Tales from the Script (2009)

2009-01-101h 45m

Shane Black ("Lethal Weapon"), John Carpenter ("Halloween"), Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption"), William Goldman ("The Princess Bride"), Paul Schrader ("Taxi Driver"), and dozens of other Hollywood screenwriters share hilarious anecdotes and penetrating insights in "Tales from the Script," the most comprehensive documentary ever made about screenwriting. By analyzing their triumphs and recalling their failures, the participants explain how successful writers develop the skills necessary for toughing out careers in one of the world's most competitive industries. They also reveal the untold stories behind some of the greatest screenplays ever written, describing their adventures with luminaries including Harrison Ford, Stanley Kubrick, Joel Silver, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg. The film was produced in tandem with the upcoming HarperCollins book of the same name.

Related Movies

1103705-thumbnail

Jean-Claude van Damme: Karate King (2023)

An American low-budget action film celebrated an unexpected worldwide success in 1988: "Bloodsport". With its, the world of film fans and martial arts cinema discovered a new idol: Jean-Claude Van Damme. In the 1970s there was Bruce Lee, but at the end of the 1980s a Belgian won the day. Van Damme was a karate master and had unparalleled strength and flexibility. For ten years he was one of Hollywood's hottest action stars. But excessive overconfidence and drugs bring him down again. At home in Europe he becomes a laughing stock on talk shows. Only with "JCVD" does he manage to get back on his feet, playing his character with perspective and self-irony, but without ever giving up the reputation that his action films brought him and which has been a cult for several generations. The highs and lows of his eventful life are told through archive footage and contributions from people close to the popular Belgian actor.

279144-thumbnail

The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened? (2015)

The Death of 'Superman Lives': What Happened? feature film documents the process of development of the ill fated "Superman Lives" movie, that was to be directed by Tim Burton and star Nicolas Cage as the man of steel himself, Superman. The project went through years of development before the plug was pulled, and this documentary interviews the major filmmakers: Kevin Smith, Tim Burton, Jon Peters, Dan Gilroy, Colleen Atwood, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and many many more.

1065393-thumbnail

The Mind of a Murderer: Part 2 (1984)

A look at the trial and the use of psychiatric evidence in the criminal proceedings of mass murderer 'The Hillside Strangler' Kenneth Bianchi.

859170-thumbnail

Dream Me Up Scotty! (2013)

Alex Norton discovers how showbusiness has handled the portrayal of the Scottish accent. For over 100 years audiences have struggled to understand our braw brogue: silent Harry Lauder films attempted an accent in the captions, and in Hollywood's golden era , everyone wanted to paint their tonsils tartan- but as examples from Katharine Hepburn, Orson Welles and Richard Chamberlain show, they couldnae. Then Disney made Brave and proved that it disnae have to be all bad!

859143-thumbnail

Dive, Dive, Dive! with Robert Llewellyn (2010)

Robert Llewellyn examines the enduring appeal of submarine movies, finding a beached Cold War Russian nuclear sub on the Medway and WWII German U-boat pens on the French coast.

1253783-thumbnail

Stigma: Raised in Hollywood (NaN)

When former child star Aaron Schwartz (Mighty Ducks, Heavyweights) returned to the acting world as an adult, he found himself always being asked this recurring question: 'how is he still normal having been a child star?' After seeing one too many sensationalized 'where are they now' publications he began to notice that being a child actor carried with it a stigma that seemed impossible to break. Aaron explores why the Stigma of being raised in Hollywood exists, and why child stars are so often misunderstood.

278662-thumbnail

Showbiz Goes to War (1982)

While a few Hollywood celebrities such as James Stewart and Clark Gable saw combat during World War II, the majority used their talents to rally the American public through bond sales, morale-boosting USO tours, patriotic war dramas and escapist film fare. Comedian David Steinberg plays host for this star-studded, 90-minute documentary, which looks at the way Tinseltown helped the United States' war effort.

13611-thumbnail

Heckler (2007)

HECKLER is a comedic feature documentary exploring the increasingly critical world we live in. After starring in a film that was critically bashed, Jamie Kennedy takes on hecklers and critics and ask some interesting questions of people such as George Lucas, Bill Maher, Mike Ditka, Rob Zombie, Howie Mandel and many more. This fast moving, hilarious documentary pulls no punches as you see an uncensored look at just how nasty and mean the fight is between those in the spotlight and those in the dark.

282041-thumbnail

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)

A documentary about the rise and fall of the Cannon Film Group, the legendary independent film company helmed by Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.

464005-thumbnail

Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast (2019)

In the late 1990s, iconic photographer Bruce Weber barely managed to convince legendary actor Robert Mitchum (1917-97) to let himself be filmed simply hanging out with friends, telling anecdotes from his life and recording jazz standards.

1457986-thumbnail

In Dispute: Lively v. Baldoni (2025)

The special examines the legal complaint brought against Justin Baldoni by Blake Lively, alleging he engaged in sexual misconduct on the set of his film, It Ends With Us, and hired a PR firm to engage in an online smear campaign against her to keep her quiet. Baldoni denies the allegations and has responded with a $400m counter-suit, accusing her of defamation. With the trial set for March 2026, the special examines the evidence on both sides and the response to the dispute on social media.

1078131-thumbnail

Wild Women (2022)

At the beginning of winter, a filmmaker retires for six months to a hermit's cabin in the middle of the forest, cut off from the world and its means of communication. Through the words of four women she has filmed previously, all of whom have dedicated their lives to different forms of spirituality, she embarks on a mysterious inner adventure, on the edge of solitude and nature. A journey that invites us to connect with the world in a different way.

24042-thumbnail

Jisoe (2005)

A year in the life of troubled Australian graffiti artist Justin Hughes.

1265291-thumbnail

Writing a Good Paragraph (1963)

Uses live action and still photography to show how to develop paragraphs logically according to time, space or contrast. Suggests the use of transitions to connect ideas smoothly.

1077643-thumbnail

Sala de Roteiristas (2019)

What is the difference between a story and a good story? In this short documentary, ten of the greatest screenwriters in Brazil answer this and other questions, guiding us through the universe of creative writing and all its possibilities.

273441-thumbnail

Cocaine: History Between the Lines (2011)

Cocaine has always gotten a bad rap, and for a reason. It is a drug used by the rich and the poor legally and illegally, Mexican cartels fought over it with Colombia once associated with the brutal cocaine wars, and a source of tension between the American and Mexican borders on the people who are illicitly bringing in cocaine from one side of the border to another and will do anything to do it. So it can be surprising at times to the viewer throughout the course of the documentary special, that it was never always like this.

467096-thumbnail

Tasmanian Devil: The Fast and Furious Life of Errol Flynn (2007)

The story of Tasmanian-born actor Errol Flynn whose short & flamboyant life, full of scandals, adventures, loves and excess was largely played out in front of the camera - either making movies or filling the newsreels and gossip magazines. Tragically he was dead from the effects of drugs and alcohol by the time he was only 50 & the myths live on. But there is another side of Flynn that is less well known - his ambitions to be a serious writer and newspaper correspondent, his documentary films and his interest in the Spanish Civil War and Castro's Cuba

472424-thumbnail

Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017)

Follow pop provocateur Lady Gaga as she releases a new album, preps for her Super Bowl halftime show, and confronts physical and emotional struggles.

297624-thumbnail

Out of Print (2014)

A documentary exploring the importance of revival cinema and 35mm exhibition - seen through the lens of the patrons of the New Beverly Cinema - a unique and independent revival cinema in Los Angeles.

35900-thumbnail

The Brothers Warner (2008)

An intimate portrait and saga of four film pioneers--Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack who rose from immigrant poverty through personal tragedies persevering to create a major studio with a social conscience.