Scriptwriter Available - Film, TV, Radio, Stage

Short Screenplays Available

2011-10-23T23:02:00.002+10:00

NOT CLOWNING AROUND (3.5 pages, a dramedy with 5 characters including a clown, 3 rooms, no external scenes.)
A new method of entertaining women to release stress does not go exactly to plan.

A LITTLE URBAN SAFARI (3.5 pages, 2 male characters, 1 location, a surreal comedy which is a satire on big game hunting.)
A red-neck finds a unique way to satisfy his hunting instinct.

THE REALTOR (4.5 pages, 5 characters and a trained dog, short and sweet with a laugh-out-loud twist.)
A real estate agent goes door to door to list properties for sale when he's invited in by an old couple.

THAT'S NOT WHAT I PROPOSED (5 pages, a dramedy with 5 characters, 1 location in a small restaurant.)
A marriage proposal in a romantic restaurant goes horribly wrong.

THE TWO-HEADED DRAGON (6 pages, a delightful children's story for animation/CGI.)
Ronald and Donald, the two heads of a dragon, constantly argue with each other until they encounter a helpful witch.

HOBO (6.5 pages, a thriller with a very unanticipated twist, 4 adults and 1 child, 3 locations.)
A hobo summons up the courage to visit his estranged wife and daughter, with a deadly result.

BREATHE IN (6.5 pages, a comedy with 3 male characters, 2 small offices, a lungfish which can be fake is required.)
An ecologist develops a novel method to save endangered lungfish, but not all goes to plan.

JUST DESSERTS IN THE DESERT (7.5 pages, 3 characters, 3 locations, a dramedy with an unexpected twist. The desert can be a metaphor for any isolated location.)
When a man is deliberately stranded in the desert by his woman, he encounters something he always sensed was missing in his life.

THE GREEK WHO WASN'T (9 pages, comedy includes hilarious party scene, a double twist, anti-racism message.)
A man of Greek heritage celebrates his new-found American Indian ancestry with surprising results.

THE BILBY TALK (9 pages, several characters, very comedic, "Australian" setting. This was optioned in LA but the option has now expired.)
A biologist promises a schoolgirl some field images of the elusive bilby marsupial, but not all goes to plan when the girl gives her presentation in front of a very important audience.

SOLAR SAILING (10 pages, a sci-fi with a mostly female cast, animation/CGI required for the external spaceships scene.)
A flotilla of solar wind powered interplanetary space ships, with females only aboard, heads to a new planet when an important moral question arises.

SKINKS AND COUSINS (13 pages, very Australian as it has Bunya Nut trees and Nangur Skinks, 3 characters including a male Aboriginal, chatty and funny.)
A young man takes his girlfriend out bush in Queensland to meet up with his part Aboriginal cousin.

* NB All scripts are registered with WGA and the US Copyright Office

My Quotes

2011-10-06T23:44:00.000+10:00

Never attempt to pigeonhole people who are highly creative. These individuals don't know their own potential realm of creativity, so why should someone else try to limit them?

"Zedic and the Crimson Born" is in Production

2011-07-15T12:33:00.006+10:00

I wrote the screenplay for this sci-fi based on an intriguing story by musical composer and blogger Dan O'Connor of New York (www.danobuzz.com) who is executive producing it. The logline is: A sensitive, psychic young man learns from a mysterious alien called Zedic that he is one of a select group of hybrid beings created with an element of artificial alien DNA. It is currently being filmed in NY.

Here is a link to the teaser: http://alienscifimovie.com/

Feature Length Family-Friendly Screenplays Available

2011-07-15T12:15:00.002+10:00

PERCH (102 pages) co-written with Anthony Preston.
Logline: A thieving eaglet is inspired to mend his ways when he hears his father's proud and exciting tale how their nest earned its enviable position atop the Statue of Liberty.

CHRISTMAS ISLAND (95 pages)
Logline: When a ceramic Christmas tree enters the lives of three pre-teens and their intelligent toy dog they find themselves on Christmas Island, resulting in many wonderful and life enhancing experiences for them, and ultimately for their parents.

* NB All scripts are registered with WGA.

Short Takes on Various 2011 Movies

2011-04-04T23:42:00.102+10:00

Happy Feet Two - This lacklustre sequel is more show than substance. The visuals and the sounds are great but the overall effect, particularly in Act One, is flat. The krill, which I suppose were added as comic relief, are more annoying than funny.

Hanna - This is akin to a modern interpretation of one of several fairytales where the mature aged female (stepmother or crone) tries to destroy the beautiful young maiden. In this case the maiden, instead of being aborted, has been genetically enhanced as part of the crone's CIA project and must now die. Hanna has been trained extremely well to kill, but in so many ways she is still a naive child, as clearly evidenced when she spends time with a hippy family. She knows little about electricity but manages to locate complex genetic information on the internet soon after learning about light switches. Frustratingly, this highly implausible internet scene was totally unnecessary to the plot. The extreme landscapes, from bitterly cold snow-covered Finnish scenes to rocky dessert, contrasted well. Saoirse Ronan is mesmerizing.

Oranges and Sunshine - This deeply moving story needed telling and would have made a very interesting and enlightening documentary. There is some great acting but it lacks the increasing tension required for a satisfying film. I could make no sense of the scene where the brothers of the Christian religion are "confronted" as they eat breakfast.

Melancholia - Depression is likened to a rogue fly-by planet which hides behind the sun, with its emergence not within the depressive's control. The shifting polarities of the Kirsten Dunst character are almost palpable. This long and slow-moving film bears little resemblance to the Hollywood formula and some may consider it a complete indulgence by the writer/director. People with me in the cinema gasped in disbelief when it was revealed that Part 2 was about to begin. The two sisters look nothing alike and speak with different accents, most noticeable when each uses the word “bath” within a few seconds of the other. The final action of the astronomy-loving husband/brother-in-law to desert his beloved son just as the planets are due to collide seems so out of character. Yet the barely coping depressive becomes a calm prophet enthralled by the anticipation of Earth's total destruction. She calms the child with the promise of a magic cave. The collision of the two planets is a magnificent ending.

Super 8 - This is a complex movie about family issues, young love and friendship, that just happens to have a strange monster running around in it. Despite the weaknesses in the story it is compelling and it has interesting characters worth following. The special effects are good, although I baulked at what happened to the train after it hit a truck, yet didn't kill the truck driver outright. Although implausible, this film has heart and passion. The story is told from the viewpoint of the kids, whose emotional honesty bring a sense of reality to this fantasy thriller. There is tremendous comic relief in the teasing banter between the children. It could be described as "E.T." meets "Cloverfield".

Cowboys and Aliens - I found this hybrid genre refreshing and enjoyable but, despite the title, don’t watch it for laughs or you’ll be disappointed. There’s nothing like a spaceship of really nasty aliens after gold and humans on which to experiment to unite law abiding townsfolk, nasty robbers and Apache Indians against their common foe. Daniel Craig’s character is consistently as tough as nails and his acting is superb. Harrison Ford’s character is the most complex. He tortures people whom he thinks are lying to him, but he’s oh so nice to young boys. He gives a young lad a knife which he once used to slit a man’s throat, but it indeed comes in very handy when an alien reveals its vulnerable innards. He also took in an orphaned Mexican Indian who can now communicate without problem with the Apaches, their languages apparently being so similar. The technically advanced aliens made some unwise and illogical moves, but overall I was pleased with this film.

The Adjustment Bureau - This is a romance movie with sci-fi content, the aim presumably being to please both genders. The film sentimentally tells us both that love at first sight exists and love conquers all. Eventually even the top-dog Chairman concedes that it's best to allow the two lovers to stay together. While the concept of humans being re-guided by higher beings to a particular life course is very interesting, the way it's done misses substance: magic hat wearing and the turning of door knobs in the correct direction. It's a fairy tale romance aiming to masquerade as something deeper. If I watch it again I'll think of it as a comedy and I might enjoy it second time around. I think it should be remade as an animation for children. Also the ballerina body double is obvious as she has more muscular calves than Emily Blunt.

The Skin I Live In - This amazing movie, which is in Spanish with subtitles, leaves a lasting impression. It becomes apparent that we are observing an entire family with disturbed mental health: the grandmother, the two half-brothers and the doctor's depressed daughter. The setting is exquisite with the glass walled home laboratory and operating theatre. The very short height of the male who raped the doctor's daughter raised my immediate suspicions, and the reason for this decision came to fruition in the revelation of the twist. Drugged out on prescription medication the daughter was initially willing to have intercourse but the young man continued to thrust for a while after she said no, and he slapped her face hard when she screamed. What the doctor does to him is uniquely perverse and fascinating, an astonishing act of revenge, especially when it was the doctor's duty to watch his daughter very closely at the party, given her fragile mental state, plus he didn't know for certain what transpired. There are moments of humorous relief, such as when the half-brother, dressed as a tall feline, arrives and promptly bends over to present his birthmark for recognition.

Crazy, Stupid, Love - This tale is about several hopeless romantics and a sexual predator who finally connects with a woman on more than just a physical level. The predator, played by Ryan Gosling, has some great dialogue, especially when he's "educating" the Steve Carell character. It's dramatic, sentimental and funny. In no way is this film a standard romcom. It has a convoluted plot with a big twist that intertwines the different story lines. The merging of these story lines is in the vein of a well-plotted sitcom episode. The twist is plausible and really elevates the tension. In the beginning it's surprising to observe some very significant life changing events portrayed in a rather deadpan manner but Marisa Tomei's role greatly heightens the comedic energy. There are some wonderful scenes that make you smile on the inside too: the night that the predator spends with a "game-changer", and the scene where Emily phones Cal while he's watching her from the garden and realizes that he's going to win her back.

Horrible Bosses - In periods of elevated unemployment bosses know they can get away with poor treatment of their staff and some take full advantage of this. This movie is about three friends who've decided not to take it anymore. From the start it's obvious this trio doesn't have what it takes for murder, but that doesn't stop the planning, with the assistance of a great character with a tough pseudonym, who's played by Jamie Foxx. The three bosses are deliciously horrible; there is great camaraderie between the three unhappy employees; and it's obvious that all the actors had great fun making this. There are some refreshingly unusual comedic one-liners, albeit with a heavy reliance on material relating to sex so you may not want to watch it with your grandmother. Something I discovered is that your satellite navigation system can be both your best friend and your worst enemy.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - The title "Rise of the Apes" would have sufficed. We all know it's Earth now, which we didn't realize in the original until Charlton Heston saw the remains of the Statue of Liberty. Once again human greed is to be our downfall with the profit motivation releasing a virus deadly to humans. Several plot points irked me. The chimpanzee handler didn't realize one of his charges was pregnant until she gave birth. There was a too quick response in the brains of the captured apes to the drug released from the gas canister. Caesar spoke a phrase in English. Chimpanzees, no matter how intelligent, don't have that vocal ability. Overall I enjoyed the movie because I'm a big fan of the concept. The other higher primates are really not that dissimilar to us and should be treated with far more respect.

Just Go With It - On the plus side there's genuine chemistry between Sandler and Aniston which isn't surprising since they've been friends for many years. Nicole Kidman gets to play a fun character and does it well. Her amazing abdominal muscles are on display during the hula dance-off. With Sandler playing a plastic surgeon there are exaggerated post surgery results as expected, and he doesn't forget to include groin injury slapstick and toilet humour. The story premise is ridiculous; that he would have a snowflake's chance in hell of getting away with the deceptions. The little girl acted well, but that horrible fake British accent she was made to do throughout was annoying and totally pointless. The running gag about the beard blowing in the wind was not funny. The sheep looked ridiculously fake but perhaps that was intentional.

Source Code - For the majority of the film I really wanted the soldier to succeed in identifying the train bomber to prevent the larger bomb being detonated across Chicago, particularly in light of the real condition of this war hero's body. I managed to pick the bomber immediately and it was very convenient for the Captain that they were on the same train carriage otherwise it would have necessitated even more returns to the rails. I wasn't happy with the way the soldier decided that in one day he knew more about how Source Code works than its inventor, and curiously he turned out to be correct! The happy, but forced, ending with Christina feels more like a Studio requirement than an organic development. It leaves the soldier with a lot of problems in his alternate dimension like getting to know everyone in the teacher's life, his passwords, his entire history in fact. I found this film exhilarating until those last five or so minutes.

Bridesmaids - Loved it!! There are numerous very memorable and hilarious scenes. Sure they resorted to indelicate toilet humour, but one of the worst times for a group of women to loose bodily fluids due to food poisoning is when they're trying on expensive dresses, and also in the middle of a busy street. Kristen Wiig's heartfelt performance was absolutely spot-on. Chris O'Dowd was wonderful as the police officer love interest, and the illegal driving done to get his attention is one of the funniest scenes. Melissa McCarthy played a great role and I was constantly amused that she always wore that pearl necklace, even with the most ill-matched outfits. The obnoxious brother and sister flatmates were a nice inclusion. The long sex scene in the beginning was unnecessary. It wasn't needed to show how incompatible the two participants were. I can understand some guys disliking it, however, as it's not what they're used to.

The Hangover Part 11 - They used the same winning formula and again lots of unfortunate things happened to the Wolfpack. This didn't completely ruin the suspense because the audience was still left to try and work out how all the night's events happened. To the credit of the writers the characters tried hard to prevent a re-occurrence of Las Vegas, with a subdued Bachelor Brunch. I thought it was hilarious when Stu's future father-in-law gave such an insulting speech about him and he had to sit there and suck it up. On the downside the whole non-speaking Thai monk inclusions failed, and the crudity was overdone. On the plus side there are still many great laughs to be had. Two things I learned are that Mike Tyson sings way off key (but I don't know if it was done on purpose) and it's a shame monkeys can't use Skype.

Limitless - The premise is intriguing: What would you do if you came into possession of the ultimate smart pill? I read that screenwriter Leslie Dixon wrote more than 100 screenplay drafts and the results are worth it. Another interesting fact is that Robert De Niro came on board as the tough businessman just two weeks from shooting. Pay particular attention to the vivid colourisation throughout, from the multicoloured city lights to the bright mustard sheets. The post-production supervisor, Christopher Kulikowski (who directed my thriller "Pluripotent"), made magic happen in the colour timing suite. Look out for lead actor Bradley Cooper's pale blue eyes reflected through the clear pill the first time he looks at it closely. I have a big issue with the multi million dollar safe apartment, however. Firstly, it was broken into without too much trouble and, secondly, the glass wasn't too toughened if a baddie could be thrown through it.

"Pluripotent" is now in post-production

2011-03-25T14:36:00.000+10:00

I thoroughly enjoyed being on set in LA for the filming of the short version of my thriller "Pluripotent" with such a fantastic cast and crew. Feel free to "like" the following Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pluripotent/108484102567928

"Pluripotent" is now in pre-production

2010-12-06T21:48:00.000+10:00

One of my thriller screenplays, "Pluripotent" is going to be made as a short film in LA in March 2011, with the view to a feature length version being filmed after that. The director is Christopher Kulikowski. The logline is: A doctor's guilt over a motorbike accident compels him to kidnap a young woman and use her ova as a source of embryonic stem cells to inject into his paralyzed brother. I'll be off to LA for the shoot!

Feature Length Comedy Scripts Available

2010-10-14T20:24:00.002+10:00

CRANKY AND ERNEST (100 pages)
Logline: A heritage-style-loving woman who is reliant on anti-anxiety medication enters into a love/hate relationship with a clean-living salesman, in pain due to his brother's death from a drug OD. Can these two polar opposites exploit their mutual love of whales to find middle ground.

FINDING STAN THE MAN (97 pages)
Logline: A bloke suffering from post traumatic stress is persuaded by his best friend, an amateur stand-up comic, to head to the Queensland outback and search for the comic’s eccentric half-brother, as the condition of a will.

THREE FALSE ALARMS (96 pages)
Logline: The ambitious but accident-prone owner of a pest control company finds himself in the Australian outback while trying to solve the mystery behind a recurrent dream that may just save his business and marriage.

LANDLORD LARCENY (100 pages)
Logline: What are two young, successful real estate investors to do when the market takes a dive and five elderly tenants are suddenly dead? Desperate times call for wigs, aging make up and a little role playing.

All of the above are for a tent pole audience. Each screenplay is registered with WGA and the US Copyright Office.

Short Takes on Various 2010 Movies

2010-04-02T13:18:00.004+10:00

Cyrus - Apart from a few laugh out loud moments most of the humour is subtle and comes from the John Reilly character trying to come to terms with the awkward closeness between a mother and her adult son. The irony is that just as the son's dependence on his mother irks John, he can't see that his strong dependence on his ex-wife is very annoying to her fiance. When we discover that Cyrus believed John's story that he had panic attacks as a child we realize that Cyrus is not nearly as manipulative as he thinks he is, and is actually an immature, sheltered young man in dire need of a father figure. This is a non-Hollywood style film with a significant amount of suspense for a romcom.

Death - Considering the extreme limitations of the main location being a lift I thought this was film was reasonable. It was well acted and well directed. The problem is I didn't care about any of the characters who were trapped and didn't find what happened to them particularly scary. The three people you actually care about are not in the lift, being the detective who lost his family and turned to alcohol; the Latino security guard with tales his mother told him about the devil; and the mature aged security guard who was a nice guy able to joke with his colleagues.

Tangled - There's a spirited princess, her romantic interest who's a bit of a rougue, an extremely vain witch, a fiesty horse and a cute chameleon. Rapunzel's amazing hair is almost a character in its own right. But my favourites were the toughies in the tavern who eventually showed their true inner selves. It's both funny and action-packed.

Tomorrow, When the War Began - The action scenes and the explosions look fine. My problem is with the basic premise. The teenagers go away for a weekend and in that time a huge army of Asians has entrenched itself into, of all places, a country town. The acting is a bit patchy and some of the dialogue made me cringe. I haven't read the book so I don't know if that's where this dialogue originated. Now, this is the worst thing that's happened in the lives of these teenagers. Their lives are in great peril. Their parents are prisoners of war. They saw a prisoner shot for being impatient. Are their hormones really so overwhelming them that they are still concerned with chatting about budding sexual relationships at every opportunity! Except for the Lincoln Lewis character, that is, who's more protective of his dog than his girlfriend. It was a neat change to see a handsome hunk play the coward. I liked when the main character poignantly stared at a picture of Australian Aborigines during the European invasion.

The King's Speech - A completely absorbing story about a courageous, stuttering prince/king and his speech therapist Lionel Logue, the lovable Australian rogue. He's a rogue in the sense that he insists on being treated as an equal, calls this member of the royal family Bertie, has no qualms about sitting on thrones, encourages Bertie to swear, and insists on no smoking in his presence. Despite all this, the unlikely duo become life-long friends. There are exquisitely witty one-liners right throughout. As I struggle to find any fault with this film all I can come up with is that some of the historical facts are incorrect.

Leap Year - I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful Irish landscapes, even if they did take great poetic licence with locations and distances. And I liked that not every Irish person was portrayed as either sickly sweet or drunk. Matthew Goode, the male lead, was supplied with several witty one-liners and Amy Adams, the female lead, acted very well. The first kiss in a romcom should be memorable, and this one certainly is, but for the wrong reason as it's forced upon them when they pretend to be married. Instead of thinking by the end that they are meant for each other I believe most people are saying, "Like that's going to last! Getting engaged after three days to live in a village pub after what she's been used to. Pull the other one."

Gulliver's Travels - Don't expect this to be much like the original tale. It's a contemporary interpretation complete with modern day music references and even a giant transformer. The special effects I most enjoyed were the huge waves and the giant whirlpool in the Bermuda Triangle. The humour is juvenile and the kids in the audience laughed heartily, although the film started to peter out about three quarters through. As well as being with the Lilliputians Jack Black, who did a great job in this film, is also temporarily kept by a giant girl in her dolls' house. I was happy to see three of my favourite UK comedians as well (Billy Connolly, Chris O'Dowd and Catherine Tate) which is not surprising as it was filmed in the UK.

Green Zone - It must have been very frustrating for the soldiers to keep coming up empty handed for WMD everywhere they dug. Apparently if you're a Chief Warrant Officer played by Matt Damon you can pretty much go off and do whatever you want, despite orders from above. That must be where the "Chief" bit comes in. Apart from that I felt that the helicopter noise, people constantly yelling, swirling dust, etc seemed realistic of the day to day combat life in Iraq, especially since director Paul Greengrass began his career shooting documentaries in war zones.

The Rebound - The whole time I watched it I couldn't get by the fact that they'd cast parents who both tower over the male lead, Justin Bartha. I mean, how often does that happen in real life? It was watchable but, for a romcom, there wasn't much tension between the two protagonists. That is until the crunch comes and they're separated for five years until they bump into each other in a restaurant. The scene where the Catherine Zeta Jones character goes on a horrible date was surreal and not in tune with the rest of the fairly laid back film. Whether they reunite at the end is left up to the viewer to decide.

Edge of Darkness - I didn't really connect with the characters when the daughter died so early on. Plus there were two scenes which took me right out of the film. When the daughter is shot she flies back an amazing distance. Secondly when Melissa gets out of the car after talking with Craven she's immediately rammed on purpose by a fast moving car. How did the driver know the precise moment to speed by? Mel Gibson's acting was fine, with his trademark wide eyed expressions. Recently I saw "Summer City", his first ever film, and it was so noticeable that the years have been unkind to his face. If you like to watch a revengeful father killing person after person, and a ghostly daughter, then this is the film for you.

Red Hill - This modern day revenge western is set in the Australian outback. A newly relocated city cop has a first day on the job he'll never forget, because the townsfolk have a dirty secret and an escaped convict is on a mission. I get it that Jimmy, an Aboriginal tracker, has a competitive edge over many of the fearful townsfolk. My one criticism is that Jimmy is just too capable, almost with eyes in the back of his head, while some of the townsfolk miss numerous opportunities to shoot him in the back, and when they do shoot at him, their aim is abysmal. Many of the decisions made by the locals enhance Jimmy's ability to kill them, which frustrated me. I liked the inclusion of the panther, especially after the nasty top cop was scornful of their existence. The problem was it highlighted another poor decision made by the cops when they handcuffed the newbie to an object he easily lifted and escaped from. Overall it's well worth watching, with great acting and admirable directing.

Salt - Are we really meant to believe that Salt's near skeletal frame could cop such physical assault and keep going? Jumping from the top of fast moving vehicle to vehicle and messing with Presidential bodyguards has to really hurt! Can we accept that people indoctrinated as children can be called into duty decades later, without consistent follow up brainwashing as adults, and do as they are ordered? Nonetheless this film will please those who love action flicks; conspiracy theories (there's even a reference to a Lee Harvey Oswald Russian lookalike being JFK's killer); and Jolie's captivating face. For those who want to watch it twice, there are several differences between the director's cut and the theatrical release versions.

Jucy - It was so much fun watching the Brisbane premiere of this enjoyable comedy in the same crowd as the writer, producer, director, cast members and their friends and family! Two co-dependent women in their 20s decide they need to grow up and set some goals. The journey causes conflict, especially when one is given a bigger role than the other in an amateur production of "Jane Eyre", but true friendship wins out. Set and filmed in Brisbane it was also a hoot seeing such familiar landscape.

The Bounty Hunter - Had this film been the slightest bit funny I might have overlooked the fact that it's riddled with plot holes.

Inception - There were great special effects and I loved the buildings folding over on top of themselves. As the credits rolled I asked aloud, "What just happened?" and from the titters around me, I wasn't the only one wondering this. Here's a link to a great site which attempts to explain the storyline: http://wegotthiscovered.com/2010/07/20/dream-a-little-bigger-a-guide-to-understanding-inception/. As the author notes, however, "When it comes down to it there really is no way to figure out the film. No matter what explanation you come up with for the film there will always be evidence to contradict it." I subscribe to 12d, that Christopher Nolan was trying to mess with our minds.

Shutter Island - Don't read any more of this if you haven't yet seen it, except to know that there are clues that something's up right from the beginning. The other Marshall had trouble getting his gun out. Patients smiled at Edward like they already knew him. There was a lot of talk about Edward being violent and he had a band-aid on his forehead the whole time. He kept having bizarre dreams about very unpleasant events. There had to be a reason for the odd surnames which were actually anagrams. It would be ridiculous to perform lobotomies in a lighthouse that could only be reached during low tides, especially when there were many other buildings on the island. I thought the woman in the cave might be real, however, because she spoke with such conviction. She had a knife and there were numerous rats for her to eat. But as it turns out she was another figment of his ailing mind. It's certainly a film that keeps you guessing. And that dramatic music, especially at the beginning!

Get Him to the Greek - is a spin-off from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”(2008). Nicholas Stoller is the writer/director, with characters by Jason Segal. Russell Brand, as the rock artist legend Aldous Snow, is very crude but endearing at the same time, perhaps because he’s so easy on the eye. ”He’s rock music personified,” according to the poor Jonah Hill character, who lives to regret these words when he has to get him from London to LA in 72 hours. Hill’s in both films, but as two different characters. In GHTTG he’s the unfortunate record company assistant who has to get the very un-coperative Aldous to the LA Greek Theatre in time for a 10 year anniversary performance. Kristen Bell appears in an amusing cameo as Sarah Marshall, playing a blind doctor with a white cane in a TV show. The song lyrics are very risqué and way too much of the humour was based on drug and alcohol antics. Nonetheless there are some laugh out loud moments and there’s a unique feel to the film which I enjoyed. I liked the adrenaline overdose scenes and the “candy in the jar” scene at the airport.

Grown Ups - Judging by the audience reactions whenever the Rob Schneider character interacted with his much older wife (massaging her, tongue kissing her, etc) this movie could be called “Groan Ups”. In fact there were as many groans as laughs throughout this film. The Adam Sandler character rues the fact that his children play computer games instead of playing in the great outdoors. So he and his four besties from childhood teach all the kids fun games like rope jumping into a lake without checking the water’s depth or if there are submerged objects, and playing arrow roulette - that’s where you fire a sharp arrow into the air and run for your life, carrying pets, until someone gets speared through the foot. This happens twice. When the Kevin James character urinates in the pool at the water slide park and the water turns dark blue it’s funny. When all five of the grown ups do it, not so funny. Breastfeeding the 48 month old kid was amusing for a while, but it was definitely over-milked, as were boobs in general. I don’t know why the Schneider character needed two really hot daughters, as one would have been enough to contrast with his more homely daughter who was cruelly mocked, as was the older wife. A lot of what was said by the characters wasn’t light-hearted ribbing, but spiteful, heartless insults. All that stuff about pretending that the nanny was a student; it was plain stupid. And do kids really freak out about insect pests getting electrocuted? None that I know do.

Hot Tub Time Machine - I like the fact that most of it was set in the 80s snow-ski scene with all the crazy colourful outfits worn back then. But someone didn't do their homework properly and there were many things shown that weren't around yet in 1986. It's rated R for strong crude and sexual content, nudity, drug use and pervasive language. Add to this some projectile vomiting and a guy losing his arm in an accident. There were many funny bits but the audience I sat with while watching "The Hangover" found a lot more to laugh at than my fellow audience members at HTTM. And the scene where a lead female's having sex when her brother and son walk in, and it doesn't bother her, was in very poor taste.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - This Swedish thriller was called "Män som hatar kvinnor" ("Men who Hate Women") in its earlier European release, and that title certainly describes it well. I thought a tiny tattoo on the female protagonist's neck was the dragon in question until I saw the gigantic dragon on her back. This young, emotionally scarred hacker is treated abysmally by men except for a journalist who's been framed and a fellow hacker called Plague. Although long and a touch slow in the beginning this subtitled film definitely picks up pace. I really enjoyed it but I didn't find it nearly as terrifying as described elsewhere. In fact once the journalist and hacker teamed up I sensed everything would work out just fine. The Swedish locations were a pleasant change and the pale blue eyes of many of the Swedish actors are enchantingly beautiful.

Alice in Wonderland - This film is as visually beautiful as anticipated. It starts off very strongly with the insufferable, but hilarious, English Lord proposing to Alice, followed by her lengthy fall down a hole to Underland, as it's called by the locals. Watch as Johnny Depp's accent and eye colour change with his mood. The war between the two Queens with animal-back travel between the two enemy strongholds is reminiscent of The Chronicles of Narnia. Alice's frequent shrinking and growing became a bit tiresome for me. Children should enjoy it but there's not much there for adults, apart from the interesting visuals. The women's lib stuff when she returns home, while sending a worthwhile message, is totally implausible for the Victorian England setting.

Short Screenplay Credits

2010-03-23T13:00:00.001+10:00

2011 - "Pluripotent" - a 15 page speculative thriller for co-production with Little Studio Films, Los Angeles.
2011 - "Zedic and the Crimson Born" - a nine page sci fi script written for Dan O'Connor (Danobuzz), New York.
2010 - "Mercy" - production script consultant for a 20 page dramatic script for Spring Media Productions, London.
2010 - "Key to the Ocean" - an 18 page action script written for Liveproductions, Pittsburgh.
2010 - "Surrogate Gran" - a nine page speculative dramatic script acquired by New Image Entertainment, Los Angeles.
2009 - "66" - a six page thriller script written for Central Station Media, San Diego.
2009 - "Their Blood is on Your Hands" - a 16 page dramatic Christian script written for Spring Media Productions, London.

Females Can Direct Very Well Too!

2010-03-11T20:33:00.000+10:00

Huge congratulations to Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman to clinch the best director's award in the history of the Oscars. Another glass ceiling smashed to smithereens! According to Kathryn, re "The Hurt Locker":

I am one of those firm believers that the material is everything, that you can't compensate for material that's not there. I was so incredibly lucky that I had a phenomenal screenplay. Mark [Boal] is an extraordinary writer. To have the writer on the set every day is phenomenal. I love it! I think that filmmaking is a real collaboration anyway. But to have the writer, the person there who originated the material, as you're shooting is a profound resource and a great gift.

Revolutionary 3D cameras come to Queensland.

2010-01-18T09:11:00.000+10:00

James Cameron's coming to Queensland soon because he's executive producing the psychological thriller "Sanctum" which is being filmed with 3D cameras. The underwater shoots are on the Gold Coast. Check out director Alister Grierson's short film "Bomb" on youtube. Very funny.

Feature Length Screenplay Credits

2009-11-22T12:44:00.000+10:00

2009 - "The Faith of Nana Kwame" - Christianity based drama written for Spring Media Productions, London.

Feature Length Thriller Scripts Available

2009-11-09T08:45:00.002+10:00

PLURIPOTENT (101 pages) NO LONGER AVAILABLE
Logline:
A doctor's guilt over a car accident compels him to kidnap a young woman and use her ova as a source of embryonic stem cells to inject into his paralyzed brother. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1872141/ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pluripotent/108484102567928?ref=ts

REMOTE VIEW (100 pages)
Logline:
A brilliant young physicist persuades a depressed psychic, with uncanny remote viewing ability, to help her find who's responsible for her stolen thesis which is based on a discovery so powerful it could affect the future of mankind.

* NB All scripts are registered with WGA.

Short Takes on Various 2009 Movies

2009-10-18T22:59:00.001+10:00

Knowing - This is sci-fi mixed with theology. The lead role is an agnostic scientist with a father who's a pastor. Whether the whisper people are aliens or angels is left for the audience to decide. Scientists will probably identify them as aliens since they seem to be an alien life form that travels space on a crystal-like spacecraft. Religious people will probably see them as angels, due to their close resemblance to visions and prophecies that are described in religious texts. Near the end when the whisper people are lifted aboard their vehicle I noticed they appear to have wings.

Mary and Max - This wonderful clay animation was made by Australian Adam Elliot who won an Oscar in 2003 for his short film "Harvie Krumpet", the hero of which has Tourette's Syndrome. This quirky feature length deals with Asperger's Syndrome, loneliness, friendship and forgiveness. It took five years to make. Max is based on Elliot's own Jewish-atheist-Asperger's-overeating New York pen pal. He likes chocolate hotdogs while Mary prefers condensed milk. Throughout the story the two friends unintentionally disturb each other over a 20 year period and their falling out almost results in Mary's suicide. There is abundant humour but this tale is too dark for children. Two small errors are the wig worn by the NY judge and the "nil by mouth" sign in the hospital.

A Serious Man - The Coen brothers don't adhere to the Hollywood formula, especially with their endings, and good on them for not having to. Numerous bad things happen to a decent guy and he yearns to find out why. He has to accept that for many questions there is just no answer and sometimes, if you wait long enough, problems dissipate. For me this dark comedy was an insight into Jewish culture and generated some laugh out loud moments.

The Joneses - As in keeping up with the Joneses. It's quite sad what happens to the neighbour who goes into debt trying to keep up. This is a romantic comedy with a very unusual premise. It involves four stealth marketers posing as a family unit to coerce the unsuspecting community into buying a wide array of products when the pretend parents fall in love. The suspense is in waiting for their cover to be blown, which it eventually is. Worth seeing for its originality.

Paper Man - Elements in this film reminded me of "Juno". They are both dramedies with an unconventional, quirky, teenage girl and there were similarities in the soundtrack. I didn't see the twist coming because I thought her imaginary friend was just another weird character. It's certainly not mainstream, as evidenced by the box office results. Those who like Ryan Reynolds will enjoy seeing him in a tight superhero outfit. I found the fish filleting scene the funniest.

It's Complicated - This very amusing, adult film had me changing my mind constantly as to whom the Meryl Streep character would end up with. John Krasinski as the future son-in-law was brilliant. My only criticisms are that it was a touch too long at 120 minutes and the reactions of the three adult children seemed over the top at times.

After.Life - This thriller keeps you guessing right throughout and Liam Neeson, as the funeral director, seems too caring to be a killer. In retrospect, however, there are numerous clues that the young woman is still alive, including her goose bumps. The young boy (whose mother is alive but dead inside) is his student. The viewer is left to question what it really means to be alive. Notice the saturation of the apt colour red (negligee, lipstick, car, etc).

A Single Man - A very touching performance by Colin Firth. The depth of the love he felt for his younger male partner was palpable. An interesting technique was the colour saturation used when the main character had moments of clarity, such as looking up close at beautiful eyes, flowers, and a little girl's blue dress. Watching this was the first time I heard the expression "light in his loafers", indicating a gay man. This is a slow, rewarding drama.

The Time Traveler's Wife - This is a romantic drama in which the two lovers are frequently separated for a very unusual reason. The characters were portrayed very well with no overly dramatic acting. I genuinely believed in the strong love of all the family members and I detected no plot holes in this rather complex tale. Eric Bana has a great body and you see it often!

Observe and Report - Seth Rogen plays a very unlikeable, self-obsessed security officer who's always wanted to be a cop. He has mental illness, an alcoholic mother who screwed his high school friends, and a runaway father. But he does have some redeeming features. It's a dark comedy and I laughed many times throughout it even though the flasher joke was way overdone. I can understand why some people found it a little depressing.

Avatar - A visual feast and I'll be keeping my glasses handy for all the 3D movies to follow. I noticed all the same goofs as those listed on imdb, but there are two not mentioned yet. One is when the chief gets impaled by timber and there's no blood. The second is when the humans get their packing orders and none of them wear masks. I liked the nectar-licking six legged "horses" and I'd love my own live flying creature. Most of the plot and several of the animal noises ("dinosaur" sounds) were very, very familiar.

Law Abiding Citizen - A movie which initially causes you to sway back and forth in your opinion as to which lead role is the protagonist and which is the antagonist, until the Hollywood formula ending makes the opinion of the filmmakers clear. Very enjoyable and suspenseful and a good comment on the US legal system. You need to check reality at the door, however, when it's revealed how Clyde is orchestrating his deeds once he's locked up. Pay close attention to the female judge and get ready to jump out of your seat.

2012 - There's lots of fun to be had watching it on an IMAX screen if you're into disaster movies and tidal waves (which I am!). I liked the CGI and the survival plan. Corny, cliched "separated parents reunited by tragedy" storyline, however, and way too many "just in the very nick of time" events for my taste. An enjoyable ride nonetheless.

Samson and Delilah - This film moves at a very slow pace, but for a good reason. It's to emphasize the extremely tedious life of the main characters who are Aboriginal teenagers in a grimy outback town. There's much petrol and glue sniffing by Samson in his attempt to escape his ennui. It's the sort of movie, however, which stays with you long after the credits have left the screen.

Inglourious Basterds - What a juicy role for Christopher Waltz who played so well the evil, intelligent, sociopath Col. Hans Landa! And I was happy that he picked up on the fact that the "basterds" were not native German speakers. I've always had a problem with this in war movies, as it's SO easy to tell when a non-native speaker of any language has even the slightest trace of an accent.

An Education - There were several moments of intrigue which I enjoyed. The protagonist didn't act like any 16 year old I've ever met, however, and back in 1961 suburban girls her age would have been far less worldly than they are now. The actor certainly doesn't look 16 either. In fact Carey Mulligan is 24.

Surrogates - There'd be definite pros and cons to having a surrogate robot out and about while you laid flat on your back at home. But as if there aren't enough overweight, unfit, unhealthy bodies around already! Plus being one of those feral humans didn't look like much fun either. Hmm. I'm glad it's not a decision I have to make.

Funny People - That Eric Bana! Finally someone who can do an Aussie accent well! Even Meryl Streep couldn't fully nail it. (Just kidding - I was at some of Eric's early-career stand-up comedy gigs in Brisbane eons ago. He's versatile with a capital V). Watch out for the peanut butter joke too.

Year One - The comedy is very unsophisticated and the storyline plain stupid, but most people will still get quite a few laughs. I wouldn't recommend it to someone I was trying to impress with my "very mature" taste in movies however. Light-hearted escapism.

The Hangover - Absolutely hilarious all the way through! The storyline moves backwards as the bachelor party guys in Vegas learn more and more of the unfortunate incidents that occurred throughout the night. And there were certainly plenty of them, including loads of original ideas. Loved it!

Bride Wars - If you watch this with your fiance and it doesn't turn him off having a formal wedding then probably nothing will! It's a light-hearted way of showing women at their worst, albeit that eventually the two brides mature and make-up with each other.

Charlie and Boots - It had the biggest opening weekend of any Australian film this year. I'd describe it as a travelogue dramedy. For me the funniest part was them swerving to miss the animal on the road - can't say which animal 'cause it'd ruin the joke.

Chris Lilley is a sensational talent

2009-10-03T14:58:00.000+10:00

Australia's brilliant satirist (writer/performer) Chris Lilley has signed with America's HBO network for a 12 part co-production with the ABC. It's called "Angry Boys". Apparently it’s the first time the ABC has entered into a co-production with HBO, known for its edgy comedy co-productions with the BBC.

More Quotes!

2009-10-02T09:38:00.001+10:00

"To make a great film you need three things - the script, the script and the script." Alfred Hitchcock.

“There is no single person, entity, organization, institution, or power in our society today that even comes close to rivaling the power of film and television to shape our faith, values, and behaviour…” Brian Stone.

"One's prime is elusive. You must be on the alert to recognize your prime, at whatever time of your life it occurs." Muriel Spark (Scottish author of "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie").

The Observant Writer

2009-10-01T21:39:00.000+10:00

The great advantage of being a writer is that you can spy on people. You're there, listening to every word, but part of you is observing. Everything is useful to a writer, you see -- every scrap, even the longest and most boring of luncheon parties.
Graham Greene (English novelist, 1904-1991)

Quote by Sumner Redstone (National Amusements) 2007

2009-09-16T21:17:00.000+10:00

"... it is not the talent that makes the movie, it is the script. The plays the thing, as someone once said. And if you have a great script, the talent rushes to appear in it ..."

The Dawn Treader

2009-09-09T08:37:00.000+10:00

On Monday I went to Cleveland Point on Brisbane's east coast to view the film shoot of the dragon boat, Dawn Treader, which was built for the third "Chronicles of Narnia" film. Using binoculars I saw a tall horned bull creature aboard the rocking vessel as "Land ahoy!" was shouted. It was quite breezy so someone had to keep combing the bull's fur in place. I hope I'm not giving away a major plot spoiler and I'll be keen to look out for that scene in the final product. It's rare for an international blockbuster to have scenes shot in Brisbane. The boat was transported on 35 trucks before assembly. There are 18 tonnes of elaborate hydraulics fixed underneath it so it can rock and turn. It's never actually in water.

Screenplay Competition Results

2009-07-25T14:50:00.000+10:00

2008 was the year I decided to try my luck by entering various scripts into scriptwriting competitions. Here are the results:
Winner in The Moondance Film Festival TV Episodic Division;
Finalist in The Writers Place Scriptwriting Competition (comedy division);
Finalist in the Paranoia Horror and Sci-Fi Competition;
Semi-finalist in the LA Screenplay Festival (comedy division).

Our strict emphasis (is) on absolute top quality films and scripts. To say you've won Moondance is to have doors open for you that may otherwise remain closed. Producers and agents know that a Moondance film or script is always going to be the best of the best - Elizabeth English, Moondance Film Festival founder in 2007.

2009-07-25T14:42:00.000+10:00

http://www.moviebytes.com/ws/interviews.cfm?InterviewID=421&ContestNumber=282

MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Karen Buckton

An interview with screenwriter Karen Buckton regarding the Moondance Writing Competition.

Q: What's the title of the script you entered in this contest, and what's it about?

A: "Green is Good" is the name of a fictional environmental protection organization whose CEO cares more about image and making money than protecting the environment. It's a workplace sitcom with several external locations due to field trips. The name of the pilot episode I entered is "Bigfoot". Two research scientists work on a project to reduce the number of annoying houseflies in the world. Kazza breeds flies with extra large feet so they'll stick more readily to flypaper. Trent creates a super sticky glue for use on the flypaper. Other episodes are about more attractive animals and plants, human genetics, climatology, etc.

Q: What made you enter this particular contest? Have you entered any other contests with this script? If so, how did you do?

A: I started entering competitions only this year. I entered Moondance because of the many different categories it offers and I won the episodic TV category. Also I was a finalist with the same "Bigfoot" script in The Writers Place Screenwriting Competition.

Q: Were you satisfied with the adminstration of the contest? Did they meet their deadlines? Did you receive all the awards that were promised?

A: I was very happy with the administration. The results came out ahead of deadline. It's too soon to tell about the promised awards.

Q: Were you given any feedback on your script? If so, did you find the feedback helpful?

A: I didn't request feedback.

Q: Has your success in this contest helped you market your script? Were you contacted by any agents, managers or producers?

A: Not yet, but my fingers are crossed big-time!

Q: What's your background? Have you written any other screenplays or television scripts?

A: I am a scientist so I'm writing about what I know in the "Green is Good" scripts - and if I don't know I look it up on the net. Apart from the many sitcom formats I've written, I have also completed four feature length versions with the same characters, locations etc. I love writing comedy and I was an amateur stand-up comic for several years - mainly just to get a feel for what works - talk about instant feedback! You develop a tough skin.

Q: Do you live in Los Angeles? If not, do you have any plans to move there?

A: I live in Queensland, Australia, but I'd love to spend some time in LA.

Q: What's next? Are you working on a new script?

A: I'll keep plugging away with the "Green is Good" scripts because the ideas keep flowing and the environment provides massive scope for story lines. I started work on an historical drama but the comedy kept creeping in. I've decided that writing comedy is who I am and what gives me the greatest joy as a writer.