2012 Movie Review

Fantastic special effects aren't enough to save bad dialogue.


The phase I'm going through now--as an amateur screenwriter hoping to make a sale--is to focus on movie dialogue in an effort to understand its rhythm and purpose.


Lately I've paid particular attention to "buttons:" the witty little last words that end a scene.


There are tons of buttons in 2012: some comedic; some expository; some dramatic--and all felt overwritten.


It's as if so many cooks were in the kitchen each were afraid that if the button were missing, that the audience would get lost.


So--the effect is that this is a TV movie with loads of expensive special effects.


It's instructive though, because it's politically correct to have very little offensive language and zero sex.


I don't know if I will ever learn my lesson.


I don't know if it's worth it to write for a PG-13.


I'd like to try though--but it doesn't ring true to me.


In the most literal sense--I'm considering going back through my old scripts to try and make them PG-13.


And if I ever dare write what I really feel--I'll try to pitch it as a cable series--which seems to be the last bastion for mature entertainment.