Original Screenplays

They're uncommon. At least in feature film releases for those of us who don't live in "selected cities" (by which film companies mostly mean New York, L.A., and sometimes Chicago). But we lucked into being a selected city (by we I don't mean my hometown of Tuscola "sans movie theater" Illinois, but rather Champaign-Urbana, which is where you go to do anything if you live in Tuscola). But this year, I've seen two incredibly original screenplays. Not a story based on true events. Not a re-write after a re-write after a re-write of tired stories like Ben-Hur or the Magnificent Seven (I haven't seen those yet--but really, Hollywood, those needed to be remade?). But earlier this year, I was stunned by the originality of Bryan Sipe's script for Demolition, and yesterday, I was blown out of my seat by Taylor Sheridan's screenply for Hell or High Water. I hadn't heard of either writer, though I loved last year's Sicario, Sheridan's biggest film credit to date. What worked in these screenplays that stood out? Economy for Sheridan and outstanding creative idea-making from Sipe. Sheridan created rich and deep characters through short powerful lines of dialogue. So much so that even the annoying dude next to me rattling his SweetTarts wrapper stopped to listen to Chris Pine and Ben Foster portray two troubled Texans looking for a better future. Economy of language, but plenty of punchy lines for veteran Jeff Bridges, a shoe-in for this year's Supporting Actor nominations. Giles Nuttgens camera work is stunning. The film is flawless. Bryan Sipe's Demolition script has heart-stopping emotion buried inside an intriguing story about a recent widower who demolishes his life to see if he can put it back together (the demolition is literal and figurative). And if Demolition's star Jake Gyllenhaal is overlooked again this year, well, I'm not saying what I'll do, but it won't be pretty. Not to be forgotten this year so far is also Yorgos Lanthimus and Efthymis Filippou's quirky fantasy The Lobster. I'm starting to have hope that Hollywood (but really the indie filmmakers we've been seeing carry the ball lately) will at least give me some real stories without relying on tired plots, explosions, car chases, and sad adaptations of books because no one will take a risk on a story written directly for the screen. Hell or High Water is getting oodles of buzz and that is nothing but a good thing for film and for original screenplays and the people who love them.