Four married couples, of whom all but one have threatening marriages, decide to embark on a fun-filled adventure to the Eden resort to get away from their daily lives and attempt to rekindle the diminished fires in their marriages. Shortly after arriving to their vacation destination they are pained to learn that the resort package they signed up for is actually a rigorous “couples skill-building” retreat. Saddened to the fact that there will be no free time to jet ski, get drunk, or enjoy most of the fun things the resort has to offer, they decide to stick to the program rather than return home.
Headed by Marcel (Jean Reno), a peace-loving and unusual psychiatrist, the couples retreat program is designed to use the beautiful Eden resort accommodations and surroundings to amplify Marcel’s unique and often odd lessons to help the couples find their inner strength and beauty. Most of the lessons and couple therapy sessions tend to be more disastrous than helpful to their marriages. The men become so torn apart from their cravings to let loose, party, jet ski, and do other fun activities that they become distant from their enthusiasm to partake in the couples retreat with 100 percent effort. At the same time the women also become distant to the retreat and the faith in their relationships that they start to question their involvement in their marriages. Eventually they make it to the other side of the resort, which is a forbidden place to their program, where the all night partying and dancing occurs, and begin to see each other in a different light and value the respect for each other that was always present but hidden somewhere in their marriage.
The writing for Couples Retreat was just not very good and completely unsatisfying. However, most of the basic elements are present for it is a fairly well set up screenplay, just poorly written. I think the character changes happened too late in the story and since I lost interest in the film very easily, I didn’t care much for the changes that went on.
The four couples and their relationship statuses are quickly and effectively set up. We learn that one couple is on the verge of divorce, one is unmarried, the other is having intimacy problems, and the fourth one seems to be doing just fine. The inciting incident happens when the couple with intimacy problems, confesses to the other three couples that their marriage might soon end. This comes to a surprise to everyone else for they seemed like the most stable of the four. The only thing that can save their marriage, they feel, is a vacation to the “Eden Prime” resorts. If all four couples attend the resort, they will get a special deal on a package that will be much more affordable to them. After much struggle, they convince everyone to go.
Plot point one happens when they find out that the package they signed up for involves no free time or fun activities. It is all based around couples relationship building and therapy. This comes as very tragic news to the group because they planned on drinking and doing fun things the whole time.
Plot point two happens when the girlfriend of the unmarried man runs away to the other side of the resort that has the all night partying and dancing. The group decides to break their resort package rules and escape to the other side to find her.
The climax finally rises in the end when they find the girl and all the couples perform a transformation when they find the inner strength of their relationships. The screenplay waited too long to come to a resolution and quickly ended after that. The character changes were bleak and predictable.
Written By: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, and Dana Fox

Zombieland

The foundation of “Zombieland”, along with the rest of the movie, is told through the perspective of Columbus (Eisenberg) through thoughtful narration. He tells us that a once peaceful society is now overrun by flesh eating cannibals with one goal, to tear you apart with their teeth and eat your flesh down to the bone. Columbus, whose name is masked the entire film after he was given this nickname by Tallahassee (Harrelson), believes, but hopes he is not, the only survivor in Zombieland. While on his way to Columbus to see if his parents are alive, he meets Tallahassee. Tallahassee is a tough and brutal zombie, hating individual with a very humorous and rambunctious personality. They decide to team up to help each other survive on the way to their destinations.
Zombieland is terrifically written and has a very nicely set up screenplay. We are established through effectively written dialogue telling us that the world has is overrun by viscous, flesh eating zombies. Only one thing left for the survivors of mankind is to survive and not be eaten. The inciting incident happens right from the beginning of the film. It is the explanation that zombies rule the world and there are potential survivors fighting for their lives. We are immediately thrown into the action.
Plot point one occurs when Columbus meets Tallahassee. At first they stand each other down at gunpoint, but quickly proceed to lower their guard and join forces. The two strong survivors embark on a mission to get their separate destinations. They later realize that where they are going is not somewhere they want to be, but rather they want to stick together.
While on a side quest to find a “Twinkie” for Tallahassee they encounter two other female survivors, Wichita and Little Rock. The first time they meet the girls con them into stealing their ride and weapons and leave them behind to defend themselves with nothing. Later on down the road they meet the girls once more, only to be fooled yet again. This time however, they stick together. The girls are on a mission to go to “Pacific Playland” in California where it is rumored there are no zombies. Plot point two occurs when Wichita tells Columbus that the place he is trying to get to, to find his parents, is a ghost town. This is the fact that causes Columbus and Tallahassee to travel to California with the girls. Their relationship builds throughout the film and they become very close. A love interest begins to form between Columbus and Wichita.
The climax of the film comes when they finally reach “Pacific Playland” after settling into a celebrity’s for a few days, the girls leave the guys one final time to travel on their own. Columbus, who has a very keen liking to Wichita, decides to go after her. He knows she will need to be saved and convinces Tallahassee to help him. Once the two men arrive at “Pacific Playland” they find it overrun by hordes of zombies trying to kill the two girls who are trapped on a ride. Columbus and Tallahassee kill all the zombies and save the girls to conclude the film. Columbus and Wichita kiss for the first time, and the four drive out of the amusement park to continue their journey for survival.

Written by: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick

Pandorum

The movie starts off by establishing the concept that the Earth is no longer a suitable home for humanity. Nearly 200 years past present time, basic necessities like food, water, and fueling products have been completely diminished by inhabitants that are included in a population of twenty-four billion. A seemingly lone fleet corporal, Bower (Ben Foster) awakes out of deep freeze with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. This is the first side effect of “Pandorum”. After realizing the power is shut down and the only exit door is jammed he waits for the only other deeply frozen companion to awaken. Lieutenant Payton (Dennis Quaid) wakes an hour later with the same side effects of Pandorum; memory loss that will return with time. Bower and Payton conclude that they are on a spacecraft 500 billion miles from Earth containing 160 thousand frozen soldiers and civilians. The spacecraft they are on is a sleeper ship whose inhabitants will repopulate a livable new planet.
After the film is nicely established, the first plot point comes when Bower first encounters the primal-like creatures on the ship. After escaping these creatures for the first time, he knows that his adventure to restore power to the ship is going to be a difficult one. Also included in the first plot point is when Bower encounters another survivor on the ship.
The second plot point occurs when Bower and two other survivors learn about what is going on. They find out that one of the crew members affected by Pandorum released numerous inhabitants and left them on their own to survive and evolve, into the creatures, for hundreds of years. Shortly after learning their history, Bower completes his mission of restoring power to the ship.
The climax of the film comes when we find out that Payton is not who he says he really his. Bower and Payton engage in their final conflict, where only one can survive. Is Humanity saved? Or does the evil crew member affected by Pandorum rise to the top?

Written By: Travis Milloy

Sorority Row

A group of sisters of the Theta Pi sorority at one of the largest party schools decide it is a good idea to pull a prank on one of the sister’s cheating boyfriend. They give Garrett fake roofies to slip in his girlfriend’s drink and have his way with her. The prank evolves when she fakes a series of convulsions and an apparent death. The sisters and sleazy boyfriend take Megan to a run down mining area where they will pretend to dump her body. Garrett then proceeds to ruin the prank by driving a tire iron through her chest to “deflate her lungs” so she won’t float in the nearby lake. The sisters vow to throw Megan down a mine shaft along with the tire iron and never speak of the whole situation. The plot thickens when all the sisters receive a text message from Megan’s phone showing a picture of the bloody tire iron. Thus the ridiculousness and typical question of “who is killing us all one by one?” ensues.
The script of Sorority Row, although shallow and filled with wak dialogue, holds to the basics of screenwriting. All the elements are present to contribute to a traditionally set up screenplay. It first establishes that the events to occur happen to a group of sorority sisters from one of the biggest party houses on campus. The inticing incident occurs when Garrett drives the tire iron through Megan’s chest. On the basis of the genre of the movie, we know that in killing Megan, someone will take vengeance and kill all the people who were involved.
The first plot point happens when the girls and Garrett receive a text message from someone they don’t know that shows a picture of the bloody tire iron. After receiving this message, they come to the conclusion that someone is just playing a horrible joke on them.
The second plot point occurs when they find the first dead person. The first girl to be taken out was alone and just seemed to disappear to all the other girls. But during a party, the sisters find a dead body and start to believe that someone is actually out to kill them. This is also when they realize that they are at a point of no return. There is no running or hiding from their secret anymore.
The climax rises when they finally come face to face with the killer and try and defend themselves. Most of the sisters who hold the secret are dead, and the ones left must fight for their lives. At the conclusion of the movie, the sisters reveal the true identity of the killer (and what a surprise it is… not), and kill him. The only two surviving sisters think that everything is finally at end, or is it?

Event Horizon

The screen play for Event Horizon is for the most part decently crafted. An intriguing story filled with disturbing images and themes of another dimension comprised of the most evil of things. What the screen play lacks is the ability to delve into any character emotions or foundation for change. All the elements are present to make it a good screen play involving the inciting incident, plot points, and an exciting climax.
The inciting incident occurs when the rescue team receives a disturbing distress call and location of the Event. After finding the lost space vessel the first plot point comes when they do a life scan of the ship and find no actual life forms present but some form of biological readings are present throughout the whole ship. Once on board the Horizon, they find no evidence of anyone left alive, but the team can’t figure out what the biological readings are. The second plot point happens when the crew realizes that by traveling through the black hole the crew of the Event ended up in a different dimension that resembles a place of Hell. Sheer terror, pain, and chaos torments the fragile minds of the crew members. The rescue team comes to the conclusion that whatever they found by traveling through the black hole resides on the Event and wants to take the rescue team to the other dimension.
The climax occurs when Doctor Weir gives in to the power of the unexplained forces at hand and becomes the tool of destruction for taking the team to a place of hell. Captain Miller sacrifices his life to the save the remaining crew of the rescue team and take out Doctor Weir by blowing up the Event and the gravity core. Was it enough to destroy the evil presences that continue to linger in the minds of the survived crew members?
Written by: Philip Eisner

A Magnificent Story of Change

While watching a movie like Garden State you easily notice that it holds a lot of elements that makes up a good screenplay. Garden State does, in fact, excellently use a lot of the great elements. Along side the basics like the inciting incident, plot points, and so on; the script is loaded with tons of subtle symbols, themes and motifs, and excellent foreshadowing.
Zach Braff writes, directs, and stars in this heart-warming and funny movie about a young man, Andrew Largeman, who returns home from a nine year absence for his mother’s funeral. His mother’s funeral is the inciting incident. It is the event that will once again bring him home and start his life over again. It will also give him a chance to reconnect with his father and their distant relationship. While he is home he meets a very peculiar and loveable girl named Sam.
Meeting her is the Plot Point near the end of Act one that takes us into the second act. Upon meeting her, we see an instant connection and know that the scenes to come will be them getting to know each other. He faces many obstacles in Act 2 that she helps him overcome (along with the help of his old friends). Andrew is a very emotionless character who has been living his life numbed on depression and an assortment of other medications. He stopped taking them and realized that he hasn’t needed them to get by in life.
His realization that he must face his mistakes in his past, a painful yet successful reconnection with his father, and the like for this new girl all work collectively to bring us into the third act of the screenplay. Here he will deconstruct his thoughts and start to see who he is and his purpose in life. At first, he thinks he must return to the life he has been living the past nine years and start from there. At the airport he says his final goodbyes to his Sam and they part ways. This is the climax of the screenplay. He rose above all his mental and emotional problems, and in entering the resolution went through a magnificent character change. But does he leave his hometown and Sam, or leave the life he thought he knew miles away and act on his change of heart, mind, and overall character?

Disturbia

This week I decided to analyze the script for the film Disturbia. A good movie indeed that bears a lot of the essentials needed to make a good script. The set-up does an impressive job in instantly creating a modern day, laid back, smart-ass kid named Kale. He is out on a fishing trip with his father, and we see how well he interacts with his fun Dad. After the fishing trip Kale and his dad get in a brutal car crash that kills Kale’s father. Since we know that Kale got along so well with his dad it is evident, before showing us, that Kale is crushed. After this incident he really doesn’t care what he does or what happens to him.

Shortly after the accident we see Kale sleeping during his Spanish final in school. This is when the inciting incident occurs. It is quite an epic and nicely written incident at that. The Spanish teacher wakes Kale up and tells him it’s his turn to go, but when Kale clearly does not know enough to pass the test he gets upset. He says that just because Kale lost his father doesn’t mean he should lie down and give up, or get special attention. Kale knocks the teacher’s lights out.

Kale gets through his trial with three months of house arrest over the entire summer. This is the result of the inciting incident, and because of it we know something will happen soon at the end of Act 1. We see a couple of times when Kale is watching TV that girls are randomly going missing. The news report details the suspect’s car as a Mustang with a dent on the front. So, when Kale, with nothing else to do but spy on his neighbors, sees a Mustang that fits that exact description pull up and into his neighbor’s garage, he gets a little freaked out. This puts us into Act 2. We now know that Kale thinks his neighbor is a serial killer and he will continue to scope out and get to the bottom of this. No one believes him but his one friend, so it’s going to be tough.

After spending a lot of time spying and finding more and more evidence to his neighbor’s guilt, Kale is sure his is a murderer. So the second Plot Point occurs when Kale’s friend investigates the neighbor’s house. He takes a video camera in and films everything he can. After a while they determine there is no evidence to be found and all hope of solving this case is gone. After one more look at the footage, Kale notices a shape in the distance stuck behind an air vent. A closer look reveals it is a dead body. This spins us into the third and final Act.

The neighbor, catching wind that someone is on to him, appears at Kale’s house and attacks him and his friend, and kidnaps his mom. This is the climax, and Kale is presented with the final opportunity to take down his nemesis and save his mom. If you haven’t seen it I won’t give away the ending.

Kale, during the resolution, shows more signs of character changes. He went from being a stuck-up kid who doesn’t want to deal with anything anymore to being a confident man who learns to stop dwelling in his past.