FrankenScript :: Lee Gabel's Screenwriting Journal/Blog

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 [...]

Right from the very beginning you feel something’s wrong. By the time I found out the “twist”, I just didn’t care anymore. The characters were not compelling, and I had a hard time believing that a man would go through all that trouble “after the fact” to make another’s life hell. It’s silly. There’s no [...]

This is a sprawling epic, with great performances from both Kidman and Jackman. The film looks fantastic too but at 165 minutes, it’s much too long. The problem with historical dramas sometimes is the filmmakers want to put it all in. In films, you need to focus on certain aspects of history, much like when [...]

All style, well, mostly style, definitely no substance. What substance is there is not developed enough to really be meaningful. Lots of expository voice over too. The budding love story was some of the most genuine aspects of the film, but unfortunately it’s overshadowed by all the vapid, clichéd gangster/assassin set pieces. And folks, suicide [...]

I enjoyed this film, despite it’s shortcomings. First the good. The film does a great job showing how positively the dog, Marley, affects the family he lives with. Underneath all the antics is an animal that senses happiness and pain and is there to protect and sooth. However the dog’s lack of discipline provides an [...]

Tom Hardy’s physical and brave portrayal of Charlie Bronson/Michael Peterson is nothing short of mesmerizing. The film often felt longer than it was due to how it draws you in and exhausts you. The film actually beats you down. It takes a special breed of human to survive 30 out of 34 years of incarceration [...]