Eternal

Think “Basic Instinct” meets “The Hunger”. Another one of those psychological/erotic thrillers than true horror movie. In the olden days, Countess Elizabeth Bathory murdered hundreds of maidens and bathed in their blood, thinking it would give her eternal (get it?) youth.
In the present, a cop (of questionable morals) while searching for his missing wife, encounters a mysterious woman who was the last person to see her alive.“Eternal” gets cool points for some stylish locations and charismatic female lead, Caroline Neron. I can’t say that I got a whole lot out this movie. Act I is pretty solid. Act II kinda veers off into “Basic Instinct” territory. The third act ends rather abruptly (say it with me, set up for a sequel), the protagonist does something incredibly stupid even though he was warned a few minutes prior.
We get a lot of is-she-or-isn’t-she but it doesn’t really have any bearing on the plot so I’m not sure why all the fuss. A good-looking film with good-looking stars and with some decent twists.

The Island

Maybe it was poor marketing, spoiler-filled trailers, or the lack of big name stars but for whatever reason, “The Island” tanked big time at the box office. I had no desire to see the darned thing, but after coming across an early draft on the www.dailyscript.com, I’m more than a little intrigued about the final product. The script clocks in at 139 pages(!) but the story doesn’t lag. The DVD might be worth checking out for a little compare and contrast.

Story Starters

Last batch of story starters for 2005...

Mice created with human brain cells.

Man unwittingly romances mother online -- for six months!

Crime fighter busted for drunken driving.

One Page

Before the great hard drive crash of ‘03, I had tons of unfinished scripts, outlines and ideas. I’m not feeling warm and fuzzy about my current projects so I had to do a little digging, in order to meet Red Right Hand's challenge. This page is from an early draft of my werewolf script that I eventually scrapped. Not a lot happens, but you get a sense of what I was trying to do...

Slamdance Teleplay Contest

The Slamdance Teleplay semi-finalists won't be announced until January 2, 2006. Which do you think is worse, getting eliminated before Christmas or after the New Year?

Project Greenlight's "FEAST"

EDITED on 2/1/06: The trailer has been taken down.

The Triangle

Just finished watching the conclusion. Good effects, okay story (I didn't buy the fact that the little girl on the plane just happened to be the granddaughter of the scientist who was the key to it all and how did Eric Stoltz's character know he could go back in time?). I wasn't wowed or anything. The Sci-Fi Channel was crowing about the ratings so I guess it was a success.

Update: Fantasy Spec

And so it begins, that unmistakable feeling of bliss when starting a new screenplay, the honeymoon period. You’re practically overflowing with ideas and they’re *all* good. It’s as if elves climb down the chimney at night and knock off a couple pages for you, the way the darn thing almost seems to write itself. Of course, you know full well that it won’t last.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, there’s this prophecy and an unlikely chosen one who has to learn--Now I’m not saying I’m a hack but I can be hackish. I spent way too much time dreaming up the world my characters inhabit and not enough on my by-the-numbers story. Sometimes we (okay, maybe it’s just me) think a cool premise is all that’s needed and Hollywood will come a knockin’. After my epiphany, I dumped a lot of what I planned and went back to square one. Those elves must have been working overtime because I was able to come up with a new direction, pretty quickly. So quickly, that I felt comfortable enough to churn out a few pages. I don’t have everything figured out, but the story feels less derivative and more my wacky, unique take on things.

Story Starters

A few interesting articles:

Man-sized scorpion described.

Pack of squirrels kill dog.

Woman has first face transplant.

Police find semi-nude man with mannequin.