Posts Tagged ‘Movies’

Ever read movie scripts? I love 'em. Whether you've seen the movie or not, the scripts give you a glimpse into the movie-making process by letting you see what was on the paper before the director and actors got hold of it. It can be fascinating to see how much of a character's personality came from the script and how much came from the actor. Sometimes you can even get "deleted scenes" by finding passages in the script that were never used, or earlier versions than the ones that were filmed that might provide some extra plot or backstory.

There are plenty of places to find scripts online, although the legality of downloading them may be somewhat questionable (Google "movie scripts" to find bunches of them if that doesn't bother you). But many screenwriters post copies on their own Web sites  — try John August ("The Nines," "Go," "Big Fish") for example, or Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott ("Godzilla," "The Mask of Zorro," the Pirates of the Caribbean movies) — and the studios themselves post scripts of movies they wish to have considered for Academy Awards, starting right about… now.

Head to Disney for "Wall-E," Warner Brothers for "The Dark Knight," Universal for "Changeling" and "Frost/Nixon," and Paramount for "The Duchess" and "Defiance." More to come as we get closer to awards time.

Do you read movie scripts? Let us know!

The fanosphere is aghast with the news from the Wall Street Journal today that Warner Bros. is considering a reboot of the Superman franchise, possibly one that sort of ignores "Superman Returns." And I'm OK with that, since I also sort of ignore "Superman Returns."

But the kryptonite in the woodpile is this quote from Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov:

Like the recent Batman sequel — which has become the highest-grossing film of the year thus far — Mr. Robinov wants his next pack of superhero movies to be bathed in the same brooding tone as "The Dark Knight." Creatively, he sees exploring the evil side to characters as the key to unlocking some of Warner Bros.' DC properties. "We're going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it," he says. That goes for the company's Superman franchise as well.

Oh, for…

This is so obvious I am amazed it needs to be said. "The Dark Knight" did not succeed because it was dark. It succeeded because of several things, all of which can be boiled down to "make a movie that is true to the character." And Batman, done properly, is dark. Superman is not.

The superhero movies that work are the ones that speak to the fans' love of what makes the character great. The massively successful Spider-Man movies were true to his character. Except, of course, for the third one, when he went… um, dark.  The massively successful Iron Man movie did not try to make him gritty, it made him Iron Man.

WB, pay attention to someone who knows (i.e. the moviegoer). Get a director who loves the character and will fight to protect the core of him or her. Make sure that director has no driving urge to "say something" with the character unless that something makes sense (Singer's outcast neuroses worked great with X-Men, not so well wth Supes). Then back that director to the hilt.

Or just hire Jon Peters to do it and write off superhero movies entirely. Maybe something with a giant spider.

Bleah, bleah, bleah. One of my favorite books has been Hollywoodized to hell and back.

The worst part, in my view, was this: I expected changes. I even gritted my teeth and tried watching it as a movie with the same name and no other connection, tried to view it on its merits, and it still failed because there wasn't a single person in it I was rooting for.

Davy? Shallow, womanizing, doesn't pay attention to details or consequences and can't come out and tell the love of life anything at all but is willing to risk her life.
Griffin? Closer. But still, he shows no humanity or concern, and apparently has no problem killing normal people in the fight against paladins.
Roland? One dimensional. He's a human terminator, with no more thought processes than a robot. Jumpers = Evil, so kill 'em and anyone around them, end of story.
Millie? I came the closest to rooting for her, but she didn't really do anything besides go along with him and be bait. Yeah, he saved her life, but only after getting it threatened in the first place and wrecking her apartment in the process.

The characters in the book were rich, multi-layered, complex. These are cardboard cutouts, stuck in to act out a cops and robbers game with bamfing added to make it cool. No one grows or changes in the movie, no one. At the beginning, when Davy is watching TV and they make mention of the drowning victims with no one to help them, and he walked away unconcerned, I thought that was a foreshadowing of the growth he would make later on. Nope.

There was no one to like in this movie. So there was no reason to like the movie. Go read the book, and teh sequel, and forget this ever happened.

Tonight, after six months of insanely secretive hints and clues and bewildering teasers, the mysteries of J.J. Abrams’ movie Cloverfield will be unveiled.

Frankly, I’m not interested.

Not because I think the movie will be bad, far from it. I have high opinions of Abrams, director Matt Reeves and writer Drew Goddard, the cast seems able enough, and the concept (a monster movie told from the viewpoint of the frightened citizens) is an excellent one.

But could it possibly be better than the hype? I really doubt it. And I find I prefer the uncertainty of the hype.

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I have seen Robert Zemecki's movie "Beowulf," a motion-captured, computer-generated movie with Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, and Angelina Jolie, et al, acting out the script by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avery based on the classic Old English epic tale, coincidentally also called "Beowulf" (after the video game). And I am here to declare my impressions for all to hear and take wisdom thereby, for mine is a tale of miraculous visions and a decent plot. Be wary, for there are surely spoilers within that will ensnare the untested moviegoer and drag him deep to a watery grave of ruined surprises.

Right off, you'll notice — as so many Beowulf purists have — that the original epic has been changed. This version includes trailers.

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As early as next Monday, television – the one-eyed babysitter that has raised generations of us without ever asking for anything back, aside from all of our consumer dollars – could be under attack. Networks must act now to preserve this hallowed, lucrative media before all is lost.

The culprit? Writers. Dirty, filthy writers who have the nerve to demand more money when their shows or movies are released on DVDs or online, just because such things might be catching on a little. Imagine! Just because consumers will spend an estimated $16.4 billion on DVDs this year, and studios look to glean something like $158 million from selling movies and about $194 million from selling TV shows over the Web, suddenly everyone wants their “fair share.”

Well, let me remind these scribblers that thanks to the last royalty agreement crafted just two short decades ago, writers already receive a princely 4 cents on every $20 DVD of their work. Now they want more? The networks have already patiently explained how releasing shows online is merely promotional, so it would be like paying a writer royalties for a billboard advertising his show… if the billboard somehow displayed the entire show, uncut, with commercials.

Heedless of these economic realities, last night the Writers Guild met and decided to go on strike in the next few days. Last night, television went on hiatus.

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Turns out there’s a lot more work than I would have expected to produce a movie, even a very, very, very short one. I blame the Indie Movie Work Ethic. You’d think putting actual plots in their movies all the time would wear them out.

I’m talking of course about the 1-Second Film, a project begun seven years ago by Nirvan Mullick when he was a student at the California Institute of the Arts. (I know you know all about it because I told you last year.) Quick version: It's a non-profit, community-building, awareness-raising artistic collaboration between (so far) 8,100 people. Mullick and his peeps will create a one-second movie composed of images of 12 different paintings (two frames each) that were themselves painted in one very colorful day by students, faculty, and anyone else wandering past. It’s rumored that one hapless pizza-delivery guy was mistakenly painted over in #9 after he leaned against it to tie his shoes, but the eternal torment of his unfortunate soul has not been independently verified and anyway it really adds depth to the piece.

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There are those who believe in the depths of their souls that humanity is in a state of awakening, and that we are poised to set aside our animalistic urges and embrace a future of enlightened awareness. These people are clearly not paying attention to movie ticket sales.

Are there breasts? That’s $20 million right there. Is the movie a remake of a TV show? That’ll get you $35 mil right out of the gate, just on name recognition and foolishly optimistic nostalgia. Is the movie a sequel, or, better yet, a three-quel? Go order your yacht.

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Amid controversies surrounding the integrity and trustworthiness of other mainstream media outlets, one source of truth in the world is being put down for good. I suspect aliens.

American Media, Inc., has announced that the Weekly World News, the weekly tabloid that has faithfully exposed the unsuspected sasquatches, the ancient hieroglyphic chocolate recipes, and the brand of salad dressing that will melt 40 pounds from your thighs will stop publishing with their August 27 issue after 28 years of nearly-journalistic excellence. Week in and week out, every Monday morning they revealed the real world for millions of grocery shoppers who had always suspected their neighbor was really a lesbian werewolf.

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FADE IN.

INT. NEWSPAPER OFFICE, DAY

Cluttered desk, more toys there than strictly necessary for most office work. We see a middle-aged man, losing his hair and gaining more middle, as he smacks his keyboard. This is BRIDGES, our hero. Across from him is his boss, whom we'll call BOSS. There are monitors and TVs around the room, all displaying various news programs with the sound turned off. There is a light rain outside.

BOSS
Decided to stress test the equipment today?

BRIDGES
I'm trying to come up with an idea for a movie,
and it's driving me crazy!

BOSS
And you're doing this at work because…?

BRIDGES
It's karma, I know it. The spirits of all the movies
I've criticized in my lifetime have come back to
clog up my creative juices.

BOSS
That sounds bad. And disgusting. What's going
on out there?

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