Screen plays : how 25 screenplays made it to a theater near you-- for better or worse

Every green-lighted screenplay travels a long and harrowing road from idea to script to celluloid. In this fascinating survey of contemporary film craft, David Cohen of Script and Variety magazines interviews screenwriters from across the board—Oscar winners and novices alike—to explore what sets blockbuster successes apart from downright disasters. Tracing the fortunes of twenty-five films, including Troy, Erin Brockovich, Lost in Translation, and The Aviator, Cohen offers valuable insider access to the back lots and boardrooms, to the studio heads and directors, and to the overcaffeinated screenwriters themselves. Full of critical clues on how to sell a script—and avoid seeing it destroyed before the director calls "Action!"—Screen Plays is a book that both the aspiring screenwriter and curious cinephile will find irresistible. Draws On Interviews With Top Hollywood Writers As Well As Up-and-coming Novices To Trace The Process From Conception To Script To Film, In An Account That Documents The Evolution Of Twenty-five Screenplays. 1. Get A Life: Gladiator: David Franzoni -- 2. Scripter : Long Island Lolita Was My Muse! : American Beauty : Alan Ball -- 3. I Didn't Think This Was Really Going To Happen : Random Hearts : Kurt Luedtke -- 4. It's Two People; Nothing Happens : Lost In Translation : Sofia Coppola -- 5. Gotta Stay On This Job : Black Hawk Down : Ken Nolan -- 6. Let's Shoot Big : Troy : David Benioff -- 7. Anti-troy : Hero : Zhang Yimou -- 8. Can I Write Midnight Cowboy? : Pay It Forward : Leslie Dixon -- 10. Sith, Schmith. Thanks For All The Fish : The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy : Karey Kirkpatrick -- 11. Roll Over, Cary Grant : My Best Friend's Wedding : Ron Bass -- 12. Life's Two Tragedies : Mona Lisa Smile : Lawrence Konner & Mark Rosenthal -- 13. It's Difficult Talking To Idiots : Bounce : Don Roos -- 14. Great Science Fiction--but Don't Tell Anyone : Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind : Charlie Kaufman -- 15. Slaves To Desire : Happiness : Todd Solondz -- 16. Sex Ain't What It Used To Be : A Dirty Shame : John Waters -- 17. If You Talk To Earl, Tell Him To Call Me : Witness : Bill Kelley & Earl W. Wallace -- 18. The Best Script That Couldn't Get Made : Monster's Ball : Milo Addica & Will Rokos -- 19. The Golden Lion, Sure. But Did She Get An A? : Monsoon Wedding : Sabrina Dhawan -- 20. Protecting Howard : The Aviato : John Logan -- 21. Chance, Fate, And Homework : A Simple Plan : Scott Smith -- 22. No Similar Movies : The Hours : David Hare -- 23. Good Work Fails Sometimes : Evening. Susan Minot & Michael Cunningham -- 24. The Return Of The (spec) King : Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang : Shane Black -- 25. All You Need Is One Person To Believe In You : The Caveman's Valentine : George Dawes Green. David S. Cohen. Includes Index. In this fascinating survey of contemporary screen craft, David Cohen of Script and Variety magazines leads readers down the long and harrowing road every screenplay takes from idea to script to screen. In interviews with Hollywood screenwriters from across the boardOscar winners and novices alikeCohen explores what sets apart the blockbuster successes from the downright disasters. Tracing the fortunes of twenty-five films, including Troy , Erin Brockovich , Lost in Translation , and The Aviator , Cohen offers insider access to back lots and boardrooms, to studio heads, directors, and to the over-caffeinated screenwriters themselves. As the story of each film evolves from the drawing board to the big screen, Cohen proves that how a script is written, sold, developed, and filmed can be just as dramatic and intriguing as the movie itselfespecially when the resulting movie is a fiasco. Covering films of all kindsfrom tongue-in-cheek romps like John Waters's A Dirty Shame to Oscar winners like Monster's Ball and The Hours Screen Plays is an anecdote-filled, often inspiring, always revealing look at the alchemy of the movie business. With Cohen as your expert guide, Screen Plays exposes how and why certain films (such as Gladiator ) become "tent poles," those runaway successes every studio needs to survive, and others become train wrecks. Full of critical clues on how to sell a scriptand avoid seeing it destroyed before the director calls Action! it's the one book every aspiring screenwriter will find irresistible. In this fascinating survey of contemporary screen craft, David Cohen of Script and Variety magazines leads readers down the long and harrowing road every screenplay takes from idea to script to screen. In interviews with Hollywood screenwriters from across the board - Oscar winners and novices alike - Cohen explores what sets apart the blockbuster successes from the downright disasters. Tracing the fortunes of twenty-five films, Cohen offers insider access to back lots and boardrooms, to studio heads, directors, and to the over-caffeinated screenwriters themselves. As the story of each film evolves from the drawing board to the big screen, Cohen proves that how a script is written, sold, developed, and filmed can be just as dramatic and intriguing as the movie itself - especially when the resulting movie is a fiasco After more than three decades and 150 million albums, AC/DC has established itself as much more than just a great rock band. For millions of fans spanning several generations across the world, they are an ear-bleedingly loud, sweat-soaked religion.Now, in a book of astonishing breadth and scope, comes the complete story of AC/DC. Everything you ever wanted to know and plenty more you never dreamt of is all here, the ultimate balls-out adventure, laced with sex, drunken escapades, and brawls—topped off with rare intimate photos to create the ultimate portrait of the ultimate rock band. Title from PDF title page (viewed on Feb. 4, 2008).