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Blog, Creativity 101, Notable Links: June 20, 2009 : 8:55 am
Read More Screenplays (And How)
It’s a commonly-held bit of wisdom that if you want to become a better screenwriter, you need to read a lot of screenplays.
Well, Don Boose over at Simply Scripts.com has made that pursuit a whole lot easier. Simply Scripts.com has compiled the WGA’s Top 101 Screenplays with links to nearly all of them (some with multiple drafts available). The list is a comprehensive blend of great writing from the last hundred years: Pulp Fiction stands shoulder-to-shoulder wth North-by-Northwest and Dr. Strangelove.
So get over there and start reading. There’s no better place to learn than the footsteps of the masters.
Some interesting facts…
- Sideways is ranked #90 on the WGA’s list. I had no idea it was even listed, and, having seen the film, respectfully, I’m not really sure why it was. Still, it can’t be an accident, so that script is going to the top of my “must read” list.
- My favorite surreal/philosophical/pseudo-sci-fi comedies Groundhog Day clocked in at an amazing #27. I love that movie and I still can’t believe that.
- Surprisingly, the Coens only make one appearance on the list, at #32 with Fargo. I would have thought they’d get at least two (perhaps No Country for Old Men or Barton Fink)
- Charlie Kaufman, on the other hand, snags three places all by himself: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (#24), Being John Malkovich (#74), and my favorite, Adaptation (#77, technically co-written with Donald Kaufman).
- Of the 70s-era blockbuster boys: Scorcese gets one at #41 with Goodfellas, Lucas’ Star Wars gets #68 (technically he’s got story credit on Raiders but I’m counting that as a Lawrence Kasdan win), and Spielberg has 0 (he’s not a writer, so this is a bit unfair, especially since four of his films are listed). But the heavyweight champion is Francis Ford Coppola, with four writing credits in the top 101: Patton (#94, no script available), Apocalypse Now (#55), The Godfather II (#10), and The Godfather (#2). Four top 100 scripts, putting him in the ranks of people like Woody Allen and Billy Wilder. The difference is, half of Coppola’s scripts are in the top ten.
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- New Script
- Pry Yourself from Preproduction
- Hard Drives Aren’t Forever
Posted 7 months, 3 weeks ago at 8:55 am. 1 comment
tags: screenwriting, simplyscripts.com
I agree with your view on Sideways. Not top #100 (movie-wise, anyways).
I agree with Fargo’s placement, but Miller’s Crossing is still my favorite Coen brothers movie.
I’ve always considered The Godfather Part II a better movie than The Godfather. Wonder what prompted the respective rankings of these two movies on the list…
On the one hand I like that they featured a great collection of comedies, more than you’d normally see on a top 100 list. I disagree however on some of the movies listed relative to their placement on the list (Some Like it Hot at #9? nahhh and The Sting could have been much higher (closer to the top) in my book).
No Blade Runner, which makes me sad. But seeing The Lion in Winter (#71 on the list), my favorite all-time movie, made me very very happy!