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Quick hits: JIMBO'S STAND & PREDATORS

Script Review(s): JIMBO'S STAND & PREDATORS

Review(s) by Honest Abe

WARNING: SPOILERS!

(05/24/01)

NOTE: The screenplays we review are often in development and may experience many rewrites, some could end up being completely different than what is reviewed here. It is our hope that our reviews generate more interest in the film. Thank you.



Jimbo's Stand (positive, minor spoilers)
Written by Bob Gale

This script has languished in development hell for years. Why? I don't know. It's a pure slice of Americana and the American dream. It's a stand up and cheer kinda tale which we all could use these days. The script begins shortly after the Korean War and Jim (Jimbo) Boatman is returning home to Springfield, IL, and looking forward to returning to his dream job of grill man at the local diner. He arrives to find he's been replaced and his sweetie Carol Ann, has married someone else and moved to Riverside, CA. Down but not out, he heads west to San Bernardino and gets a job in a small diner. See, Jimbo's talent lies not only in his cooking but also in his showmanship. He makes a mean burger with panache. Soon the struggling little diner's business has multiplied by leaps and bounds. The diner is now his and bears his name (he's always wanted his name to mean something). Enter Mike Burns, a slick salesman who's always after the next get-rich-quick scheme who also happens to be married to Carol Ann. He proposes that Jimbo sell him the rights to franchise Jimbo's Burgers but Jimbo refuses. I'm gonna skip over a few details but naturally, Jimbo and Carol Ann reunite and she leaves Mike who is one mean S.O.B. Mike secretly forms his own corporation and begins to franchise Jimbo's burgers throughout the west coast. Once Jimbo finds out, then it's an all out burger war. The little guy versus the corporation. Well, this is the ultimate feel good movie so guess who comes out on top? In a funny climax at the annual stockholders meeting for Jimbo's Burgers, Jimbo not only wins the legal victory, he gets Mike removed from the very company he founded. I loved this script. It has everything in it. It's a simple story. There's love, suspense, comedy, car chases (well, 3 out of 4 ain't bad) so why this script has languished forever is beyond me. You could almost do this as an independent low budget feature but I would hate to see Bob Gale's wonderful WONDERFUL script reduced to such mediocre means. I guess all this needs is one major celebrity to back it. Whether it be Mel Gibson or Jim Carrey (who again, could try for a semi-serious role) this story....ah, i'm sounding like a busted record. If this is ever made, I would highly suggest an opening weekend viewing. A great date movie or good family fun. So sayeth honest abe.


Predators (negative, minor spoilers)
Written by Robert Rodriguez

I've heard that Robert Rodriguez wrote this partially for fun's sake. And while I'll admit that it's at times, "fun" to read. It meanders and goes nowhere fast. It doesn't hold with continuity established by the first Predator movie with Ah-nuld. The main problem is that there is no beginning and the ending is too obvious ahead of time. Basically, a team of Marine commandos have captured Dutch (Ah-nuld from the first film...pay attention!) and are taking him back to a prison colony on another planet. (yeah, i know. Right away I was confused too but you have to suspend major belief) Anyway, when the commandos arrive on the planet they find a crucified Predator and the remains of the prison. The commandos are quickly overwhelmed and captured (a few are killed) and are taken back to the predator encampment where we see not only humans but other various creatures and monsters in cages. The other predators then have the random creatures fight each other. The entire middle is devoted mainly to attempting to develop each Marine's character but after awhile, you lose interest. Anyways, during this gruesome sports combat, Dutch escapes as do a few other commandos who go after him. Dutch somehow knows why the one predator was crucified and releases him (he wasn't dead, just strung up). This predator was basically an outcast, a bad seed and proceeds to run roughshod over the encampment battling side by side with Dutch to kill all the other predators. Once that's done, we meet the predator king and hundreds of other predators arrive. It turns out that one of the commandos, JC, can actually communicate with the predators and this whole plan was to sacrifice Dutch to the predators because he had killed one way back on earth (the first movie, again). After a vicious battle between the two, and then between the predator king and Dutch, he manages to escape in a drop-ship along with the outcast predator. As they fly away, Dutch sees a monitor on the ship with coordinates to Earth. The realization dawns on him that Earth is the next target of the predators. Fade out.

The problem is an overlying "so what" to this whole script. First, I'd eliminate half of the commando team. Too many players to keep track of. Secondly, too many creatures that the predators have captured. When a story falls into "look at the cool CGI creatures and special effects we made" then the story suffers BIG time. This is the same reason why I really hope there is never an Aliens Vs. Predator movie. It, like this, would be just 2 hours of special effects. I'm not worried about PREDATORS being made in my lifetime. Which is a good thing. And that's the bottom line.

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