It is the calm before the storm. I’m talking about how there’s only one week before the release of The Karate Kid, Season 2! I hope you’re ready for a crane kick to the face!! KA-CHAAAH!!! Oh, and there’s that little Marvel movie coming out as well. Here’s something I’ve always wondered. Do the actors in those big movies get paid for promotional tours? They have to go on a million shows, do a million interviews, and travel all over the world, right? In some cases, the promotion is harder than the acting. So wouldn’t they want to get paid? I have a feeling Scott knows the answer to this.
Amateur Showdown is a cut throat single weekend screenplay tournament where the players have already had to rise out of a pile of hundreds of entries just to be featured. Now that they’re here, it’s up to you to read as much of each script as you can, then vote for your favorite in the comments section. Whoever receives the most votes gets a review next Friday. If you’d like to submit your own script to compete in a future Amateur Showdown, send a PDF of your script to carsonreeves3@gmail.com with the title, genre, logline, and why you think your script should get a shot.
Title: Dead Mileage
Genre: Crime/Drama
Logline: Following his recruitment to drive for a dark web rideshare service, an ex-con runs afoul of his new employer when he interferes in a passenger’s business.
Why You Should Read: I recently had what I like to think of as an awakening… Just how much life is a rat race grew in obviousness in the last six months thanks to certain changes with the “company” I work for and the political/social climate we currently operate in. — This awakening of sorts bled into what was supposed to be my John Wick Uber service movie. And that’s where the idea started… The spike of interest in the Wick universe and the fact that no one had successfully cracked the rideshare-movie code as of yet. — Needless to say, this is no longer a “John Wick movie” as it would seem no better than an over-developed singular element in a greater universe (a la “ANNABELLE” to “THE CONJURING”). Modern day Los Angeles feels like the more appropriate venue to hold a story like this, providing a backdrop in which to explore the various archetypes that make up the city as well as the human machinery that keeps it running. — In terms of the rideshare-movie, “DEAD MILEAGE” takes the concept underground to break away from the mold of the taxi film which haunts this potential subgenre. With the recent “Stuber” trailer dropping, I hope that an explosion of rideshare movies may be creeping up on the horizon. — Ultimately, I hope you find “DEAD MILEAGE” tests the clichés of the taxi and getaway driver movie, especially when it comes to the invincibility that’s recently spiked in such films (see “BABY DRIVER” and “DRIVE”). I mean, who is a worse driver than the guy with an Uber logo stuck to his back window? — I appreciate all notes, good and bad and everything in-between. Thank you for giving “DEAD MILEAGE” the time of day.
Title: The Velveteen Rabbit Redux
Genre: Family adventure/ fantasy/ live action
Logline: THE VELVETEEN RABBIT REDUX: In 1940’s New York City, a friendless boy struggles to find the solid gold rabbit his aunt left him — with the promise that he can make it real — while trying to stay a step ahead of a tyrannical curiosity shop owner, who aims to steal it for himself and lock it in a case forever.
Why You Should Read: Your recent article on making characters “pop” by letting them be fun had me thinking about my script, The Velveteen Rabbit Redux. Normally, a fun, over-the-top villain would be a bad choice. Over-the-top implies a cartoony, unbelievable character. But for me, by keeping the kids sincere and the world grounded, the added element of a comically absurd villain seemed to work quite well. The villain was still impossible to overcome while also adding buoyancy and fun to the pages. I think I succeeded… Regardless, all thoughts and comments appreciated.
Title: The Sun Ghost
Genre: Period drama, Supernatural
Logline: During World War II, a family imprisoned in a Japanese-American internment camp must prevent a violent ghost from worsening relations between their fellow internees and the camp’s administration.
Why You Should Read: In The Sun Ghost, I’ve tried to use the tools of fantasy and horror to explore issues of loyalty, intergenerational trauma, and Asian-American identity in an under-depicted World War II setting. While I hope horror aficionados will appreciate the twists put on familiar monster rules and fans of Del Toro’s dark fairy tales will find something to enjoy, I also think that general audiences will find it sadly relevant to current events. Based on its performance in contests and the Black List website, I want to believe the script has potential. I’m looking for sharp eyes and sharp minds to help me take it to the next level.
Title: Bridesmen
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Logline: An ex-party girl settles down with a straight-laced doctor only to find out at their engagement party that she’s slept with all of his future groomsmen.
Why You Should Read: This idea came to me while I was trying to come up with a horror film and my roommate happened to be watching The Bachelor. I love romantic comedies but never considered writing one myself. Given the resurgence of the genre, I was hoping to get any help I can in making this something special.
Title: VULTURINE
Genre: Contained Horror
Logline: In 1986, a straight-laced air marshal’s plan to smuggle his demon possessed daughter on a commercial flight from Chicago to Montreal is complicated by the late addition of three passengers: an unscrupulous fellow marshal and a pair of veteran exorcists…
Why You Should Read: Because this is the ONLY place you’re going to get your ‘failed lavatory exorcism’ itch scratched.
