As my strained eyes continue to keep me from reading my weekly allotment of scripts, I have been watching a lot of movies and it’s been a really cool experience. I’ve developed this terrible habit over the years of watching movies and shows with my laptop on. When the movie or show inevitably hits a slow scene, I’ll quickly check my e-mail or pop over to the Hollywood Reporter or ESPN to see if there’s a new story up.
I didn’t realize just how detrimental to the movie-watching experience that was until these past couple of weeks, with my eye strain, and me closing my laptop up. Movies are definitely different when you give them your undivided attention. I’m sure it improved Brave New World by a good 25%. I’m not sure I would’ve liked that movie had I also been trotting around the internet at the time.
It definitely made a difference when I watched A24’s latest film, Opus. Then again, I’m a huge fan of this type of movie set-up. I love a group of people heading off to some remote mysterious location, stranded from the rest of the world. I just think it’s such a juicy setup that has so many routes for you to potentially go down.
Opus follows an online journalist, Ariel, who is called to the remote ranch of mega pop star, Alfred Moretti. Part Michael Jackson, part Elton John, part Prince, part Lady Gaga, Moretti hasn’t released an album in 30 years and he’s only bringing in a select group of music journalists to hear his new songs.
But when Ariel shows up to Moretti’s remote Wyoming ranch, she’s surprised to see just how many people are walking around in blue jumpsuits. It almost seems like she’s just walked into… a cult. Moretti, played by John Malkovich, greets the group, showing off just how weird and eccentric he is (if you’ve ever wanted to see John Malkovich twerk while performing a pop song, this movie is for you).
The rest of the group is so starstruck by Moretti that not a one of them notices how weird the situation is. For example, nobody is allowed to walk anywhere without a concierge (Ariel’s bitchy concierge is played by “Prey’s” Amber Midthunder). And what’s with that hut on the outskirts of the foundation where people go and shuck oysters for hours on end?
Of course, they all figure it out too late. And by that time, the killing has begun.
If I was trying to figure out what kind of spec script I should write that would sell, this setup – a group of people ignorantly going to a dangerous remote location – would be in my top 5 choices. It’s such a delicious setup and has so many fun plot options to play with.
I read a lot of scripts about cults. But what I learned the hard way is that cults aren’t enough. There’s something cliche about them. So, just like any good screenplay concept, you have to find a unique way in. Which is exactly what Opus did. It uses this mysterious pop star as its entry point, which makes the script unique.
Was the execution perfect? Definitely not. There was a haphazardness to the chaos as opposed to uniformity. For example, the representative influencer in the group ends up waking up inside one of the bean bag chairs during a puppet show (yes, a puppet show), ripping herself out, only for us to realize that her entire body is bloated. Moretti then casually explains that he’s given her a drug that makes everything in her body – flesh and organs – expand. So her tongue has swelled up to ten times its original size.
It’s a freaky wild scene. But there’s no rationale to it. Why did Moretti choose to infect one of the group with that specific poison? I’m guessing that the writer just thought it would look disgusting and awesome. That’s not how you write scripts. You want the mythology behind all the actions to be consistent. For example, in “Saw,” the kills are always sadistically crafted torture devices. There’s a consistency there.
But I still give credit to Opus because it took chances. John Malkovich performs a raunchy version of his latest song. It’s a weird scene. I don’t even know if I’d say it worked. But it had me on the edge of my seat. It was different. And that’s what you want to do as a writer. We should always be trying to give the viewer something they haven’t seen before. Always. It’s hard to do cause you’re competing against millions of hours of movies. But you should still try.
I actually think this movie would’ve been a lot bigger had they cast someone different in the lead. I respect that Hollywood is trying its hardest to make Ayo Edebiri a thing. But she’s not a lead in a movie. She just isn’t. She’s got a character actor’s face if I’ve ever seen one.
If they would’ve cast Sydney Sweeney or Anna Taylor-Joy or Mikey Madison. Even Daisy-Edgar Jones. This would’ve been a much much more successful movie. Cause it’s a really fun premise and I think people saw Ayo’s face on the poster and said, “Ehh… not interested.”
But she’s good! She’s definitely good enough to keep the story compelling. If you’re someone who likes these types of movies – modern-day Agatha Christie scenarios – this is a strong entry into the genre. I think this movie is going to age well.
[ ] What the hell did I just watch?
[ ] wasn’t for me
[xx] worth the stream
[ ] impressive
[ ] genius
What I learned: Horror is all about looming dread. You set up that something bad is coming and then milk the suspense. This movie setup is one of the best at achieving that. When we show up to this remote location, we know, from minute 1, that something bad is coming. So the looming dread begins. And you’d be surprised at just how powerful an engine that is in screenwriting. It makes people want to turn the pages!
