. He holds [...]

This is a fantastic film. It’s based on a true story, and was purposely made to feel like a documentary. I forgot that these were actors, with everyone putting in strong, genuine performances, Bale in particular losing weight for the role and seeming like a different person. Bale’s and Wahlberg’s chemistry together is pitch perfect. [...]