TODAY'S NUGGET: Legal Eagles (1986) - The Off-Handed Compliment

[Quick Summary: Reluctant assistant D.A. takes on the twisted case of woman accused of stealing her painting back from a shady dealer.]

This was an entertaining read, though preposterous and a mish-mash of genres (thriller, mystery, rom-com, etc.)

I did like the chemistry between the two leads, which is best seen in this off-handed compliment scene below.

Notice how his need (approval) dovetails with her need (partnership) and how it builds until the last compliment:

ex. EXT. SOTHEBY'S - DUSK

Logan and Kelly move into the night, crossing the street to his car. Logan is furious at Kelly's prior conduct. She, on the other hand, seems quite cheerful about things.

LOGAN (quoting): "We know those paintings exist. And we think you have them." Didn't you learn anything in law school?

KELLY (ignoring his anger): We really shook him up, didn't we? And that look in your eye at the end - pure, blue steel.  God, I'd like to develop a look like that.

LOGAN: You don't develop looks.  You just.....look.

KELLY: Not me. I practice looks in the mirror. Here's one I picked from you, by the way. Watch the left brow.  I'm cross-examining someone and he gives me an answer I don't buy. Here's the way you do it.

Kelly stops in the middle of the street, raises her left eyebrow skeptically. Logan laughs despite himself, then begin to search through his pockets as they walk again.

LOGAN: Come on, I don't do that.

KELLY: All the time. You stand there and sort of make aquarter turn toward the jury with that exact look. You totally discredited Van Dyke with it.

LOGAN: The Van Dyke case. You were in the courtroom?

KELLY: Some people go to ball games - I go to court. You're the best show in town.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED:  To stick the landing, off-handed compliments have to be about something deeper.

Legal Eagles (1986)(final shooting script, 10/23/85)
by Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr.
Story by Ivan Reitman, Jim Cash, Jack Epps, Jr.

TODAY'S NUGGET: The Crucible (1995) - One Good Line of Dialogue

[Quick Summary:  Scorned girl uses the witch hunt to accuse her ex-lover's wife.]

I did not like this script much.

Though a vengeance tale should be entertaining, I was bored.

(Perhaps because it "is a drama of ideas, but they seem laid on top of the material, not organically part of it"?)

I thought this was the best line:

PROCTOR: Sir, there are them that cannot weep and them that cannot sing --my wife cannot lie.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: All the ingredients were there, but I wasn't rooting for anyone very much.  Hence, the story didn't move me.

The Crucible (1996)(4/19/95 w/revisions)
by Henry Miller
Based on his play

TODAY'S NUGGET: All That Jazz (1979) - Heads Up Re: the Following Hallucinatory Ride

[Quick Summary: An brilliant dancer, who is selfish, ill, a perfectionist, sex/drug addict, and lousy in relationships, has a heart attack which delays his newest show.]

This is a film about "Fosse time":

The movie stretches and compresses and manipulates time. It jumps between past and present. It shuffles from fantasy to realty and back. And it does it with a combination of speed and grace that remains unmatched....In All That Jazz you’re everywhere at once. The movie is a biography, but it’s also a spiritual autopsy. Joe Gideon is taking stock in himself. - Matt Zoller Seitz

What I really liked was this script was CLEAR what was going on or about to happen.

As a reader, I appreciated the heads up.

Now I know this is not popular today because it adds to the length, but this side note to the reader was very helpful.  And yes, the script included the asterisks:

**************************************************************************
What follows is an elaborate production number as we see Joe (Hallucinatory) build it from beginning to end. The substance of the number is "Hurray!...Joe's Alive!!" It is Vaudeville in full showbiz terms. There will be hoofers, tenors, jugglers, a trio of girl singers, acrobats, an animal act, a magician, etc. The number is a celebration of Joe's life and his acceptance.

While we never leave the Intensive Care Room, small theatrical set pieces will be moved in and out for scenic effects: in other words, the Vaudeville is played against the reality of the Intensive Care Room.
**************************************************************************

WHAT I'VE LEARNED:  Don't be afraid to be clear to the reader, if it's not popular.

All That Jazz (1979)(rev. 4/14/77)
by Robert Alan Aurthur and Bob Fosse

TODAY'S NUGGET: The Game (1997) - Baiting at a Vulnerable Moment

[Quick Summary: A lonely rich man is lured into a game which may or may not be real.]

I can totally see why David Fincher wanted to direct this film, since it's a story built on suspense and extremes.

I also thought it was an exploration of baiting a man who has everything.

How do you keep him motivated? Curiosity. String out answers to up suspense. 

This often requires a bit of setup, as we will see in the scene below:

- Prior to this scene, Schuyler has visited a mysterious company called CRS at the urging of a friend because "CRS will solve his problems."
- Schuyler goes for a physical exam.
- Schuyler has not heard back, and now the baiters stoke Schuyler's curiosity with rejection:

ex. INT. SCHUYLER'S OFFICE - DAY

...Schuyler sits behind the desk and tilts back in his leather chair, thinking. He flips through his Rolodex, finds a number and dials it on his speakerphone. He gets a MALE VOICE this time:

GARY (filter): CRS, this is Gary speaking.

SCHUYLER: Yes, hello Gary, this is Schuyler Van Orton...I came in a few weeks ago...I'm going to be otu of town briefly and, I was wondering when, um, your service was supposed to start --

GARY (filter) (after a beat): Yes...I have you here on the computer...I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Van Orton, but apparently your application was rejected...

SCHUYLER: Really? But...forget it, thanks.

He hangs up, looks out the window with a disappointed expression.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Don't be fooled - this script might seem plot driven but is actually 100% character driven.

 I liked that the writers knew Schuyler so well that they knew what and how to bait him to expose his flaws which give him dimension and an arc.

The Game (1997)(1/7/92 with revisions)
by John Brancato and Michael Ferris