What do Million Dollar Baby (2004) and Crash (2005) have in common? Apart from being Oscar winners as Best picture, these two films share another trait- Paul Haggis wrote the screenplay for both these Film. He became the first screenwriter since 1950 to write two Oscar winning movies in Best film category back to back. Million Dollar Baby was the first released feature film that had a screenplay written by Haggis whereas Crash was his directorial debut.
Before starting his silver screen affair, Haggis wrote scripts of various TV series for more than two decades. His writing credit includes some very popular shows such as Chuck Norris’ Walker, Texas Ranger, Thirtysomething, The Facts of life and even the Scooby-doo show. His vast and diversified experience explains how he managed to write scripts that are totally different in terms of genre or structure. After Crash, he teamed up with Clint Eastwood and joined in the screenplay collaboration of Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima. The later one earned him a third Oscar nomination for screenplay.
He also wrote the screenplay of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, the last two James Bond movies that gave a new life to this character. Being inspired by a Playboy article, Haggis wrote the script of In the Valley of Elah and also directed the movie himself. Without any doubt, this Canadian writer (and director also) has achieved a rare level of skill in his craft.
Meryl Streep has a career of over 40 years and is considered by many one of the greats. She has been nominated for an oscar 17 times and won 3 times. The following is her filmography and links to scripts when available
Dynamic and highly controversial, Vincent Gallo has consistently drawn attention to himself whether he is walking down the street or acting in a film. This actor/director/avant-garde artist has always pushed the envelope in pursuit of a reaction.
As a young man, Gallo used to do street performances that bordered on a sociological experiment. He would perform random stunts that would shock and confuse people who were not aware that he was performing. Even as a 49 year old, Gallo has not lost his taste for shocking people, seeing as he advertises his sexual services on his website’s merchandise section (www.vincentgallo.com).
It’s obvious to say that Gallo has never been a courtier of the masses. As a director, Gallo has defied conventional methods of film-making by using small crews and acting without the help of a producer or production company.
In his most famous film to date, Buffalo ’66 (1998), Gallo challenged the traditional rules of film making by breaking continuity, sound and the fourth wall in order to fit his artistic vision. The result was a cinematic masterpiece that is acclaimed by critics and moviegoers alike. As far as screenwriting goes, Gallo creates witty dialogue that is personable and relates an audience to misfits that would otherwise be considered despicable.
In all aspects of his work, Gallo presents an avant garde look at creating films that will provide generations to come with a foundation for creativity.
A few directors have exerted so much influence on cinema as Ingmar Bergman, described by Woody Allen as the greatest film artist since the invention of motion picture camera. During his remarkable career spanning over some five decades, he wrote and directed such masterpieces as The Seventh Seal (1957), The Winter Light (1963), Wild Strawberries (1957), The Silence (1962), Persona (1966), Through the Glass Darkly (1961) and Fanny and Alexander (1982). He mostly explored the existentialist themes of anxiety, death, faith and insanity in his films. Other than cinema, he was also an active and productive director in theater. The stress that he laid upon the characters in his films and the efficient presentation of the feelings behind them is virtually unmatched. His scripts discuss the characters and their innermost fears, hopes and desires in great details.
Three of Ingmar Bergman’s films (The Virgin Spring, Through the Glass Darkly and Fanny and Alexander) won Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. He was nominated for ten more Oscars in the categories of Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture. In 1971, he was also awarded the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the Academy Awards. Bergman has exerted wide influence on directors throughout the world, including the noteworthy Hollywood directors such as Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese. Ingmar Bergman mostly wrote his own screenplays, after in depth analysis and months of retrospection. The English titles of Ingmar Bergman Films, with links to scripts where we found them:
Alejandro González Iñárritu may not be a filmmaker readily known by mainstream Hollywood audiences, but this Mexican-borne director has had the opportunity of working with some of America’s biggest stars.
From Sean Penn, Benicio del Torro, Brad Pitt to Cate Blanchett, Iñárritu has proven time and time again that he is more than capable of handling a strong measure of story, character and drama in a single film.
Check out his collection of feature length works below:
As one of Pixar’s original employees, and only its second animator, Andrew Stanton has come a long way in making Pixar into one of the most widely-recognized feature-length animation studios in the world. His hands-on approach to all his produced films, from writing, directing to animation, has given him the irreplaceable knack for depth, character and storytelling.
To find out more about his filmography, check out Andrew Stanton’s complete collection of feature-length works below:
Steven Spielberg may be one of the most widely-recognized living filmmakers of our time. Though his directorial efforts have garnered him the most acclaim, his work as a producer has managed to make possible some of the most widely successful films in the past decade.
From aliens to dinosaurs, high-adventure to historical dramas, Spielberg continues to keep the spectacle of movies alive and fresh for audiences young and old.
Check out a collection of his feature length scripts below:
Tom Clancy may not be a screenplay writer, per se, but his iconic novels on military espionage have managed to inspire some of the most successful military thrillers in cinema. His writings have also gone on to thrive outside of the movie theater and unto various reincarnations such as television and video games.
And with a new Tom Clancy based military thriller already in the works for next year, it looks like it’ll be only a matter of time before audiences are greeted with another Clancy quality classic.
Here are a collection of feature-length scripts adapting his works:
Ever since the release of Titanic (1997), James Cameron has been recognized as a filmmaker whose thirst for innovation and authenticity has challenged the physical and technical boundaries of Hollywood. And with the release of his most recent work, Avatar (2009), James Cameron once again proved that he still has what it takes to wow the box-office.
Check out the collection of his written and directorial feature length scripts below:
Although writer-director M. Night Shymalan took the film world by storm with his film The Sixth Sense (1999), he has been criticized for not keeping his latter films up to par with his earlier works. However, M. Night Shymalan will always be recognized as one of the most original and unique storytellers of modern cinema.
Check out a collection of his feature length scripts below:
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