So here’s the thing. I didn’t love Aaron Sorkin’s “Steve Jobs” when I first read it. But when I saw the movie, a lot of the stuff I didn’t think would work DID work, and it turned out to be one of my favorite movies of the year. The fact that it was kept out of the Oscars, then, in favor of CAROL(????) is god-damned ludicrous. Carol was one of the most average movies I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t bad. But it definitely wasn’t good. And as a screenplay, there was nothing there. There’s one moment in the entire movie that’s unexpected. And the rest is basic and bland and safe. I still don’t know who votes for these things (do only Academy screenwriters or is it all Academy members?) but they’re clearly delusional if they’re bringing this script in over Jobs. I mean at least Sorkin took some chances as a writer. Carol is completely dependent on Rooney Mara’s eyes and Cate Blanchett’s acting. And the last time I checked, neither of those things is written! Let that marinate while you’re reading some amateur brilliance this fine weekend!
Remember, you can submit your own script to challenge your peers with by sending me an e-mail (carsonreeves3@gmail.com) with your TITLE, GENRE, LOGLINE, WHY YOU THINK IT DESERVES A SHOT, and a PDF of the screenplay. A good review tends to get writers some industry contacts. So who knows, maybe you’ll be the next “The Last Alchemist.” Keep’em coming!
Title: The Space Hotel
Genre: Action/Sci-Fi
Logline: The year 2037. When the world’s first space hotel is hijacked by religious fundamentalists, it falls to an atheist scientist and a devout ex-soldier to lead the fight back.
Why You Should Read: The Space Hotel is a high concept idea in a marketable genre, featuring a number of Scriptshadow favourites — unique location; strong female lead; proactive protagonist with a relatable flaw; high stakes; condensed time frame; unifying theme — all tied up in a manageable 102 pages. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Title: Onna-Bugeisha
Genre: Action/Adventure (48 pgs – no dialog)
Logline: After witnessing the slaughter of her village by a rival clan, a woman warrior treks across Japan in search of revenge.
Why You Should Read: This script came out of my love for sword fighting. In every samurai film ever made, it’s always by far the highlight of the story, which is why I set out to make the plot of Onna-Bugeisha so simple. The characters have no spoken dialog. I thought it would be a great experiment to write a film in which the battles, the duels and the score were the dialog. — Uma Thurman aside, rarely do we see a woman take center stage in a samurai action film. The main protagonist in this story is not only a woman, but a mother of two. Women of the households, defending their families at sword point, is ingrained in the samurai culture, but to the best of my knowledge, I haven’t seen that story play out on film. — Please note: Although the page count is low for a feature film, I’ve timed it at around 1 hr 50 min.
Title: The Murder of Mae Crow
Genre: A historical courtroom drama, set in turn of the century Georgia.
Logline: In 1912, two black teenagers stand trial and face execution for the rape and murder of a white girl in the Jim Crow South.
Why You Should Read: I’m just a guy that at the age of 42 decided to try and become a screenwriter because I don’t have enough ridicule and failure in life. I’ve researched this case for over three years pouring over microfilm for countless hours. — This is a true story and the case that caused the largest African-American banishment in U.S. history. This helped bring about the re-birth of the KKK. The judge and lawyers were all the key ringleaders of the lynching of Leo Frank, and the original members of the new KKK started in 1915. Hollywood has largely been silent on the epidemic of black lynchings that took place from 1864-1935. An estimated 4,000 to 7,000 African-Americans were lynched during this time yet no movie accurately depicts this time, their struggle, or the injustice of a Jim Crow justice system. This is the most important script you will read this year, and a story you will not easily forget.
Title: The Transfer
Genre: Horror
Logline: A violinist’s arrival at an exclusive boarding school coincides with a series of sinister events.
Why You Should Read: I’m a screenwriter who appreciates a good scare. I think you should read the Transfer because it’s a fun horror thriller that I would describe as What Lies Beneath meets Heathers. I was inspired by psychopathic gangs of teenagers that often manifest at elite private schools. — I never attended boarding school but went to camp one summer at St. Andrews where Dead Poets Society was filmed. They always seemed like fun places to me but at the same time there’s that Lord of the Flies-style youth gone amuck threat lingering. — The story revolves around a talented violinist who transfers to a prestigious boarding school and unwittingly crosses a dangerous clique. What results is a harrowing semester of hazing that unravels a shocking secret that leads to the death of several high-profile students at the hands of that what can only be described as something supernatural. — I also drew tone/aesthetic inspiration from films like Repulsion, Black Swan, and It Follows.
Title: Entitled
Genre: Thriller
Logline: Three people wake up in a room with no doors or windows. They notice a casket at the far side of the room with three locks and a timer counting down. They must figure out why they are there and what happens when the timer reaches zero.
Why should you read it? It’s like Cube having a head on collision with Saw and Phone Booth. It reads fast and has a supernatural element to it. There are a handful of characters, each having their own voice and back story. It has rapid fire dialogue that comes of natural and you can cut the tension with a knife. This script will keep you interested until the last page.
