So basically, I didn't lie about my goals, just got re-directed elsewhere.
In other news, I think I would have to take a little break from writing on the blog. I'm currently suffering from the Fucking Swine Flu... yeah... fucking sucks ass big time. I have little energy to write, read, think, it's been a fucking terrible week. And on Thanksgiving break no less. I don't know whether to call it a good or bad thing, good in that I don't have to miss school or bad that I'm going to be sick during a holiday.
What the fuck am I saying? It's bad all the way! I could've had a legitimate reason to skip school. Bullocks, my life blows.
Well, I was sick with a fever last night, and with a fever comes possibly the most random dream I ever had.
So I was at an airport with Spider-man and I met James Brown. He called me over to where he was and I obliged. Here, he introduced me to this old woman who was having marital problems with her husband, and she proceeded to tell how in order to re-ignite their sex life, she gave him blow-jobs every morning before he wakes up. And the dude happened to be Ronald Reagan, who's supposed to be dead but apparently not enough to get wet dreams from an old lady.
Seriously, Waht Teh Fuck?!
Honestly you can not make shit like that up.
On one hand, I laughed. On the other, it made me sad that one of the few dreams I have about sex is an old lady telling me a story about giving blowjobs while Spider-man and James Brown watch. Why can't I be on the receiving end except instead of an old lady it's some hot ass babe?
You know life sucks when even in your dreams other people get more ass than you.
Alright, as you may know (you being me since I'm the only one who reads my blog), I'm a BIG procrastinator. I said I would do my one page a day and then amended that rule to "if not a page then read a script". I guess you can thank another blogger for this inspiration.
So I'm altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further.
I'm still going to have to do a page a day. No excuses. At the very least a page a day, no rollover, no write 7 pages so I have the rest of the week off thinking. I'm not going to let myself go that easily. Fuck it. I'm too young to sit in front of the computer dreaming, I'll save that for my mid-life crisis.
So here the fuck goes.
First Screenplay: I'm going to write about the roommate from hell. This may or may not come from personal experiences. But whatever. It will suck major balls. It will make you vomit. It will make you wish you could gouge out your fucking eyes because there is no way an author could write something so terrible or execute in such a boring way.
But I'm not here to write well, I'm here to get the crap out of my system. I'm here to just write. Fuck quality...
I decided that for my first official script review on this blog, I would review a movie I have not seen. Don't know why it's just the way I chose it. Ok I'm lying, I'm lazy and I had just finished reading the script courtesy of the 14 scripts in 14 days over at gointothestory.com. So sue me dickhead, at least I'm reading!
So why did I pick this script up to review? First because it's OLD. The film was shot in black and white, and in my own personal count of watching movies in black and white (an amount I can count on one hand), I've only seen two that I can say I thoroughly enjoyed, Psycho and Casablanca. Don't get me started on Citizen Kane. I watched it in a bad mood and the experience was soured, but I digress.
First impressions of The Apartment. How the hell do you make a movie about a guy letting other people use his small apartment building? By all accounts of what screen writing gurus talk about strong story hooks, this is a film that would never get made in today's climate. But then again, the present time didn't have writers like they did back in the old days. I'll admit, the premise felt extremely weak and I thought it would be one of those really long old movies everyone says is a classic but you can't bring yourself to watching it. But I'll catch The Apartment one day, I'm looking forward to it.
The story is about C.C. Baxter or as he likes to be called, Bud. Bud is this young insurance guy looking to make his way up the ranks. So he does what anyone desperate for a promotion does, blowing everyone in a huge orgy every week. Alright it isn't explicit, the film was made in the 60's after all! Bud "leases" out his apartment to his co-workers so they can commit adultery or as I like to call it sexy time. Bud gives them a place to go and the "Clients", that is, Bud's superiors, give him a recommendation for promotion. Bud wants to have enough money to buy the latest fashion, become one of the big dogs by looking like one.
Well things get complicated, as it should. Bud develops a friendship with Fran and Bud had just been promoted to Personnel department under Mr Sheldrake, the kind of guy who likes to cozy up every secretary's skirt he sees. Sheldrake is cheating on his wife with Fran but Bud doesn't know it yet. Bud asks Fran out on a date to see a musical, with tickets given to him by Shledrake himself. But what Bud doesn't know is that Fran has a date already... with Sheldrake! Oooh, twists and turns just like a Soap Opera, my mother would like this.
Like I said, this is a film that would never have gotten made in today's climate. But the script is a real solid story. Bud is generally a good guy but is blinded by the fact that he's allowing other people take advantage of him. All for the purpose of promotion and money. It's certainly a timeless theme that the script explores, where do you draw the line between your job and your life? And I loved how the apartment was a metaphor for this. People taking advantage of other people to advance their wants. The clients want to unleash their sex hounds by cheating on their wives and taking them to Bud's apartment and Bud in return wants them to recommend him for promotion. Fran is his love interest but not a cliche'd one. She's her own person and she isn't there to just raise the stakes for our main character. She's there because she is a mirror of Bud, someone who has given much for her "happiness". She's in love with Sheldrake but Sheldrake is just stringing her along for most of the script.
Now, on to the criticism. The script stands at 156 pages (give or take, it was downloaded from mypdfscripts.com and converted) and much of that is to be blamed on the overly descriptive language. The screenplay dips into novel like description in some parts and makes the reading of it slow down considerably. But this is written in the 60's and that was how it was written back then. Nowadays, scripts have to be as concise as possible, because the thing was, I didn't really care about the description anyways (I skimmed the long paragraphs; I think I could catch what was going on)
What I noticed is that scripts from waaay back in the old days liked to take their time with establishing characters. I kinda got the hint that Bud was a good guy by the way he acts around people, how he is the only man in the elevator who takes off his hat in the presence of a woman, (How's that for being dated?) and how he cares more for his job than his personal health and personal life. But it could be trimmed down in places.
What I absolutely loved was how the script ended with Fran and Bud being together without doing the whole hugs and kisses at the end of a romantic comedy. It was beautifully written and orchestrated. New Years and she runs back to the apartment to play a game of Gin with Bud instead of being with Sheldrake. Subtext of saying "I want to be with you" without saying it. It was all done in action. Beautiful
Now, I'm going to put this movie on my to watch list. 4/5
here's the trailer, amazing how marketing was back in the day, I wouldn't go watch it if it had been marketed like this:
I've been thinking about it. They say that the best way to learn about screen writing is through reading lots and lots of them. I think the best way to learn is through reviewing them. Since I'm lazy, I'm going to start reviewing scripts (mostly ones that have been made into movies) once a week. But don't count me on it.
I'm already taking the 14 scripts in 14 days challenge over on http://www.gointothestory.com/ but I haven't been keeping an eye out for what works. Mainly for what doesn't work. I guess it's time to start being more positive and start looking at the overall package of the script, which is why I believe looking at scripts that have been made into films could be beneficial towards my learning. They have been greenlit for production and made into a film which logic dictates, there should be something positive about the script that made studios and producers say "Yes!" to the project.
So there you have it internet, another challenge I present to myself. One post a week, one review a week, at least. Essentially two posts a week now. And Here we go...
Wow, what a movie. I know, a nineteen year old male should not enjoy such romantic comedies but I got a soft spot for them, when they're good. What blew me away was how human the characters were. None of the actions or events felt contrived, and I was amazed at how mature the film was presented. No extraneous gags, only real solid grounded humor. In short to a short review, absolutely loved it.
On another note, I'm afraid I'm going to have to make a self amendment to my goals. I'm having a bit of writer's block (ok more about the fear of writing something terrible) but I'm going to lay it out. If I can't write a page a day, then I will read a full script. That's right, I'm going to surround myself with work (alright it's only a little but c'mon, the best way to learn is through observation and analysis). So yeah.
I just finished reading Emergency Contact, so thank you ScriptShadow.com for providing the link (where I get most of the un-produced/in production scripts). It was a fun read but I thought the beginning of it was a little slow and not enough funny. Luckily that quickly changed by page 10 and off we go on a rip-roaring adventure to gay bars, porn sets and elevator shafts. Completely unpredictable in a good way. Maybe I should do my own analysis of scripts in the future... I dunno. I certainly won't call it a review, but more of a reflection on what I learned as I read it. For example in Emergency Contact, you have to have the set-up and the pay off. You definitely can not avoid that in comedy.
Ok it's a half ass review (Fuck, I said I wouldn't call it that, it's not a review) but only because I plan on reading another script in a few minutes. I'm bored and don't have a movie to watch so reading one is the next best thing right?
Why didn't you use the Frank Darabont version of Indiana Jones 4? It had everything you could possibly hope for. Edge of your seat action, witty dialogue (Indy vs Marion), great twists and turns, memorable villains and above all, a race to find power. The characters have a lot more room to breathe in this script and Marion, god, Marion actually has something useful to do in this movie. She's not just a simple nod to the original Raiders of the Lost Ark, no she has a past, personality and a burning fire against Dr. Jones.
This script has all the major elements of the version you see in in KOTCS, just executed infinitely better. No Mutt, no Mac. This was a more personal journey for Indy. Oxley is still the crazy old man but luckily he's not in it for much, as it should. One of the biggest complaints I have against KOTCS was because they hired such an immense talent in John Hurt only to have him babble like a crazy old person, and he still seems to have more importance in the movie than Marion.
But C'mon Lucas, this was the version of Indy we wanted to see, the version we waited a good 20 YEARS for.
But alas, City of the Gods is only a movie I'll see in my dreams. My one wish to the stars...
