FrankenScript :: Lee Gabel's Screenwriting Journal/Blog

I found this film largely annoying. Will he or won’t he? Will she or won’t she? It doesn’t help that Sam Worthington portrays almost no emotion throughout. Kira Knightley and Guillaume Canet have chemistry and it’s their relationship that is worth watching here. In fact, the opening of the film says all that really needs [...]

This film has a nice setup, in that it really solidifies the sympathy for the main characters. You really want to see them succeed in taking down the bad guy. Coming from Peter Berg as one of the writers, you know you’re in for a lot of action. Those are the good things. Unfortunately, the [...]

This is a film you are either going to love or hate. Well, let me back up. You’ll either kinda love it or really hate it. There’s no middle ground. It sets up situations and never adequately resolves them. And if logic flaws irritate you, there are several in this, such as when running a [...]

Here’s a solid romantic comedy, not surprisingly since Drew Barrymore has a good eye for good stories. The relationships felt real and sincere. Some parts are predictable (I saw the ending coming a mile away) but for the most part I was hoping this story wouldn’t devolve into cliche-ville, and it largely doesn’t. There’s lots [...]

Other than this story centering on Hasidic Jews, there’s not much else that makes this film different than any other drug smuggling story. And the Jewish focus lacks the ability to make this film different enough. It interesting that this was based on a true story, but the viewer isn’t going to care if the [...]

Here’s a low budget film that doesn’t look like it. Every dollar is up on screen and invested in the story. The screenwriter and actor Leigh Whannell (he plays Specs in the film) stated at the Toronto Film Festival that he had a list of horror cliches posted next to his computer so he would [...]