script review Tagged Articles at Cinematical

If you came of age in the '80s then chances are you remember V. Back in April, news began to spread that a feature film version was in the works, and creator Kenneth Johnson later confirmed that he was eying a big-screen debut for the legendary sci-fi title. Now, Latino Review claims to have gotten an early look at the script -- but I warn you there are plenty of spoilers in the review, so tread lightly.

According to LR, the script is an update of the original miniseries that aired back in 1983. V: The Original Miniseries centered on the arrival of aliens (or as they're better known, Visitors) and when an uneasy truce is struck between humanity and the new arrivals, it begins to become clear that our alien friends are not what they seem -- and, as it turns out, the only place for humans to turn is to another alien race who can bail out the planet earth from the 'lizard' invasion.

The original story was seen as a commentary on the rise of Fascism in the U.S as well an allegory for the rise of Nazis. But it looks like the script will be modernizing the story with allusions to Iraq and the War on Terror. According to the early review, the flick is a hybrid of V for Vendetta and Independence Day. But more importantly (at least from the point of view of Hollywood studios), is that the script has set the story up for two more sequels.

It is always a dangerous proposition to try and update something so beloved by fans, but at least this time the original creator is going to have something to do with it. Sound off below and tell me whether or not you want to see V on the big screen?

Now that you're eagerly counting down the seconds before being able to finally check out the final installment in the Rocky franchise, why not start building up hype for Sylvester Stallone's second trip down memory lane -- Rambo 4: Pearl of the Cobra. (Can I just say now that the title is so friggin' stuck in the 80s, I absolutely love it!) I'm not sure how they do it or who they're sleeping with, but the folks over at Latino Review managed to get their hands on the latest draft (dated 11/06/06) of Rambo 4, and have been nice enough to post their review of it.

Here's what we already know about Rambo 4: During a humanitarian aid delivery, Rambo is recruited to protect a bunch of Christian human rights missionaries from a group of pirates who are up to no good. However, when Burmese soldiers (apparently these guys are pretty sick puppies) take hostages, Rambo is called back into action, as he must assemble a team of mercenaries to rescue those in captivity. Latino Review gives the script a B+ and only spoils the first half of the film for us -- and yes, that means there are spoilers included within. You've been warned. According to them, the second half "is all pure vintage Rambo that we know and love as he lays the smackdown with his .50 cal ordinance to the sadistic Burmese army." They also describe the script as "extremely violent and gory," however Stallone himself has gone on record saying that it all serves the plot and accurately reflects the reality of the region.

It sounds pretty rad, and quite a departure from the extremely tame Rocky finale. Rambo 4: Pearl of the Cobra is set to arrive in theaters in early 2008.

Those sly little devils over at Latino Review have gotten their hands on the Hitman script and, according to them, it looks very cool. Based on the popular video game (which I have, but never played), story focuses on an international assassin dubbed Agent 47 who, from what I understand, makes ass-kicking look extremely cool and sophisticated. We already know Vin Diesel has signed on to play Agent 47 and that Skip Woods (Swordfish) is penning the script, but will it be any good?

According to Latino Review, "Hitman stands on its own merits as a testosterone laced action packed thriller while being faithful to its video game origins. You don't even have to be a fan of the games to dig this." The review itself is fairly light on spoilers (for fear the studio will want to kick some ass of its own), though there is a small plot synopsis, a mildly detailed description of the opening scene and some stuff on the weapons featured -- which I imagine will be important to those who love the video game. Enjoy.

One of the downsides to writing for a movie news website is that you need to be on top of the latest everything. When I was younger and would hear about a really cool-sounding film, I would immediately shut off my ears from any further info. I loved being surprised. Now, there is no surprise. Most likely, I know entire plots before the film even begins shooting. However, it's a small price  to pay -- I love what I do.

In saying all that, a script review (based off Doug Richardson's revision of Mark Bomback's draft) for Die Hard 4.0 has popped up over on AICN and, if the draft Merrick read is current, the movie appears to be quite epic. Look, I love Die Hard (specifically parts 1 and 3). And it really was hard for me to read the entire review because, well, part of me wants to be surprised. In the end, I caved. I ruin films. That's my job. Hehe. Since the recent news that vampire director Les Wiseman has been tapped to direct Die Hard's fourth installment, everyone has John McClane on the brain. While we knew the plot had something to do with an internet terrorist ring, this review goes into a lot more detail. Without giving up too much (Warning: Depending on how wimpy you are, the following might contain spoilers), Bruce Willis' sidekick in the film will indeed be his son. His computer hacking thief of a son, that is. I shouldn't really say anymore -- cough -- end of the world computer virus and government conspiracies find father and son on the run and trying to save the day at the same time. Damn it! I need to restrain myself more. Sorry. Die Hard 4.0 could begin shooting as early as this September. Yippekayay!

You know, I love all the back and forth going on between the internet and Michael Bay right now. As fans furiously try to crack into his Transformers vault, the man fires back with, what amounts to, a bunch of typical Michael Bay nonsense. His latest tale came via Bay's own website in which he claimed that the names of characters in the Transformers script were all aliases. The bizarre message left most us (including Mark) dumbfounded. Why in the world would that be important enough to announce?

Well folks, we may have finally found an answer. Those evil masterminds over at Latino Review have gotten their sneaky little hands on a version of the Transformers script. As always, we're not positive this is the final shooting draft, but all signs point to it being pretty damn close. Could Michael Bay have known that the script was out there, traveling through mysterious hands? Perhaps, sensing it was only a matter of time before we all knew the precious plot behind Transformers, he pre-emptively struck first? Whatever the case may be, I'm dying to see what will come out of his mouth now that we know EVERYTHING! Bwahahahaha!

I'm not going to get into specific plot details as I don't want to spoil the film for you. I will tell you that Latino Review gave the script an A+, saying it "rocks" and calling the story "dope". The review itself is pretty tame. It doesn't give us plot point by plot point, but it does give away the main story, as well as all the characters involved. Ooohh, I wonder what Megatron and Optimus Prime are aliases for? Do tell us Mr. Bay.

These days, whenever a studio says a film's plot is being kept hush-hush, under lock and key, and with a big, burly bodyguard standing watch, it's even more of a reason for "the internet" to uncover the truth. That being said, the folks over at Latino Review got their hands on a draft of Ocean's 13 and essentially let the fat cat out of the bag.

For those of you extremely out of the loop, George Clooney and his band of merry A-listers are returning for yet another fancy, good-looking heist sequel ... only this time without Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Recently, it was announced that Al Pacino will play a casino owner in 13 alongside another new addition in Ellen Barkin. Oh, and how can we forget those Ali G rumors too.

Without giving away too much of the plot (you'll have to travel to Latino Review for that), the gang is back in Vegas and up to their old tricks again. According to the script review, with words like 'cool,' 'fun' and 'light-hearted,' the film looks very promising. Just so you're warned, it carries tons of major spoilers, so if you're not interested in finding out who gets naked first, then I suggest waiting until the film hits in summer of 2007.

[via JoBlo]

I usually decide how I'll watch a film long before it hits the theaters. For example, 'Rocky Balboa', to me, feels like a pay per view rental. Perhaps, depending on the buzz, I may upgrade it to a Blockbuster rental (Yes, I am the only soul living on this planet who still rents films from Blockbuster) should I feel it deserves a walk to the store.

In saying that, a small script review for 'Rocky Balboa' showed up online via an AICN reader and, from what I've read thus far, this puppy appears to be heading straight for pay per view, if not cable. The actual review doesn't give away too much, aside from a rant on Sylvester Stallone's horrible grammar and vocabulary skills, however it does provide us with the basic plot. OK, here's where I'll shine my "Beware of SPOILERS" sign ...

One of the questions on my mind, story-wise, was why 'Rocky Balboa' is coming out of retirement to fight again? Well, without reciting the entire review, how about I just share this part with you: "Meanwhile, the rocket scientists at ESPN have designed a computer program that pits current fighters against the classics. After using CGI to pit Mason Dixon against the Philly slugger, 'analysts' realize they have a great fight on their hands." See, if Rocky would have decided to step back into the ring after producing a failed reality show ... wait, that is what happened. Nevermind. CGI rocks!

About a  month ago, we reported that There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson's long-simmering, loose adaptation of Upton Sinclair's Oil! had finally secured both financing and a star (Daniel Day-Lewis). Anderson's screenplay for the film apparently celebrated the news by making a run for it, only to be captured by El Chavo, one of Latino Review's myriad of informers - and he's very happy indeed to have made the screenplay's acquaintance.

According to Mr. Chavo, this screenplay is the greatest thing since sliced bread, possibly even surpassing it. It's like nothing he's ever read before, a sure-fire best screenplay winner, and "so simple that to explain it is to be lost in its complexities." Yikes. That sort of overblown rhetoric actually really worries me, but the man is awfully excited, so maybe we should cut him a break. Disappointingly, there's not a lot of detail about the screenplay mixed in with the raving, but we do get about a paragraph of summary. Essentially, the story boils down to a confrontation between Daniel (Day-Lewis, conveniently), an oil prospector, and Eli Sunday, a young evangelical preacher. According to El Chavo, "The truths of this story...revolve around man's eventual need to address the widening gap between reality and superstition."

While that sounds thoughtful and potentially fascinating, it also doesn't sound like something that Hollywood likes (unless, that is, it's accompanied by Al Pacino over-acting and someone playing the devil). However, PTA supposedly already has $25 million to make the film, and production is slated to begin this spring, so maybe it doesn't matter how anti-megaplex his screenplay is.

[via JoBlo]

It's here, Bond fans: the first leak of a full Casino Royale script. Depending on who you talk to, it's either "a fantastic read and quite the origin story" or "written by someone who has little or no understanding of the enduring appeal of the Ian Fleming novels, and no respect for Casino Royale." So there's room here for everyone - whatever your expectations/desires for the movie, you'll be able to make yourself happy. The folks at Latino Review were really impressed by Paul Haggis' revision of the screenplay, particularly the exposition scenes involving the (STILL NOT CAST!) Vesper Lynd. Over at AICN, however, reading the review left Moriarty with a single request for Haggis: "Please stop. Please. I’ll do anything you ask. Just stop." Yikes. Bitter much?

A few, judgment free points from the review itself: as we expected, the story has been updated, and is no longer set during the Cold War. And yes, the carpet-beater scene is included. Is that good news?

As always with a script review, click the link below with caution: major spoilers lurk.

[via Dark Horizons]

The gents at Latino Review (who, given how many screenplays they have access to, are either incredibly well-connected or very skilled thieves) have gotten their hands on yet another script, and have once again seen fit to share their reactions with the rest of us. The movie this time is Creature from the Black Lagoon, a remake not of the similarly-named, much mocked/loved 1980 Brooke Shields feature, but rather of the "monster classic" from 1954. Sadly, if Latino Review's take is anything to go on, it's so bad that it's not worth even making.

After listing the various ingredients required for such a film (including, among other elements, "1 couple including the heroine and her rather feminine husband," "1 blimp," and "1 bigger bad-ass science vessel that intercepts saving the couple from a day of mosquitoes, monkey screams and day-old carne asada,"), the reviewer recommends a rather extreme mixing procedure: "Mix until desired consistency, place batter in toilet, flush several times and sojourn to the living room...and pop in the DVD for Batman Begins and forget you ever heard of such a concept."

Man. And you guys think we're mean.

[via Dark Horizons]