What Could Have Been: Elementary by Brian Helgeland

An excerpt from my review for the Elementary (unproduced script) by Brian Helgeland which will be available 06/30/25: 2.) Plot Stability Was a very fun and engaging story. If you’re looking for an entertaining tale set in...

Wag the Dog – More Relevant than Ever?

An excerpt from my script review for Wag the Dog which will be available 06/23/25: 1.) Marketability of the Idea Of course it’s true. I saw it on TV. This is a line that Brean...

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina – Missed Opportunities?

If my memory serves me right, which it rarely ever does, I believe I reviewed almost every John Wick movie, so when it came time to watch the new spin off from...

The Swallow – Can this Bloodlist script be improved?

An excerpt from my script review for The 2017 Bloodlist Script: The Swallow which will be available 06/16/25: 2.) Plot Stability For me, the idea of a sentient “monster” in the form of these...

Elevator Game – Horror Written Right

An excerpt from my script review for Elevator Game which will be available 06/02/25: 2.) Plot Stability First and foremost, the beauty of the script is we’re presented the “rules” clearly and early. The legend...

Write to Reals: Final Destination’s X-Files Origins

An excerpt from Reals' script review for Flight 180 (X-Files Spec Script) which will be available 05/25/25: What Worked The Page Count - Right off the bat I like that this thing comes in under...
Write to Reel

Providing a step in the write direction

We break scripts down the Monday after its opening weekend. Read detailed reviews and see what current writers selling scripts are doing right, and sometimes wrong.

Join our established screenwriting community

Dedicated to expanding the skills of all interested screenwriters

Most Popular

Dune (2021) – Game of Thrones…in Space!

It had been a good while since I’ve seen the original 1984 film version of Dune. I think what got my interested in seeing it in the first place was that scene...

Underwater – Consistent Tone Required

An excerpt from my script review for Underwater which will be available 01/13/2020: 4.) Dialogue and Description Here’s the nuts and bolts of the problems. Remember, the tone of your script should be uniform throughout. Meaning your description...

Tolkien – Can Flashbacks Inside Flashbacks Work in Scripts?

An excerpt from my script review for Tolkien which will be available 08/05/19: 2.) Plot Stability What I’d like to focus on here is the idea of… Flashing back inside a flashback. Normally I’d warn writers...

Write to Reals: Everything Everywhere All At Once

An excerpt from Reals' script review for Everything Everywhere All At Once which will be available 04/17/22: What Needs Work The Title - First things first, let’s talk about that title. It’s awful. It tells me...

Hustlers – Characters audiences hate?

An excerpt from my script review for Hustlers which will be available 09/17/19: 3.) Quality of Characters What made me interested in this script was a review of the film on NPR. Here the male host talked about...

You Should Have Left – Good Horror/Thriller Writers Should Check Out.

An excerpt from my script review for You Should Have Left which will be available 06/22/20: 3.) Quality of Characters Two layers of tension. We have the obvious horror layer from above, that again worked...

What Could Have Been: The Group – An Entirely Eye-Catching Cast?

An excerpt from my script review for The Group (2008 unproduced) which will be available 03/04/19: 3.) Quality of Characters As Reals like to mention my pet peeves, it’s my turn to mention one...

Hunter Killer – Does your script utilize contradicting characters?

An excerpt from my script review for Hunter Killer which will be available 02/25/19: 3.) Quality of Characters Most of us know by now the importance of well drawn, “three dimensional” characters in a stories. These characters should...

Movie Reviews