Free Screenplays - 2011

Lately I've been involved in a number of conversations about locating copies of produced screenplays. Some people watch a film on DVD, think "I'd like to read the script behind that," and expect to be able to find it on-line. Sometimes you can. Most of the time you can't. 

Here's the good news. 'Tis the season for studios to place nice, crisp, clean copies of their (they hope) Oscar-worthy screenplays on their websites. But be warned: the season doesn't last long. They will soon vanish from the website and become very hard to find. (Try tracking down a copy of the screenplay for The African Queen on-line. It won Best Screenplay in 1952, and it used to be available, but...) 

In Adelaide, it's cherry-picking time. In the world of Hollywood movies, it's screenplay-picking time. Some of those seasonally-available... today (and I emphasise today): 

Anonymous
Artist, The
Beginners
Bridesmaids
Cars 2
Coriolanus
Debt, The
Descendants, The
Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Hanna
The Help
Ides of March, The
Iron Lady, The
Jane Eyre
Machine Gun Preacher
Margaret
Margin Call
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Moneyball
My Week With Marilyn
Pariah
Shame
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
War Horse
Warrior
Win Win

What? You haven't seen the movies and aren't sure you'll like them? Tough toenails, Toots!  He who hesitates is lost. Get 'em while they're hot!  If they turn out to be crap, you can always delete them later.  You wanna be a screenwriter, don't you?  Among other things, that means reading current screenplays.  What are you waiting for?

First posted:  5 December 2011