Winner 2014 International Family Film Festival for Best Screenplay Short Sci-Fi / Fantasy

An ascerbic teen discovers she’s – a little different

Any you guys know what superhero movies such as Batman, Spider-Man, Iron Man and Superman have in common?

Well, for starters they’re amongst the biggest movie franchises of all time! These cinematic treats have grossed BILLIONS of dollars at the box office! Moviegoers are drawn to their local Cineplex ‘faster than a speeding bullet’ each time their favorite crime fighter does battle with some dastardly villian hell-bent on wreaking chaos and destruction on our pitiful, fragile lives.

But – at the risk of stating the obvious – there’s another shared factor at play. To put it bluntly, they’re all GUYS.

Men gifted with special powers and skills.

Whilst this makes for great entertainment (if you’re anything like me) it’d be nice to see a different kind of superhero for a change.

How about a complete underdog? Someone who can’t leap from a tall building, spin a web or fly? An ordinary schoolgirl, perhaps? At least, she thinks she’s ordinary. And who has a legitimate reason to wear tights.

Well, then – you’re in luck. Because Super Janet’s on the scene. Written by talented scribe Kay Poiro, this tongue-in-cheek script bursts with witty dialogue – enough to give The Avenger’s Joss Whedon a run for his money.

Our titular Janet’s just 14. A bit sarcastic, and struggling to pass algebra. Or understand her parents, Jack and Chrissy. (Jack, Janet and Chrissy. Think about that a minute. Won’t you?)

On the eve of her birthday, Chrissy drops a surprise on her daughter. Janet’s fifteenth birthday is around the corner. And her parents have planned an animal themed party. With a pinata. And they’ve invited the school lunch lady! Janet cringes. It’s totally lame. And pinatas? They give her the willies!

Needless to say, things couldn’t get worse. That is, until it does.

A strange man – Mr. Furley – shows up at school… and drops the real bombshell on our teen. You see, Janet’s really an alien. She’s had this ability to move things with her mind for years – but hey, why ask unnecessary questions? Her “parents” adopted her from the government when she was just an egg (getting a sweet new backyard shed in the bargain). But now aliens from her homeworld have arrived. A flotilla of warships orbit the Earth with a fearsome demand. Yo – hand over the girl. Or they’re gonna go bad-ass gangsta on humanity.

And Janet’s the only one who can stop them.

A kinda rude wake-up call for a teen – to find out she’s been lied to all her life. Will Janet step up to save the day? Or will it be “game over” for her – and the world that she’s grown to love?

Budget: Not cheap, but surprisingly not crazy either. A small cast. Some SFX that could be done in post with CGI. Add in a few sets: a house, school and spaceship interior (small), and you’ll be ready to blast off!

About the writer: Kay Poiro is an award-winning screenwriter and internationally produced playwright. Her stage plays have been performed across the country and on four continents and counting. Most recently, her TV pilot “Brewster Commons” won Best Short Script at the 2014 Harlem International Film Festival. In 2012, her feature script “Ridgeway Mystery Club” won Best Screenplay at the 8^th Annual L.A. Femme Film Festival. She recently optioned her first feature script. Kay is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and lives in Maryland. She can be reached at keishapoiro (a) yahoo.

About the Reviewer: Gary Rowlands cut his teeth writing sketch comedy. He was a commissioned writer on Spitting Image a hugely popular sketch show broadcast on national television in the UK. He has since branched out into writing features. His preferred genres are: Comedy, horror, thriller. He can be contacted at gazrow (a) hotmail dot com

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This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

Mia, an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and Sebastian, a jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail party gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Thanks John for the heads up. Find more Oscar nominated screenplays.

For a brief moment in the 90’s director Paul Verhoeven, and super star Arnold Schwarzenegger had the opportunity to re-team for what surely would have been the most fascinating medieval epic of the decade – Crusade. Read More ->

Crusades – January 24, 1993 unproduced, revised draft script by Walon Green (revisions by Gary Goldman) – hosted by: Stephen Batchelor – Screenwriter – in pdf format

Hagen is a renegade soldier who is waiting on death row, but his fate is changed when he meets with the Pope. Hagen started the sacred ground to fight on behalf of Christianity under the walls of Jerusalem.

Information courtesy of GeekTyrant

You can read them on the Unproduced Scripts page.

– Don

A troubled man sets out to kill a demon. Only problem, his demon happens to be a man of God. Or is he?

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A soldier recovering from a failed mission must face a new enemy – in his mouth.

Who doesn’t love a great conspiracy flick?

Perched on the edge of your seat – watching the protagonist chip away the lies? Holding one’s breath as he uncovers a vast conspiracy that inevitably leads “all the way to the top” – ala “All the President’s Men,” Watergate style?

And if you like action, conspiracy films have that – in spades. Watch in concern as our hero runs for his life – a scenario that plays out in multiple ways. The Fugitive. The Man Who Knew Too Much. North by Northwest.

But whether your genre preference is Hitchcock or Oliver Stone (and his magnum opus, JFK), conspiracy films have similarities in their DNA: the characters digging through lies, rumors and worse – in the desperate hope of uncovering TRUTH.

Take Teeth’s protagonist, Hugo Web. An ex special-forces soldier, recovering from a failed mission on a covert military base. As the script opens, Hugo’s in excruciating pain. Physically. And mentally.

The source of his agony – his teeth.

You see, Hugo’s hearing voices in his mouth… radio signals filtered through his fillings. He pleads with his doctors to rip the offending choppers out. Once his teeth are gone, Hugo’s sure, he’ll be fine!

Yes, Hugo’s a man on the verge of total breakdown. And beyond. Racked by the guilt of leading loyal men to their deaths. As his doctor Jessica explains, “PTSD takes many forms.” Is Hugo delusional? Insane? Or is he a victim of a different kind…? A human guinea pig exploited by the vast military machine?

An ambitious thriller with great set pieces, “Teeth” is a perfect script for directors seeking something unique. What actor in their right mind wouldn’t want to play Hugo Web? So grab this script while you can. There’s lots to sink your, um, “Teeth” into…

Budget: Moderate. You’ll need uniforms, of course. And a set that looks like a hospital or military base!

About The Writer: An award winning writer, Bill Sarre has had scripts place both finalist and quarter finalist with Page and Bluecat.  Another short of his, The Grieving Spell, was recently grand prize winner of the London Film Awards. Bill can be reached at Bill.sarre (a) gmail.

About The Reviewer: David M Troop has been writing since he could hold a number two pencil. He’s written short screenplays for websites such as MoviePoet, Simply Scripts, and WriterArena. Update: Dave and his wife Jodi now spend most of their spare time spoiling their new grandson Oliver.

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This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

When a man is released from prison after fifteen years, he must choose between his old life and moving on. Though his inner demons won’t go quietly.

Last Chance had its origins as an August ’07 One Week Challenge finalist as Second Chance (12 page thriller in pdf format).

Before moving away, a serial killer must make a decision.

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An ex-convict priest attempts to save a neighborhood.

Colm MacKenna is a priest. A man of God. And a complex protagonist. He’s tough – streetwise. And he’s done jail time. Given that, is he good? Colm himself speaks that that issue. “The moment you pretend to be good… in that moment, you are good.” But does the father practice as he preaches…?

Erich Von Heeder’s dark morality tale would seem to indicate otherwise.

The opening pages of Good puts Colm to the test. And his motives in question. Sneaking through a dark alleyway, Colm is assaulted by two thugs…. Targeting his duffel bag. A violent struggle ensues, leaving Colm bloody but victorious. And the thugs in need of hospital care. A quick glimpse into the bag deepens the mystery. It’s filled to the brim with money. Lots and lots of money.

Shortly thereafter, Colm pays a visit to Father O’Callahan – pastor of the local Catholic church. And it’s far from a friendly Sunday visit: closer to a syndicate shakedown. Accusations fly between the two men of the cloth: refusing to hear Colm’s confession, O’Callahan calls him a false prophet. A fake. He threatens a hostile takeover of Colm’s tiny ministry – and brings his funding into question. Money may be the root of evil, but it has to come from somewhere.

Needless to say, the meeting doesn’t end well. Colm storms out – threatening judgement on Callahan. He retreats to a secret basement, and sets to work on… something. What he’s up to isn’t clear. Then again, O’Callahan’s no saint, either.

Gripping and fluidly written, Good is a hybrid tale of the best kind. A noir thriller that doesn’t let go – yet still has something to say. Directors are urged to grab this one while they can. And pray you don’t arrive too late…

Budget: Low – Medium. One fight scene, and a handful of locations. As with so many quality shorts, acting and cinematography will make or break this one!
About the writer: Residing in Seattle, Washington, Erich Von Heeder can be reached at erich_vonheeder (a) yahoo

About the reviewers: Scott & Paula Merrow are a husband and wife screenwriting team. Since 2006, they’ve written over 50 short screenplays, several of which have been produced. They tend toward family-friendly scripts, but they’ve written a little bit of everything: horror, fantasy, sci-fi, comedy,… the whole nine yards. They’re reachable at scott-paula “AT” comcast.net

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This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.