The Best Screenplays Ever Written
of those I've read
I rate ONLY the screenplay here, not the movie
mostly the screenplays that have a life of their own - reading them you get an experience not *different* from that watching the movie, but the experience on a whole different plane, I'd say
for example, The Dark Knight is a terrific film, but its script is dead, super - professional, but you don't get anything from reading it, however, as I said, there are screenplays that have much more to them than there is in the movies made from them, here are my favorites:
I rate ONLY the screenplay here, not the movie
mostly the screenplays that have a life of their own - reading them you get an experience not *different* from that watching the movie, but the experience on a whole different plane, I'd say
for example, The Dark Knight is a terrific film, but its script is dead, super - professional, but you don't get anything from reading it, however, as I said, there are screenplays that have much more to them than there is in the movies made from them, here are my favorites:
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- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsHarvey KeitelTim RothMichael MadsenWhen a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJohn TravoltaUma ThurmanSamuel L. JacksonThe lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsUma ThurmanDavid CarradineDaryl HannahAfter waking from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsBrad PittDiane KrugerEli RothIn Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.the script is a million times better than the movie, I MEAN it
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsWoody HarrelsonJuliette LewisO-Lan JonesTwo victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and psychopathic serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.the original Tarantino script only
if it was a book, it would be right up there with Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, or even higher - DirectorRobert RodriguezStarsHarvey KeitelGeorge ClooneyJuliette LewisTwo criminals and their hostages unknowingly seek temporary refuge in a truck stop populated by vampires, with chaotic results.
- DirectorTony ScottStarsChristian SlaterPatricia ArquetteDennis HopperIn Detroit, a pop-culture enthusiast steals cocaine from his new wife's pimp and tries to sell it in Hollywood, prompting the mobsters who own the drugs to pursue the couple.
- DirectorsAllison AndersAlexandre RockwellRobert RodriguezStarsTim RothAntonio BanderasSammi DavisFour interlocking tales that take place in a fading hotel on New Year's Eve.Tarantino's room only, obviously
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsPam GrierSamuel L. JacksonRobert ForsterA flight attendant with a criminal past gets nabbed by the ATF for smuggling. Under pressure to become an informant against the illegal arms dealer she works for, she must find a way to secure her future without getting killed.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsKurt RussellZoë BellRosario DawsonTwo separate sets of voluptuous women are stalked at different times by a scarred stuntman who uses his "death proof" cars to execute his murderous plans.sadly, this is the *deadest* Tarantino script, however, being his it's a light year away from any other :)
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsHilary SwankClint EastwoodMorgan FreemanFrankie, an ill-tempered old coach, reluctantly agrees to train aspiring boxer Maggie. Impressed with her determination and talent, he helps her become the best and the two soon form a close bond.written by Paul Haggis
- DirectorMichael KalesnikoStarsKenneth BranaghRobin WrightSuzi HofrichterA sarcastic playwright in LA gets new neighbors - single mom and 8 y.o. girl. His wife wants kids and babysits the girl. He doesn't want kids yet plays with her to find out how children talk - for his play. Paternal instincts?written & directed by
Michael Kalesniko - DirectorJason ReitmanStarsElliot PageMichael CeraJennifer GarnerFaced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes a selfless decision regarding the unborn child.by Diablo Cody
there are simply brilliant people, Diablo Cody is one of them - DirectorLars von TrierStarsNicole KidmanPaul BettanyLauren BacallA woman on the run from the mob is reluctantly accepted in a small Colorado community in exchange for labor, but when a search visits the town she finds out that their support has a price.written & directed by
Lars von Trier - DirectorGus Van SantStarsRobin WilliamsMatt DamonBen AffleckWill Hunting, a janitor at MIT, has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.written by
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck - DirectorHector BabencoStarsWilliam HurtRaul JuliaSonia BragaA gay man and a political prisoner are together in a prison. The gay man narrates the stories of two fake movies and his own life.based on the novel by
Manuel Puig
written by
Leonard Schrader - DirectorSam MendesStarsKevin SpaceyAnnette BeningThora BirchA sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.by
Alan Ball - DirectorTom HooperStarsColin FirthGeoffrey RushHelena Bonham CarterThe story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.by
David Seidler
the script is so magnificent, it's a shame the movie failed to manifest this great piece of artistic work in its fullest. So many vital scenes and dialogues were omitted - I can imagine how hard it was on David Seidler, it's great that he has an Oscar to help him forget the pain :) - DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsRichard GereDebra WingerDavid KeithA young man must complete his work at a Navy Officer Candidate School to become an aviator, with the help of a tough Gunnery Sergeant and his new girlfriend.by
Douglas Day Stewart
the script is so much better, the direction in the movie was average - where it HAD to be CU, it was a medium shot - diminished the impact of the scenes terribly, plus some of the most important dialogue was omitted - DirectorCurtis HansonStarsEminemBrittany MurphyKim BasingerFollows a young rapper in the Detroit area, struggling with every aspect of his life; he wants to make it big but his friends and foes make this odyssey of rap harder than it may seem.by
Scott Silver
a lot of changes have been made in the movie, some for the better, but still the differences are such a treat - DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroJerry LewisDiahnne AbbottRupert is an aspiring stand-up comedian, who is willing to go the extra mile in his attempt to appear in the late night show hosted by his idol.by
Paul D. Zimmerman
still, the movie is better :) - DirectorBilly WilderStarsJack LemmonShirley MacLaineFred MacMurrayA Manhattan insurance clerk tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but office politics and his own romantic hopes complicate matters.by
Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond - DirectorTerry ZwigoffStarsSteve BuscemiThora BirchScarlett JohanssonTwo eccentric best friends graduate high school and respond to a man's romance-seeking newspaper ad as a gag, only to find their lives becoming increasingly complicated.by
Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff - DirectorJames L. BrooksStarsJack NicholsonHelen HuntGreg KinnearA single mother and waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery.story by
Mark Andrus
written by
Mark Andrus and James L. Brooks - DirectorMartin McDonaghStarsColin FarrellBrendan GleesonCiarán HindsAfter a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be.by
Martin McDonagh
