Posted 8:31 PM by Chris

El Mayimbe of LatinoReview.com checks in with a script review of "Mexicali" (located here, the script is written by Christian Gudegast & Paul Scheuring and dated August 2nd, 2002). Probably my least favorite script reviewer out there right now-- most likely because he peppers in phrases like "this script was so dope" and "I don't f*** around, my script gathering skills are on point" throughout his reviews.

Anyway, the film focuses on a successful businessman and his new wife on their honeymoon, who subsequently witness a drug deal gone wrong. When his wife is shot and then disappears, the businessman must now figure out a way to get her back and then the both of them back to the U.S.

His opinion of the film, you ask? El Mayimbe: "I've been tracking this script for the longest because I think it's a dope story...I hope MGM doesn't f*** this script up because it was fine to me as is. A page turner full of suspense and "Oh s***" moments."

It's actually a good read if you treat it as satire. Otherwise, it's pretty sad commentary on critical analyses these days.

Posted 5:55 PM by Chris

Continuing on with the updates, here are very two very negative script reviews over at the rumor site AICN. And, hey, Moriarty actually writes a decent script review! (What was that about a thousand monkeys?)

First, Mr. Beaks takes the first look at the script for "Aliens vs. Predator" (located here). The script he reviews is written by Paul W.S. Anderson and includes revisions by Shane Salerno, with no script date given. A big tentpole for Fox, the film throws the fates of two franchises together, setting it in the current day.

As Mr. Beaks writes there, "Though there’s no shortage of Alien and Predator throw-downs in the third act, what I think will piss off the fans is the way this script thoroughly ignores the lore of the previous films...Granted, I wasn’t terribly enthusiastic about this project in the first place, but, if anything, I’m far more forgiving than the devoted fans on whose foreheads Fox will be thumping this mushroom bruise of a motion picture. This is a Viking Funeral for both franchises that will result in a quick payoff for the studio. Maybe that’s for the best."

The second is the umpteenth take on the script for M. Night Shayalman's "The Village" (fourth item down here, no script date given). Glomming on to the idea that the script that many have now reviewed is a fake one, Moriarty waxes poetic on the film's bleak prospects.

As he writes there, "Shyamalan wouldn’t pull one twist ending only to try to convince us of the same thing a second time, and then do the exact same twist again. He would realize how incredibly insulting that is, and he would come up with something far more clever...I have faith that this is all an elaborate prank, played on the Internet, by a storyteller who has something fun and original up his sleeve that he doesn’t want to see spoiled. At least, that’s what I’d be praying if I had money in this thing. Because if I’m wrong -- if by some chance this is the actual script that’s going to be used -- then a few things are apparent...this will be this director’s "Battlefield Earth" or "Showgirls," an epic miscalculation that gets stuck in the audience’s craw for a while, and it will take something really special to buy his way out of the cinematic doghouse this will earn him...this will infuriate audiences across the board. They’ll feel cheated, and they’ll be right."

Posted 7:44 AM by Chris

Re-emerging from some time off...

The first script review we look at is Guy Ritchie's "Six Shooters" (located here, this August 2002 draft is 123 pages) a project he abandoned "Revolver" for. Written by Stax at IGN FilmForce, the film is a lighthearted heist flick set during the last days of the U.S. Civil War and follows a quartet of Union soldiers who team with a sharp-shooting Richmond madame and a slave-turned-Confederate POW to plunder the riches of the Confederacy.

While focusing mostly on the script's content, Stax says that the film is a good one, "thanks to its action set-pieces, roguish anti-heroes, and quick wit, "Six Shooters" succeeds in being a charming and fun period romp, a sort of Lincoln's "[Ocean's Eleven]" or Civil War-era Kelly's "Heroes."

Posted 5:49 PM by Chris

I've never been a big fan of Wes Anderson, although I really liked his "Rushmore." The rest of the resume I'm not as fond of: "Bottle Rocket" was not my cup of tea and I was bored to tears by "The Royal Tannenbaums." So I don't not like him, or like him...I'm just ambivalent about him. His upcoming feature, "The Life Aquatic," which I've read myself and is co-authored by Noah Baumbach, is pretty good for what it was. Not sure if I'll catch in it theaters, but I'll probably see it once it hits DVD.

But whatever, this is not about me or my likings. Let's go back in time to September 13th. My sitemate at FilmJerk.com, Edward Havens, also managed to finagle a copy of the script from one of his sources and, interestingly, two script reviews of the same project hit the Net on the same day.

Well, I'm going to take that back-- one fake script review written by AICN that is pegged as a real script review and the other the real deal. Ya see, based on what Moriarty of AICN wrote there, it's sorta obvious that he hasn't read the darn thing and one can see why he buried the "droolingly positive" review in between his droning on about how much he liked the filmmaker and his own problems on getting his own projects greenlit. Notice he gives two small paragraphs on the film's plot and no real analysis as well. It seems like more of a desperate plea for attention than anything else.

First, here's his "review" here. Go read that, I guess, and come back here to see how it's a fake. AintItCool.com loves pageviews, although I hear they've been dwindling in recent months.

You back? Good. Now let's tick down the reasons why it's a fake:
1) No draft date given. Those who review scripts almost always cite the date of the script, if it's available on the draft. If it's not there (ie. the cover page is missing), they often mention it as such. No citation here and that made me originally suspicious. Mori's 0 for 1.
2) Moriarty writes there that "Plimpton has money of his own, and agrees to finance a film about the search for the jaguar shark that killed Esteban, as long as he gets to go along and get to know Zissou on the journey." Not true. Ned was going along anyway to get to know his potential father and offered up his recent inheritence when Zissou does not get the grant money he was expecting. Strike two.
3) Moriarty writes that "At the opening of the film, Zissou is in shock as he premieres his new documentary." Zissou isn't in shock. He simply watches the footage without emotion, zilch, and this minor point is noted as such. Not shock. 0 for 3, but I'm not calling him out on strikes yet.
4) Moriarty writes that "the heart of the movie is the relationship that develops between Zissou and Ned, and the way it’s complicated by the introduction of a reporter named Jane Winslett-Richardson, from "Oceanographic Explorer." This
pretty much has to be Cate Blanchett, and she’ll be perfect. Watching Bill Murray and Owen Wilson compete for her, and watching how she wrestles with her own feelings for each of them... this should be a treat." Giant stretch here by Moriarty as Ned and Zissou don't compete for her. She keeps Zissou's attractions at bay, and develops a friendship with Ned without effort. And it's plainly said in the screenplay. So that's strike 4. Yer out.

As Moriarty said there, "I'm excited by the way I pictured the film as I read the script, but I'm more excited by the surprises I'm sure I still have in store when I actually see the world realized. All I got was a sneak peek, a little glimpse of what we'll all get later. But it was enough to tell you it’s going to be something special."

So, what we have here is an AICN writer who has seemingly checked the info that's out there on the various other news sites, packaged it together as a "script review" (making assumptions where needed) and fills out the column droning on about how Andersen is "one of the most interesting filmmakers working right now, the love child of J.D. Salinger and Hal Ashby" and his action-packed thoughts about how "Posthuman" can't get financing. Sad, but it's come as what many have expect from AICN these days. At best, the "peak" was given was probably a few pages worth and not anything to base a glowing review on. If only The Facer were still around...

For a real script review of "The Life Aquatic," check out Havens' review here.

Posted 3:22 PM by Chris

We've been a little busy with script reviews over at FilmJerk since the start of August, reviewing a total of 5 scripts: "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," a second look at "The Ladykillers," "White Chicks," "The Woods" and our most recent, "Resident Evil: Apocalypse."

Let's use five words or less to describe each, since I've got to go to a dinner in a little bit:

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (linked here, written by Charlie Kaufman)-- Great concept, poorly-written characters.

"The Ladykillers (linked here, written by the Coen Bros.) -- Brisk, enjoyable read.

"The Woods" (linked here, written by M. Night Shyalaman)-- Writer guessed ending early on.

"White Chicks" (linked here, written by a half-dozen people including Keenan Ivory Wayans)-- Major mess, beginning to end.

"Resident Evil: Apocalypse" (linked here, written by Paul W.S. Anderson)-- Okay at best, nothing unique.

The script reviews above, respectively, are written by myself, Brett Myers, a scoop-generated submission, Edward Havens and then myself again. More to come soon as we reload!

Posted 3:04 PM by Chris

Jean-François Allaire is back and promising two columns a week, which irks me. Doesn't he know I am a little behind on linking his latest. Since I last covered his work, he's given us two reader-generated reviews, one on "Shopgirl" and the other on "Starksy & Hutch."

Let's look at "Shopgirl" first (linked here, written by Steve Martin based on his novella). The film focuses on Mirabelle, an impecunious young artist who works as a shopqirl at Neiman's to make meager ends meet. She commences an affair with an older man, but their vastly different expectations inevitably cause them both much pain.

The scooper there, Miss Jones, writes that "Honestly, "Shopgirl" is the most boring piece of writing I have read to date. Well, it's not that boring, but the thing is quite wearisome. As a screenplay written by Steve Martin, I expected gutbusting laughter embedded in a somewhat decent storyline. Instead, all I got were a few sporadic chuckles at characters that were just barely on the verge of interesting. And, the storyline is so slow and unmonumental that I had to injest it in small pieces over the space of a week, if not longer. I literally had to force myself to read it each time, and once it was over, I felt utterly unfulfilled, cheated, unmoved, and unenlightened. The only sympathy I had for the main character, Mirabelle, was for how stupid she is. Actually, I can't say that I liked any of the characters. My sympathy for the script, however, runs deep."

Having myself read the book that the film is based on, sounds like she went in there with the wrong intentions. Not a bad thing, but the script and book are definitely good-- I like them each. It's not supposed to be something like "Bringing Down the House" or "The Jerk."

In the second review, webmaster John Shea looks at the script for the "Starky & Hutch" film, which was formerly a '70s TV show (linked here, this version includes revisions made by John O'Brien from Stevie Long's original submission).

There, Shea writes that "The script gets off to a great start with a montage for each of the stars as they talk about their view on crime. It beautifully brings each character into razor sharp focus and has great style and humor as well. Unfortunately, that's the script's high point. Now this isn't a horrible script but it's not going to get too many people excited. It's standard buddy cop fare... the script boils down to a good core in two solid characters, that floats in a sea of mediocrity. Give these guys a real world with something to do that is of reasonable scale and you could really have something. Leaning on supposed 70s cool just isn't enough reason to make a movie."

Posted 11:31 AM by Chris

About two months ago, Ryan Rotten of Creature Corner was the first to review the script for "Blade III," but it was quickly pulled when New Line lawyers contacted the site. Well, it seems that it's up again now here (it's the same version of the script that we at FilmJerk.com reviewed later, see our entry here from July 4th).

Rotten's is a positive review: "Sure, there's a feeling that much of the story is more of the same but that's what you get with a sequel. Now it's all a matter of: can the action/horror be amped up and is there room for progression in the development of the character? In this case...yes and yes. There's an on-foot chase I'm dying to see play out on screen. And Blade shows a bit of vulnerability I don't think we've seen before."

Also, Rotten reviews M. Night Shyamalan's "The Woods" (located here, draft date unknown), which it was the second to the scene with.

A strong negative review, Rotten says the film is "stale as it comes. Other than the predominant, hippie "love is everything" theme, Shyamalan skips down the subtextual trail taking stabs at humanity's greed and other unhealthy pitfalls...this is the farthest thing you're going to get from a horror film. Yes, there are one or two unnerving minutes that M. Night knows will be the theatrical trailer's money-shots, yet, the film all amounts to – as I said earlier – a nifty idea that could stand for a few more passes. It's a skeleton of something that could be memorable, terrifying, and heart wrenching. This is a script that feels rushed (perhaps by Disney's anxiousness?) and premature. The first of the third-act twists is a cop-out and a stark reflection that M. Night should have let his creative juices stew a bit longer before taking "The Woods" off the fire."

Not two bad reviews for a site that has taken some hard knocks for its relationship with the "Jeepers Creepers 2" production.

Posted 10:45 AM by Chris

Stax at IGN FilmForce checks in with a review of "Flight of the Phoenix" (locatedhere, this draft is dated March 1, 2003, and is most likely written by John Moore, Ron Hutchinson and Edward Burns), a remake of the 1965 film of the same name. The film is a survival tale, focusing on a C-119 cargo plane that crashes in the desert. The passengers and crew must work together if they're going to survive, although tensions grow enough to the point that it threatens to turn them against one another.

In his review, Mayflower asserts that the film is "faithful to the spirit and plot of the original film. Indeed, the storytellers actually improved upon some elements." Comparing this draft the the original directed by Robert Aldrich, he summarily finds that "So long as the film isn't turned into some sort of glorified music video like other recent remakes have been, this "Phoenix" should take flight."

Posted 6:58 PM by Chris

Darwin Mayflower checks back into the office with no less than 5 script reviews at the fabulous new site Screenwriter’s Voice. For those who haven’t checked it out yet, be sure to visit— it’s better than any other screenwriting-focused site out there right now.

Among the scripts he reviews are:

“Along Came Polly” (linked here) follows the story of a risk-averse man who enters into a risky relationship and has been heralded by many as a wonderful script. When Mayflower starts the review with the words “Mine eyes have seen the glory and it's John Hamburg's latest script,” you know it’s going to be a good film. Formerly known as the “Untitled John Hamburg Project” and titled incorrectly here as “Captured,” the writer/director’s was moved last month to January…which makes me worry about the end product, which stars Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston.

"The Ugly Americans" (linked here) focuses on Scotty Thomas, fresh from graduating high school, who finds that his German pen pal who wants to meet him. Fearing that his pen pal is an Internet predator, he finds out later that "he" is actually a beautiful "she," and that he's unwittingly broken it off with the fraulein of his dreams. To atone for his mistake, Scotty goes to Europe with three friends. Written by writers Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer and David Mandel, Mayflower finds that the film “is about as much fun as delayed flights, canceled hotel rooms and the gastrointestinal misadventures that comes with foreign food. It's a vacation you want to quickly forget about…[it] is one of the most unsatisfying comedies I've ever read.”

Moving from bad to worse…”Eulogy” (linked here) is a story on the Collins clan, who come together for their patriarch's funeral—and tempers subsequently flare. Penned by Michael Clancy and starring leads that are mostly unknown, Mayflower writes that the film is “basically a comedy that isn't funny. I suppose it has its heart in the right place, but it has no idea what to do with its setup, and it simply becomes stagnant. By the fourth or fifth pot-smoking scene, after the “haven't-I-seen-this-before?” Viking funeral, you'll wish they'd pass the joint back to you, so you could focus on dust mites and ignore the bores around you. Comedy, my friends, is a hard business, and definitely not for everyone.”

Ehren Kruger, who wrote the remake of “The Ring,” returns with his latest, entitled "Skeleton Key" (linked here). All that needs to be said about the film is this: "Kruger is back with another horror script, a somewhat goofy gothic haunted-house tale that is normally reserved for cheap, straight-to-cable movies starring actors who have fallen on hard times…Skeleton Key needs a swift kick in its ass, a flow of blood-red heat, if it wants to be anything more than its B-movie horror shallowness suggests." Ouch.

And, finally, "The Nice Guys" (linked here) features the return of Shane Black (“Lethal Weapon”) to the scene, writing a spec script with Anthony Bagarozzi. The film focuses on one a private eye and a “head-breaker” who become embroiled in scandal surrounding a presidential candidate. Although Mayflower has some problems with the plot, he does say that “An off Black effort is still better than just about anything else, in this genre, can hope to be. And The Nice Guys is brimming with fun times. Black has not lost a step in a scary ability with quotable, witty one-liners and a canny sense of how to exhilarate and frighten you when he throws you in the middle of chaos.”

I planned on linking to a bunch more tonight, but the weight that Mayflower has pulled with these five scripts hitting at once has given me a headache. More to come in the days ahead as I catch up.

Posted 2:03 PM by Chris

I missed this one when it was first posted, apparently. Frederick J. Chiaventone of TMNC.org reviews the script for "Alexander" (located here, written by Peter Buchman and Christopher McQuarrie and there is no date of the script listed, only reference to McQuarrie as director). This is neither the script for the Oliver Stone or Baz Luhrman efforts focusing on the Macedonian conquerer Alexander the Great, but another effort altogether.

There, Chiaventone writes that "It’s not that I don’t usually appreciate films on either this period or with such epic themes but in this case, well, this script is the dog’s breakfast...[Alexander the Great's] is a fascinating story but, as I read this script and considered what I knew of rival projects, I was unsure that any of the prospective storytellers currently in the running were up to the task. I found myself wishing for a John Huston and finally recalling with delight the other end of the Alexander myth as it appears in the brilliant film "The Man Who Would Be King." If only we had a storyteller/director today capable of evoking for Alexander the Great the passion, humor, pathos, and drama I associate with John Huston’s telling of Rudyard Kipling’s classic. Okay, they’re both dead but even so they are still better storytellers than this."

I just finished up Manfredi's trilogy of books on Alexander and trying to track down a script from either project now in pre-production...really looking forward to seeing each film being realized on the screen.

Posted 1:49 PM by Chris

El Mayimbe over at Latino Review reviews "Cellular" (located here, the script is dated July 11th, 2003 and written by Larry Cohen, with revisions by Chris Morgan and the team of J. Mackye Gruber & Eric Bress). The film focuses on a slacker who gets a random phone call on his mobile phone from a kidnapped woman. Unsure of her whereabouts, and with little clues, a dying cell phone battery, and bad reception, the hero must go out, find her and rescue her before the cell phone battery dies. Sounds like a retread of "Phone Booth" to me, and is even from the same writer.

Interesting piece by Latino Review overall, but the grammatical and spelling errors throughout the piece give me a giant headache. I would have also liked to see more analysis and information on the film, it reads like a puff piece right now. As the writer says there, "Overall, a very lean script, very fast paced, and a damn good read." Smacks to me of a writer giving his script to a favorable outlet, for a positive review.

Posted 1:37 PM by Chris

Stax over at IGN FilmForce gives a look at "Tripoli" (located here, the script was written by William Monohan and the 134-page draft is dated February 8th, 2002). A historical epic, it focuses on a U. S. naval agent sent to the Barbary States in order to restore the exiled Bashaw of Tripoli back to power, all in order to curb piracy against American merchants and military vessels.

Stax writes that "Tripoli" is not a jingoistic, anti-Muslim propaganda piece nor is it a screed against American interventionist foreign policy. It certainly has shadings of both and, if tinkered with by lesser filmmakers, could easily fall into one or the other category. But this draft achieves, at least in this layman's eyes, a fine balance...This draft's (sometimes heavy-handed) contemporary resonance is what makes Tripoli a compelling and important tale that will hopefully be produced someday. As long as the filmmakers focus on the characters' shared humanity and aren't overwhelmed by the story's political subtext then Tripoli will have been worth the wait."

Posted 8:31 AM by Chris

Brett Myers of FilmJerk.com, the site I write for, gives one of the first looks at "Blade III" (located here, this March 26, 2003, draft is written by David S. Goyer). Had a chance to look over the script myself and it seems okay, but this isn't my type of film.

As he writes there, "The script is action-packed and if Goyer can apply the same stylistic flair to the screen that Guillermo del Toro did, we have another bona fide hit on our hands. The story is light on drama and character development as you might expect it to be, but it is an entertaining read nonetheless. Goyer does fail to make use of the elements at hand though. He sets up an interesting angle by having the humans hunt Blade, but barely puts it to use. In a lot of ways, "Blade III" is just an amped up version of "Blade II," but not enough to cause complaint. Goyer does a good job of taking what worked in the other films and applying it to the new storyline. This time there is an urgency in Blades crusade."

Posted 9:22 PM by Chris

Christopher Wehner, editor of Screenwriters Utopia, checks in with a script review of "Shiprock" (located here, script written by Willy Holtzman and dated July 1, 2002), a film I was not familiar with before reading this effort. Based on a true story, the film focuses on Jerry Richardson, a black Texas inner-city high school teacher, who accepts a job as an English teacher on a Navajo reservation school in 1987, and tells of his trials and tribulations there in fitting with a different society.

As Wehner writes there, "Holtman’s screenplay does a very nice job of communicating that dire situation, the hopelessness that many on the reservation have. He mixes humor into the story and avoids too arid of a story. His use of clichés is effective enough to avoid problems that tend to develop with similar stories when the triumph of the human spirit is the prominent theme..."Shiprock" is best described as "Hoosers" meets "Thunderheart," without the murder mystery.

Sounds like this is stuck in development, and Wehner gives a little texture to the story on the film's producers trying to so photography on the site where it all took place-- too bad.

Posted 9:14 PM by Chris

James Ellroy is my favorite author, with Dennis Lehane and a writer I recently discovered, Robert Wilson, coming in a close second. So I was extremely happy today to see that Stax over at IGN FilmForce has re-published an old script review of "White Jazz" (located here, it was written by the "L.A. Confidential" author himself and this draft is dated October 31st, 1997). Th review had previously appeared on his old site, Flixburg.

The story tells "a frightening tale of society's watchmen gone mad. It's a darker, more relentlessly brutal story than "L.A. Confidential"..."White Jazz" follows the misadventures of rogue cop Lt. Dave Klein (as he becomes entwined in a violent and treacherous corruption scandal within the LAPD. The Feds, led by politically ambitious U.S. Attorney Welles Noonan, want to sweep the LAPD's narcotics bureau, which has been protecting an "officially sanctioned" dope dealer named J.C. Kafesjian from prosecution. Klein and his troubled partner, Junior Stemmons, are not exactly on the best terms. Unlike other movie cops, neither Klein nor Junior would hunt down their partner's killer – unless there was something to gain from it."

In the end, Stax writes, "Although I was baffled by its numerous subplots and revolted by its vicious characters, White Jazz still intrigued me. I know this sounds cliché but reading this draft was like rubbernecking at a car wreck. I simply couldn't look away despite the horror."

Do yourself a favor and check out Ellroy's books if you haven't already-- extremely good stuff.

Posted 12:28 PM by Chris

In the last update coming today, we have two screenplay reviews from the site I write for, FilmJerk.com.

The first, by Edward Havens, looks at "National Treasure," the forthcoming Jerry Bruckheimer/Nicholas Cage re-pairing (review is located here, with the script's latest draft -- dated April 9th-- written by the Willerby's and previous drafts by Jim Kouf, E. Max Frye and Jon Turteltaub). An action film in the mold of "Raiders of the Lost Ark, Havens writes there that "I’m going to give this screenplay a C grade, simply because it just has too much of that deja-vu, been there and seen that feeling for my tastes, but I can also see the film being quite entertaining, as long as you allow yourself to enjoy the ride."

In the other script review, Brett Myers gives a look at "The Battle of Shaker Heights," the next film coming out of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's "Project Greenlight" contest (the review is here, with Erica Beeney as screenwiter and no date given), follows two kids who like war reenactments trying to get back at a bully. Myers gives the film a passing grade while pointing out some of its flaws (which are being chronicled right now on the HBO series following the project) and says, "The Battle of Shaker Heights" won’t be a summer blockbuster and it will more than likely suffer the same quick to video fate that "Stolen Summer" (the original "Project Greenlight" film) did, but it should be another great season watching the film get put together and the film itself should be just quirky enough to warrant another season."

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

Posted 11:43 AM by Chris

A few days ago, I mentioned a script review of "Blade III" being posted over at Chud's Creature Corner, which was subsequently taken down after New Line studios' lawyer threatened to shut them down over it.

For those who were wondering how the review turned out, check this news story at Corona's Coming Attractions at Cinescape on Ryan Rotten's script review here. There, the news story says that the reviewer wrote that "These days a lot of writers set out on film endeavors with the intention of creating a trilogy, in the end though, they get weak in the knees and skimp out on the ultimate payoff. "Blade III" achieves its purpose, to bring a hero's journey to an exciting end. Leave it to [David] Goyer - who happens to be directing this installment himself - to save this Blade story for himself."

Posted 11:36 AM by Chris

Probably my favorite script reviewer, Darwin Mayflower, resurfaces at ScreewritersUtopia and gives his thoughts on "V for Vendetta" (script review here, script is written by the Wachowski brothers and no date given on this draft). Based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore, Mayflower relates that the script is about "a vigilante who roams the streets of London like a cross between Charlie Bronson in "Death Wish" and the "Phantom of the Opera." A smiling mask hides his true identity and he goes only by V." He relates that he can see a lot of "The Matrix" in the film's plot, but that it's not worthy of the brothers' talents.

As he says there, "Not even the ungraspable wickedness of the Holocaust [Chris' note: We learn this helped shape the character into the vigilante he is today] can bolster this sloppy tale. V isn’t deep enough to get behind. We meet him as a blood-lusting man on a febrile trail of revenge. What true hero puts his old scores before his country’s? Evey’s a flitting, overexcited teenager who has terrible, flamed dialogue. We never really see the people of London suffer (besides some flashbacks of people being herded). So what is there to care about? Should we forget the attempted amelioration (i.e., the references to fascism) and take this as a straight action flick? To do that doesn’t really help because the script is tumid and boring. The best action you get is one-sided slaughter and a few buildings blowing up.

In the end, he says "it’s lugubrious, flat, uninspired, disorganized and, much to my surprise, devoid of even brainless, trivial adventure." Ouch.

Mea culpa-- this script was originally written in June 2001 and was linked by Dark Horizons last week, never picked up on the review date. Still a damn good review by one of the best-- thanks for checking in, Darwin!

Posted 3:01 PM by Chris

Johnny Butane (love the name) of CHUD's Creature Corner makes up for a pulled script review of "Blade III" with a review of "Underworld" (located here, no screenwriter or script date listed). I recently caught the preview for this film, which opens September 19, and I -- like the rest of the audience-- was extremely undwerwhelmed. I think it's a great concept, but what will appear on screen will disappoint many.

As Butane writes, "there is a solid plot that the movie centers around, something I don’t think we’ve seen done in vampire or werewolf movies before. Props to the writer for not just using something overtly generic to base the action around, but actually giving these creatures a history and a purpose. That helps take the action a lot more seriously, something it seems fewer and fewer filmmakers are attempting to do. Just don't think to hard about it, you might develop one too many questions concerning certain plot points, just expect a fun romp about vampires and werewolves beating the sh*t out of one another, and you'll be satisified."

I dunno.

Posted 2:23 PM by Chris

Drew McWeeny (AKA Moriarty) of Ain't It Cool News offers comic book veteran Donald Swan's reaction to the script of the film adaptation of "Codename: Courage" (the review can he found here, no screenwriter or or draft date listed). I'm skeptical that this will be made, and, if it does, will have a low presence at the box office. But Swan is filled with vitrol about the script, having really enjoyed the comic books when they first came out.

To wit: "For fans of the original the prognosis isn’t just negative, it is an unmitigated atrocity! Ignoring the source material almost entirely, this effects-driven revenge saga is a relentlessly mindless, pathologically bloodthirsty assemblage of the worst clichés in the history of testosterone cinema...It is not simply that escapist fantasy fare is awkwardly and irresponsibly placed in a real world, “rah-rah” war on terrorism scenario, but why must long cherished icons of the Golden Age be decimated in the process?"

He ends up his rant by saying "Why belabor this any further? The details are too depressing and incomprehensible to detail here and as I said I would have no dog in this hunt were it not for the false conceit that it is in any way related to the earlier, superior feature. The fact that if successful, Codename would obliterate any chance of a classic Commander coming to the screen makes my blood boil, needless to say and in that context I conclude: I loathed this script. Loathed, loathed, loathed, loathed, loathed this script. Loathed it. Loathed every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Loathed the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Loathed the implied insult to a potential audience by its’ belief that anyone would be entertained by it."

I think he didn't like it. But always enjoyable to read a good wordsmith's smiting of a script.

Posted 2:10 PM by Chris

Sanney Leung of Hong Kong Entertainment News in Review has managed to grab the script for the remake of "Around the World in 80 Days," which is just wrapping up principal photography now (the review can be found here, this version of the script reviewed does not indicate when or who wrote this draft).

I read the outline of the plot and it doesn't sound half-bad, if done right-- I'd probably pay to go see this with the talent involved, which includes Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan, Jim Broadbent and Owen and Luke Wilson. But, as Leung writes there, "Fans of Jackie Chan who are hoping that the upcoming remake...will bring similar success to Big Brother Jackie's career [as the original] will be disappointed. Based on a reading of an early script for the film, the remake will be another solid but unspectacular success along the lines of Chan's recent "Shanghai Knights." In fact, much of "Around the World in 80 Days" will be very reminscent of the modest Owen Wilson-Jackie Chan hit. Both are filled with slapstick fight and chase sequences, one-liners, sight gags and allusions to future historical figures."

He wraps up by saying the film "is probably destined to be good but not great. It will probably earn a decent profit and join "Rush Hour," "Shanghai Noon" and Shanghai Knights"on Jackie Chan's growing list of solid but otherwise unremarkable hits."

Posted 1:51 PM by Chris

Via TNMC.org, John Shea reviews a film I'm looking forward to seeing this fall called "Suspect Zero" (review located here, this version is dated Novembver 2001, by Zak Penn with revisions by Billy Ray).

Although the reviewer finds it a hard read -- especially the first 20 pages-- and hopes it gets a polish before filming was to begin, he gives it a passing grade and thinks it could be a "masterpiece" if fine-tuned. The main arc is solid, but the secondary subplots and characters detract from everything else. As Shea writes there, "It would be a shame to see an interesting character have to wade through some mediocre material....Wake me when you have something new....Streamlining the story in that or some other way would rid the script of numerous distractions that take us away from the important thing, O'Ryan (the main character)."

Some great talent attached to this, looking forward to seeing.

Posted 7:12 PM by Chris

In his preview page for "Plastic Man," Greg Dean Schmitz of Greg's Previews at Yahoo! Movies takes a look at the script that has been around for ages (even linking to it) and gives it the thumbs-up.

Schmitz: "What makes this script a fun read, however, isn't really the story or even the humor, in itself, but imagining what it would be like to see the images described as a live-action movie (which, duh, is the fun of reading any script, but with this one, it's a bit more applicable)."

Posted 7:08 PM by Chris

Harry Knowles over at Ain't It Cool News gets worked up over something yet again, and this time it is the "World of Tomorrow"screeplay.

As he says there: "We here at AICN have been woken up to the project and I’m thrilled. I had no idea that something this cool had gotten this far along. I wish all involved the absolute best luck, cuz the geek in me is screaming for this project to be perfect. I love that all involved are keeping the studios out of it, till they are finished. GREAT IDEA! This is the sort of particular vision that must be completed before many at the studios would get it. Personally, as a geek, I’d love to see this sucker picked up by New Line – cuz frankly I would just love to see them get this project. Of course, if it gets nailed, I can’t imagine Dreamworks passing on it, or Universal or any other studio for that matter. This has the ability of completely and thoroughly recreating and re-imagining that “thrilling days of yesteryear” vibe into something retro, but something we’ve never seen done to perfection. This film takes "Raiders of the Lost Ark"as a jumping pad and dreams so much bigger than any of Indiana Jones’ adventures ever dared to dream."

I dunno...this sounds like it will be either hit or miss, and I'm guessing on the latter. I read the column and just find myself thinking "Mars Attacks!" Ugh, not one I'm looking forward to.

Posted 12:00 PM by Chris

I get to review myself again, oh goody. Over at FilmJerk.com, I've gotten the first looks at the Gregory Jacobs/Steven Soderbergh script “Criminal.” Great read, one of the best I've written recently (and I should preface this in that I've read through a couple dozen the past four weeks, reviews coming soon for the bulk of them).

As I say in this review: "With the deft hands of a Manhattan street hustler orchestrating three-card monty, Steven Soderbergh and Gregory Jacobs’ “Criminal” offers an engaging glimpse into the life of two crooks trying to swindle a media magnate out of $750,000. A remake of the 2000 Argentinean feature “Nine Queens,” the film mixes stylistic dialogue into a character study rich in multi-faceted characters, as well as offers twists and turns (some implausible, some slickly done). The script works in spades overall, bringing viewers an enjoyable look into this shadowy world and making it truly something that can be termed “con artistry,” with a final twist showing who’s conning who."

Posted 4:25 PM by Chris

Verbal, a frequent contributor to TNMC.org's "Untitled Deadpool Column," gives a look at the forthcoming Tom Hanks/Coen Bros. film "The Ladykillers."

As he writes there, the only minor gripe he has with this script is the ending, but concludes by saying, "What a great script. The Coens have done it again. With Hanks and Wayans already signed and the inevitable use of the usual Coen brothers suspects, this script ought to be deftly translated to the big screen with raves by the critics and possibly even some end of the year awards."

Posted 6:11 AM by Chris

Stax's newest script review is another oldy-but-goody: DC Comic's "Plastic Man." Bringing it over from his old site, Flixburg, this script is dated circa 1995 and penned by Larry and Andy Wachowski ("The Matrix").

As he writes there: "Overall, the characters are all rather broadly sketched and two-dimensional. Argon needs more fleshing out (excuse the horrible pun) to avoid being just a sight gag. The plot is convoluted and kid-friendly but I'm nevertheless confident that if the Wachowski brothers were directing they could make Plastic Man a fun flick...What made Plastic Man enjoyable was its biting wit, cleverness and visceral imagery. The imaginations that would later create the world of The Matrix can clearly be seen in this 1995 draft."

Posted 8:05 PM by Chris

Brett Myers, my sitemate over at FilmJerk.com, gets his hands on the holiday season's "The Human Stain" and gives it a B-.

Myers: "The story, while interesting, failed to really enthrall me; the characters are harsh and hard to like at times and several scenes just ooze sappy ‘roll-your-eyes’ sentiment. While the controversiality of the subject matter could help pique interest in the film, it certainly does not qualify it as a ‘feel-good movie of the year’ contestant. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to its translation to the screen and, given the depth of the cast involved, I will be shocked if "The Human Stain" doesn’t grab a handful of Oscar nominations come next spring."

Posted 8:02 PM by Chris

"Underworld" has a fantastic concept, but I was horribly let down by the trailer. Dr. Strangelove, a frequent contributor to TNMC.org checks out the script for the film and further confirms my fears.

As he writers there, "I'm at a loss of words when it comes to finding something good to say about Underworld....As with most action films, the plot rides shotgun. It is the action sequences that drive the film and Underworld is no exception. I can't even really explain the plot. It's not that I did not understand it, it's just that it relies on twists and turns that solely make up the narrative...[it] has been described as another modern day Romeo and Juliet. I wish it had that much character."

Also at the site, Frederick J. Chiaventone checks out "The Aviator," written by John Logan. He admits the subject matter is something that he doesn't have an interest at the outset, but his final words are "John Logan, wherever you are, good work."

Posted 7:39 PM by Chris

Over at IGN FilmForce, Stax re-publishes his review of "Dino"-- previously reviewed back at the now-defunct site Flixburg. Although he enjoyed some of the sequences, he says that "I walked away from it all not giving a damn, despite having fun."

As he writes there, "My biggest problem with the script was how underdeveloped the characters were. Martin is painted as a contradictory, elusive, flippant personality and not a real person; all the right questions are asked about him but they're not answered. Of course, that's part of Dean's mystique: no one knows for sure what made him tick so he was either this incredible enigma or a completely vacuous and cold-as-ice playboy. So maybe he really was just a persona. This is compelling to ponder but not for 166 pages...It's quite frustrating not to feel anything more about Dino, and not to know much more about him, at the end than you did at the beginning. It's a fundamentally unsatisfying drama if the main character remains stagnant throughout."

Posted 1:19 PM by Chris

In a script review that originally appeared on FilmJerk.com, Edward Douglas looks at an October 2002 draft of the upcoming "Hellboy" film over at Superhero Hype!

There, he writes: "The script introduces a more human aspect to the story, exploring the feelings and relationships between the characters. More than anything else, "Hellboy" is a love story...While comic book fans who are looking for all-out action from beginning to end might be disappointed by the movie's slow middle act, this movie could be an impressive coup for del Toro if he can make a movie that appeals to both his art-house and horror movie fans. "Hellboy" should make for an excellent movie if del Toro is able to maintain his vision, which doesn't seem too far removed from Mignola's own take on the character. That said, despite his obvious love and enthusiasm for the character, the script seems more like "Spawn" or "Blade" than "Spider-Man," which makes one doubt the possibilities for a Hellboy sequel or franchise."

Nice work, Ed.

Posted 5:20 PM by Chris

With an amazing cast, I've been looking forward to viewing "Man on Fire," penned by Brian Helgeland ("L.A Confidential"). Stax over at IGN FilmForce gets a look at the screenplay and likes it for what it is.

As he writes there: "As a straightforward, hell's bells, blood-and-bullets revenge tale, this draft of Man on Fire proved satisfying. Bear in mind, though, that it doesn't become a neo-Bronson flick until roughly halfway through the story. The first half is more character-driven, thankfully, although it got bogged down at a few points and took a wee bit too long in getting to the "spark" that ignites the man on fire...Man on Fire could have easily have been a Stallone or Schwarzenegger vehicle back in the day. But Helgeland's hard-bitten script is bolstered by his poignant handling of the relationship between Creasy and Pinta, which gave this story more heart than other entries in the revenge film/action genre."

Posted 5:09 PM by Chris

Frederick J. Chiaventone of TNMC.org reviews Walter Brown Newman's screenplay "Harrow Alley," which is about a 17th-century highwayman about to be hanged for his career as the notorious outlaw "Captain Montressor," but who manages to escape this fate as the plague hits.

Interesting read, although he admits that this will likely never see the light of the projector reel: "I fear that the viewer will too quickly be overwhelmed and even left cold by the experience. One of the tricks of screenwriting is knowing what to leave out and much could have been left out of this one. Frankly, while I found this an interesting read, the prospective viewer would be well-advised to get a copy of "Restoration" on video or go to the library and pull out a copy of Daniel Defoe’s "A Journal of the Plague Year.""

Also on the site, Miss Jones reviews "The Stepford Wives"-- of which the reviewer says, "the 2004 "Stepford Wives" gave me an appreciation for the simplicity of William Goldman's original script. There is power in simplicity. The joy in Goldman's "Stepford Wives" is in its uncertainty. The audience isn't 100% sure how the evil deeds are being done; we aren't sure what the evil doers are doing in their club house; we aren't sure what happens after the movie ends because issues aren't resolved; and we aren't sure whether the same evil forces or ideas, at least, are present and working in the world around us. Rudnick's version answers all of those questions. And honestly, I like how Rudnick answered them. I'm pleased with the comedic as opposed to ominous approach he took in answering those questions, but I also like the power of mystery. That is, the power of forcing the audience to think for themselves."

Posted 7:23 PM by Chris

The beautiful and intelligent Cleolinda over at The Daily Digest gives a gander at the script for "50 First Kisses"-- and likes it.

As she says there, "It’s really a charming script, and a great character for Sandler to play: in the vein of his usual roles, but more romantic and less angry...50 First Kisses is a comparatively uncomplicated feel-good romantic comedy. At the same time, it’s much more complex than the usual Sandler fare, and that’s why I hope Sandler and his cohorts don’t Sandlerify the script too much more (the title page notes that revisions have already been made); rather than bend the story to the tried-and-true Sandler formula, Sandler needs to have faith in this script, because it’s a winner on its own."

Posted 6:47 PM by Chris

The Screenwriters Utopia takes a look at the first draft of "Ladder 49," a script I have hiding somewhere in my apartment as well. Skimming over the review, it makes me wonder why a film hasn't been adapted from Dennis Smith's "Report from Engine co. 82."

He seems to like it well enough, but says "the only real issue I have with the script is the characterization of Jack. At one point he’s not sure he wants to be a fireman, and yet we all know it’s what he was born to do. Of course he’s the only one who can’t see that...Jack, while trapped in the fire, will discover why it was that he first became a firefighter. But he doesn’t, towards the end he tells his chief Mike Kennedy that he doesn’t know why he is a firefighter. Which is too cynical of a way to end the story -- cynicism can be perfectly fine for a movie, only I think it’s a mistake here because it will leave people feeling cheated."

Posted 6:31 PM by Chris

A fansite called A Boy and His Bird, which tracks "The Crow" franchise, has gotten its hands on the script for "The Crow: Wicked Prayer." Of course, they give it high marks, saying "Dark humor, an element absent in the previous two sequels, but used effectively in the first film, is back...With more focus on the characters, as well as multi-layered social themes, the script for Wicked Prayer stands as an example that we can sometimes, just sometimes, return to the glory of the past."

Always hard to judge script reviews on fansites focusing on an actor of film franchise, for obvious reason. But this one does have a cast including Edward Furlong, David Boreanaz, Tara Reid and Dennis Hopper. Time will tell if their glowing review is dead on or just needed promotion for a flagging premise.

Posted 6:26 PM by Chris

And here's my take on "2 Fast 2 Furious," only a little whiles away from release, over at FilmJerk.com.

Even with the advertising not fully impacting yet, I still believe this: "Based on this script, I believe that “2 Fast 2 Furious” has the potential to match the original’s gross—it’s engrossing, moves quickly throughout and features what fans of the first want to see."

Posted 5:41 PM by Chris

Three script reviews from TNMC’s Jean-Franciose Allaire these past couple of weeks, all great reading— although he comes up empty insomuch as liking them:

This summer’s “S.W.A.T” is probably the best-written and analyzed of the three. Love his closing ‘graph: “In It is entirely possible that the efforts of Farrell, Jackson and Johnson will generate an entertaining film. The script is so loose that really anything is possible. The quality of the final product all comes down to those three gentlemen. The writers did nothing to help them out.”

The second is “Riding the Bullet,” which FilmJerk’s Edward Havens already panned in his own review. Of that, he writes “It took me four days to read this script because it bored the ever-loving crap out of me. I could only read for 30 minutes at a time before getting fidgety to the point where I had to get away from the damned thing…It sounds like the premise for some mediocre, 'After School' special."

In the early fall’s “The Big Bounce,” (which I reviewed in mid-2002, this looks to be the same version I read), he sees potential for it as a fun film-- but was disappointed with what he read. To wit, “Although it was a breezy and generally fun read, “The Big Bounce” ultimately does nothing to further the crime-caper genre. It's the same, derivative crap we've seen a thousand and one times, and I was hoping for more. We've seen every character before…Ultimately, The Big Bounce is a fun film that we've all seen time and time again. I was left unfulfilled and generally disappointed that the opportunity to remake a property with real potential was squandered."

Click the names of each of the above films to see the full script reviews.

Posted 7:46 AM by Chris

A scooper named James Lowe gives Ain't It Cool News an early look at the script for "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers." Had not known about this pic before reading the script review-- and this is now one I'm looking forward to seeing. Check it out, it's a good script analysis-- not something I usually suspect would come from AICN.

Posted 7:33 PM by Chris

So this is what happens when I go AWOL at FilmJerk.com, handling only breaking news that crosses my inbox: Edward hires another hand for the site, one who will also be tackling script reviews. Good thing this is not my real gig, or my resume would be out there.

The fab Brett Myers (no relation to the Phillies pitcher) takes a gander at the October 24, 2002 draft of "Hellboy," where he writes that although he enjoyed the script and looks forward to seeing the film on the screen, "I had a hard time buying into the idea that this would be a draw to audiences. Hellboy has a cultish following within the comic book world, but to the general public, he is a nobody, far, far from the popularity of Spiderman or the X-Men. Can a less than upstanding superhero with a minute fan base and a devilish appearance bring a crowd to the theater? It’s not a stretch of the imagination. Perhaps fans enjoy the occasional anti-hero to counter the all the do-gooders out there."

Also at the eFJay, Edward reviews the next Guy Ritchie flick, "Revolver." That review is a painful one to read as a reviewer, but he tears it apart. Ouch, ouch, ouch-- poor Ritchie. At least he has someone to curl up with at night.

Posted 7:26 PM by Chris

Despite being more busy than I am at work, Jean-François Allaire of TNMC still managed to out two reviews in the past three weeks-- I have no idea how he does it. While I was waylaid, he has managed to produce reviews of "The Girl Next Door" (a screenplay I reviewed about 6 months ago, he was more positive than I) and an early version of "Legally Blonde 2: Red White and Blonde."

Also, his sitemate Frederick J. Chiaventone contributed a review of "American Gothic." Not to be missed.

Posted 7:18 PM by Chris

One of the scripts I'm going to review soon is "Troy," which has been collecting dust on my bedside table with about 15 other scripts. I get new ones each week, and this falls further down the priority list. Nick Nunziata over at CHUD delivers, though, with a great script review of the epic.

I'll let him sell the review with a portion of his review there: "If they handle the meat of the story well and juggle the high profile cast and their characters well, this could be a film that sets a new precedent. Where "Gladiator" was terrific but focal on one or two characters, this should really embody the old fashioned "epic" feel in terms of characters (at least 6 major roles), scope (a handful of huge battles), and size (this needs to run 3 hours). This is a better story than the Russell Crowe favorite. It's better in most every way (though I'd take Ridley Scott over most any other director). For all intents and purposes, "Troy" should emerge at the top of a very prestigious heap if Benioff's script is indeed the template for the film."

Fine, it's moving up the pile as we speak... :)

Posted 7:13 PM by Chris

Stax over at IGN FilmForce takes a look at "King Kong," which was announced to officially be director Peter Jackson's next project following the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy is completed. Jackson will be working on the script with his writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens this October, basing it on the story by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace. Jackson and Walsh penned a first draft together back in 1996, which is what Stax reviews in this column.

As he writes there, "Obviously, this new "Kong" should prove to be quite a spectacle. There's a sequence set in Kong's lair where, in order to protect Ann, he fights off a swarm of giant bat-like critters. Kong's battle with a trio of dinosaurs was another high-point. I also liked the way Kong himself was re-imagined. He's described as being more ferocious-looking and primordial; he's not just an oversized gorilla. He's covered with battle scars and the silver in his fur indicates advanced age. And Kong finally moves and behaves like a real gorilla, which means we should be spared the sight of Rick Baker walking around in a shoddy ape suit."

We'll be watching this one closely...

Posted 7:07 PM by Chris

April is always a busy month for me, so I apologize to visitors who have missed all the script review links.

All the way back on April 4th, Randy Jennings of TheArnoldFans.com did a script review of the long-in-development "King Conan," which I doubt will ever be made.

Keeping in mind that it's a fansite for the actor, Jennings writes there that "For many years, the staff here at TheArnoldFans, along with a great number of on-line script reviewers, has insisted that the "Crusade" script, owned by Arnold Schwarzenegger, would be (if made) one of the greatest films of cinematic history and the highlight of Arnold's career...Cue Basil Poledouris' "Anvil of Crom"! It blasts your ear drum as I am pleased and relieved to share with you all now, that the revised second draft of "King Conan: Crown of Iron" is Arnold's swan song reborn! At last, after John Milius rewrote nearly 80% of the original script, we are left with nothing shy of a potential Academy Award sweeping epic!"

We'll see.

Posted 10:59 AM by Chris

Miss J of TNMC.org shares a look at "One Love" in the most recent edition of "The Untitled Deadpool Column." As she writes there, the film is "a hip hoperatic spin-off of West Side Story...it certainly delivers on that musical likeness. The premise of both stories are very similar, and I'd even go so far as to say that West Side Story served as a template for the screenplay at hand. Even still, One Love lacks the levity and fun that seems to make most musicals so acceptable. Instead, it takes a grittier approach with the mood of the script, thereby making it hard to ingest the more unbelievable parts of the story. Not to mention, the neo urban-Shakespearean lines being rapped, literally, come across as more ridiculous than romantic."

Languishing in development hell for three years, she goes on to plead that the studio to rework the script. As she says, "! It has serious potential and could even open the doors to a whole new type of musical. But right now, just...no." Sounds good to me, although Rita Moreno has to be pretty pissed at this attempt.

Posted 6:37 PM by Chris

Jean-Francois Allaire of TNMC.org has had contributed a script review for the straight-to-video release "Bring it On Again" (the sequel to the 2000 cheerleading film) by a reader named "Verbal." And this talker's not at all enthused about the results, and he even enjoyed the original.

To wit: "There are some major problems with this script. There is little characterization to be found. All that can be said about Whittier is she's a young, blonde cheerleader who 'must' be on the team. Why does she love cheerleading so much? How does dancing make her feel? Why is she willing to risk serious physical strain to simply be a cheerleader? I don't have a clue what the answers to those questions are because I don't know anything about Whittier that I didn't learn from the brief description written on page 1. All that can really be said about Monica is she's young, good looking, loves to dance, and won't take being told to do something in a forceful manner. Doesn't that describe a lot of people? To make matters worse, clichés are in abundance."

Going on to say that the film has experienced some rewrites prior to his version and it could be a winner in the STV venue. But, all in all, not something for Universal to cheer about.

Click the link above to be transported to the script review.

Posted 6:20 PM by Chris

Ah, this feels odd. After critiquing some other script reviewers' work, I find myself in the unenviable position of adding my first script review in a month here to the blog. Over at FilmJerk.com, we've got the first look at "Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead," starring Dermot Mulroney, James Gandolfini and James Cromwell. Although I wrote a positive review, I think this one will languish in the marketplace.

Here's the negative: "While I like the story of a perfect crime that goes astray as a whole, the sum of the script’s parts does leave some to be desired. While I like the build-up in the first act, it moves extremely slowly—after the botched burglary that opens the film, the script meanders off and doesn’t re-ignite until the twist and Charles’ storyline begins. There’s also a great deal of extraneous characters that add nothing to the end story and ultimately serve to only bulk down the story’s pace, including Andy’s gratingly-religious sister and his wife’s sudden sidetrip into shoplifting. There are also a number of repeated scenes told from different characters’ points of view that add little if anything in their second use."

Then I follow it up a couple of pragraphs later with: "It’s a good twist on the genre of “the heist gone awry” and one of the independent pictures I’ll be waiting in line for opening weekend. I’m looking forward to Cromwell, Gandolfini and Mulroney eating the scenery here."

Soooo...read and judge by click the link above to be transported to the script review. Still feels so odd to quote myself. :)

Posted 7:56 PM by Chris

The biggest script review of the past several weeks comes from Babosa over at LatinoReview in the form of the second draft of "Superman." Calling it a "damn good script," he writes that this version "reads quite well and is filled with vivid imagery that should be able to be translated to the big screen rather easily and realistically with today's computer technologies. J.J. Abrams does a great job of building a director's view right into the script. Some of the dialogue and scenes, especially between Superman and Lois, are strongly reminiscent of Christopher Reeve's first Superman flick (1978), but, like I mentioned earlier, some recurrent theme information strings are going to happen; indeed, they probably should happen to maintain a cohesiveness of the thought and ideals that the Superman saga oozes."

Having read the script review, I'm not so enthused as the script review shows that the reviewer has an obvious disposition to seeing the project made, prior to reading the script. I myself will probably eschew the film, if it ever gets off the ground. But that's my two cents.

Posted 7:43 PM by Chris

TNMC's Jean-Francois Allaire, otherwise known as "Deadpool," has hosted three scripts in my absence. The most recent is for "The Italian Job" (screenwriter unknown). I am still kicking myself in passing up an opportunity to see this late last week at an advance screening. A basic heist film, "the script basically screams summer blockbuster, which I do believe is the intention," Allaire writes there. "It is big, fast and fun. Substance is nowhere in sight. People will be entertained at the theater, leave and promptly forget the entire thing." I'm looking forward to this one because of a stellar cast, but expect it to do only mediocre box office. As Allaire writes, "Think of Ocean's Eleven with half the cast. Think of Swordfish, except with some style and no gratuitous Halle Berry nudity. Think Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels with fewer plot twists and coherent English. What makes this film stand out? Speed."

Other script reviews done in the past three weeks include "My Baby's Mama" (see last item, contributed by Miss Jones) and "Lords of Dogtown" (David Fincher's latest, focuses on skateboarding teens, from an initial screenplay by Stacy Peralta).

Click on the links above to be transported to each script review. In addition, a belated congrats to J-F on being a featured columnist at Screenwriters Monthly! That lucky bastard... :)

Posted 10:35 AM by Chris

Via a reader, Jim Hill Media has a very thorough look at an early draft of "Haunted Mansion." The author of the script review also looks at some of the disparities between his script and that which they filmed that have been circulating by way of interviews with the press. I was looking forward to this film because of the first script, but now I'm thinking I'll pass. Sounds like it has been tremendously dumbed down-- ugh.

Posted 10:27 AM by Chris

OK, I've been neglecting ScriptNews a little bit these past couple of weeks, but I think I'm back for good now. Darwin Mayflower over at Corona's Test Pattern reviews the script for the first episode of the new HBO series "Deadwood." Getting a thumbs-up from Mayflower, this Western-style skein takes place in 1876 in a South Dakota town. As he says there, "With its unlike-anything-else-on-the-air milieu, its wicked mood, uncleanliness, and its paradoxical retrograde freshness, "Deadwood" can only mean good things for those of us who seek out intelligent television." Rock on.

Posted 1:38 PM by Chris

Edward Havens, who I write with over at FilmJerk.com, gets the first look at the Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore romcom "Fifty First Kisses," a reteaming of the leads from "The Wedding Singer."

There, he writes, the film " is like a pair of comfortable slippers you wear around the house. Warm and fuzzy, and making you feel really good all over...With its breezy screenplay, exotic settings and winning leads, ”Fifty First Kisses” should be another major winner for Sandler and company."

Posted 1:29 PM by Chris

Harry Caul of The Screenwriters Utopia got his hands on the script for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," and doesn't like it. There, he writes, "There are some laughs, some moments, and a few interesting details. But for the most part, this off-center, off-beat, and quirky story will bore audiences...I don’t think this script is anything to get excited about. One thing is for certain, it will be yet another Kaufman film that no one sees, or wants to go see. Only this time it might be a good thing."

Ouch-- Having read this script, I certainly don't agree with his assessment. But, to each, his own.

Posted 1:29 PM by Chris

Garth Franklin at Dark Horizons is back from Rome and his faithful scooper Honest Abe has done script reviews for 12 upcoming pictures' screenplays. Included are Bernie Mac's "Mr. 3,000," "Honey" (starring Jessica Alba), the John Travolta/Joaquin Phoenix vehicle "Ladder 49" and the aborted first attempt for "Basic Instinct II." This reviewer could be a major force if he were to flesh out his reviews a bit more than the one praragraph summations he provided here and toned down the editorial posturing. All the reviews are available at the link above.

Posted 5:00 PM by Chris

The first entry into ScriptNews is a review of the screenplay to "Knowing," penned by Richard Kelly (responsible for the cult favorite "Donnie Darko"). Reviewed by the influential script reviewer Darwin Mayflower at Corona's Coming Attractions, he has some issues with the screenplay, calling it "a paranoid, overstuffed, hysterical, frustrating, redo patchwork of a script from a guy who has a really bright future. It could have been a great mystery-suspense film, like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (something of an inspiration), but its promise is completely erased when you find out the whole thing was just your own curiosity reflected back at you." Doesn't sound good for "Knowing."

Posted 8:58 AM by Chris

This has been an idea of mine for awhile now: Creating a news hub to aggregate news and alert people to script reviews posted on online film sites like Corona's Coming Attractions, FilmJerk.com, IGN FilmForce, TNMC and AICN. Bookmark this page and come back often to see where the latest script reviews have hit!