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Orbit (Script) – Review

Orbit (Script) – Review

Here comes another script review: Orbit.

The movie is based off the 2006 John Nance of the same name.
The script was adapted by Sheldon Turner who currently has a billion projects in development, including Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air and X-Men Origins: Magneto.

Obviously, spoilers abound in these neck of the woods.

The main story is about a father (Matthew Dawson) able to go into space after winning a lottery game made by NASA PRs. For a few weeks, he is trained at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center by Owen, an astronaut whom Mat “replaced.” Once the training done, he leaves Earth aboard the Intrepid with four other peeps.
But when he arrives in space, he finds out that the other members of the crew have died. He is now trapped alone, with a limited amount of oxygen left, and no way back home.
Thinking he is a dead man anyway, he uses his computer to gather his final thoughts that are, unbeknownst to him, beamed back to Earth where the rest of the world begins to follow his last (?) moments.

The concept seems very intriguing and exciting. However, the execution was in this instance pretty bad (borderline awful).

Let’s begin with the two main differences with the novel.
A major change made was with Dawson’s personal life (named Kip in the original work).
Whereas in the book Mat/Kip’s main drive for being in orbit is due to his son blaming him for his wife’s death, in the movie however the main reason for him trying out for the NASA lottery is more somber. Matt still has a 15-year old son (Brian), but in this story he has lost his other child (Danny) and both he and his wife (Cindy) have difficulties coping with it. His son loved space, which makes for a logical character motivation.
The other important change will be talked about later on and concerns the computer used by Mat.

Now, onto the actual movie.

First, a lot of screen-time is given to the actual training.
Mat only goes into space around page 35 (out of 115).
Even if the 20 minutes are supposed to set up the relationship between Mat and his mentor/rival Owen, ultimately this is just wasting a lot of valuable time. This is something that basically leads to nowhere (the training that is). Sure, we all know that the efforts put into building astronauts are immense, but why spend a fifth of the movie on it?

Moving on to once Mat is in space.

So, he discovers that all the onboard astronauts have died due to a sudden depressurization of the main cabin.
Given that he’s a newbie at these things, it’s understandable that panic sets in and he feels as if he’s a dead man floating.
Therefore I wasn’t too shocked to see him not being able to save himself. Who would be able to repair a broken spaceship?

That said, here comes the strangest part of the movie.

He begins e-mailing himself (or rather blogging) his last thoughts.

Yeah, don’t ask me how.
What I understood was that he hooked up to his Apple Computer a handy-talkie to make into a sort of “ham radio,” boosting his signal, allowing him to send messages (but not receiving any).

It’s like MacGyver MacGruber in space.

Remember that other important novel change?
In the original story, he actually writes on the spaceship computer, which makes way more sense than some pathetic attempt at product placement (yes, Apple is really written in the script).

And now we move on to the other huge pill to swallow.
As I’ve said before, he only has a few hours of oxygen left, and NASA is now aware that he’s trapped alone up there (thanks to his amazing Blogspot posts – true story).
What do they decide to do?
Put together in the span of literally a few hours a rescue mission comprised of Owen, two other astronauts, and an experimental shuttle (meaning one that has never, ever, flown).

The use of the latter allows this incredible exchange to occur:

RICHTER
(re: the experimental shuttle)
You ever seen anything like that?

OWEN
Sure.
Don’t you guys ever watch “Battlestar Galactica”…?

Priceless.

The departure of the rescue mission also reminded me a lot of Armaggeddon (not in a good way).

So, yeah, two utterly ridiculous plot points.
There’s also this pointless love story between Owen and the NASA PR lady.
Don’t even get me started on that.

Despite those (major) flaws however, a few good things came out of the script.
The space scenes are well-constructed and should be beautiful to see. I could easily picture them accompanied by some Bear McCreary-esque music.

The characters were also engaging.
So much so that at times what happened on Earth with Brian and Cindy seemed way more likable and interesting than what was going on elsewhere, starting with Mike.

Two small upsides, but still worth noting.

Bottom line: the execution of a great idea (man trapped alone in a spaceship) could have lead to a more interesting story that should not have lacked believability. Despite interesting characters, my disbelief couldn’t be suspended high enough, even if the story takes place way up in space (greatest pun?).

Orbit is slated for a 2011 release. Thomas Bezucha is currently on board to direct the pic for 20th Century Fox.
Last I heard it was one of the studio’s top priorities before a potential SAG strike (that never happened).

Prisoners (Script) – Review

Prisoners (Script) – Review

No scripts today, rather a review of (a hot) one.
Prisoners is a spec script by Aaron Guzikowski that sold for about a gazillion dollars.

The story is about “a Boston family-man (Keller Dover) whose 6-year-old daughter with her best friend are kidnapped,” as THR puts it.
Unsatisfied with the work of the lead detective (Loki), the father takes matters into his own hands by kidnapping the man he thinks is responsible for the young girls’ demise to find out where they are. Loki meanwhile is trying to unravel the truth behind the kidnappings.

Three big names were attached to the project.
Mark Wahlberg as Dover and Christian Bale as Loki, with Bryan Singer set to direct.
Unfortunately, the deal fell flat on its face only a couple of weeks ago when Alcon acquired Prisoners.
It is very unfortunate.
I’m sure Christian Bale could have pulled the Loki style. The character seems like a modern version of Public Enemies‘ Melvin Purvis (albeit with more intensity). On the other hand, Keller Dover is an unusual role for Mark Wahlberg. It would have been an exciting part for him.

The basic premise might seem a bit rehashed but Guzikowski actually does bring an interesting and fresh execution to the storyline.
Although good, the script is definitely not the great movie I was expecting to read given its high buzz (and dollars thrown at it).

Steven Zeitchik over at his Risky Riz Blog described it as “a real page-turner.”
Even if I agree regarding the fact that the last forty pages get you involved, I had a lot of trouble entering the world of our characters, mainly in the first third of the film. I dare say the beginning is almost boring.
Guzikowski in my opinion takes too much time setting up his characters and going into the meat of what we’re waiting for.
To give you an idea, the “kidnapping the kidnapper” storyline, even though it’s supposed to be the major part of the movie, begins just before the middle of the script is reached.
As for the more mysterious elements surrounding the kidnapping(s), they’re only introduced twenty or so pages later (with forty remaining). Pretty late in the game for me.
This is a bit more problematic considering that in true Hollywood fashion, the movie should be described as “Seven meets Saw with a hint of Mystic River.”

The first two films are especially true regarding the overal tone of Prisoners. The ambiance is indeed very dark; there are no jokes which makes for a heavy read, even until the end.
In addition, the mystery complexifies and deepens as the story progresses.
I’m still unsure about a couple of details, and unfortunately there seem to be both loose threads and pointless clues (not red herring). There’s this creepy running theme around mazes that is never really explained even though it could have led to some great pay-offs.
Fortunately though you’re kept guessing as to what’s going to our characters until the very end (in the same way as the first Saw ended sort of).

The characters are well-defined, and I had this Mystic River vibe going on as both movies are set in Boston and the parents are both blue-collar-type in similar situations. There’s an overarching dread throughout the story as well.
I’m interested in seeing who plays the mother as they do have “juicy part” like Zeitchik puts it.

In the end, despite a weak first act, the dark thriller that is Prisoners has a strong enough hold that it keeps you waiting until the very end, if anything just because you want to know who did it and why.
Alcon Entertainment is currently fast-tracking production on the project for a release slated around October 2010.
Here’s to hoping the new cast will do justice to the script.

Buried (Script) – Review

Buried (Script) – Review

There has been a script going around with a lot of buzz, Buried.
One word to describe it: intense.
This was probably one of the fastest read I’ve done of a script.
It is very engaging despite it’s bleak (even depressing?) aspect.

The movie will star Ryan Reynolds in the title role and will be directed by Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Cortés. The script was written by Chris Sparling.

As for the story, it’s pretty straight-forward.
A man named Paul wakes up to find himself inside a sealed coffin.
He has been buried alive and only has with him a few precious items, including a Zippo lighter and a cellphone with two battery bars and one reception bar left.
Speaking of, the phone brand that gets a deal to be in the movie will most likely make a killing (no pun intended). Besides its obvious basic call function, the object’s other functions (video, MMS, etc.) are really detrimental to the whole plot.
There are a few other stuff in there that you get to discover with Paul, such as a knife and a candle.

To answer the first question that probably popped into your mind: Yes, the whole movie is literally 90 minutes in a coffin. It’s virtually a one-man show.

At first glance, the story might remind you of a famous 2005 CSI episode directed by Tarantino: Grave Danger.
Although in some ways pretty similar (a few of the coffin components are there, such as the use of fire ants at one point), the two stories are dissimilar in the way they’re depicting the whole “kidnapped and buried alive” plot.
Whereas the CSI episode delves more into the rescue efforts, Buried is a first-person account of a man having actually been buried alive.

Let’s check the script now.
Regarding the downsides, the reason for Paul being down there is almost stereotypical one might say. You find it out early on in the script, and even you can easily guess it by just knowing the country it takes place in, Iraq.

A few moments also made me unintentionally laugh, like some of the dialogues:

JABIR
Breathe no breathe, American? Ah?
Breathe no breathe?
PAUL
What? I don’t know what you’re
saying. Who is this?
JABIR
Infidel American can breathe no
breathe?
PAUL
No, I can’t breathe.

Sounds like a parody for a second.

There was this one Human Resources phone call around the end of the movie that is pretty far stretched as well.

A couple of physics-defying moments were present, such as the phone having reception even though it’s buried in the middle of the desert.
The flame from the candle should also burn oxygen much faster than it does in the movie.

Finally, one thing that a lot of people have noticed about the script is its use of prose-like writing, which is somewhat awkward given the fact that this is, you know, a script.
You get to learn things you’re not supposed to know, and it’s visually/auditorily impossible to guess said facts.
An early example:

He tries to remember the Safe Number he was given.
With the phone open and ready to be dialed, Paul struggles to recall the information.

How are you supposed to convey on screen that he’s remembering not just a phone number, but his “safe number”?
Did I mention that this is the first time in the whole script this mysterious number has been brought up?

Anyway, despite those few quarrels I had with the script, it is really so intense that it makes you overlook those minor mistakes.
The ambiance has kind of a Saw-esque quality to it (the first movie) given its suppressing feel throughout. You’re almost left gasping for air. The film will certainly not be for the claustrophobics out there.

The ending was very strong as well I thought.
I’m not going to spoil if he gets out or not, but there is at least one final gut-punch that you don’t see coming and is, in my mind, even more powerful than what happens at the end.

It will be extremely interesting to see the final result and how all this will turn out on screen.
Though the script doesn’t call for it, perhaps the director won’t be able to resist the urge of making intercuts with the outside world (especially during the phone calls).
If the movie is done without any intercuts nor flashbacks nor any other sceneries than what is written in the script, then bravo.

Ultimately, the script is definitely a page-turner and the movie promises to certainly be as exciting (especially with Reynolds as the lead), as long as no major changes are made and the oppressing feel is kept intact.