FrankenScript :: Lee Gabel's Screenwriting Journal/Blog

I was surprised that I ended up liking this film, even though there were lots of things I disagreed with. For example, introducing one character and never showing them again for more than an hour, until they’re really needed, feels like a big cheat. The seemingly endless action and CG sequences can get tiring. The [...]

There’s a point in this film where you just don’t know where it’s going to go. It’s exciting. Moral conflict. Then something happens and chunk, chunk, chunk, pieces of story fall into place and film becomes predictable. Although, one could argue that “something” was done to increase tension and suspense, and it does for a [...]

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 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 [...]

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 [...]

I did not read the book, but I imagine it’s better than the film. Books usually are. So in saying that, the book must be really good because this film is quite entertaining. The characters are all unique, and McConaughey’s performance is solid and believable, a refreshing change from the dreck he’s been in over [...]