Who Killed the Hollywood Screenplay?

Still, there is some good news. Outside the mainstream studios, independent screenwriters are tapping out deftly written, relatively low-budget films that sometimes even succeed in making a spot of money (like Douglas McGrath's Emma, which cost only $7 million and has so far grossed about $20 million). Relief may also come from the one place you'd least expect it: on television. Traditionally a much more writer-friendly medium, the tube has rediscovered interesting drama in recent years, serving up smartly penned shows like The X-Files, NYPD Blue, and Homicide.

So, it turns out that good screenwriting is only mostly dead. You just have to know where to look for it. That may not be the most cheerful, uplifting conclusion in the world — but, hey, if you want a happier ending, hire a rewriter.
—(Additional reporting by Steve Daly, Dave Karger, and Gregg Kilday)

Words Perfect

If only more movies sounded like"] Double Indemnity:

She: There's a speed limit in this state, Mr. Neff. 45 miles an hour.

He: How fast was I going, officer?

She: I'd say around 90.

He: Suppose you get down off your motorcycle and give me a ticket.

She: Suppose I let you off with a warning this time.

He: Suppose it doesn't take.

She: Suppose I have to whack you over the knuckles.

He: Suppose I bust out crying and put my head on your shoulder.

She: Suppose you try putting it on my husband's shoulder.

He: Tomorrow evening, then...same chair, same perfume, same anklet?

She: I wonder if I know what you mean.

He: I wonder if you wonder.

Bright Spots

Not surprisingly, 1996's strongest scripts have been from independent filmmakers. The year's best so far:

Lone Star John Sayles' 21st screenplay fits dozens of characters into a dense novelistic structure.

Trainspotting John Hodge brilliantly distills a 350-page novel into a 94-minute movie overflowing with rude, energetic torrents of dialogue.

Fargo Nobody messes with a Coen brothers script; in Fargo, the unmistakable imprint of their authorship is language that has style.

Huh?

We're still trying to figure out...
—...how Jeff Goldblum knew the aliens used Macintosh computers in Independence Day
—...how a cell phone works in the middle of a Twister — and why Jami Gertz answers it anyway
—...how Up Close & Personal's Michelle Pfeiffer does a live remote from a prison riot when her camera isn't plugged in
—...why Al Pacino would sit down for a coffee klatch with Robert De Niro in Heat before their big shoot-out
—...why Marlon Brando wore an ice bucket on his head in The Island of Dr. Moreau.

The Usual Suspects

Jim Carrey The $20-million man made sure that The Cable Guy's script was to his liking. Unfortunately for him, the audience didn't share his taste.
Michael Bay A music video veteran, The Rock director was chosen for making things look good.
Joe Eszterhas With such gems as Showgirls and Basic Instinct under his belt, he has nowhere to go but down.

Oscar Winners

The Academy Awards may be as good an indicator as any of how inhospitable studios have become to good writing. Of the last five Best Original Screenplay honorees, only one, Thelma & Louise, wasn't an independent release. And the winners were...

1991: Thelma & Louise, by Callie Khouri (MGM)

1992: The Crying Game, by Neil Jordan (Miramax)

1993: The Piano, by Jane Campion (Miramax)

1994: Pulp Fiction, by Quentin Tarantino (Miramax)

1995: The Usual Suspects, by Christopher McQuarrie (Gramercy)