Breakout Script Review - James Cameron's - The Terminator

Genre: Action, Science Fiction

Logline: A robotic assassin from a post-apocalyptic future travels back in time to eliminate a waitress, whose son will grow up and lead humanity in a war against machines.

Writer: James Cameron

History:

I am always interested to hear about how great screenwriters got their start. James Cameron's path to success as a filmmaker could arguably be made into a film. The story of his early struggles is one that all screenwriters can relate to.

While working as a truck driver, Jim Cameron would write in his free time. In addition to this, he would frequently visit the U.S.C. library and independently study special effects. The first film he created was called Xenogenesis.

He and some friends raised money to rent the necessary equipment to shoot this short film. Obviously, this was an amateur production, though still impressive. I find it rather inspirational because of how far he has come since then. Also, I will note that the robots in this film have an uncanny resemblance to the Hunter Killers in the Terminator franchise.

Cameron later worked as a production assistant and eventually found work as a miniature model-maker. This lead to production design and art work on such films as Escape from New York, Galaxy of Terror and Android.

In 1981, James Cameron was hired for his first job as director on the feature film Piranha 2: The Spawning. The job turned out to be a production from hell. Filmed in Italy, he had to manage a crew that didn't speak English. Plagued by numerous problems and adverse weather, filming was behind schedule. James Cameron was fired from his directorial debut and to add insult to injury, he was stricken with food poisoning.

What was likely due to stress of the production combined with his sickness, Jim Cameron had a terrible nightmare about an invincible robot from the future that had come to kill him.

His agent hated the idea and told him to work on something else. He fired his agent.

Cameron shopped The Terminator script around town. While several production companies were interested in the high concept screenplay, no one would agree to his conditions. James Cameron wanted to direct the film himself. Eventually, he found a company that would let him direct. He sold the screenplay for $1.


Synopsis:

A cyborg from the year 2029 is sent back in time to kill Sarah Conner, the mother of the leader of the human resistance. The humans are able to send a lone soldier to protect her, Kyle Reese.

After killing two other women named Sarah Conner, the machine tracks its target to a night club. Kyle Reese intervenes and rescues Sarah. They flee the club together. Kyle has the opportunity to explain to Sarah that he is from the future and that her son, whom she has not yet conceived will be the leader of the human resistance. After they are again attacked by the terminator, Kyle is arrested and the two are taken to a police station.

While being questioned, the police consider Kyle Reese to be insane and explain this to Sarah. The terminator soon tracks them down and attacks the police station, killing many cops. Kyle and Sarah again escape.

While staying in a motel, Kyle confesses that he has always been in love with her and he came across time to find her. She reciprocates him and in this moment, John Conner, leader of the human resistance is conceived.

The Terminator finds them again.


Analysis:

The Terminator is one of those great premise's that makes you say, "why didn't I think of that". Obviously, James Cameron has written and directed a number of great films since then, but on concept alone, this arguably still stands today as his best idea for a movie.

Part of what made this film such a success was the fact that it had 3 really great characters in it. Another brief history lesson, originally Arnold Schwarzenegger was to be cast as Kyle Reese. The idea would be that the robot wouldn't stick out and would look more like a normal person. Imagine how that would have changed the film. Luckily, when Cameron and him got together to discuss it, the idea came up to make him the robotic assassin.

The dialog wasn't out of this world, but it was definitely serviceable. Not to mention a few catch phrases from the film have stood the test of time.

There were some really great elements at work in this story. First we have a protagonist who no one believes (Kyle Reese). You have a powerful antagonist and you also have another extremely sympathetic protagonist in Sarah Conner. I also loved the time loop of Kyle Reese being John's father who will lead the resistance and eventually send him back in time to save Sarah.

Overall, this was a great film and kicked off the career of one of cinema's greatest legends.


Rating:

Premise -          10.00
Character -         8.00
Dialog -            7.00
Story -             8.00

Overall -    8.25

Screenplay Review - Django Unchained

Genre: Drama, Western

Logline: With the help of his mentor, a slave turned bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.

Writer: Quentin Tarantino

I read this script 4 times. It's 168 pages and I read it 4 times. Not because I had to, because I wanted to. In short, the words on the page represented a master screenwriter, at the top of his game, firing on all cylinders. In other words, shit just got real. Tarantino has created his masterpiece in cinema.

Synopsis:

We open up to a chain gang of African American slaves being marched barefoot across the wilderness. Our hero, Django, is among them. Their masters ride comfortably on horseback. One night they come across a travelling dentist who has a German accent named Dr. Schultz. It soon becomes apparent that this encounter was no accident. Dr. Schultz is looking for a slave who can identify 3 slave overseers known as the Brittle Brothers. It just so happens that Django was previously owned by the plantation that employed these overseers. When Django's current owners refuse to sell him and threaten Dr. Schultz life, it ends badly for them, but Dr. Schultz still pays a fair price for Django and is on his way.

In due time, we learn that Dr. Schultz no longer practices dentistry. He is currently employed as a bounty hunter and is looking to collect a bounty that has been placed on the heads of the Brittle Brothers. We also learn that Django has been separated from his wife who was also sold, but he doesn't know who she was sold to. We also learn, via flashback that Django and his wife were brutally abused by the Brittle Brothers, both physically and sexually. He is all too eager to help Dr. Schultz. In addition to this, Dr. Schultz, being the good man that he is, offers to train Django and help him find his wife on the condition that he helps him find the Brittle Brothers. As well as setting him free.

It doesn't take them long to track down and kill the Brittle Brothers, who were working at another plantation under false identities. However, this angers the plantation owner, Spencer Bennett, since many of his slaves witnessed Django kill two of the Bennett's overseers. Bennett leads a group of 30 men to chase down the bounty hunters and kill them. This goes badly for Spencer and friends.

Following this, they don't go off to find Django's wife right away. Winter is setting in and Dr. Schultz wants to spend more time training Django. So they partner up collecting bounties for the winter as they prepare to search for Django's wife.

After a montage of training and collecting bounties the quest for Django's wife begins and we are shown a title card that reads, "Broomhilda," the name of Djangos wife. We are given a complete history of what she has been doing in her time separated from Django.

She was bought by a man named Mike Harmony, as a gift for his fat son, Scotty. Now Scotty is a very shy young man and Broomhilda is treated with kindness. He falls in love with her, and for his kindness, it seems that she loves him too. Then one night, he takes her out for a night on the town to a place called the Cleopatra Club. It is here that we first meet the despicable Calvin Candie, this story's main villain.

While Broomhilda has an immediate aversion to Candie, Scotty is soon manipulated into a card game. Broomhilda leaves for bed and it is not long before Scotty is pressured into a wager for the ownership of Broomhilda. Scotty loses to what appears to be a cheat. When he accuses Candie of this, he is promptly challenged to a duel. Scotty doesn't accept the duel, but is promptly shot dead anyway. And now, sweet Broomhilda is in the clutches of Calvin Candie.

Back to Django and Schultz, who are hot on the trail of his long lost wife. They soon locate her and hatch a plan to infiltrate Candie's plantation to save Broomhilda.


Analysis:

I don't even know where to begin, but I'll start by saying that I absolutely loved this screenplay and I wager this will be Tarantino's most successful film to date.

Westerns tend to have tough go at the box office, but this story is executed with such style, that I feel this is sure to be overcome. What I really like about the premise is the fact that Tarantino is walking a fine line in precarious territory. America's history of slavery is something that few film makers have the courage to confront and even fewer can present effectively. The ugly truth of slavery is one that is all too often downplayed, perhaps out of shame. And I will go so far as to say this will be Tarantino's most brutal film.

But it's also likely to be his sweetest film. The reason for this is directly born out of the protagonist's motives. Sure, there's a brief revenge plot-line. But the real story is of a man trying to rescue the love of his life. I can't think of any of this directors other films that was driven by this kind of goal.

Digging deeper, the characterization blows me away. Sure, there are a lot of characters, but they all ring true. They all have their place, their manner of speaking, things that they want, things they want to overcome. Obviously, this is largely a consequence of the dialog, which is just incredible. It seems like every scene holds lines that people will be quoting months after the fact.

Overall, I am enthralled by this screenplay. It humbles me to see a true master of the craft at work.


Rating:

Premise -         9.00 
Character -      10.00
Dialog -         10.00
Story -           9.00

Overall -    9.5

Screenplay Review - Lincoln

Genre: Biography, Drama, History

Logline: At the civil war continues to rage, America's president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves.

Writer: Tony Kushner

I'm not a big fan of politics or biographies. I also find it important that I have not watched the film for Lincoln, I have only read the screenplay. This review will focus solely on the words I found on the page.

I think it goes without saying that the aspiring screenwriter trying to break into the industry will find it difficult to do that with a historical biography. The history of how this film came about started in 1999. While having a conversation with Steven Spielberg on an unrelated project, Doris Kearns Goodwin mentioned that she had plans to write a book about Lincoln (Team of Rivals). After hearing her description of the project Spielberg immediately wanted the rights to make the film. More than a few writers had a crack at the script before Kushner's draft. My point being that this wasn't a spec. Spielberg had a bug up ass to do a Lincoln project.


Synopsis:

Lincoln focuses on his efforts to pass the 13th Amendment. At this time the civil war is nearing an end. He pursued this modification to the constitution out of his concern that the Emancipation Proclamation would be discarded when slave states returned to the union.


Analysis:

I tend to judge screenplays on how well they entertain me and on what they make me feel. This script falls short when measured by these standards. However, the subject matter is relevant given today's political climate. While politicians bicker and grandstand about our issues, there still isn't anything that compares to the problems that Lincoln faced with the Civil War. That makes a film like this an important reminder to what America has been through as a nation.

Writing this script must have taken an incredible amount of research for historical accuracy. I will also add that it took a fair amount of research for myself to fully grasp what was happening in the script. I found myself on several occasions stopping to look things up on the internet so I knew what was going on in the script. To the writer's credit, everything in the script appeared to be historically accurate.

With the exception of Lincoln himself, I wasn't entirely impressed with the characterization on the page. It's plain to see why Daniel Day Lewis would want to take on this role, it clearly would present a huge challenge for an actor and certainly his participation elevated the film. But overall, it frequently felt like characters were blending into one another.

Overall, while I did not personally enjoy this script very much, I can appreciate the work that was put into creating it and the film that follows is certainly a worthwhile venture.


Rating:

Premise -               6.00 
Character -             7.00
Dialog -                7.00
Story -                 6.00

Overall -  6.50

Nerdgasm - Review of Man of Steel Trailer 2

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Logline: An alien infant is raised on Earth and grows up with superhuman abilities. He sets out to use these abilities to guard his adopted world.

Writer: David S. Goyer

Wow. Just, wow. I am absolutely stunned by this new trailer. Before I begin, let's do a role call, shall we?

Zack Snyder
Christopher Nolan
David Goyer
Hanz Zimmer
Russell Crowe
Kevin Costner
Michael Shannon
Laurence Fishburne
Diane Lane
Amy Adams

Looks like a dream team to me. Not to mention that Henry Cavill seems to be perfectly suited for the role. The talent attached to the film is epic in and of itself. Arguably the most beloved superhero of all time, it is no surprise that making a Superman film comes with great responsibility. Kal-El couldn't be in better hands.

The first thing that I love about this take on Superman is the choice to make it as close as possible to being based in reality.  Obviously, there is only so far you can go with this, however the concept of depicting how the world would react if someone with Superman's abilities suddenly appear in our world is very intriguing.

Taking this idea a step further, just from the trailer you can get a very clear idea of the theme this movie will embrace. I've seen many incarnations of Clark that attempts to show him as an outsider, but they always seem to fall short, some more than others. This will be a film about acceptance and the fear of rejection. Things that we all as human beings can relate to. Superman has the same fears and insecurities as we do, and probably on a deeper level.

The relationship with Clark and the Kent family seems to be done in a very touching way. This exploration of his adoptive parents helping a child manage these powers that he doesn't understand looks to be taken to a depth that hasn't been done before with the character.

But what of the things that are left to the imagination. Specifically Zod. We get a blink and you'll miss it glimpse of Michael Shannon as the notorious rogue Krytonian, but that is something that I am all to curious to see how it was portrayed.

In short can't flippin' wait to see this film 10 or 20 times!

Screenplay Review - Braveheart

Genre: Action, Biography, Drama

Logline: William Wallace, a commoner, unites the 13^th Century Scots in their battle to overthrow English rule.

Writer: Randall Wallace

As my first blog entry, I thought it would be more than appropriate to begin by reviewing the screenplay of one of my all time favorite films. It should also be acknowledged of what a monumental task it is to get a movie like this made. Any writer who chooses to create a historical biopic is going to have the deck stacked against them. In a DVD commentary, Mel Gibson (at the height of his fame and long before certain career crushing outbursts) described the script for Braveheart as “a haunting piece of work.”

Synopsis:

The story begins with the childhood of William Wallace and the struggle that the Scottish have with the English king, Edward “Longshanks.” His father dies in battle and young William is taken away by his uncle to be raised and educated.

Years later, William Wallace returns as a man. He reunites with childhood friends and begins to court his great love, Murron. During this time Longshanks institutes Primae Noctis, the right for an English Lord to bed newly married Scottish women on their wedding night. Murron and William marry in secret to prevent her from going to bed with an English lord.

Later, when an English soldier attempts to rape Murron, William Wallace fights off several soldiers and the couple attempt to flee. Murron is captured and publicly executed by the local Sheriff. In return, Wallace kills the entire contingent of English troops and executes the Sheriff. This begins his rebellion against English rule in Scotland.

Analysis:

This is not going to be so much of an analysis of the script as much as I am just going to gush all over it. Though, I’ll start by addressing what I find to be the weakest element of this movie and that would be the premise.

While still good, in and of itself, the idea of this film has a number of things working against it, which makes it all the more impressive that it got made. Namely, historical biography films are not what Hollywood executives see as “a sure bet.” They are extremely expensive to make and audiences tend to be more difficult to come by because it doesn’t fall into that “high concept” category. Even with Mel Gibson attached to the project, it still was a struggle to get this film made.

Why was this film such a success? To break it down into the simplest of explanations, this film was a success because of the emotional impact it had on its audience. That is a direct credit to the characterization, both by the writer and the actors. Like William Wallace, I fell in love with Murron and when she was killed, I latched onto him and his quest for vengeance and liberation.

A second great example of why I love this movie was the dialog in this film. There are so many great quotable moments in this film. Couple that with more iconic movie moments than can be counted.

Overall, it’s because of films like this that I am inspired to be a filmmaker.

Rating:

Premise -              7.00

Character -           10.00

Dialog -              10.00

Story -               10.00

Overall -  9.25