The Final Showdown Begins

This is the third and final scene (until I decide otherwise) I'm sharing from the screenplay I wrote a few years back. This particular dream sequence signals the story's climatic showdown. The number one rule when writing description in any script is that it must be VISUAL. If you can see it on the page, then so can a paying audience.

INSIDE SKYLAR’S HEAD (PART FLASHBACK/PART FANTASY)

Falling through the eye of Skylar’s mind, all fades to black as the beginnings of a wail slowly starts to take shape in the form of an incoherent and dreamlike image of Skylar being wheeled into surgery.  He moves his head from side to side in terrified protest.  His open mouth begins to release the volcanic pressure inside his soul.  No notice is made as medical personnel already masked prepare his scalp for surgery.

The scream continues to build as an immobilized Skylar (mouth open throughout) looks on in terror as cellophane is wrapped around his face.  The terror mounts as he looks up through a watery veil of cellophane, up at the common steel faucet drowning him.  As before, no notice of his presence is taken.

The scream is unmistakable as his open eyes and mouth wail powerless against a surgeon, yanking an evil looking abrader through flesh and bone and human skull.

Now in a hospital bed, his eyes, dilated and fervid, stare up into the barrel of a pistol aimed right between his eyes.  The howl reaches crescendo.

PRESENT TIME

Skylar’s face hardens.

SKYLAR
Burn with me.

And so the showdown begins like the universe:  violently explosive.

My Trips to the Store

My trips to my local HEB are usually routine and prosaic. I mean how exciting can grocery shopping be? Well, today it proved a tad eventful while picking up some cans of soup, bread, tuna---the usual prosaic items. However I noticed this sale of 6-pack, bottled Snapple on display. Something that my HEB doesn't carry every day. But what really stood out was the buy-two-get-two-dollars-off coupon. Hmm, well I really love peach Snapple, and since I've cut out sodas, I intended to snag a pair. Problem was that intention was on Sunday. And so today while picking up the cans of soup, bread, tuna---the usual prosaic items, I noticed that enticing display of Snapple was gone. That’s when I did something I don't normally do at a grocery store: I persisted. Which is where my adventure began.

Persisting, I stopped and asked a clerk if they still had any Snapple left. He didn't know, but he kindly checked with a manager. Between them they confirmed what I already knew: there wasn’t any Snapple to be found on display. But the manager had someone check in back. Sure enough he found some. Hurray! But I couldn't take any right then because I can only carry so many cans of soup, bread, tuna and the usual prosaic items home. (That's the truly wonderful benefit of having a car---a benefit I no longer possess.) So I said I would be back in half an hour to get them, which was fine with them. So I checked out my cans of soup, bread, tuna and the usual prosaic items and lugged my bags home. Then I returned to the store (I live only .7 of a mile away; a fortunate benefit when one no longer owns a car), and snagged my pair of peach Snapple using my $2 off coupon. However I wanted to get FOUR packs of Snapple (I couldn't be sure when the next time my HEB would have them in stock, let alone on sale---a suspicion I felt confirmed by their removal from display). This meant I would have to return AGAIN for the next pair. But as it turned out, I didn't have a coupon for another pair. Not deterred, I once more persisted: I asked if they had any coupons left. Upon which the guy who fetched my Snapple told me I could get one at check-out from the cashier. The cashier however told me she didn't have any, but she called another employee over. That employee said she could print one, but it would "take a minute". Ten minutes later a manager came out with enough coupons for every customer in the store. Somehow he had gotten the impression I wanted to buy the whole pallet. Wow, who knew managers possessed mental powers of mind-reading. But sensibly I recognized that my insatiable desire for Snapple was greater than my pocketbook allowed. So I settled on the one coupon. That mission now accomplished, I lugged my bottled prize, one in each arm, home. Then I returned once more to my HEB (third trip in case you were getting lost), and snagged my SECOND pair of 6-pack, bottled Snapple. (Kudos to the guy in dreadlocks---he actually made them look good---who went back into the bowels of the store THREE times: first to confirm that yes, they still had some left; and twice to fetch me some. He even gave me another coupon...Huh, wish he would've given me that earlier; I wouldn't have had to wait ten minutes while a manager printed like a gazillion of them for me on my previous trip.) Nevertheless, thankful for the extra $2 coupon (this time I decided I would save it for another day), I checked out of the store, lugging my second and final pair of Snapple home one last time.

In retrospect I figure I walked nearly four and a half miles over three trips (two and a quarter of which involved lugging sacks of prosaic groceries and multiple bottles of peach Snapple), received assistance from half a dozen people, and walked away with a more than average memorable story for what started out as an ordinary trip to the store.

Movies That Moved Me in 2011

There were a number of great, and not-so-great films that I saw this past autumnal year. Films that would stay and linger long after the final credits. Only two I paid coin however to see (which were not many): Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Super 8. Apes was a masterfully intelligent reboot of a very bad sci-fi prequel from another era. Super 8 harkened back to Spielberg's early adventure films; most notably E.T., albeit a much less friendly version. I suppose I should add the new Sherlock Holmes sequel, which was like watching a great rock anthem. Each scene played to unabashed hyperbole.

This is by no means a full account. Like many these days the movies I watch are less often at the movies thanks to the great gift of home theater. Here on the comfort of my sofa, with the prerequisite pause button nearby, I was able to watch films I missed at the theater; films I've always wanted to see, and rewatch ones I love. Here's a list of the films (thank you Netflix...although not so much thanks now, but that's another story) that stayed and lingered with me this past year: 8 1/2. Wow. No, I mean WOW. Every frame is meticulously choreographed. Each still frame could be a Seurat or a Renoir or a Manet. This is Federico Fellini at his finest. The Last Picture Show. This has been called by some as the greatest American film in the 30 years following Citizen Cane. It probably is. Annie Hall. Ground-breaking. One of the most inventive dramatic comedies I've ever seen of any era. Nashville. Robert Altman's finest masterpiece, and he made a few. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (I'm talking about the original Swedish version). A mystery thriller that explores really dark places before it gets to the other side. A lot of films exploit our darkness for entertainment's sake. Somehow the shock of this one makes the film all that more powerful. Blue. A powerful depiction of loss and grief. Powerful because it takes something so painful and transforms it into a journey of self-discovery and renewal. A Single Man. Some may see this as a gay film, as it's about a man reeling from the death of his long-time partner. Not so. This experience is universal. And Colin Firth provides us as rich a character as any who've portrayed loss and the meaning of it. The Battle of Algiers. Hailed as one of the most influential political films ever made. To see it, is to understand why. One that's been studied and imitated countless times. All That Jazz. A dazzling display of musical showmanship. Here we see Bob Fosse, the greatest dance choreographer of his day (maybe ever), elevate the genre to its highest artform.

Other notable films I saw this past year were Toy Story 3. Oh my gosh, I can't believe the moving "at-peace-with-dying" scene was actually part of an animated film. How could anyone not be moved by that scene? Dial M for Murder. Well crafted Hitchcock. The payoff comes in the ending. Mystic River. Kudos to Sean Penn. American Splendor. An example of a quirky independent film that's good. Kick-Ass. A refreshing take on the superhero genre. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. This could've been so bad, and yet it was so good. Funny and inventive in all the right (and risky) places. Winter's Bone. Who would have thought that rural hillbilly white trash would make for compelling drama? If you like this sub-genre, check out the TV series Justified. Z. Follows in the hallowed footsteps of The Battle of Algiers. Tangled. Great Disney film. Can definitely see the Pixar influence. And why not? The new head of Disney Animation is one of the original founders of Pixar. Rebecca. Wait for the twist. This is Hitchcock at his finest. Lust, Caution. Is this beautifully crafted, yet overly explicit, NC-17 film really from Ang Lee? Reds. Now I get why Warren Beatty is so famously associated with the far Left. What I most liked about this film was being exposed to a slice of American history I didn't know about, and that's the point. And, Life is Beautiful. Comedic take on the Holocaust? Oh this could've been so offensive, but instead is so heartwarming. Far from trivializing the unspeakable nature of the holocaust, it affirms how beautiful life is.

As an addendum, one may notice that several of the films I chose are foreign films. While it is true that American cinema has the greatest body of work, it by no means has a monopoly. I know from mentioning foreign films to family or friends that many are put off by having to read sub-titles, but with practice (I know) it is possible to acclimatize oneself to the art of reading dialogue while watching film. To those who are willing to make the effort, there's a whole world (literally) of great cinema out there to behold.