BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!
I've been desperately trying to write a script review so that I can unveil this. Starting with the February issue, you can now read my work in Screenwriters Monthly. I have a new column called 'The Last Word' which will be featured in every issue. I bring the definitive and final take on screenplays being released during the current month. In February, I tackled Daredevil, The Hunted and The Life of David Gale. The current issue features my two cents on Willard, The Core and Head of State. If you enjoy reading my this column, make sure to subscribe to Screenwriters Monthly. It's also an amazing magazine on the screenwriting business. Click on the magazine cover and check it out...
Lords of Dogtown Script Review
I believe every self-respecting movie fan has been following David Fincher's career. He first began doing commercials and music videos in the 80's. Alien 3 became his directorial debut in 1992. He followed with his breakthrough hit Se7en. Hailed as a revolutionary genius after that success, he continued with The Game. He came back with a vengeance with Fight Club. Unfortunately for him, the film wasn't a big commercial success. To get back into the game (no pun intended) he decided to helm Panic Room. A moderate success both at the box-office and with critics, Fincher was back on the prowl for his next project. Would it be Rendezvous with Rama? the kitchen drama Seared? or perhaps James Ellroy's The Black Dahlia? A month ago, we finally got our answer. He dropped-out of Mission Impossible 3 to concentrate on Lords of Dogtown. The screenplay is written by former Dogtown resident Stacy Peralta (more on him later on). Shooting will apparently begin next month. Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction, Rules of Attraction) has been hired to polish the script I'm reviewing today...
In the rough neighborhood of Venice, California called Dogtown, Skip Engblom and Jeff Ho are legends. Well Surf gods to be more precise. In the early 70's, Jeff and Skip started 'THE JEFF HO AND ZEPHYR SURFBOARD SHOP. Every kid wants to be a Z-Boy. We then meet our heroes: Stacy, Tony, Sid and Jay. They worship their surfing gurus. They would do everything to be part of that cream of the crop group. Skip exchanges some weed for avant-garde urethane skateboard wheels (You can do the same hard turns that a surfboard does, because they grip.) That strange trade leads to the invention of contemporary skateboarding. After asking the four kids to test the new innovation, Jeff and Skip decide to form a Zephyr Skateboard team. Unfortunately, they only pick Tony, Sid and Jay. After a competition, Jeff decides to give Stacy another chance and adds him to the team. The Z-Boys soon start to burn the opposition everywhere they go. Their face is on magazine covers and the store is selling out of skateboards. Suddenly fame and money catches up with the boyz. Rival companies start throwing money around to sponsor them, while Jeff & Skip aren't giving them their fair share. The friendships start to fracture over money and the Z-Boyz soon cease to exist...
I was really impressed by how superb the screenplay to this project is. One of the biggest compliments I could give it is to compare it to Almost Famous. There are a lot of similarities between both stories. They each take places in the 70's, the leads are adolescents growing up too fast, and both deal with notoriety and the obliteration of friendships over cash. Stacy Peralta based it on his life experience as a Z-Boys. Cameron Crowe did the same thing with Almost Famous. I still have trouble expressing how I feel about that film but it comes down to one thing: it's about real people, it feels like the ride home after being away for a long-time. Peralta comes really close to achieving the same deed.
A weakness of the story is that it lacks a really high quality female part. I know you can't invent one just for the benefit of the tale, but there's too much testorestone. Stacy's love interest, Summer, is underwritten and she's the biggest female role of the picture. The script lacks that ONE GREAT scene (À la 'Golden God' in Almost Famous) to make it spectacular. I'm sure Roger Avary will have no problem rewriting or adding one to this already fantastic story.
Lords of Dogtown features a definite departure for David Fincher. His films have usually lived in a very darkish universe. Dogtown is absolutely nothing like that. The majority of the film takes place outside during the day. We'll finally be able to see the full range of Finch's ability as a director. Is he just an awesome suspense filmmaker? Can he make us care about those 70's kids? The skateboarding sequences should be a blast for him. The Z-Boys invented a bunch of tricks and were also the first ones to skateboard in empty swimming pools. I'm sure Fincher will have no problem envisioning all of that.
SANDRA
What do you get out of skating inside of an empty swimming pool?
TONY
It makes me aware of who I am. Skating a backyard pool is the purest form of skateboarding. It's the real deal like surfing a secret spot where you have to be covert and protect it from everybody.
SANDRA
But most people would look at empty pool and all they would see is a bowl of cement. What do you see?
TONY
A virgin.
I absolutely loved the way the four leads are written. We see a little back story on each of them. They're perfectly humanized. Stacy is the innocent/shy one. We have the crazed daredevil in Jay and Sid as his tag-along best friend. Tony is the future superstar. None of them sound like any of the other three, as they all have distinctive personalities. The script is well fleshed out. It's almost certain Fincher & Co will cast unknown actors for those four roles. Hopefully, he'll throw in one name or two for the older guys. Maybe former Skateboard superstar Jason Lee???
This screenplay is a beautiful blueprint for success. We could be witnessing the birth of a new David Fincher. Hopefully my excitement won't turn into disappointment when we see the final product.
Join our Oscar Pool
I've been playing the Yahoo Oscar pool game for a few years now. Last year we had around 80 contestants in our pool. We're doing it again this year. All you need to do is follow this link.
Register if you're not a member already.
Create a pick set and choose to Join a Private Group. Then, when prompted, enter the following information...
Group ID: 1588
Password: tnmc
Good luck to everybody.
Stay tuned...
That's all folks...
DeadPool
