Killers

Genre: Action/Comedy/Thriller
Premise: A vacationing woman meets her ideal man, leading to a swift marriage. Back at home, however, their idyllic life is upset when they discover their neighbors could be assassins who have been contracted to kill the couple. It was previously called Five Killers, but I can see why they changed it, because the number of killers really doesn't matter. Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl star.
Writers: Bob De Rosa, Revisions by a lot of people, including Ted Griffin, Michael Brandt (who also did The A-Team), Derek Haas, and Melissa K. Stack (Dated 2/3/09)

Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl in "Killers"

Next summer, blockbusters will once again be unleashed to the movie going public. There's Iron Man 2, Toy Story 3, and the new Twilight movie. It's very hard to stand out among these heavy-hitters, and right unless your movie's name is "Inception" your going to have to work hard to find an audience. The key of course, is a good script. Look at this summer for example. We had Up, an original animated feature, Star Trek, a reboot to a dead franchise, and The Hangover, which is now the highest grossing R-rated comedy ever. They all had great scripts. So does this film have the potential to match those films? Well, let me set the bar a little lower, could this film breakout ala The Proposal? I think it just might.

Let me start from the beginning. We're in Nice, France. It doesn't take long before we meet our hero, Spencer Broome. He's some sort of secret agent here in France to take out a target. Spencer is pretty much the perfect guy that the dude's wanna be and the girl's want to be with. But at the heart, Spencer's pretty much done with this lifestyle. He's ready to settle down and start a family. Enter Jen Kornfeld. She's here in France on vacation with her overbearing parents. Jen's pretty, but not overly sexy, and she's flatout goofy. Well, the two meet and fall in love. Spencer leaves his spy life behind and gets what he's always wanted.

Cut to three years later. Spencer and Jen are now the perfect suburban couple. I like this, simply because it seems like in any other script, the lead couple will have been at each other's throats by now and instead of being in love are simply going through the motions. So it's a nice change, even if it's a small one. Anyways, Spencer has not told Jen about his past life, but it comes back to haunt him when he gets a package from his "handler". It only contains an address, but not knowing what's going on puts Spencer on edge. Now Spencer is forced to confront his past, and after an attempt on his life, he and Jen are forced to go on the run. Spencer comes clean about everything, and let's just say Jen is a little pissed.

So Spencer and Jen are on the run. Every step they take they are confronted by supposed friends who were actually plants sent to kill Spencer by some head honcho. There are some entertaining scenes here, but most of the problems this couple get themselves into seem like they could have been easily avoided, although I did like the sense of paranoia. They nor we know who the assassins are and who are actually their friends.

The script really was a nice thrill ride. There were some great action sequences, and known of the comedy is forced, it's just trying to show the plot in a lighthearted way. I'll admit, I didn't expect much going in, but I was very impressed. I will say this though, I was kind of disappointed in the ending. I saw it coming from a mile away, and it felt like a cop out. Other then that, it was a fun read. I say read it, and we may see a surprise hit at the box office next summer.

[] Somebody should be fired
[] Bad
[] Mediocre
[x] Worth the read
[] Great
[] Amazing

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MacGruber

Yes, I'm doing an extra special Saturday review.

Genre: Comedy
Premise: SNL-sketch veteran MacGruber teams up with the best timer in the world Vicki and hotshot rookie Piper to take down his arch-nemesis Cunth. (you read that right) The entire SNL team is behind the project. Fast-tracked is an understatement for this film, as the script was finished in June and they have to be done shooting by SNL's late September premiere.
Writers: Will Forte, John Solomon, and Jorma Taccone




Well, let me start off by saying that I'm a fan of the SNL sketch, which parodies MacGyver. If you haven't seen the sketch, it involves MacGruber (Will Forte), Vicki (Kristen Wiig), and that week's host trapped inside a room that contains a bomb that will explode in a matter of seconds. As MacGruber uses random items to try and defuse the bomb, some type of tension between the characters will get in the way and the bomb ends up exploding.

Ok, you may ask yourself, how do you extend this 2 minute (max) sketch into a full length movie? Well, it's pretty hard. The basic plot is this. There's a guy named Cunth (yes, Cunth, and he's going to be played by Val Kilmer) who has a nuclear warhead, and he's going to use it. All he needs are the codes. Then we have MacGruber, who is still grieving over the death of his wife, who was killed on their wedding day by Cunth himself. So MacGruber, who is out of the government agent game, gets back into said game to take revenge out on Cunth.

So where does it go from here? MacGruber assembles a bad-ass team of course! He's got the most bad-ass of bad-asses. They include the likes of Frank Korver, Tanker Lutz, Tut Beemer, Tug Phelps, and Vernon Freedom. I know, pretty bad ass, right? Well, unfortunately they all get in a van Grubes has filled with C4, and it explodes killing them all. So now MacGruber needs a new team. His old pal Vicki, the greatest timer in the world offers to help, and MacGruber is ordered to let a rookie named Piper (to be played by Ryan Phillipe) tag along. So this is our crew, and it's their mission to go pound some Cunth!

So we get some action scenes, but ultimately, MacGruber is emotionally compromised and is taken off the mission. To make matters worse, there's rift formed between Grubes and Piper when the mulleted hero uses the rookie as a human shield. And to top it all off, Cunth kidnaps Vicki and everyone thinks he's innocent, but he really plans on blowing up the White House during the President's State of the Union address. Only MacGruber knows about this plan, but nobody believes him, so it's up to him and Piper to save the day.

Sound cliche? It really, really is. MacGruber is filled with overly cheesy one-liners that are meant to be atrocious. But that doesn't necessarily make them funny. Not to mention all the recycled jokes and gags. Like all of Grubes' buddies getting blown up? Zoolander, anyone? Or the fact that MacGruber offers to let the Colonel suck his dick if he's allowed back on the mission (ehem. Jack Black's proposal to Brandon T. Jackson in Tropic Thunder, anyone?)





But then we get our finale. It's our first glimpse in the script that has anything to do with the sketch. We've got MacGruber, Piper, Vicki, and Cunth all in a room together with a bomb that's about to blow the White House to smithereens. Even this is a let down, as it doesn't match the humor I find in the SNL sketch.

So what we've got is an SNL sketch tried to be drawn out into a feature film. Some of it works, but overall, it's better left in 3-minute format on the small screen. I realize that on the big screen some of the jokes will work better, but most of this had a been-there, done-that feel to it. I will say this though, the epilogue was pretty amusing. I won't give it away, but I will say it's a strong contender for the best death scene of 2010.

[] Somebody should be fired
[] Bad
[x] Mediocre
[] Worth the read
[] Great
[] Amazing

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Weekly Download Chart (8/27/09)

looky here. Date Night just got dethroned by another ensemble film.


Here's the chart:

1. Valentine's Day
2. Date Night
3. Your Highness
4. Kick-Ass
5. The A-Team
6. Easy A
7. Zombieland


That does it for me for this week. Check back next week where I'll have a whole new batch of reviews. What I'm reviewing next week: Cabin In the Woods, Killers, Prince of Persia, Inside Man 2, and if I feel like it Chris Rock's remake of Death at a Funeral.



And remember...
Request a script review here
Follow me on Twitter here

The A-Team

Genre: Action
Premise: A group of Iraq War veterans looks to clear their name with the U.S. military, who suspect the four men of committing a crime for which they were framed. Joe Carnahan is directing. Bradley Cooper and Liam Neeson are attached so far. Filming begins this Fall.
Writers: Lawrence Konner & Mark Rosenthal/Current Revisions by Michael Brandt & Derek Haas (dated March 28, 2008)

Well, well, well. I must admit that I wasn't particularly looking for ward to reading this script. I have never seen the show, so I'm not really any sort of fanboy. And often times a movie adaptation of a tv show can end in disaster. So I was very surprised when I started reading The A-Team and I didn't want to stop. It was very entertaining.

I did my research. I know that the original series started off with Hannibal, Face, and Baracus as Vietnam war vets who sentenced for a crime they didn't commit. They escape from jail and are now trying to clear they're names. Along the way, Murdock joins the team. Well, that's pretty much exactly what happens in this script. They brought it to present times, making the boys Iraqi veterans, and then they follow the show's plot very closely.

Let me break it down real quick though for those who haven't seen the show or haven't read the script (yet). Hannibal, B.A., and Face are sentenced to prison for a crime they didn't commit. Well, Face, being the douchebag that he his, manages to get out of jailtime by basically throwing his friends under the bus. Well, Hannibal and B.A. escape from prison and they team-up with a man named Murdock. He's a pilot and he's insane. Like, really insane. Face joins the team again and they must work together to clear their names.

Ok, so that's the plot. But it's not plot people are looking for in a movie like this. It's the action. And this thing delivers. There was action sequence after action sequence, and I found all of them to be exhilarating. I can only imagine what they'll look like on the big screen, and what other visual delights they'll have added by then.

But there is the bad side to things. As always with movies like this, after all the excitement wears off, what are you left with? I found myself asking "why the hell did Murdoch join the team?" Cause it's never explained. I found myself wondering why do I care fir these characters? They've done nothing wrong, but there's pretty much zero character development. But regardless of all it's problems, it did deliver on the one thing it set out to, entertain. I can see this being a big hit at the box office next summer if they market it right. I don't think it will be the last time we see Hannibal and his team up on the big screen.

[] Somebody should be fired
[] Bad
[] Mediocre
[x] Worth the read
[] Great
[] Amazing

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Follow me on twitter here

Your Highness

Genre: Comedy
Premise: A lazy prince is forced by his father to go on a quest and in turn he ends up facing an even bigger threat, saving the world. Danny McBride stars.Writers: Danny McBride and Ben Best (Dated Feb. 29, 2008)

Danny McBride

Ok, so I was really looking forward to this script. I think Danny McBride is really funny, and this is his big chance to shine. And the fact that he wrote it is an even bigger plus. Well, I gotta say, I have the same thoughts now that I did while reading Date Night.

So the story starts out with Thadeous, the chubbier, lazier, hornier brother to Fabious, the guy everyone loves. Thad is left in charge of the kingdom because his father has been turned to stone, and his brother is turning him back. Once his father, the King of Doobery, is back to normal, he sees what a mess his son has made of the kingdom and forces him to go on a quest. Thad's quest is to find the Hoop of Doom. Tagging along is his servant Courtney and Boremont, a great soldier for the King, who's job is to keep Thad safe. Oh, and pretty much the kingdom's entire army is there too.

Well, Thadeous is still lazy as hell, and forces everyone else to do all the dirty work. He manages to get the Hoop of Doom (which is basically a hula hoop with special powers), but an evil warlock named Leezar kills the entire army because he wants the Hoop for him self. Now Thad, Courtney, and Boremont must make it back home with this evil magician hot on their tails. Things go awry. Thad falls in love. He becomes a hero and ends up saving the day.

As you can see, it gets a bit cliche. And like I said, it reminded me of Date Night. It sets out to be a comedy, but the one thing you end up getting out of it is the action. And there is LOTS of action to be found in this script. But that can't really save it. I mean, there were some funny scenes. I got a kick out of envisioning Danny McBride twirl the Hoop of Doom around his waist in the midst of a bloody battle. But, like I said with Date Night, this script was set up to have a lot of improvisations. Well, that doesn't help this script one bit. There are lines repeated throughout the script that weren't that funny the first time they were said, let alone the tenth.

I will say this though, I enjoyed the atmosphere of this script. I liked the premise, but the plot could use some work. After the initial setup, it turned into a game of "What wacky situations can we throw our characters in to next?" But there is hope. From all the info I've read, the script's been changed dramatically. I liked this script enough to give the film a chance. And with the talent involved, I'm sure they'll come up with some funny scenes, but until then....

[] Somebody should be fired
[] Bad
[] Mediocre
[x] Worth the read (VERY close to mediocre, but I bumped it up because it actually has potential)
[] Great
[] Amazing

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Zombieland

Genre: Horror/Comedy
Premise: In the midst of a zombie apocalypse, four people band together to kick some undead ass! Comes out this October. Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin star.
Writers: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick (Dated Sept. 18, 2007)

Okay, so Comic-Con is the place where people take their films to showcase to the world, the geeky, nerdy world. Avatar's underwhelming buzz started there, and now look at the backlash the teaser is getting. The very positive District 9 buzz started there, and look at what that thing's doing. Great box office and great reviews. Well, there was another smaller-ish film at Comic-Con that got people talking, and it's name was Zombieland.

I read Zombieland a while ago. Before there was a poster. Before there was a trailer. Before any of this great hype started building. So I knew while the hype was building that it was well deserved. That's right, this sucker delivered. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Zombieland starts off with a voiceover from Flagstaff. He's giving us the rules to Zombieland. The rules you have to follow, or you're going to die. We know it's the truth, cause as he's giving us the rules we witness helpless people get killed in gnarly ways by bloodthirsty zombies. What are these rules, you ask? 1. Cardio, 2. Zip-Loc Bags, 3. Double Tap, and Rule #5: Seatbelts. Once this sequence is finished, we meet Flagstaff. A borderline good-looking nerd, who is about to show us how to follow these rules. They obviously work, or the film wouldn't have it's hero. Anyway, he meets up with a man named Albuquerque and the two set off across a zombie filled America.

So Flagstaff and Albuquerque team up. Flagstaff is heading home....to Flagstaff. Albuquerque is just a lone ranger, in search of.....a twinkie. Yep, that's the motivation for our two leads. Anyway, the writers also throw in two con artist sisters named Wichita and Stillwater. These sisters cause our leads a LOT of trouble. But it gets pretty repetitive. Every ten pages it seems the sisters are stealing the guys' ride and leaving them to die, only for the guys' to get another ride, to be stolen by the sisters. Like I said. It gets repetitive.

But does it deliver on the goods? The gory zombie killing glory? Hell to the yes. Reese and Wernick come up with some crazy shit to throw our protagonists into. And it's all great. There's even a scene where Flagstaff and Albuquerque find themselves in California and need a place to stay. Well they pick Patrick Swayze's house. And I think you can guess what goes down next. That's right, Flagstaff and Albuquerque versus the Dirty Dancer himself.

So yeah, This script was a blast to read. There were some problems I had, but judging by the trailer, they fixed most of them. For instance, the repetitiveness of Wichita and Stillwater always screwing Flagstaff and Albuquerque over seems to be tones down, as the sisters are seen in the trailer doing scenes that didn't include them in the script. It also seems the studio had confidence, because there was no trip to an amusements park that appears to be the film's climax in this version of the script. So I'm very excited to see the changes that have been made, and I'll be there opening weekend when Zombieland hits theaters this October.

[] Somebody should be fired
[] Bad
[] Mediocre
[xx] Worth the Read
[] Great
[] Amazing

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The Script Request Spot

This will be the official spot where everyone can ask for me to review a script. Any script. It could be for something older like Reservoir Dogs, or it could be for something unreleased like Prince of Persia.

Any script, you name it, and I'll try my best to get my hands on it and review it. Comment away...

Inception Teaser Trailer!!!

Edit: Now in high quality, non-bootleg.

Inception @ Yahoo! Video

Valentine's Day

Genre: Romance/Drama/Comedy
Premise: No clue. Follows a bunch of people's lives on Valentine's Day. Big cast.
Writer: Katherine Fugate (Dated 2/18/09)

Okaaaayyyy. So I just read He's Just Not That Into You 2, I mean Valentine's Day. Let me start off by saying I'm not a fan of romance films. It's a freakin' chick flick, and I'm a dude, so it's going to take a lot to impress me. That's already one thing working against it. The second thing working against it is surprisingly the cast. Not often do you have big ensembles that pay off. Look at my Date Night review to back up this point. So was this any different?

Ok well, let's jump into the plot. Oh wait, we can't because there seriously isn't one. We are simply following the soap opera inspired lives of a countless amount of characters. Let me do my best at describing it all. Our main focus is Reed (to be played by Ashton Kutcher) who runs a flower shop/cafe with his friend Alphonso (played by George Lopez) and he's just proposed to his girlfriend Morley (to be played by Jessica Alba). Reed is also kinda in love with his other friend Julia (Jennifer Garner) but Julia has a thing for Harrison (Patrick Dempsey) who just so happens to be married. There's also Sean (Eric Dane), a closeted football player who has a lovesick publicist (Jessica Biel) and a boyfriend (Bradley Cooper) who is flying home with military mom Kate (Julia Roberts) who wants to get home to see her son. Her son is staying with his grandparents (Hector Elizondo and Shirley MacLaine) and has a babysitter named Janice (Emma Roberts) who wants to lose her virginity to her boyfriend (Carter Jenkins) on Valentine's Day. There's also Liz and Jason (Anne Hathaway and Topher Grace) who's first date goes awry and Kelvin (Jamie Foxx), a news reporter who goes around interviewing people on Valentine's Day. Confused? Yeah, so was I.

Ok, so you've got all these characters, are their storylines interesting? Honestly.... not really. It's all SO cliche. Not to mention the dialogue is clunky and some of the characters are VERY unrealistic. For instance, Janice, who is in high school mind you, tells everybody who will listen her plans on losing her virginity. And Kate's son, who is ten, knows everything there is to know about love, and is smarter than everybody else in this film. Let's do a quick count real quick of everything it's got going against it: to many characters, no real plot, clunky dialogue, unrealistic characters, and an exact rip-off of the already mediocre He's Just Not That Into You. Seriously, even down to the fact that Jamie Foxx's character's sole purpose is to serve as segues into the next storyline, just like the little interviews in HJNTIY.

So yeah, it's got a lot of problems, and I assume it's going through rewrites, as Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, and Joe Jonas are rumored to be in the cast as well. That just makes things even more cluttered. For some reason though, I'm not giving it a terrible rating. I actually read the entire 118 page script in one sitting. I was kinda surprised. I was slightly entertained. Not enough to look past all it's flaws. But enough to not totally hate it.

[] Somebody should be fired
[] Bad
[x] Mediocre
[] Worth the read
[] Great
[] Amazing

Script Download Chart

I've been pretty busy as of late, but I will be back next week with reviews. But until then, here's a look at how many times the scripts I've reviewed have been downloaded:

1. Date Night - 54 Downloads
2. Kick-Ass - 35 Downloads
3. Jonah Hex - 24 Downloads
4. Easy A - 19 Downloads

If you want to download any of these scripts to read for yourself, check out the comment section of their reviews. See you guys next week with more reviews.

Script Review: Easy A

Genre: Comedy
Premise: A high-school girl decides to pretend to be a slut to become popular. It's loosely based on the book everyone has to read in high school, "The Scarlet Letter". Emma Stone is set to star.
Writer: Bert V. Royal (Dated August 3, 2008)

The lovely Emma Stone

Ok, not sure what to expect from this film. Would it be another great raunchy R-rated comedy in vein of Superbad? Or would it be another cliche teen fluff pic that floods the market every year. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is a lot closer to the former. (and bare with me, it's been a while since I've read the script.)

The plot is pretty straightforward. Olive lies to her best friend about losing her virginity, and the uber-Christian Marianne overhears and lets the rumors spread. And then a closeted gay comes to Olive with an offer. He'll pay her to pretend to sleep with him, that way all the jocks will stop picking on him. Word spreads like wildfire of this deal, and soon geeky kids are coming at her in droves with perks in hopes they'll fake sleep with her. Olive basically becomes a prostitute without the sex. And soon, Olive grows to like this lifestyle. All the guys, even ones she's actually interested in, are now very interested in her, and her ever shrinking wardrobe shows she likes this attention. If you couldn't tell, towards the end things get out of hand, and we head into the dramatic territory that films like this always venture into. But what did you expect?

Let's move on to the important stuff. All good comedies have to have one thing: comedy. There is a lot of raunchy humor to be found in this script, and the great thing is, a lot of it works. I was reminded constantly of Superbad, and that's a very good thing. (Is it a coincidence that Stone was also in Superbad?)

That's not to say it doesn't hit a few bumps in the road. Every character seems underdeveloped, even Olive. She ends up in the same place she started before all the sluttiness got to her head. All the other characters, well, we really don't know much about them. Royal even tries to slide in a romance towards the end that comes out of nowhere, really. I mean, Olive's love interest is barely mentioned until probably the 20 pages when we're supposed to believe these two have had feelings for each other for years. Boo. Why does everything have to get so cliche. I also had a problem with the adults in this script. Olive's parents could care less their daughter's a glorified whore, and the teacher's mostly let her behavior slide (although there is an interesting subplot thrown in there involving one of Olive's teacher's and his wife.)

I feel like this is definitely getting polished up in rewrites. The excessive swearing will probably be cut down, and hopefully, we get a better understanding of these characters. This premise is very interesting, and I like the direction this is headed in. Could be a great starring vehicle for Stone, come next year.

[] Somebody should be fired
[] Bad
[] Mediocre
[x] Worth the read
[] Great
[] Amazing

Unrelated Note: If you guys want a certain script reviewed, tell me in the comments. If you have it, send it my way. If you don't, I'll look for it, and then review it. I'm open to new scripts. Just let me know what you're looking for.

Script Review: Jonah Hex

Genre: Western/Thriller?
Premise: Outlaw/Bounty Hunter Jonah Hex is forced to go after the man who killed his wife and daughter. Josh Brolin plays the title character.
Writers: Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor (Dated October 31, 2007)

Okayyy. Where do I begin. I'm not quiet sure what to say about this script exactly. That's not a good thing. Josh Brolin's star is back on the rise, that should be a good sign. John Malkovich, Megan Fox, Michael Shannon, and Will Arnett round out the supporting cast, that seems pretty cool. But a cast doesn't make a script. The writers do. Only thing I know Neveldine and Taylor from is Crank, and while that was an entertaining movie, it's nothing to write home about. So let's journey into the Jonah Hex script and dig deeper into this.

Right off the bat, this script breaks the rules. A script needs boundaries. I don't know what the specific rules are in this script. There are zombies, ghosts that apparently can kill people, and our main character can take take two shots from a shotgun to the chest and be up and walking moments later. I was so confused by all this. It's all a jumbled mess.

The plot, from what I can tell, is that Jonah Hex is forced by some officials to take down a man named Turnbull. Don't ask what the consequences are if Mr. Hex doesn't oblige, for this script never explains. Everything in the middle is Jonah finding himself in one situation after another where he goes about killing people in all sorts of gruesome ways. Along the way we find out Jonah had a wife and kid, and he was partially responsible for the death of Turnbull's son, which has sent him in this tizzy.

This is where things get crazy. Turnbull is so upset over his son's death he starts his own army. Why? Seriously, I'd like to know. It's never explained. All we get is a stand-off between Turnbull's Rebels and the severely outnumbered Good Guys. Well, the Good Guys burn all of Tunrbull's rebels alove in a matter of seconds. It's very unimpressive. Then there's the climax. The final showdown between Jonah and Turnbull where we find out the only reason Jonah was helping the governement officials was because Turnbull killed his wife and son and left him a nasty scar on his face. And then they brawl a little. Yawn. It's pretty anti-climatic.

There's also a sideplot with the hooker Leila, who serves no real purpose here, and probably even less purpose on screen. In fact, there's a whole array of side characters who make no sense and have no need to be in the script, and only make things more complicated.

The only redeeming quality of the script is probably all the gruesome kills Jonah deals out on his journey, but even they grow tiresome after a while. Hopefully this script underwent some major rewrites. Until then, it stays an overly-repetitive, slightly entertaining, and a complete mess of a script. Sorry fans.

[] Somebody should be fired
[x] Bad
[] Mediocre
[] Worth the read
[] Great
[] Amazing

Script Review: Date Night

Genre: Comedy/Action/Romance
Premise: A middle-aged couple trying to regain that spark they once had. What starts out as innocent fun turns into an action filled night they'll never forget. Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, Common, and Taraji P. Henson are set to star.
Writer: Josh Klausner (Dated June 11, 2008)

Steve Carell's star turn.

Ok, let's get real. How often do ensemble comedies with so many big names actually turn out good? This year we had She's Just Not That Into You fail miserably. So did this script deserve so many big names to attach themselves? Was it really worth it?

First and foremost, I'll start out by saying I LOOOOVVVVEEEE the leads. The Office and 30 Rock are probably the only good shows on NBC right now. So I disregarded the hack of a director who's attached and moved this up on my script reading list. Honestly, I think I should have passed. Let's get into the plot real quick.

Phil and Clara Foster have reached that point in their marriage where a sex life in non-existent, their only thing in common is the fact that they share a kid, and there's not a day that goes by where they aren't at each others throats. They'd don't like this life, so they decide to try and reignite that spark. They're going to have one of those date nights they used to have so often. Well, things don't exactly work out as planned/ When they claim to be a couple known as the "Graces" to get a seat without waiting a lifetime, they are kidnapped and held at gunpoint. The rest of the script they are on the run, action and danger ensue.

I will say, this had a LOT more action than I was anticipating. That may be the only redeeming factor from this script. There are some very entertaining scenes. To bad this is supposed to be a comedy. Klausner throws in as many characters as possible, and none of them are funny. The attempt at witty banter between Phil and Clara is anything but, and simply boring. I assume they tried to get funny leads so their improv could save the movie. Hopefully they can.

Overall, the premise is pretty good, and there are some entertaining action scenes, but it lacked what every film in this genre needs: comedy. You can not write a comedy script and hope the leads can elevate it out of mediocrity. Hopefully with rewrites and the overall presence of Carell and Fey they can make the movie watching experience enjoyable. Until then, it's stuck with this grade.

[] Somebody should be fired
[] Bad
[x] Mediocre
[] Worth the read
[] Great
[] Amazing

Note to the readers: I'm trying to start a website here. I've noticed that many people just downloaded the Kick-Ass script and never posted their thoughts. I have no problem if you don't want to leave your own comments, but it seems to me a lot of you are just using the site to get the script, and not taking into consideration the amount of time I set aside to write up the review and supply you all with the link. I hope I'm wrong and you guys are taking this site seriously and not just using it to help enhance the quantity of your library. That said, the link to Date Night is in the comment section. Enjoy.

Script Review: Kick-Ass

Genre: Action/Comedy
Premise: A high school teen decides to live out his dream and become a superhero. Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong, and McLovin....I mean Christopher Mintz-Plasse star in the movie.
Writers: Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn

Dave Lizewski is pretty much what you’d expect in a movie like this. A nerdy kid who loves comic books. That’s basically how he spends his days. Reading comic books and jacking off. But he does impose a pretty good question. For years our culture has been flooded with superheroes. There are endless amounts of characters and they are featured in all different types of media, so why hasn’t anyone attempted to become one. It shouldn’t be to hard. Slap on some tights and a mask and your set. This is the question that haunts Dave. So he decides to change things. He puts on a costume and a mask and does the best job that he can of fighting crime. These first few pages are actually pretty grounded in reality. And then the writers decide to really mix things up, and boy do they take us on a ride.

We soon meet the character Big Daddy and Hit Girl. These are some twisted characters. Hit Girl at first glance is a sweet 12 year old girl. Our first scene with her we know there’s much more to this seemingly innocent child, because soon her father, Big Daddy is firing off rounds from a gun at her chest. Don’t worry. He’s not that sick, he made sure she was wearing a vest first, y’know, cause that makes this situation okay. Big Daddy is training his daughter to be a killer so they can take revenge on a guy named Frank D’Amico, the town’s gang leader who just so happened to cross Daddy in the past. Big mistake.

Dave (who now goes by Kickass) and the Big Daddy/Hit Girl combo go about their superhero deeds differently. While Kickass starts to gain nationwide fame as a masked vigilante, Daddy and his Girl are secretly offing Frank’s men, one-by-one. It doesn’t take long before Frank catches on and gets a shot of a costumed figure leaving the scene of one of his men’s deaths. So it’s not to hard to make the wrong connection. That’s right, Frank is mistakenly going after Dave/Kickass. And Frank is not the type of dude you want coming after you.

Frank is coming on the town superheroes hard, and we get a sub-plot that focuses on the dynamic he has with his son, Chris. Chris goes to school with Dave, and has the same interests, but is a loner due to his association with the biggest crime lord in the city. His father keeps his business very close to the chest and cares deeply for his son, not wanting him to get involved, but if he wants to stop these masked vigilantes, he needed Chris’ help. Enter Red Mist, Chris’ superhero alter-ego, used to earn Dave’s trust.

There are some great scenes that show the buddy dynamic of Kickass and Red Mist, who don’t know that they’re secret identities actually go to school together. Chris is actually a good kid and soon he gets Dave talking and realizes his father has the wrong hero. Maybe I was too hasty with that statement, because Chris aks Red Mist is going full force after Big Daddy and Hit Girl. He has Dave lead him right to them. And soon I start realizing the problems with this script.

Spoiler Alert: Big Daddy dies. He’s burnt alive and it’s Dave’s fault. He lead Frank and his goons right to him. This should have been an emotional scene, but the way the Big Daddy and Hit Girl characters are written, it’s as if Goon #2 had been the one in Big Daddy’s place. As Hit Girl watches her father die, she doesn’t even shed a tear. She has no family left, and she’s a trooper. Kudos, I guess, for the writers not letting them break character, but every script needs one thing, and that’s emotion. When Big Daddy dies I realized this script had none of it. I felt no remorse for Big Daddy. I didn’t care if he died. In fact, I realized I wouldn’t care if everyone in this script died because I didn’t particularly like any of them. Dave’s done nothing wrong, he’s a good kid, but if he died I could care less. Now, I understand this is based on a comic book series, and that’s how these characters were written. Keep in mind I haven’t read these comics, I’m just going off the script, but I really needed more from these characters. I can’t even describe it. There’s just something missing. Luckily, I’m a sucker for some good entertainment, so I still enjoyed myself.

So overall, it’s a exhilarating, action-packed thrill ride, but it’s riddled with teen cliches, lacks real emotion, and has a pretty basic plot. Maybe later drafts have fixed some of these problems. We’ll see.

[] Somebody should be fired
[] Bad
[] Mediocre
[x] Worth the read
[] Great
[] Amazing

Scott Pilgrim vs. Me

sorry guys. I had to take the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World review down. Got contacted by one of the producers. Just know that it was a great read, and you should all be anticipating it when it arrives next summer.


EDIT: The guy was real nice about it. Just thought I'd let you all know.

You Choose the Next Script

Quick Note: If you look to your left you will see that I added two more films to my must read list. Buried, and HappyThankYouMorePlease. Seriously, these are smaller indie films, but you absolutely MUST take a look at them. They are great. (Buried is the best)

Anyway, onto the point of this post. I am leaving Wednesday to go to the beach, so I want to get one good review in before I go. So I want you guys to decide which film I should review. I've got a lot of options for you guys, so I hope there is a clear winner.

Option A: 2012.
2012 is the upcoming Roland Emmerich movie about the Mayan predicted end of the world.

Option B: Valentine's Day
Talk about an ensemble cast. This romantic comedy has Ashton Kutcher, Eric Dane, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Julia Roberts, Emma Roberts, Taylor Swift, Taylor Lautner, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Patrick Dempsey, Jammie Foxx, Queen Latifah, Topher Grace, and Shirley McLaine attatched. Is it really worth all these people?

Option C: Jonah Hex
Starring Josh Brolin and Megan Fox, this comic adaption follows Jonah Hex on a supernatural western thrill ride. A blockbuster for next summer? Maybe.

Option D: Date Night
Steve Carrell and Tina Fey star in this action comedy that features appearances from Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, Mila Kunis, Common, Leighton Meester, Mark Ruffalo, Kristin Wiig, and Taraji P. Henson.

Option E: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) directs this adaptation of the graphic novel series. Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Jason Schwartzmann are set to star.

Option F: Kick-Ass
Independently made superhero with a cast that features Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong, and McLovin, I mean Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

Option G: The Social Network
David Fincher is in talks to direct and Kevin Spacey is producing this movie about the creator of Facebook. An Oscar contender for 2011? You'll have to wait and see.


So list which option you want to see reviewed this week in the comment section below.

Script Review: Thor

Note: Leave a comment below with your thoughts and your email address to have the script sent to you.

Genre: Fantasy/Super Hero
Premise: Thor, son of the God Odin, is banished to Earth and has to harness the powers of the mighty axe Mjolnir if he wants to return to live among the Gods.
Backstory: Based on the comic series, Marvel is adapting this version to coincide with their Avengers team-up film. Kenneth Branagh is directing. Chris Hemsworth (Pappa Kirk in this year's Star Trek) is set to play the iconic hero. Had to be written due to it's estimated budget being way to large.
Writer: Mark Protosevich (First Draft, dated 4/4/07)

Director Kenneth Branagh alongside the hero in all his comic book glory

I gotta say it. I'm a sucker for a good superhero film. And when it comes to superhero films, Marvel knows how to make them. Their two projects last year, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk reboot set the ball in motion. And it's quickly snowballing into one of my most anticipated films of 2012: The Avengers. Over the next four years Marvel is promising superhero films that crossover with each other and end in a nerd heaven. And after their 2008 pics, I'm not gonna lie, that was the main reason I picked up this script. I was desperately searching through the pages for that Tony Stark or Nick Fury cameo. Unfortunately for me, this script dates back before snow even started falling. (Get what I did there?)

So let's jump right in. I'm not to familiar with this Marvel character. I'd seen him in action in the Ultimate Alliance video game, but I've played that maybe twice at the most. So I was going in fresh. We start off with Thor, his brother Loki, and their band of allies. Thor is the clear leader of this bunch. Just in the way he carries himself we know this guy means something. Then there's his scrawny brother Loki, who at first glance is basically that guy your father makes you include, but you wouldn't associate with if it wasn't for your blood. But there is an underlying respect for these two brothers. They do genuinely care for each other. Anyway, back to the story. So Thor and his buddies were sent by his father, Odin, to get some weapons from this group of gnomes. Well, plans go awry when they are attacked by...Hellstags? You know what? Screw it. I can't remember the names in this script, so bare with me. During the battle, Loki is seperated from the others and this lady, named Ran, notices a birthmark on Loki's chest that significes he's a Jotun. Jotuns are basically rivals to his entire race. Loki isn't just any Juton. He's heir to the Jotun thrown. Aka not good. Turns out Loki was found as a baby by Odin, who raised him as his own flesh and blood. So while this revelation is going on, Thor and his gang save the gnomes, and the Gnome King Ivaldi has to think of a way to repay him. there's only one logical solution. You guessed it! Make him a big 'ol battle axe he calls Mjolnir that grants it's bearer special gnome powers. Ivaldi warns Thor that the powers of the axe are very dangerous in the wrong hands, but Thor being the cocky man he is, wields that thing and and ends up killing one of his own men. Uh oh. There is an uproar against Thor, and Odin has no other choice but to banish his son from the God world and send him to earth and live with us mortals.

Chris Hemsworth is to play the iconic hero Thor

I think this is probably 40 pages worth of material and we don't even have a hint of what the full picture is yet. It's the story of two people's rise to to the top. Thor, who had everything, is now sent to the mortal world, left to fend for himself, and Loki, whose newfound information about his true identy is quickly eating away at him.

So Thor finds himself living among the mortals, basically acting as a slave. But it doesn't take long for him to finally catch a break. What are the gnomes to do with Mjolnir now that Thor was out of the picture? What would you do? Did you say have a giant competition between men from across the land to see which man was worthy enough to weild this magical gnome axe? Cause if you did, you'd be right. It's pretty clear to Thor this is his only option, so he enters this deadly competition to earn his axe back.

Meanwhile, Loki is quickly being filled with anger. Why would Odin not tell him who he really was all these years? Why was he living a lie. Soon we see him begin to stray from his godly path and a plan is set in motion. He has aligned with the Jotuns, and plans on wiping out the Asgardians. duh duh duh. I'm not gonna sit here and say I didn't see this coming, but I really wish Odin had at least done something to wrong Loki. Maybe favor Thor more. (haha. that rhymed.) But no. Loki turns to the dark side because he's adopted. Boo frickin' hoo.

So that's the jist of the story. Thor becoming the man meant to weild Mjolnir, and Loki becoming the man meant to...cause some problems? I don't know. Loki's pretty weak, but his alliance is pretty awesome. There's an awesome, epic, another synonym battle at the end that would have left audiences talking for weeks. If only Marvel had the balls to go through with it. I don't blame them. When's the last time a fantasy has been a hit at the box office? Lord of the Rings? There's a reason all the copycats that followed didn't turn a profit, and it's one important thing they lacked that this has. Quality. And boy does this thing have it. This is an absolute must read, and as long as the overall plot is there, it's a stand in line for hours type a film that I'm sure come 2011 is going to take the box office by storm.

[] Somebody should be fired
[] Bad
[] Mediocre
[] Worth the read
[xx] Great
[] Amazing

Box Office Story: Funny People

I don't know if I plan on doing this every week, but since I've read the Funny People script, I'll try it out.

Early reports are saying Funny People made 8.6 million dollars at the box office yesterday (July 31). This is a very disappointing number for everyone involved with the flick. It's another live-action disappointment for Seth Rogen, it ends Adam Sandler's 100M comedy streak that's been running for 7 years now, and it's another dud for studio Universal, who has had no 100M grosser the entire summer. This film is not on track to change that. With an 8.6M Firday, it's on track to make 23-25M for the weekend. Not too bad, but critics haven't been to kind, and the R-rating/2½ hour runtime will defintely be offputting to most audiences. I see it ending with around 60-65M, not making back it's budget here in the States.

I haven't seen the film yet, but I did read the Funny People script a few months ago. Here were my thoughts:

Funny People

"Funny People" is the story of George Simmons. Simmons is a comedian/actor who has starred in such classics as "Merman", "Dog's Best Friend", and "My Best Friend Is A Robot". I know, they all sound like classics, right? Simmons is self-centered and life has slipped by. He's in his 40s and has nothing real to show for it. He has no friends, no family, just money and an attitude. So when he is diagnosed with rare disease the doctor says is fatal, life comes crashing down.

Ira Wright is a struggling comedian who works at a deli. His two roomates, Leo and Mark have faired a little better. Leo has a comedy gig at a club, and Mark is the star of a successful sitcom. Needless to say, it's mind boggling to them when Ira meets a new friend, George Simmons.

With a fatal disease shrouding his life, George goes back to his roots, and starts hitting up smaller comedy clubs. That's where he meets Ira. George is impressed by this newcomers act and invites Ira to be his assistant and write jokes for him. This is Ira's dream job, so he gladly accepts.

George forms a strong friendship with Ira. Something he's never had before. But there is another person on his mind. Laura. George and Laura were engaged years ago, but he cheated on her. A mistake he's regretted ever since. So when the doctor's tell him a miracle has happened, that his rare, fatal disease has gone away, he takes his new lease on life and heads to Laura's house, Ira in tow, to tell her how he really feels.

This is the part where the dramatic elements really kick in. Laura has a family now. A loving husband, who also cheated on her, and two beautiful daughters. Laura's husband, Clark, is away on a business meeting, and George takes this oppurtunity to court Laura. But Clark comes back early and isn't to pleased.

There's a lot of things that work for this script. There are some generally funny moments in the first half. The relationship Ira has with his roomates and his relationship with George are the highlights of the comedic aspect of the script. On the dramatic front, I really liked the fact that Clark wasn't a total douche, that seems to be the cliche' these days. He may have made some mistakes, but he actually loves Laura. The script doesn't end with that feel-good Hollywood crap. For instance: Laura realizes how terrible a person Clark is and rides off with George into the sunset. No, that wouldn't work, and I'm glad Judd Apatow had the balls to stray away from that. But the script does have it's fair share of problems. It definitely runs on to long. In the beginning, Ira and George get equal character development, but come the third act everything we've loved thus far is pushed aside to showcase the George/Laura romance. Apatow himself said he had three ideas for his next picture and decided to put them all together and made this. Bad choice, imo. What we get is a muddled mess of a plot, and probably the longest comedy you'll see get made these days.

[] Somebody should be fired
[] Bad
[] Mediocre
[x] Worth the read
[] Great
[] Amazing