Exposition Will Kill Your Screenplay!

Show Me! Don’t Tell Me!!!!!

“I’m so mad at you right this minute and I’m going to do bad things to you once I’m given the chance!” You ever read a character say this in a script? If you have, this crap is called “Exposition” and it is one of the worst things you can write in your screenplay! The definition of “Exposition” is a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory. Audiences  don’t want your character saying exactly what he/she is thinking. For one, it creates long, drawn out dialogue that becomes boring to people. Also, your character sound “unrealistic”. Do you say EXACTLY what your thinking when talking to a person? More than likely, no. Most evaluate their thoughts, then spit it out.

Exposition works SOMETIMES. It needs to make sense as to why they are doing it and not being done out of the void.  

Let your character become authentic in their personality. Don’t force them to be a robot; just let them speak. WRITE ON, FOLKS!

P.S.: If you need hep with dialogue, I WILL HELP YOU! I love reading scripts and giving out quality feedback! Email me at Mbanks33@gmail.com and let’s talk!

IT’S A THROWBACK REVIEW!! “The Breakfast Club” MOVIE REVIEW!

The cast of the Popular 80’s film.

 Before I start this review, I have to apologize to the late, great John Hughes. I hate that it took me almost 30 years to watch this movie. To be completely honest, I never really had any interest in watching “The Breakfast Club”. The movie came out in 1985, (the year that I was born) and by the time I was interested in movies, that movie just seemed “out of date” to me. Oh, how ignorant that sounds to me now.

“The Breakfast Club” stars some of the hottest teen movie stars to ever prance through Hollywood. The Brat Pack, with notable stars like Molly Ringwald, Demi Moore and Emilio Estevez occupying the group, was what they were called back in the 80’s. So you can say this film had star power. And with that star power was on-point acting. Ringwald does her thing being, Claire, the “popular girl” and almost gets you to hate her. Estevez tackles the “jock” role but brings more of a nice guy vibe to it. The rest of the cast, which takes on the bully, nerd and weirdo, all bring these character to screen as not being the typical role you would think. At the end of the film, you’ll see how this comes into play.

The Breakfast Club is all about the large social gap between high school students. And it’s funny; the same gap exists in schools today. The Breakfast Cub shows us how the walls come tumbling down just by understanding each other and showing compassion. As the film progress, we see the characters begin to break down and reveal the hurt that plagues their mind. They come to the conclusion that each of them is no different than the other and that the social status they hold mean nothing but false perceptions of each other.

John Hughes. One of the greatest directors of our time wrote and directed this picture. He really captures the essence of the teenage mind through the characters and their interactions with each other. Hughes’s dialogue controls the mood very well during intense scenes and pulls us to want to understand both sides of the story. For example, when Claire was confronted by John, the bully played by Judd Nelson, about being a virgin, you feel compelled to know her status but you also know that it is none of your business to know. All this confusion is created by genius dialogue. Hughes, you masterful master you.

The music. Great. “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds is timeless song. It’s the staple of the movie. You really don’t forget these characters.

Some things about the film I truly didn’t like. All the reasons go to it being an 80’s movie and films had that over-the-top acting or storyline that was acceptable in those days. Example, the kids were smoking weed during detention! That’s a just unrealistic for me. Also, there was a scene where Andrew, Estevez’s character, was high as a kite, ran into a room and screamed so loud that the glass on the door shattered. Come ‘on. Really? But, then again, it was the 80’s and that was accepted in the film world.

Despite the questionable scenes mentioned above, The Breakfast Club does what a drama is supposed to do. And that is to draw you in emotionally and make you relate to each character’s ideologies, whether it’s good or bad. John Hughes controls the screen with grace and power between the character’s strong dialogue and through relatable performances from the actors themselves. Even after 30 years, The Breakfast Club still delivers the message with authority and charm.

My Rating:

(4 out of 5: A Great Film)

It’s The Turtles!: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” Movie Review

The Turtles are back in the high-octane, action film reboot! I have been a fan of the Turtles since I could remember and I could not wait to see wait to see Michael Bay’s adaptation of the franchise. Yea, I know Michael Bay can ruin some things but I truly appreciate the EXPLOSIONS in his films. (LOL) But not to fear, Bay Haters! He only has produced this one so you can keep calm! Jonathan Liebesman helms at the directors chair (i.e. Battle: Los Angeles, Wrath of the Titans) and he does a good job. Great job if you really want my opinion but we know you just want to know if the movie was good or not… And it is.

The writers really REBOOT the core of the story. It’s quick and to the point and has no need for explanations of “past” events. But in the mist of watching it, I felt it was necessary for the new generation of fans. This is not a “Lord of the Rings” type of storytelling. We don’t want prequels of how this and that came about. No. It’s fun and exciting to watch. And that was accomplished in this film.

Special effects were on point as well. Even though the heroic Turtles and Master Splinter are CGI the entire film, it’s not a bother because the effects are superbly done. The fight scenes are amazing to watch as well as some high intense action scenes. In other words, it’s mix between “cartoonish” and “reality” turns out to be an excellent visual blend.

One thing surprised me though. Megan Fox. I actually expected less from her. But she actually portrays the character, April O’Neil, pretty well. I believed her “wants” through her acting and it got me involved in her story. The voice acting was perfect. (I didn’t know Johnny Knoxville was the voice of Leonardo?!) Each turtle holds the characteristics of their personality in big ways. Their personality even fits the body type of the turtle! Example, Donatello, the brains of the crew, has a slimmer body type, than the other turtles, that could pass of as “nerd-ish”. And Raphael, the hotheaded bruiser, has the super muscular, scars-everywhere, body type. In the older films, they all looked the same and you could only tell them apart from their colored mask. This gives the Turtles their own, clear individuality amongst each other.

So, if I have grabbed your interest with this review, HOLD ON! Now, see, I’m a huge Turtles fan and I have waited for this movie for a minute. And as a fan I say: “Go See This Now!” (5 out of 5) . Your kids (and your Turtle-lovin’ spouse) will love this film. For kids, it will do for them as nostalgic films did for you. But if your dragged along for the ride you will come out saying: “Not Bad. Not Bad At All” (3 out of 5).

– Have fun at the movies!

New Blog Segment! Reviewing Movies!!!!

Hey guys! Guess what!?!? I’m going to begin writing movie reviews for you all! That’s right! With my reviews, I’m going to cater towards the “enjoyment” of films. I say this because most reviews are super bias and misleading to the customer and stops them from going to buy a movie ticket! Some films get bad reps from critics and then, come to find out, the film is way better than what they claim to say about it. In my reviews, I will stay true to the film and what it wants to accomplish for the audience. Also, I got a cool rating system that you all can relate too! It goes like this: “Go See This Now!” (5 out of 5); “Good Movie!” (4 out of 5); “Not Bad, not bad at all.” (3 out of 5); “Wait For Nexflix.” (2 out of 5); “WHY DID THEY MAKE THIS!” (1 out of 5). Make sure you guys share my reviews with your friends too! And once again, I promise to give you an “audience” perspective of a film over a “technical” one!