“25 words or less” – Tired of always being the 25th wheel at holidays, a single guy from a devout Catholic family decides to invite a Jewish girl to Christmas
Full Summary:
Mark Altieri has grown tired of constantly being the 25th wheel at family holiday gatherings. Coming from a big Italian family, he has a number of siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins and everyone has a significant other…everyone except for Mark. Mark’s lack of a girlfriend typically causes problems at these holiday get-togethers - he’s forced to play automatic quarterback during the traditional football game in order to keep the teams even, he’s left out of the “couples-only” board game competition, he sits at the kids table for dinner and he is even forced to give up his bedroom and sleep on a cot in the basement.
After a particularly challenging Thanksgiving for him, Mark vows to win back his bedroom by taking a girl home to his parents’ house for Christmas. But who will he take? Recognizing that Christmas is right around the corner and understanding the difficulties with finding a girl that will be available to spend the holiday with him on such short notice, Mark discusses options and prospects with his best friend and co-worker, Jacob. Mark learns from his Jewish friend that Chanukah ends days before Christmas which gives him a revelation – a Jewish girl would be free from family obligations during Christmas.
So, with Jacob in toe, Mark heads out to find the perfect Jewish girl to invite to Christmas. In an effort to increase his odds of finding someone, he stakes out all the stereotypical places – synagogues, bagel shops, delis, even Murray Hill – but has no luck until he notices the Jewish girl of his dreams, Sarah, on his way to work. After following her into the local Starbucks for several days in a row, Mark finally builds up the nerve to talk to Sarah and, after some small talk, asks her out on a date which she accepts. At the end of their first date, Mark makes the bold move and asks her to accompany him to his family’s home for Christmas weekend; caught off-guard she reluctantly agrees after he makes an impassioned plea.
However there is a huge obstacle standing in the way of Mark and Sarah’s budding relationship – his family. Mark’s parents and grandparents are adamant that everyone in the family only date Catholics, preferably Italian Catholics, so Mark tries his best to hide the fact that Sarah is Jewish. But once the truth comes out during Christmas Eve, Mark’s family vocalizes its’ opposition to the point that it straddles the line of pro-Catholicism and anti-Semitism. Even faced with the open hostility, Sarah decides to remain with the family through Christmas for Mark’s sake as he pleads with his family to give her a chance.
This leads to the following questions that will be answered by the end of the weekend: Can Sarah change the family’s perception? Will the family come around and finally accept her?
Sarah's First Christmas Screenplay
Monday, October 25, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
"Bullied"
“25 words or less” – A suicidal teen plotting a high school massacre has a change of heart when a caring teacher takes an interest in his artistic talent
Full Summary:
Nathan Simpson, a scrawny nerdy-looking teenager with glasses and a bad haircut, is awkward. He spends each morning staring into his bathroom mirror before school, telling himself that “today is the day that he will get a girlfriend. Today is the day that he won’t get made fun of.” Not a day goes by when the high school junior doesn’t get picked on. Made fun of by both boys and girls alike, and his overbearing dad at home, Nathan has no place to hide from the cruelty of the world around him.
Tired of living like that, Nathan decides to take his own life so he goes home after another day of insults at school, ties a rope around a tree branch in the backyard, the noose around his neck, and tries to hang himself. As he struggles, the tree branch breaks under the stress of Nathan’s weight and he falls to the ground alive.
Hiding the real reason for his neck wound the next day at breakfast, he tells his parents that he got into a fight. His dad’s advice? “If someone is messing with you, fight back!” These dangerous words immediately change Nathan’s behavior when he decides to heed his father’s advice and not take the torment anymore. No longer a sweet, naïve kid; Nathan turns into a brooding figure hellbent on getting revenge against all the other students that have done him wrong.
It first starts with graphic drawings of macabre violence during class – the high school blowing up with a fireball rising above, a teenager shooting up a classroom full of students and other assorted pictures. These drawings soon lead to something more sinister as Nathan begins researching the Columbine shooting and how to build a bomb on the internet. One night he begins to set his “payback” plan into motion and buys guns through Craigslist. That payback plan is to massacre his fellow students during the upcoming school dance.
On the night of the dance, Nathan’s mother is ecstatic to see that her son is actually going to participate in a social school event. But Nathan only has one thing on his mind – revenge. When he gets to school that night, he immediately goes to the bathroom and prepares for his final act. With two handguns stuck in his waistband, Nathan walks down the long hallway towards the gymnasium filled with dancing students.
Just as Nathan reaches out for the door handle to enter the gym, one of his teachers, Mr. Walden, walks out and greets him. The teacher leads him to his classroom and confronts him with his notebook filled with graphic, violent drawings which Nathan had dropped the previous day. Mr. Walden struggles with whether or not he should report him to the authorities before he does something destructive, but in the end, recognizing his artistic talent, he gets Nathan to sign up for a special arts program being held at the local community college with the promise that he stops drawing violent images and gets his life together.
In the arts program, Nathan finally finds a purpose in life and begins to use his creative outlet for good. Even better, he meets a pretty girl in the program who offers to become his partner on art projects. Bridget immediately takes an interest in Nathan and he takes an interest in her as well. One day during class she asks him out on his first date. That Saturday night they go to an art gallery where they both have their first kiss in the middle of the exhibit. It turns out that Saturday is the day that Nathan finally gets a girlfriend.
Bullied Screenplay
Full Summary:
Nathan Simpson, a scrawny nerdy-looking teenager with glasses and a bad haircut, is awkward. He spends each morning staring into his bathroom mirror before school, telling himself that “today is the day that he will get a girlfriend. Today is the day that he won’t get made fun of.” Not a day goes by when the high school junior doesn’t get picked on. Made fun of by both boys and girls alike, and his overbearing dad at home, Nathan has no place to hide from the cruelty of the world around him.
Tired of living like that, Nathan decides to take his own life so he goes home after another day of insults at school, ties a rope around a tree branch in the backyard, the noose around his neck, and tries to hang himself. As he struggles, the tree branch breaks under the stress of Nathan’s weight and he falls to the ground alive.
Hiding the real reason for his neck wound the next day at breakfast, he tells his parents that he got into a fight. His dad’s advice? “If someone is messing with you, fight back!” These dangerous words immediately change Nathan’s behavior when he decides to heed his father’s advice and not take the torment anymore. No longer a sweet, naïve kid; Nathan turns into a brooding figure hellbent on getting revenge against all the other students that have done him wrong.
It first starts with graphic drawings of macabre violence during class – the high school blowing up with a fireball rising above, a teenager shooting up a classroom full of students and other assorted pictures. These drawings soon lead to something more sinister as Nathan begins researching the Columbine shooting and how to build a bomb on the internet. One night he begins to set his “payback” plan into motion and buys guns through Craigslist. That payback plan is to massacre his fellow students during the upcoming school dance.
On the night of the dance, Nathan’s mother is ecstatic to see that her son is actually going to participate in a social school event. But Nathan only has one thing on his mind – revenge. When he gets to school that night, he immediately goes to the bathroom and prepares for his final act. With two handguns stuck in his waistband, Nathan walks down the long hallway towards the gymnasium filled with dancing students.
Just as Nathan reaches out for the door handle to enter the gym, one of his teachers, Mr. Walden, walks out and greets him. The teacher leads him to his classroom and confronts him with his notebook filled with graphic, violent drawings which Nathan had dropped the previous day. Mr. Walden struggles with whether or not he should report him to the authorities before he does something destructive, but in the end, recognizing his artistic talent, he gets Nathan to sign up for a special arts program being held at the local community college with the promise that he stops drawing violent images and gets his life together.
In the arts program, Nathan finally finds a purpose in life and begins to use his creative outlet for good. Even better, he meets a pretty girl in the program who offers to become his partner on art projects. Bridget immediately takes an interest in Nathan and he takes an interest in her as well. One day during class she asks him out on his first date. That Saturday night they go to an art gallery where they both have their first kiss in the middle of the exhibit. It turns out that Saturday is the day that Nathan finally gets a girlfriend.
Bullied Screenplay
Sunday, May 23, 2010
"Spring Break"
Tagline – “A Spring Break They’ll Never Forget”
“25 words or less” – A Mexican Drug Cartel kidnaps a beautiful college girl on Spring Break in Cancun and attempts to sell her into slavery with a rival cartel
Full summary:
Amanda Beckett, a beautiful blonde college student from Chicago, goes to Cancun on Spring Break with her boyfriend and two other friends for a week’s worth of “fun in the sun.” After their first day of relaxation and beer funneling on the beach, the group decides to kick up the party before they hit the clubs at night by scoring some drugs. Amanda’s boyfriend, Michael, and his friend, Brendan, approach a couple of shady-looking Mexicans at a bar looking for drugs, they in turn direct them to a safe house away from the watchful eye of law enforcement.
While making the drug deal at the house, Amanda becomes incredibly uncomfortable as she feels several of the drug dealers undressing her with their eyes. Michael comforts her and once they make their deal they go back to the hotel for some hard partying before going out at night. Later that night in the club, the friends get rowdy on the dance floor and at the bar; really enjoying their freedom as college kids on Spring Break. Unbeknownst to them, several of the drug cartel associates followed them to the club and watch them from a far, especially Amanda. After a while, one of the associates drugs Amanda’s drink when she’s not paying attention.
After Michael goes to the bathroom and her other two friends leave, a disoriented Amanda stumbles out of the club by herself. The cartel associates follow her out and abduct her down the street. There is a glimmer of hope when two police officers see this going down and approach Amanda. However in Mexico, the drug cartels have more power than the local police and they end up bribing the cops to turn the other way and leave.
Michael emerges from the bathroom of the club and his world is quickly turned upside down when he can’t find Amanda anywhere. He searches high and low for her in the club but can’t find her anywhere so he runs back to the hotel, grabs his other two friends and they start searching for her.
The cartel holds Amanda back at the safe house and makes a deal to sell her to a rival Mexican cartel that has formulated a plan to ship kidnapped girls from Cancun to Southeast Asian countries where they’ll be sold into the sex trade. Amanda is quickly transported to the Port of Yucatan later that afternoon where she will be sold to the rival cartel and put on a cargo ship to Thailand. To keep her in line, the cartel feeds her a steady stream of heroin to keep her mellow and non-combative.
When the local police offer no help to find his girlfriend, Michael decides to take matters into his own hands. With the help of Brendan, the two go to a shady marketplace in a rundown part of town to buy guns and then go back to the safe house since they have a sneaking suspicion the drug dealers know her whereabouts.
The two friends show up at the house just minutes after Amanda is moved from it, but Michael is able to get one of the drug dealers that were left behind to talk and tell them where they took her. It becomes a race against time for Michael to catch up to the cartel before they reach the Port of Yucatan and transport his girlfriend, Amanda, onto the cargo ship heading to Thailand.
Spring Break Screenplay
“25 words or less” – A Mexican Drug Cartel kidnaps a beautiful college girl on Spring Break in Cancun and attempts to sell her into slavery with a rival cartel
Full summary:
Amanda Beckett, a beautiful blonde college student from Chicago, goes to Cancun on Spring Break with her boyfriend and two other friends for a week’s worth of “fun in the sun.” After their first day of relaxation and beer funneling on the beach, the group decides to kick up the party before they hit the clubs at night by scoring some drugs. Amanda’s boyfriend, Michael, and his friend, Brendan, approach a couple of shady-looking Mexicans at a bar looking for drugs, they in turn direct them to a safe house away from the watchful eye of law enforcement.
While making the drug deal at the house, Amanda becomes incredibly uncomfortable as she feels several of the drug dealers undressing her with their eyes. Michael comforts her and once they make their deal they go back to the hotel for some hard partying before going out at night. Later that night in the club, the friends get rowdy on the dance floor and at the bar; really enjoying their freedom as college kids on Spring Break. Unbeknownst to them, several of the drug cartel associates followed them to the club and watch them from a far, especially Amanda. After a while, one of the associates drugs Amanda’s drink when she’s not paying attention.
After Michael goes to the bathroom and her other two friends leave, a disoriented Amanda stumbles out of the club by herself. The cartel associates follow her out and abduct her down the street. There is a glimmer of hope when two police officers see this going down and approach Amanda. However in Mexico, the drug cartels have more power than the local police and they end up bribing the cops to turn the other way and leave.
Michael emerges from the bathroom of the club and his world is quickly turned upside down when he can’t find Amanda anywhere. He searches high and low for her in the club but can’t find her anywhere so he runs back to the hotel, grabs his other two friends and they start searching for her.
The cartel holds Amanda back at the safe house and makes a deal to sell her to a rival Mexican cartel that has formulated a plan to ship kidnapped girls from Cancun to Southeast Asian countries where they’ll be sold into the sex trade. Amanda is quickly transported to the Port of Yucatan later that afternoon where she will be sold to the rival cartel and put on a cargo ship to Thailand. To keep her in line, the cartel feeds her a steady stream of heroin to keep her mellow and non-combative.
When the local police offer no help to find his girlfriend, Michael decides to take matters into his own hands. With the help of Brendan, the two go to a shady marketplace in a rundown part of town to buy guns and then go back to the safe house since they have a sneaking suspicion the drug dealers know her whereabouts.
The two friends show up at the house just minutes after Amanda is moved from it, but Michael is able to get one of the drug dealers that were left behind to talk and tell them where they took her. It becomes a race against time for Michael to catch up to the cartel before they reach the Port of Yucatan and transport his girlfriend, Amanda, onto the cargo ship heading to Thailand.
Spring Break Screenplay
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
"Hail Mary"
Tagline – “Believe”
“25 words or less” summary – An eccentric billionaire turns around the hapless Detroit Lions with the help of an unemployed auto worker and college-aged Madden NFL video game champion
Full summary:
After the Detroit Lions finish the season 0-16 and the Ford family is forced to sell the team due to their declining fortunes, Jonathan Arnett, an eccentric Silicon Valley billionaire and the Lions #1 fan, decides to buy the team and sets in motion a radical course of action to turn around both the fortunes of team and the city of Detroit.
Jonathan hires his friend, Tony Williams, a recently laid-off assembly line worker for Ford, as the team’s new GM. Tony has no football experience and his only success in Jonathan’s eyes is winning their fantasy football league championship three years in a row. In turn, the new GM decides it’s time for some fresh thinking at the coaching level so he looks for his new head coach at the State of Michigan NFL Madden 2010 Championship Finals. There he finds Howie Glenn, a college senior slacker whose only skill in life is playing video games. Once Howie wins the video game championship, he’s hired on the spot by Tony and Jonathan to be the new head coach of the Lions.
Howie Glenn immediately undergoes a makeover so that he can lose the slacker look and fit the mold of a traditional NFL head coach. Then he puts his playbook into action during summer practice, a playbook that relies heavily on his video game experience – every defensive play is a blitz, he only runs a handful of plays, he never kicks a field goal, he throws a hail mary at the end of each half – much to the consternation of his players.
When the Lions start the season at 0-4, the management team has to stave off constant criticism from both local and national sports journalists and a near mutiny from the players. Although Tony starts having serious second thoughts, Jonathan takes everything in stride and supports Howie who firmly believes that he can turn the team around.
Jonathan tells Howie that if he can gain the respect of his players then he can turn around the fortunes of the team, so before the next game Howie gives the team a rousing speech in the locker room and rallies them around him and each other. The team does in fact turn things around and eventually puts themselves in position to get a wild card spot with a win in the final game of the season.
In a hard fought game, the Lions beat the Miami Dolphins, who were also going for a playoff spot in their own division, and make it in to the playoffs as a wild card team; bringing the dawn of a new day to the people and city of Detroit, a new era of hope. The players, who once hated Howie with a passion and showed him no respect, carry their head coach off the field as the home crowd erupts in celebration.Hail Mary Screenplay
“25 words or less” summary – An eccentric billionaire turns around the hapless Detroit Lions with the help of an unemployed auto worker and college-aged Madden NFL video game champion
Full summary:
After the Detroit Lions finish the season 0-16 and the Ford family is forced to sell the team due to their declining fortunes, Jonathan Arnett, an eccentric Silicon Valley billionaire and the Lions #1 fan, decides to buy the team and sets in motion a radical course of action to turn around both the fortunes of team and the city of Detroit.
Jonathan hires his friend, Tony Williams, a recently laid-off assembly line worker for Ford, as the team’s new GM. Tony has no football experience and his only success in Jonathan’s eyes is winning their fantasy football league championship three years in a row. In turn, the new GM decides it’s time for some fresh thinking at the coaching level so he looks for his new head coach at the State of Michigan NFL Madden 2010 Championship Finals. There he finds Howie Glenn, a college senior slacker whose only skill in life is playing video games. Once Howie wins the video game championship, he’s hired on the spot by Tony and Jonathan to be the new head coach of the Lions.
Howie Glenn immediately undergoes a makeover so that he can lose the slacker look and fit the mold of a traditional NFL head coach. Then he puts his playbook into action during summer practice, a playbook that relies heavily on his video game experience – every defensive play is a blitz, he only runs a handful of plays, he never kicks a field goal, he throws a hail mary at the end of each half – much to the consternation of his players.
When the Lions start the season at 0-4, the management team has to stave off constant criticism from both local and national sports journalists and a near mutiny from the players. Although Tony starts having serious second thoughts, Jonathan takes everything in stride and supports Howie who firmly believes that he can turn the team around.
Jonathan tells Howie that if he can gain the respect of his players then he can turn around the fortunes of the team, so before the next game Howie gives the team a rousing speech in the locker room and rallies them around him and each other. The team does in fact turn things around and eventually puts themselves in position to get a wild card spot with a win in the final game of the season.
In a hard fought game, the Lions beat the Miami Dolphins, who were also going for a playoff spot in their own division, and make it in to the playoffs as a wild card team; bringing the dawn of a new day to the people and city of Detroit, a new era of hope. The players, who once hated Howie with a passion and showed him no respect, carry their head coach off the field as the home crowd erupts in celebration.Hail Mary Screenplay
Monday, March 22, 2010
"Back in the Game"
Tagline – “Sometimes What You’re Looking For Is Right In Front Of You”
“25 words or less” – A recently dumped guy scours the internet for a new girlfriend but finds his true love is the girl in the next cubicle
One page summary:
Danny Leonard, a handsome man in his late twenties, comes home one day to see his live-in girlfriend in the midst of packing up her things and moving out. She breaks the news to him that she’s decided to move in with her hair stylist who she has been seeing while living with Danny.
Six months later, during brunch with his two best friends – Stephanie and Jimmy – Danny’s confronted about the perpetual funk that he’s been in ever since his girlfriend left and they urge him to get back into the dating world. Although originally reluctant, he decides to join his friends at a club on Friday night to go looking for women. After being pressured by his friends at the club, Danny approaches several girls to make small talk but manages to strike out with all of them which only damages his self-esteem even more.
Danny’s friend, Stephanie, then sets him up with a friend of hers but that turns out to be a disaster when she shows up to dinner and proceeds to give him a powerpoint presentation right at the table on why she would make a good girlfriend.
Frustrated, Danny tells her that he might just be better off being alone, but she ends up convincing him to try online dating. In support, Stephanie and Jimmy decide to join an online dating website with him and they gather on a Friday night to create their profiles together.
Danny winks at and emails several girls online but he quickly becomes depressed when he doesn’t get any responses after a week. He decides the whole online dating scene isn’t for him and that he’s just going to let his subscription run out.
However, once Spring rolls around girls start reaching out to him in droves which makes Danny re-think online dating. Unfortunately though all of his dates turn out to be disasters – there’s the girl that claims she’s a great conversationalist but answers all questions with one word, a girl who already has a boyfriend but was interested in testing the waters and the girl that falls asleep in the bathroom of a dive bar.
While Danny looks for love in all the wrong places, he becomes very good friends with a recently hired girl at work, Courtney. They spend a lot of time talking to each other at work and also hanging out at local bars after work. He even begins to introduce her to his friends outside of work. Naturally he starts developing feelings for her but doesn’t realize it for a while. Finally, after a night at the movies and drinks afterwards, it dawns on him that he has a crush on her.
He hangs out with her a few more times before he finally musters up the strength to ask her out on a date. He gives her an impassioned plea in the middle of Central Park one night and she says yes. After all this time, he finally finds what he’s been looking for and she was sitting only a few feet away from him at work all along.Back in the Game Screenplay
“25 words or less” – A recently dumped guy scours the internet for a new girlfriend but finds his true love is the girl in the next cubicle
One page summary:
Danny Leonard, a handsome man in his late twenties, comes home one day to see his live-in girlfriend in the midst of packing up her things and moving out. She breaks the news to him that she’s decided to move in with her hair stylist who she has been seeing while living with Danny.
Six months later, during brunch with his two best friends – Stephanie and Jimmy – Danny’s confronted about the perpetual funk that he’s been in ever since his girlfriend left and they urge him to get back into the dating world. Although originally reluctant, he decides to join his friends at a club on Friday night to go looking for women. After being pressured by his friends at the club, Danny approaches several girls to make small talk but manages to strike out with all of them which only damages his self-esteem even more.
Danny’s friend, Stephanie, then sets him up with a friend of hers but that turns out to be a disaster when she shows up to dinner and proceeds to give him a powerpoint presentation right at the table on why she would make a good girlfriend.
Frustrated, Danny tells her that he might just be better off being alone, but she ends up convincing him to try online dating. In support, Stephanie and Jimmy decide to join an online dating website with him and they gather on a Friday night to create their profiles together.
Danny winks at and emails several girls online but he quickly becomes depressed when he doesn’t get any responses after a week. He decides the whole online dating scene isn’t for him and that he’s just going to let his subscription run out.
However, once Spring rolls around girls start reaching out to him in droves which makes Danny re-think online dating. Unfortunately though all of his dates turn out to be disasters – there’s the girl that claims she’s a great conversationalist but answers all questions with one word, a girl who already has a boyfriend but was interested in testing the waters and the girl that falls asleep in the bathroom of a dive bar.
While Danny looks for love in all the wrong places, he becomes very good friends with a recently hired girl at work, Courtney. They spend a lot of time talking to each other at work and also hanging out at local bars after work. He even begins to introduce her to his friends outside of work. Naturally he starts developing feelings for her but doesn’t realize it for a while. Finally, after a night at the movies and drinks afterwards, it dawns on him that he has a crush on her.
He hangs out with her a few more times before he finally musters up the strength to ask her out on a date. He gives her an impassioned plea in the middle of Central Park one night and she says yes. After all this time, he finally finds what he’s been looking for and she was sitting only a few feet away from him at work all along.Back in the Game Screenplay
"Blind Rage"
Tagline – “Deadly Sins Collide”
“25 words or less” – A guy finds his girlfriend in bed with another man and flies into a blind rage, turning his apartment into a personal torture chamber.
One page summary:
John Smith is on the verge of proposing to his longtime, live-in girlfriend, and even spends his free time at work browsing through engagement rings on Tiffany.com in preparation. One summer afternoon John leaves work early to get a start on the weekend and pack for their trip to New England but his world is suddenly turned upside down when he comes home and finds his girlfriend, Amy, having sex with another man.
John flies into a blind rage and turns their apartment into his personal torture chamber as he searches for answers on why his girlfriend would cheat on him.
Flashbacks are used heavily to tell the complete story of John and Amy - beginning with their budding romance and going right through to the eventual deterioration of their relationship.
The last sequence is the morning of the day when John gets out of work early; he wakes up sweating and breathing heavily after a bad dream. Amy, who is sleeping by his side, awakes and comforts him. He explains that, while his nightmare was unclear, he remembers Amy was hurt bad in it.
As John gets ready for work later that morning, he notices a men’s high school ring sitting on Amy’s dresser. The ring belongs to Amy’s longtime guy friend, Peter. Although intrigued at first, John ultimately thinks nothing of it; he thinks her friend might have just innocently left it at the bar the last time they hung out. Once dressed, John kisses his girlfriend and leaves for the day.
The flashback to the morning thus leaves open the question: was the whole story just a bad dream or a foreshadowing of things to come?Blind Rage Screenplay
“25 words or less” – A guy finds his girlfriend in bed with another man and flies into a blind rage, turning his apartment into a personal torture chamber.
One page summary:
John Smith is on the verge of proposing to his longtime, live-in girlfriend, and even spends his free time at work browsing through engagement rings on Tiffany.com in preparation. One summer afternoon John leaves work early to get a start on the weekend and pack for their trip to New England but his world is suddenly turned upside down when he comes home and finds his girlfriend, Amy, having sex with another man.
John flies into a blind rage and turns their apartment into his personal torture chamber as he searches for answers on why his girlfriend would cheat on him.
Flashbacks are used heavily to tell the complete story of John and Amy - beginning with their budding romance and going right through to the eventual deterioration of their relationship.
The last sequence is the morning of the day when John gets out of work early; he wakes up sweating and breathing heavily after a bad dream. Amy, who is sleeping by his side, awakes and comforts him. He explains that, while his nightmare was unclear, he remembers Amy was hurt bad in it.
As John gets ready for work later that morning, he notices a men’s high school ring sitting on Amy’s dresser. The ring belongs to Amy’s longtime guy friend, Peter. Although intrigued at first, John ultimately thinks nothing of it; he thinks her friend might have just innocently left it at the bar the last time they hung out. Once dressed, John kisses his girlfriend and leaves for the day.
The flashback to the morning thus leaves open the question: was the whole story just a bad dream or a foreshadowing of things to come?Blind Rage Screenplay
Monday, February 15, 2010
"9/11"
Tagline – “Life Can Change In An Instant”
“25 words or less” summary – A budding romance between co-workers comes to a sudden end when they are trapped inside the South Tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11
Full summary:
Gary McGregor is a tall, good-looking man in his late twenties who works for a firm on one of the top floors of the World Trade Center’s South Tower. Although Gary is all business and completely professional, he ends up becoming fast friends with Dana De Luca, a recently hired junior analyst at the firm.
To help integrate her into the company Gary invites the new girl to after work social gatherings with his fellow co-workers. After a few group outings they start hanging out with just each other on the weekends, strictly as friends. During a picnic on Central Park’s Great Lawn, Gary musters up enough strength to ask Dana on a date but she declines because she’s not ready to re-enter into the dating world after a bad break-up.
Even though Dana isn’t ready to date, the two of them continue hanging out. They do brunch and activities together; Gary even takes her to a black tie charity fundraiser event at the Waldorf-Astoria. After the event, Gary asks Dana out again on an official date, but she declines again. Although she declines again, they still remain friends, so much so that the two families get together for an impromptu Saturday night dinner in the city. During dinner, Dana mentions in passing how much she wants to go to a Broadway show so the next night, undeterred by past rejections, Gary asks her to go to “The Producers.” Dana finally accepts.
After a few days, she starts having second thoughts because the date is such a big deal to her. So to alleviate her concerns, Gary nixes the show and plans a more low key night. Finally on September 9th 2001, after months of friendship, Gary takes her on a dinner date. The night ends innocently as Gary drops Dana off at her friend’s apartment.
After not being in the office the next Monday, Dana talks to Gary on that Tuesday morning to thank him for a wonderful night out. Shortly afterwards a plane crashes into the North Tower. Not knowing what exactly happened, Gary and Dana decide to evacuate with the rest of their co-workers. However, the security guards in the lobby assure Gary that the building is secure so he decides to go back up to his floor and convinces Dana to go with him.
As he settles back into his office, Gary is startled to see a plane fly right into his office building, several floors below him. He makes a mad dash through debris to reach Dana a few floors below him. Once he gets to Dana they try to escape down the stairwell but are quickly blocked by fire, so they take cover on another office floor and patiently wait for help. There they reminisce about their good times, reveal their true feelings to each other and talk about how they wish they had more time together. As the smoke gets thicker and the heat more intense, they realize that they’re running out of options. Both are forced to make a choice that seemed unfathomable only an hour beforehand, but not before they profess their love for each other and finally share a kiss that has eluded them for so long.9 11 Screenplay
“25 words or less” summary – A budding romance between co-workers comes to a sudden end when they are trapped inside the South Tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11
Full summary:
Gary McGregor is a tall, good-looking man in his late twenties who works for a firm on one of the top floors of the World Trade Center’s South Tower. Although Gary is all business and completely professional, he ends up becoming fast friends with Dana De Luca, a recently hired junior analyst at the firm.
To help integrate her into the company Gary invites the new girl to after work social gatherings with his fellow co-workers. After a few group outings they start hanging out with just each other on the weekends, strictly as friends. During a picnic on Central Park’s Great Lawn, Gary musters up enough strength to ask Dana on a date but she declines because she’s not ready to re-enter into the dating world after a bad break-up.
Even though Dana isn’t ready to date, the two of them continue hanging out. They do brunch and activities together; Gary even takes her to a black tie charity fundraiser event at the Waldorf-Astoria. After the event, Gary asks Dana out again on an official date, but she declines again. Although she declines again, they still remain friends, so much so that the two families get together for an impromptu Saturday night dinner in the city. During dinner, Dana mentions in passing how much she wants to go to a Broadway show so the next night, undeterred by past rejections, Gary asks her to go to “The Producers.” Dana finally accepts.
After a few days, she starts having second thoughts because the date is such a big deal to her. So to alleviate her concerns, Gary nixes the show and plans a more low key night. Finally on September 9th 2001, after months of friendship, Gary takes her on a dinner date. The night ends innocently as Gary drops Dana off at her friend’s apartment.
After not being in the office the next Monday, Dana talks to Gary on that Tuesday morning to thank him for a wonderful night out. Shortly afterwards a plane crashes into the North Tower. Not knowing what exactly happened, Gary and Dana decide to evacuate with the rest of their co-workers. However, the security guards in the lobby assure Gary that the building is secure so he decides to go back up to his floor and convinces Dana to go with him.
As he settles back into his office, Gary is startled to see a plane fly right into his office building, several floors below him. He makes a mad dash through debris to reach Dana a few floors below him. Once he gets to Dana they try to escape down the stairwell but are quickly blocked by fire, so they take cover on another office floor and patiently wait for help. There they reminisce about their good times, reveal their true feelings to each other and talk about how they wish they had more time together. As the smoke gets thicker and the heat more intense, they realize that they’re running out of options. Both are forced to make a choice that seemed unfathomable only an hour beforehand, but not before they profess their love for each other and finally share a kiss that has eluded them for so long.9 11 Screenplay
"Big City - Epsiode #1"
This was written a while ago, only a couple years into my first job. I basically wanted to create the pilot episode of a TV series using people I knew in real-life as characters within a story about a bunch of recently graduated kids from around the country who work at a big advertising agency in New York.
Years later, I'd revisit the subject, tweak the plotlines and write a feature film length screenplay entitled "Cool Kids" (which was posted in January).
Here's a summary of "Big City:"
"Big City" is a “fish out of water” series about a group of twenty-somethings who have moved to New York City from different parts of the country over the past several years and work at Sullivan MacDonald, a fictitious major advertising agency.
Over this time, friendships have formed and they develop their own “clique” at the agency (which has the mentality of your typical high school, complete with the different cliques, the endless gossip, and everybody hooking up). “Work hard, play harder” is their motto as the line between work and fun is continually blurred.
The show follows the personal and professional lives of the people within the group, led by the always wild and politically incorrect Matthew Angelo and Jonathan White, two of its older members.
The series picks up at a time when all principle characters have been in New York City and associated with the agency for at least a year. Most are still with the agency but some, who have been in NYC for a while- like Kelly Evans and Eddie Omar, have moved on to other agencies in Midtown Manhattan. The job changes haven’t affected the group dynamics since they have all remained close friends.
In the first episode, the action begins on a late Friday afternoon in early autumn. Work is winding down for a long, busy week; Matt, Johnny and company begin to relax and enjoy themselves at the office as they prepare for a Friday night party being thrown by a fellow co-worker.
Big City - Episode #1
Years later, I'd revisit the subject, tweak the plotlines and write a feature film length screenplay entitled "Cool Kids" (which was posted in January).
Here's a summary of "Big City:"
"Big City" is a “fish out of water” series about a group of twenty-somethings who have moved to New York City from different parts of the country over the past several years and work at Sullivan MacDonald, a fictitious major advertising agency.
Over this time, friendships have formed and they develop their own “clique” at the agency (which has the mentality of your typical high school, complete with the different cliques, the endless gossip, and everybody hooking up). “Work hard, play harder” is their motto as the line between work and fun is continually blurred.
The show follows the personal and professional lives of the people within the group, led by the always wild and politically incorrect Matthew Angelo and Jonathan White, two of its older members.
The series picks up at a time when all principle characters have been in New York City and associated with the agency for at least a year. Most are still with the agency but some, who have been in NYC for a while- like Kelly Evans and Eddie Omar, have moved on to other agencies in Midtown Manhattan. The job changes haven’t affected the group dynamics since they have all remained close friends.
In the first episode, the action begins on a late Friday afternoon in early autumn. Work is winding down for a long, busy week; Matt, Johnny and company begin to relax and enjoy themselves at the office as they prepare for a Friday night party being thrown by a fellow co-worker.
Big City - Episode #1
"Solitude"
Tagline – “Me. Myself. And I.”
“25 words or less” summary – A single man in his early thirties adjusts to his new life when all his good friends move away or start their own families
Full summary:
Daniel Cutler, a thirty year old man in New York City, attends his friends’ going away party before the couple moves back to their home state of Kansas.
At the end of the party, Danny takes stock of his life and realizes that most of his friends have been “lost” due to marriage, kids, and people moving to the suburbs or even farther away. Danny tries to cope with his friends leaving New York City and adjusts to a new phase of his life where he finds himself isolated at times in a city of millions.
Not wanting to rob himself of the New York experience, Danny learns to become his own best friend and social partner - whether it’s going out to the bars at night, walking through a museum, seeing a concert, visiting a strip club where the staff knows him by his first name, late night trips to his favorite diner or just doing the everyday things that all New Yorkers do.
Danny learns to deal with the isolation that comes with being single in a big city while also navigating himself through the rough and tumble world of dating. He runs the gamut of emotions each day but in the end realizes the only thing he can do is sit back, relax and enjoy life one day at a time.Solitude Screenplay
“25 words or less” summary – A single man in his early thirties adjusts to his new life when all his good friends move away or start their own families
Full summary:
Daniel Cutler, a thirty year old man in New York City, attends his friends’ going away party before the couple moves back to their home state of Kansas.
At the end of the party, Danny takes stock of his life and realizes that most of his friends have been “lost” due to marriage, kids, and people moving to the suburbs or even farther away. Danny tries to cope with his friends leaving New York City and adjusts to a new phase of his life where he finds himself isolated at times in a city of millions.
Not wanting to rob himself of the New York experience, Danny learns to become his own best friend and social partner - whether it’s going out to the bars at night, walking through a museum, seeing a concert, visiting a strip club where the staff knows him by his first name, late night trips to his favorite diner or just doing the everyday things that all New Yorkers do.
Danny learns to deal with the isolation that comes with being single in a big city while also navigating himself through the rough and tumble world of dating. He runs the gamut of emotions each day but in the end realizes the only thing he can do is sit back, relax and enjoy life one day at a time.Solitude Screenplay
Sunday, January 31, 2010
"The Cool Kids"
Tagline – “Coolness Has Its Price”
“25 words or less” summary – A naïve college graduate from a small town changes completely when he moves to New York City and enters the nefarious world of advertising
Full summary:
Tommy Parker, a wide-eyed, innocent college grad from small town America - Lynchburg, TN to be exact - moves to New York City to make a name for himself and gain independence and freedom from his overbearing family. Although ambitious, he has no idea what he wants to do until he stumbles into the world of advertising.
Tommy falls in with a wild group of friends soon after he enters advertising and his life quickly devolves into a haze of drugs, booze and womanizing as the city, and his environment, turns the once naïve kid into a rough, cynical douchebag.
His life revolves around long hours of hard work during the day and all night drinking binges, late night trips to strip clubs, and casual hook ups at night. This behavior leads Tommy to routinely make questionable decisions and do questionable things – like passing out on the Coney Island beach in the middle of the night, getting a “tramp stamp” tattoo on a dare, or doing coke off the body of a stripper in a random VIP room.
After months of nonstop partying, it all comes crashing down one night in Atlantic City when Tommy accidentally punches a police officer in a drunken haze during a scuffle. He lands in jail and is sentenced to community service and forced into rehab. While in rehab, Tommy reflects on what his life has become and no longer likes who he sees in the mirror. Luckily, he is inspired to change after listening to someone that addresses his rehab group. The man is a few years older than Tommy and he tells everyone the troubles he’s had in his life due to his addictions. Realizing that this guy could be him in a few years, Tommy’s eyes open up and he sees the light.
Not liking who he is anymore or what he’s become, Tommy decides to leave the city and his dreams behind to head back home where he belongs. He resigns from his job and moves back down to Lynchburg, TN immediately to go back to his old life and work at his father’s general store. As Tommy leaves, the question in his mind remains, “Was I always capable of this bad behavior and is this the real me or was it the environment that changed me?” He might never know for sure.
The Cool Kids Screenplay
“25 words or less” summary – A naïve college graduate from a small town changes completely when he moves to New York City and enters the nefarious world of advertising
Full summary:
Tommy Parker, a wide-eyed, innocent college grad from small town America - Lynchburg, TN to be exact - moves to New York City to make a name for himself and gain independence and freedom from his overbearing family. Although ambitious, he has no idea what he wants to do until he stumbles into the world of advertising.
Tommy falls in with a wild group of friends soon after he enters advertising and his life quickly devolves into a haze of drugs, booze and womanizing as the city, and his environment, turns the once naïve kid into a rough, cynical douchebag.
His life revolves around long hours of hard work during the day and all night drinking binges, late night trips to strip clubs, and casual hook ups at night. This behavior leads Tommy to routinely make questionable decisions and do questionable things – like passing out on the Coney Island beach in the middle of the night, getting a “tramp stamp” tattoo on a dare, or doing coke off the body of a stripper in a random VIP room.
After months of nonstop partying, it all comes crashing down one night in Atlantic City when Tommy accidentally punches a police officer in a drunken haze during a scuffle. He lands in jail and is sentenced to community service and forced into rehab. While in rehab, Tommy reflects on what his life has become and no longer likes who he sees in the mirror. Luckily, he is inspired to change after listening to someone that addresses his rehab group. The man is a few years older than Tommy and he tells everyone the troubles he’s had in his life due to his addictions. Realizing that this guy could be him in a few years, Tommy’s eyes open up and he sees the light.
Not liking who he is anymore or what he’s become, Tommy decides to leave the city and his dreams behind to head back home where he belongs. He resigns from his job and moves back down to Lynchburg, TN immediately to go back to his old life and work at his father’s general store. As Tommy leaves, the question in his mind remains, “Was I always capable of this bad behavior and is this the real me or was it the environment that changed me?” He might never know for sure.
The Cool Kids Screenplay
"The Perfect Date"
“25 words or less” summary – Love blossoms after a girl agrees to be her friend’s wedding date just so he can impress his successful ex-girlfriend
Full summary:
Michael Claiborne, a professional man in his early thirties, comes home to his NYC apartment one day to find an invite to a destination wedding in the mail. Knowing that his ex-girlfriend will be in the wedding party with him, he immediately starts stressing out about finding a date. Since she moved away, his ex-girlfriend became a successful small business owner married to a top brain surgeon, so he knows he can’t just take anyone. Mike decides to institute an interview process to find the “perfect” date.
He goes on a succession of dates to find the right girl, but for one reason or another he finds the most trivial things wrong with all of them – one isn’t tall enough, another’s cheek bones are too high, one isn’t proportional enough. Having no luck, two months before the wedding Mike begins to worry that he won’t have a date. While at brunch with a couple of female friends, Mike mentions that he wants to ask a girl that he knows through work, but the problem is that he really only knows her through their phone conversations and he’s hardly ever seen her in person. He wonders aloud if she’d even contemplate going with him, but aurely enough his friends encourage him and give him enough confidence to ask her.
So Mike invites Emma out to brunch and finally builds up the nerve to ask her to the wedding. At first she’s apprehensive about going, but he’s so desperate that he offers her money and positions the invite purely as a “business arrangement.” She’s still apprehensive but eventually agrees to go as a friend just so he doesn’t have to deal with his ex by himself. She declines payment in lieu of a favor for whatever she wants, payable at a later date whenever she asks for it.
They fly down to Puerto Rico for the wedding weekend and Emma plays the dutiful date perfectly – lavishing praise on Mike and telling everyone how awesome he is – whenever his ex-girlfriend is within earshot. The two grow closer to each other as they spend more time together. Slowly, Mike’s focus begins to move away from his ex-girlfriend and towards Emma. Although the two get closer, Mike secretly wonders if Emma will reciprocate the feelings. As the wedding reception begins, Emma surprises Mike by cashing in her favor which ends up turning their trip into something much more than a simple “business arrangement.”
The Perfect Date Screenplay
Full summary:
Michael Claiborne, a professional man in his early thirties, comes home to his NYC apartment one day to find an invite to a destination wedding in the mail. Knowing that his ex-girlfriend will be in the wedding party with him, he immediately starts stressing out about finding a date. Since she moved away, his ex-girlfriend became a successful small business owner married to a top brain surgeon, so he knows he can’t just take anyone. Mike decides to institute an interview process to find the “perfect” date.
He goes on a succession of dates to find the right girl, but for one reason or another he finds the most trivial things wrong with all of them – one isn’t tall enough, another’s cheek bones are too high, one isn’t proportional enough. Having no luck, two months before the wedding Mike begins to worry that he won’t have a date. While at brunch with a couple of female friends, Mike mentions that he wants to ask a girl that he knows through work, but the problem is that he really only knows her through their phone conversations and he’s hardly ever seen her in person. He wonders aloud if she’d even contemplate going with him, but aurely enough his friends encourage him and give him enough confidence to ask her.
So Mike invites Emma out to brunch and finally builds up the nerve to ask her to the wedding. At first she’s apprehensive about going, but he’s so desperate that he offers her money and positions the invite purely as a “business arrangement.” She’s still apprehensive but eventually agrees to go as a friend just so he doesn’t have to deal with his ex by himself. She declines payment in lieu of a favor for whatever she wants, payable at a later date whenever she asks for it.
They fly down to Puerto Rico for the wedding weekend and Emma plays the dutiful date perfectly – lavishing praise on Mike and telling everyone how awesome he is – whenever his ex-girlfriend is within earshot. The two grow closer to each other as they spend more time together. Slowly, Mike’s focus begins to move away from his ex-girlfriend and towards Emma. Although the two get closer, Mike secretly wonders if Emma will reciprocate the feelings. As the wedding reception begins, Emma surprises Mike by cashing in her favor which ends up turning their trip into something much more than a simple “business arrangement.”
The Perfect Date Screenplay
"Dade County"
Tagline – “What If The World’s Most Dangerous Terrorist Was Held On American Soil…And Escaped?”
“25 words or less” summary – The world’s most dangerous terrorist escapes military custody and plots to bomb Miami’s American Airlines Arena while evading capture by a victim’s vengeful boyfriend
Full summary:
In an age when Guantanamo has closed and terrorists have moved to American soil to face trial, the world’s most dangerous terrorist, Viper, escapes custody in northern Florida as he’s being transferred to federal court.
Vixen, his sultry girlfriend, helps Viper get to Miami where he meets up with Mr. Mohammed, a mysterious financier, who offers to smuggle him out of the country on an Algerian cargo ship. This offer of course comes in exchange for Viper committing one last terrorist act for Mohammed – detonating a dirty bomb during Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers at the American Airlines Arena.
Meanwhile, Diesel, an ex-bouncer of a club that Viper used to manage and the vengeful boyfriend of a pregnant woman who died in a terrorist act, hears that Viper escaped and promises to get revenge by finding and killing him. Diesel partners up with his friend, Magnum, and goes on a pursuit through Miami to find Viper before he strikes again.
Diesel’s first run-in with Viper takes place at a popular strip club in downtown Miami. Viper and Diesel engage in a gunfight inside but Viper manages to escape and then he leads Diesel on an adrenaline-pumping car chase through the streets of downtown Miami and South Beach until he's able to make his getaway.
To get the inside track on Viper, Diesel decides to kidnap Mr. Mohammed right from his house and force him to give up any information he has on Viper. He uses an unusual tactic of persuasion to force Mohammed to come clean and admit that Viper is going to blow up the American Airlines Arena and escape on an Algerian cargo ship. Both Diesel and Magnum race back to land in an effort to find and stop Viper before it's too late.
Back on land, Diesel spots Viper driving on a highway and the chase is on again. Things takes a turn for the surreal when the chase spans both on and off the highway and includes everything from a jackknifed 18-wheeler carrying large slabs of beef, the interruption of a pick-up basketball game, a car race around a horse track, Siberian tigers running loose on I-95, the apprehension of Tony Stewart’s #20 stockcar and the destruction of a Hummer limousine.
Yet again Viper manages to escape. Once away from Diesel, Viper plants the dirty bomb in the American Airlines Arena then boards the cargo ship that will take him out of the country. Diesel and Magnum go to the arena and embark on a desperate search for the bomb before it detonates. Remarkably, they find it and take it with them to the Port of Miami to apprehend Viper. With the cargo ship having already left the dock, the two commandeer a yacht and catch up to it. Diesel climbs aboard the ship and finds Viper for a final, explosive showdown in an effort to save Miami and bring him to justice.Dade County Screenplay
“25 words or less” summary – The world’s most dangerous terrorist escapes military custody and plots to bomb Miami’s American Airlines Arena while evading capture by a victim’s vengeful boyfriend
Full summary:
In an age when Guantanamo has closed and terrorists have moved to American soil to face trial, the world’s most dangerous terrorist, Viper, escapes custody in northern Florida as he’s being transferred to federal court.
Vixen, his sultry girlfriend, helps Viper get to Miami where he meets up with Mr. Mohammed, a mysterious financier, who offers to smuggle him out of the country on an Algerian cargo ship. This offer of course comes in exchange for Viper committing one last terrorist act for Mohammed – detonating a dirty bomb during Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers at the American Airlines Arena.
Meanwhile, Diesel, an ex-bouncer of a club that Viper used to manage and the vengeful boyfriend of a pregnant woman who died in a terrorist act, hears that Viper escaped and promises to get revenge by finding and killing him. Diesel partners up with his friend, Magnum, and goes on a pursuit through Miami to find Viper before he strikes again.
Diesel’s first run-in with Viper takes place at a popular strip club in downtown Miami. Viper and Diesel engage in a gunfight inside but Viper manages to escape and then he leads Diesel on an adrenaline-pumping car chase through the streets of downtown Miami and South Beach until he's able to make his getaway.
To get the inside track on Viper, Diesel decides to kidnap Mr. Mohammed right from his house and force him to give up any information he has on Viper. He uses an unusual tactic of persuasion to force Mohammed to come clean and admit that Viper is going to blow up the American Airlines Arena and escape on an Algerian cargo ship. Both Diesel and Magnum race back to land in an effort to find and stop Viper before it's too late.
Back on land, Diesel spots Viper driving on a highway and the chase is on again. Things takes a turn for the surreal when the chase spans both on and off the highway and includes everything from a jackknifed 18-wheeler carrying large slabs of beef, the interruption of a pick-up basketball game, a car race around a horse track, Siberian tigers running loose on I-95, the apprehension of Tony Stewart’s #20 stockcar and the destruction of a Hummer limousine.
Yet again Viper manages to escape. Once away from Diesel, Viper plants the dirty bomb in the American Airlines Arena then boards the cargo ship that will take him out of the country. Diesel and Magnum go to the arena and embark on a desperate search for the bomb before it detonates. Remarkably, they find it and take it with them to the Port of Miami to apprehend Viper. With the cargo ship having already left the dock, the two commandeer a yacht and catch up to it. Diesel climbs aboard the ship and finds Viper for a final, explosive showdown in an effort to save Miami and bring him to justice.Dade County Screenplay
Monday, January 25, 2010
"Family Reunion"
Tagline – “Everyone Has A Secret”
“25 words or less” Summary – A convicted felon heads to Thanksgiving dinner to confess his crime to the family and finds that everyone else has a secret to reveal too
Full Summary:
Ted Baker is a clean-cut, professional guy in his early-thirties who has just been convicted of a felony for his participation in a ponzi scheme. Currently residing in New York City, he is driving to New England with his sister for a family reunion on Thanksgiving Day. There, Ted is planning to tell his parents that he’s expecting to be sentenced to a minimum of 3-5 years in prison within the next month.
Already considered the black sheep of the family, Ted left his small town in New England after college and ran off to New York City to make a quick, easy buck. Once the money started rolling in, he never looked back and basically forgot about his family back home.
Jane, his sister, represents everything he’s not – a good family person and someone who became successful the “right way” without taking shortcuts- and she’s sure to remind him of that during their drive to New England. She is, as Ted describes her, “Little Miss Perfect.”
Once at his parent’s home, Ted gets reacquainted with his extended family, most of whom he hasn’t seen in years. While they’re hanging out before dinner, all of the relatives seem very normal, well put together and successful.
During a break in conversation at the dinner table, Jane goads Ted to come out and tell the family about his conviction. He does and his dad flies into a rage. His dad was always resentful that Ted ran off to the big city and left the family behind, and in the back of his mind he always knew that his son would get in trouble due to his blind ambition.
To ease the tension, Ted’s uncle admits, for the first time ever to the family, that he was in prison back in his twenties for possession and intent to distribute.
This opens up the floodgates and everyone around the table starts admitting their own secrets, showing that no one is perfect. There’s the cousin who is a heroin addict that shot up right before dinner, the first cousins that are caught making out in a spare bedroom and forced to admit that they recently got engaged, a teenage cousin who has recently entered the world of hardcore porn, and an aunt who admits she’s been cheating on her husband with her best female friend.
The matriarch of the family, a grandmother who is celebrating her 85th birthday, admits her transgressions from a long time ago too, but she takes everything in stride as she’s well aware that everyone has a tendency to screw up at some point.
Even Ted’s dad, who was so angry at his son’s actions, is forced to admit that he’s been embezzling money from the family business in order to pay off his massive gambling debt. And, yes, it also turns out that “Little Miss Perfect,” Jane, is not so perfect either.
It’s family dysfunction taken to the extreme at Thanksgiving dinner as secrets are revealed one by one.Family Reunion Screenplay
“25 words or less” Summary – A convicted felon heads to Thanksgiving dinner to confess his crime to the family and finds that everyone else has a secret to reveal too
Full Summary:
Ted Baker is a clean-cut, professional guy in his early-thirties who has just been convicted of a felony for his participation in a ponzi scheme. Currently residing in New York City, he is driving to New England with his sister for a family reunion on Thanksgiving Day. There, Ted is planning to tell his parents that he’s expecting to be sentenced to a minimum of 3-5 years in prison within the next month.
Already considered the black sheep of the family, Ted left his small town in New England after college and ran off to New York City to make a quick, easy buck. Once the money started rolling in, he never looked back and basically forgot about his family back home.
Jane, his sister, represents everything he’s not – a good family person and someone who became successful the “right way” without taking shortcuts- and she’s sure to remind him of that during their drive to New England. She is, as Ted describes her, “Little Miss Perfect.”
Once at his parent’s home, Ted gets reacquainted with his extended family, most of whom he hasn’t seen in years. While they’re hanging out before dinner, all of the relatives seem very normal, well put together and successful.
During a break in conversation at the dinner table, Jane goads Ted to come out and tell the family about his conviction. He does and his dad flies into a rage. His dad was always resentful that Ted ran off to the big city and left the family behind, and in the back of his mind he always knew that his son would get in trouble due to his blind ambition.
To ease the tension, Ted’s uncle admits, for the first time ever to the family, that he was in prison back in his twenties for possession and intent to distribute.
This opens up the floodgates and everyone around the table starts admitting their own secrets, showing that no one is perfect. There’s the cousin who is a heroin addict that shot up right before dinner, the first cousins that are caught making out in a spare bedroom and forced to admit that they recently got engaged, a teenage cousin who has recently entered the world of hardcore porn, and an aunt who admits she’s been cheating on her husband with her best female friend.
The matriarch of the family, a grandmother who is celebrating her 85th birthday, admits her transgressions from a long time ago too, but she takes everything in stride as she’s well aware that everyone has a tendency to screw up at some point.
Even Ted’s dad, who was so angry at his son’s actions, is forced to admit that he’s been embezzling money from the family business in order to pay off his massive gambling debt. And, yes, it also turns out that “Little Miss Perfect,” Jane, is not so perfect either.
It’s family dysfunction taken to the extreme at Thanksgiving dinner as secrets are revealed one by one.Family Reunion Screenplay
Sunday, January 24, 2010
"My Imaginary Friends"
Tagline – “A Little Confidence Is All You Need”
“25 words or less” Summary– An awkward, eleven year old boy gains the confidence he needs to ask a girl to the school dance by beating a video game
Full Summary:
Bernie is an awkward eleven year old boy who is constantly bullied at school. He asks his secret crush Beatrice, a similarly awkward girl, to the big Fall dance but she declines because she’s afraid what others will think and say. Dejected, Bernie heads home and confides in his stuffed animals – specifically Murray (a dog), Theodore (a teddy bear) and Mr. Elephant - that they’re his only true friends.
As he’s about to doze off for an afternoon nap, his parents surprise him with an early birthday present – the popular “Chronicles of Prince Valor” video game. Re-energized, Bernie plays the game all day and night when he’s not in school and he daydreams about it when he’s in school. Obsessed, he ends up beating the game within only a few days. Realizing that he has nothing else to do afterwards, Bernie quickly falls asleep right after the game ends.
Once asleep he enters into a vivid dream that places him in the video game as Prince Valor. Murray, his loyal servant, tells him that Princess Adorable has been kidnapped by the evil dragon of Gloomy Glen. After initial reservations, Prince Valor builds up enough confidence to lead the charge to find the Princess.
This sets them forth on an adventure across the kingdom, where Prince Valor and Murray battle bats, spiders, snakes, red ants and an evil vendor looking to kidnap the prince for ransom but who’s also carrying the mystical Sword of Alchemy which could help defeat the dragon. Along the way, they meet Theodore, a curious teddy bear in a forest, and Mr. Elephant, who saves them from a stampede in the Great Savanna, and they join the adventure.
All four of them go to Gloomy Glen to battle the dragon and rescue the Princess. The dragon quickly gets the upper hand and treats Prince Valor just like the school bully treats Bernie. Valor gets fed up and devises a plan to defeat the dragon and free Princess Adorable. Once freed, the Princess, Prince and his friends dance outside the dragon’s castle in celebration.
Bernie wakes up from his dream with a renewed sense of confidence and marches over to Beatrice’s house on Saturday morning to ask if she’ll accompany him to the dance that night. This time, he asks with much more confidence and she says yes. Later that night, they go to the dance together and dance the night away.
P.S. I wrote this as a 3-D animated feature, so keep that in mind when reading.
My Imaginary Friends Screenplay
“25 words or less” Summary– An awkward, eleven year old boy gains the confidence he needs to ask a girl to the school dance by beating a video game
Full Summary:
Bernie is an awkward eleven year old boy who is constantly bullied at school. He asks his secret crush Beatrice, a similarly awkward girl, to the big Fall dance but she declines because she’s afraid what others will think and say. Dejected, Bernie heads home and confides in his stuffed animals – specifically Murray (a dog), Theodore (a teddy bear) and Mr. Elephant - that they’re his only true friends.
As he’s about to doze off for an afternoon nap, his parents surprise him with an early birthday present – the popular “Chronicles of Prince Valor” video game. Re-energized, Bernie plays the game all day and night when he’s not in school and he daydreams about it when he’s in school. Obsessed, he ends up beating the game within only a few days. Realizing that he has nothing else to do afterwards, Bernie quickly falls asleep right after the game ends.
Once asleep he enters into a vivid dream that places him in the video game as Prince Valor. Murray, his loyal servant, tells him that Princess Adorable has been kidnapped by the evil dragon of Gloomy Glen. After initial reservations, Prince Valor builds up enough confidence to lead the charge to find the Princess.
This sets them forth on an adventure across the kingdom, where Prince Valor and Murray battle bats, spiders, snakes, red ants and an evil vendor looking to kidnap the prince for ransom but who’s also carrying the mystical Sword of Alchemy which could help defeat the dragon. Along the way, they meet Theodore, a curious teddy bear in a forest, and Mr. Elephant, who saves them from a stampede in the Great Savanna, and they join the adventure.
All four of them go to Gloomy Glen to battle the dragon and rescue the Princess. The dragon quickly gets the upper hand and treats Prince Valor just like the school bully treats Bernie. Valor gets fed up and devises a plan to defeat the dragon and free Princess Adorable. Once freed, the Princess, Prince and his friends dance outside the dragon’s castle in celebration.
Bernie wakes up from his dream with a renewed sense of confidence and marches over to Beatrice’s house on Saturday morning to ask if she’ll accompany him to the dance that night. This time, he asks with much more confidence and she says yes. Later that night, they go to the dance together and dance the night away.
P.S. I wrote this as a 3-D animated feature, so keep that in mind when reading.
My Imaginary Friends Screenplay
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