Title - Untraceable Star Cast: Diane Lane, Billy Burke, Colin Hanks, Joseph Cross,...
Screenplay: Robert Fyvolent, Mark Brinker, Allison Burnett
Director: Gregory Hoblit

A well written thriller with some good performances.

Concept was really new. Idea of killing people and streaming it on a website live is definitely interesting. And as the visitors for that video increase, the victim runs to his death much faster. Diane Lane performed well and others too were supportingly good. Thriller and Murder mystery Lovers will definitely like this film for sure. And it is technically fine too.

Title - Transformers (Revenge of The Fallen)
Star Cast: Shia Labeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Ramon Rodriguez,...
Writers: Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman
Director: Michael Bay

Transformers origination and history explained too interestingly

Transformers-1 was a roller coaster action ride with breath-taking never before seen stunts between robots. Robots too were shown as heroes and people like me identify Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron... as characters more than robots. But nothing was explained much in the 1st part what's actually going on between them and why. Transformers-2 focused mainly on that point. Everything was made clear why are they fighting and what for. It was dealt in a convincing manner. Shia is outstanding as Sam once again, his best till date. Megan is too hot. Turturro and Ramon are superb. Performances are apt. One big improvement compared to T-1 is Camera which is outrageous. Biggest letdown is the stunts. Not even a single stunt is shown perfectly and looked messy. First 25-30 mins was a bit more messy and once when film gets into the actual plot it turns interesting. Though was a 2:30 mins movie, I never felt irritated about the length. Huge robots in the climax were not shown properly. Bay ended the film very conveniently for a 3rd part. Looking forward for T-3

Click Here or More to view complete topic

Manchi Cinema rayagalagalante script ni convincing ga raskunte chaalu. Script writing lo steps and tricks telsukotaniki konni books and website and scriptwriting ni define chesina (ikkada ichinavi kakunda enno unnayi) konni cinema lu

I. Recommended books:

1. “The Art of Dramatic Writing”, by Lajos Egri (first published in 1943, this excellent book by a teacher of playwriting captures all the essentials of what constitutes good drama)

2. “The Hero With a Thousand Faces”, by Joseph Campbell (while this is not a writing text, it is a study of world mythologies which expose us to the rhythms of our characters’ journeys based as this pattern is in a deep understanding of the human unconscious. A seminal and precious work for every screenwriter.)

3. “Screenwriting 434″, by Lew Hunter (Regarded as one of the most respected teachers of screenwriting in America, Hunter has adapted his course at UCLA, where he was the head of the screenwriting department, into this lucid book with a classroom approach.)

4. “Story”, by Robert McKee (regarded as America’s most influential screenwriting guru, McKee’s understanding of mainstream Hollywood narrative is impeccable. Unfortunately, that is all that this is good for really.)

5. “Poetics”, by Aristotle (Leon-Golden edition. Strongly recommended)

6. “Tools of Screenwriting”, by David Howard (Interesting approach to writing. Nice book.)

7. “Writing the Character-Centred Screenplay”, by Andrew Horton (Desirable)

8. “Adventures in the Screen Trade”, by William Goldman (Enjoyable insights into the industry mentality)

9. “Alternative Scriptwriting”, by Jeff Rush and Ken Dancyger (Interesting examples of departures. Not necessarily always useful, though.)

10. “Four Screenplays”, by Syd Field (Good format. Nice intereviews with the writers of those four films.)

11. “The Craft of the Screenwriter”, by Joel Brady (Detailed interviews with six greats. A good read.)

Note: Around half a dozen books a year are released on screenwriting, most of them from the US. Reading too many ‘to-do’ books can confuse you and undermine your free-thinking. However, in-depth interviews with screenwriters are always useful.

II. Recommended films:

1. Chinatown (Dark theme, complex characters, tragic ending, difficult screenplay. But, one of the finest to come out of Hollywood)

2. Casablanca (Regarded as one of the best screenplays from Hollywood. So simple as to be almost elementary. Definitely worth studying closely.)

3. 12 Angry Men (A tightly-structured screenplay entirely placed in a single room. Notice the arcs of transformation of different characters.)

4. It’s a Wonderful Life (The reluctant hero, who is capable of exemplary heroism. And of course a compelling theme. Trivia: The idea for this script came from a Christmas greeting card!)

5. Fugitive (Quite a definitive thriller. Very clear structure and defined motives even as the intentions change with the growth of the character – including a definite mid-point where his response to his situation undergoes a sharp reversal. Disappointing action climax, though.)

6. Witness (Good combination of premise and theme.)

7. Zodiac (Another way of crafting a thriller, elaborate and open-ended, in a way.)

8. Amores Perros (Three separate stories linked only by their theme and by an individual incident.)

9. Children of Heaven (You don’t need a universally BIG premise for a touching story. It can be merely about a lost pair of shoes, but the effect of that on the characters has to be strong.)

10. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Written by one of Hollywood’s most interesting contemporary screenwriters, this very unusual premise has been structured in a most energetic and involving way. See all of Charlie Kaufman’s films.)

11. Big Fish (Tim Burton’s experiments with narratives continues. What is fantasy, and what is reality? After a while, does it matter really?)

12. Sweet Sixteen (Ken Loach’s touching, rousing and heart-rending account of a boy in Ireland. See all of Ken Loach’s films.)

13. Dead Girl (Telling the story of one dead person from the povs of different characters who knew her, and how character is revealed thus.)

14. The Machinist (A character believes his delusions to be reality. Quite well done.)

15. Cronicas (A dramatic but incisive and uncompromising story about how media-persons manipulate reality with tragic consequences.)

16. No Man’s Land (An entire screenplay loaded with huge ethnic conflict depicted entirely in a narrow, tense space during a war.)

17. Amadeus (Powerful theme of envy, keeping your sympathies entirely with the envious protagonist who is an anti-hero. Excellent opening sequence.)

18. Verdict (Rather compelling script of how a character rises from the ashes to some glorious heroic victory.)

19. Battle of Algiers (A bold powerful and different way of telling a story. While it is made to look like a documentary, it is actually a feature film and was entirely scripted.)

20. Deewaar (One of the better scripted Hindi films. Good to study.)

21. Aakrosh (Notice the transformation of the character, as the plot intensifies. While telling the front-story of the lawyer and his case, the script brings out the exploitation of tribals so effectively.)

22. Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander (Once again, notice the arc of the character.)

23. And another 100 that you already know about or will discover. Watch as many films as you can!

Some general recommendations:

1. Read at least one script a week. (You can download hundreds of scripts free from www.script-o-rama.com)

2. Transcribe the step-outlines of at least 5 films that you love over the next three months. Then compare it closely to the respective films. This way you’ll learn how the written word translates into a picture, and you’ll also learn to appreciate the precision of the screenplay.

3. Some useful websites:
i. www.creativescreenwriting.com
ii. www.screenwriter.com
iii. www.screenwritersutopia.com
iv. www.mythworks.net
v. The above are just a few interesting ones. If you google your choice of words, you ought to get hundreds of suggestions off the net.

Thanks a lot to my wonderful friend and source of this article Hari The Hero

Click here or More to view all images

Click Here or More to view all images

Title: Angels and Demons
Star Cast: Tom Hanks, Evan Mc Gregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgard,...
Director: Ron Howard
Screenplay Writers: David Koepp, Akiva Goldsman
Novel by: Dan Brown

Well-written and better than Da Vinci Code

Da Vinci Code was a bit boring and slow slow and damn slow. A&D is best with it's pace. No time to think. Interesting findings and investigation throughout the movie by Proff Langdon played by Tom Hanks. He is brilliant as ever. Mc Gregor is ok. Ayelet Zurer who played Dr.Vetra is good. Climax twist is too good and unexpected. At the time we think the film is over, we get an interesting bang again. Guy who played murderer did it perfectly. Screenplay is the best thing with the film. You don't have time to think here and there. Technically too it's better than Da Vinci. I generally don't read novels. But a friend of mine told that this is better than a lot adaptions. But please completely get involved into it, or else you are hammered.

Watch it for some mystery and thrill. You will njoy for sure.

Title: The Haunting in Connecticut (based on a true story)
Star Cast: Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Elias Koteas, Matin Donovan, Erik.J.Berg,...
Director: Peter Cornwell
Writer: Adam Simon, Tim Metcalfe

Scared me many times, but should have been much gripping.

A typical Haunting House horror-thriller superior on technical front. It had the same template of inhouse thrillers. But Camera, Editing and Sound are the best than any. One film's sound which scared me a lot was "When A Stranger Calls". Now this scared me with its sound. Performances were not upto the mark. Much better performances would have elevated the mood. Artwork is one more good thing in this flick. The basic plot was mixed with a kind of fantasy and it's too strange that things like this really happened. Director could not convince the audience that this story really happened. You feel like watching a fantasy film here and there.

If you are a horror-thriller movie lover and like to watch a technically strong film, don't
miss it. Anyone can watch it once for some scaring sequences.

Title: American History X
Star Cast: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Avery Brroks, Fairuza Balk, Ethan Suplee, Beverly D'Angelo,...
Director: Tony Kaye
Writer: David McKenna

History of Race revolutionists

Everything is in place about this movie. Edward Norton is at his best, especially in the Prison, climax and Emotional scenes. The guy who played his brother performed very well too. Performances are the main strength of the movie. Racism and conflicts between the hoods is shown in a perfect realistic manner. Director did just stick with the plot and sustained the tempo throughout the movie. Narration of the film is interesting and Voice over by the two male leads is effective.

Definitely worth a Watch for everything firstly for the performances.

Title: Escape from Alcatraz

Star Cast: Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Larry Henkin,...
Director: Don Siegel
Writers: Campbell Bruce (book), Richard Tuggle (screenplay)

One among the gems of Clint Eastwood.

Story of a prisoner who escapes from the most notorious jail of Alcatraz. There is a way in to Alcatraz but not out alive. Clever making and outstanding performances. There were many scenes which excite us about the proceedings, what is he going to do next. Clint rocks asusual. Everyone else too did a very good job. This film is the basic inspiration for another outstanding film Shawshank Redemption. Escaping scenes in Shawshank are straight-lifts from this flick.

Definitely worth a watch and Clint fans will enjoy it a lot.

Title: Splinter
Star Cast: Shea Whigham, Paulo Costanzo, Jill Wagner, Rachel Kerbs,...
Director: Toby Wilkins

Gripping, slick and a bit gory.

Entire film focuses on four characters out of which one dies in the middle. Some shots are scary. Blood is extensively used and Splinter piercing the skin is shown well. The scenes in Store are interesting and tightly written. Nothing great technically, as the entire film finishes in couple of locations and technical crew had nothing much to do except for the music which was good. Performances are very very good from 4 characters.

People who like BLOODy thrillers can watch it once.

Title: Knowing
Star Cast: Nicholas Cage, Chandler Canterburry, Rose Byme...
Director: Alex Proyas

Interesting Concept and well treated with good visuals.

The plot is very unique. Mixed with Science-fiction, Fantasy and Myth, it had good turns here and there. The revealation

of the calamities related with the dates is shown effectively. Nicholas did perform very well but he looks a bit old.
Chandler was also good and these both are the main characters the plot revolves around. Climax should have been dealt

better. Technically it is brilliant. Effects in the climax and pre-climax scenes are good.

Definitely worth a watch.

Click Here or More to view all wallpapers