Learn how to write a screenplay through detailed analysis of feature films.
It would be wrong to label Risky Business as just another teen sex comedy. It’s much more than the best that genre has to offer. It’s the yin to The Graduate’s yang. It’s an ideal precursor to Oliver Stone’s Wall Street. At it’s core, it’s a slick satire about guilt, greed and lust. With hindsight in their favor, some call it social commentary on the Reagan Revolution. Above all else, it will go down in history as the film that launched Tom Cruise, and that’s a shame…it has a lot more to offer.
With this one we sort of figured, you know, if things become a little bit too complicated or unclear, it really doesn’t matter. I mean, the plot is kind of not the…and again, this is similar to Chandler: The plot is sort of secondary to the other things that are sort of going on in the piece. I think that if people get a little confused it’s not necessarily going to get in the way of them enjoying the movie. 1
~Joel Coen on The Big Lebowski
Zombieland is a fun, fast-paced, kick-ass, zombie movie. It clocks in at roughly 83 minutes, delivering eye-popping visuals with a tight, economical story to boot. It’s a great screenplay for the aspiring screenwriter to study. While the voice-overs are entertaining, and in a sense, help define the style, they are completely unnecessary. The protagonist tells the audience his exact feelings — on-the-nose dialogue — at crucial beats. In the world of story, there’s a little rule — show don’t tell — but then again, some rules are made to be broken.
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