INDEPENDENT Works

SCRIPTS

Redeeming Fat Bastard

REDEEMING FAT BASTARD is a half-hour comedy pilot following the misadventures of cinema’s most infamous, 1-ton, Scottish cannibal: Fat Bastard, of the Austin Powers film franchise. It scored an 8 on The Black List.

The Black List On ‘Redeeming Fat Bastard’

“This is a great comedy sample that should be on the desks of anyone producing a hard-comedy TV show.”

“This script is the best kind of stunt spec. Its brand of humor feels deeply loyal to the Austin Powers franchise from which Fat Bastard comes from, but it's also funny and varied enough to entertain someone with little to no knowledge of the original movies. It is gross, shocking, disturbing, and among the funniest scripts about a baby-eating, 1-ton man you are ever likely to read. The plot is smartly crafted be rather simple, largely confined to the prison and concerned with FB's prison break. But there's an impressive amount heart buried under all of the diarrhea and infant cannibalism jokes. The set up of his backstory actually manages to give the character something resembling depth. And, the inclusion of his daughter, Big Bitch, gives FB an actual arc that has some real emotion to it. The physical comedy is violent and creative. The humor is often meta and culturally referential, but it never feels like it winks too much at the audience to lose its comedic effect. All in all, the writer leaves nothing on the table. There's no joke left unsaid. They take maximum advantage of the concept they've set up.”

The Crumbs Of Others

The Crumbs Of Others is a feature-length dramedy about “a mid-20s burnout, stuck at home with his family during the early days of COVID-19, who lies his way into a job tutoring a rich kid with serious behavioral issues”. It scored a 7 on The Black List.

The Black List on ‘The Crumbs Of Others’

“This is a touching and unexpected drama about being trapped by circumstances and locked into trauma by family - even well-meaning family. What this script does so well is integrate the pandemic in a way that feels authentic and never maudlin; it observes and uses the challenges of the situation, without falling into any sort of melodrama. There's a really striking truth here, that no one is really here to save anyone else. Even Lou and Declan, who form a fraught, tenuous connection, end up too caught up in their own problems to really "fix" or "solve" each other's problems, in the way many contemporary commercial stories like this play out. Nevertheless, there's a feeling of triumph at the ambiguous end, of relishing the ways all these broken people affect one another for the better, even if the result isn't perfect. There's real, complex drama at work here, and the writer is definitely on to a great, intimate story. Formatting is strong and professional throughout, with few, if any, errors noted.”

“This could make an excellent debut feature project. The low-budget nature and relevant social themes could make it a draw for crowdfunding if it's well-marketed, and the writing is strong enough to potentially attract known actors to the project. It's easy to imagine this movie as a festival darling; it does such a good job of blending humor, authenticity, and real family dynamics. The strong creative voice should also help the script as a sample for potential representation; while it's not flashy or gimmicky, a smart rep is going to see the complexity of the subtext here, and it could open doors for the writer.”

ANIMAL PEOPLE

ANIMAL PEOPLE, a half-hour animated comedy, was a Quarter Finalist in Slamdance Film Festival’s 2019 Screenplay Competition, and scored a 7 on The Blacklist.

SLAMDANCE REVIEW OF ‘ANIMAL PEOPLE’

“This script manages to tread a very fine line, presenting two sides of a very contentious political issue without seeming politically slanted or preachy. Even as it caricatures animal rights activists, recurring bits and jokes (such as a family dog whose four legs have been "docked") constantly remind the audience of the everyday, sometimes unconscious inhumanity that is inevitable in a culture that profits from animals. Even as it is brutally frank about the collateral damage from pork processing, we get an intimate portrait of the financial burdens the characters face, trying to sustain a family farm. It pulls absolutely no punches, and the humor is sometimes shocking. The only way to honestly portray this subject matter is to confront the reality of meat production that most people don't want to face, and this script has graphic scenes of pigs blowing up, being castrated, etc. Somehow, it manages to present all of this without either preaching a message, or trivializing its subject matter. Kudos.”

“As written, this is already a great comedy sample that show's off the writer's skill.”

MUSIC

VIDEO SHORTS

“INDEPENDENT Work” page BONUS CONTENT