Writing question: “What’s your favorite script?” — The Sequel

Posted this a few days ago:

Not your favorite movie — although they can be one and the same — but the favorite screenplay you’ve ever read. If you can’t select just one, feel free to name 2, 3, however many.

We got a really interesting list per the comments:

Movie Scripts

Almost Famous

Frozen River

The Low Dweller (spec script)

Die Hard

“BIG WEDNESDAY”
by John Milius
(this is by far “the touchstone”)

“THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK”
by Leigh Brackett / Lawrence Kasdan
(the style is so linear, yet complete)

“THE BIG CHILL”
by Lawrence Kasdan
(stylized but effective)

“THE APARTMENT”
by Billy Wilder / I.A.L. Diamond
(I don’t know. It’s so — pervasive — I don’t even feel like I’m reading it)

“SOME LIKE IT HOT”
by Billy Wilder / I.A.L. Diamond
(Too busy at laughing to think about it as words on paper)

The Usual Suspects

Barton Fink / Miller’s Crossing

Ghostbusters

Alien

Source Code

TV scripts

The Simpsons: Scenes from a Class Struggle in Springfield

The Tudors (first few episodes)

Kings (pilot)

Prisoners

Lost: Confidence Man (Ep. 1.8)

Virtuality (pilot)

Flash Forward (pilot)

I’d like to add a few movie scripts, personal favorites of mine:

Breaking Away

Back to the Future

Witness

The Matrix

The Apartment

And now I invite anyone else to add to the list.

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