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I won't say that I see everything, but I try to see most movies. Not only for entertainment, escape and relaxation, but to check out what studios are buying and producers are investing in.
As of the first six months of 2003 I haven't gotten excited about too many films. I liked IDENTITY a lot and as hard as I'm trying to remember what else really grabbed me: I can't. But I saw something this past weekend that blew me away: 28 DAYS LATER
This won't be a review or a spoiler. Consider this a friendly piece of advice. If you have a bent for thrillers and/or downright scary movies, you'll have a better shot at getting an agent or a producer interested than an ernest drama and maybe even a comedy. Comedies are hard to pull off for 110 pages. Maybe the situation is strong, but the gags are inconsistent. Or maybe you have six jokes per page, but the story is weak or slacks off in the third Act.
Even romantic comedies are hard to pull off the situation isn't believable or appealing, or the two leads aren't interesting or likable.
But with a good thriller, it's all about the scare quotient. Keep me afraid. Keep me guessing. Stick one thing in the script that keeps popping up that will make me shudder (and continue to make me shudder long after I leave the theater). This is what 28 Days Later did for me.
And I want to pay the writer and director the surpreme compliment: I wish I'd thought of the idea.
Check it out, especially if an idea for a thriller is germinating in your head. |
