Tales from the Script (2009)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Filmmakers who neglect producing a good script rarely produce a good movie. Sure, film's a visual medium (but, then, so are comic books)- but all the beautiful imagery in the world is meaningless without a coherent background story. TALES FROM THE SCRIPT is a cautionary tale and, like the documentary THE HECK WITH Hollywood!, it offers some possible solutions for aspiring screenwriters. (Although the solution in THE HECK WITH Hollywood! is to go out and make your OWN movie, without regard to geography, which is probably the BEST advice: as mavericks like George Romero have shown, it IS possible to go out and do it yourself and be successful. With the kind of video technology that exists now, I'm frankly amazed that there aren't MORE independent filmmakers making waves out there...) Posting unproduced scripts online is one way to try to interest potential investors (I may do it myself). The options these days are many. Settling for Hollywood should no longer be the only option.

The real treat of watching "Tales from the Script" was getting to hear from the likes of William Goldman, Frank Darabont, John Carpenter, Shane Black and Guinevere Turner. The surprise came when the lesser-knowns (to me, at least) proved equally as compelling, as they espoused on their struggles, successes, and peculiarities with their chosen craft. The stories coming from these guys were informative, attention-grabbing and thoroughly entertaining. I'm not a screenwriter, don't live in Hollywood, and came to this with the basest casual-fan knowledge, and I have much more respect for what these guys go through in this business at the bottom of the totem pole. It's beyond surreal, and that anyone can make a living out of it is indeed impressive. And that many of them are humble enough to acknowledge the luck of their professional careers is endearing.Fascinating stuff. 8.5/10

I've been very lucky in finding these strangely structured documentaries.Here is a film about writing films. We luckily encounter a large number of screenwriters, some of whom I admire a great deal.We have a quick shuffle among them, with the assembly being quite a bit more coherent and engaging than staying. This by itself is a remarkable effect. Almost all of these people are master storytellers and they are speaking about something they have examined thoroughly. Each has their own narrative they have created about who they are and how they fit into the machinery of this collaborative art. They assume that what they have honed will be fascinating to us.But it isn't. It simply isn't. We learn that writing is hard, the business is brutal. You and your art get no respect. It is often unbearable and some accomplished writers simply graduate out of the role. None of these storytellers do much other than decorate these complaints. It becomes obvious early in the game that this is still interesting to watch because the filmmaker jumps around, composing his own narrative out of these interviews. No one bit is kept longer than a minute or so. It is a masterpiece of composition, editing and just plain deep listening. It is a folded story that says in two ways that the writer is the beginning of the adventure, the generator of first ideas, but is not the filmmaker.So that's all good. Don't expect a single phrase about writing itself. This is all about the business, the selling and the commerce. There are some people here that I really would like to know better. I did not and this will frustrate you too.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

Thought this was a great movie and by far the most comprehensive thing i've seen on the subject. For us struggling writers out here in LA, it gives us hope, but also shows us that its not that easy and reminds us that it takes a lot of work and a lot of rejection. A great film for any of those out there with an interest in Hollywood, screen writing, the industry, or just people chasing a dream.I really enjoyed the amount of personal accounts from so many of the screenwriters, just documenting how the process literally casts a shadow over the writer and gives them very little credit. I'm sure it will at least be self-distributed, but I am going to guess that this will be picked up soon. What a gem!