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Blame the Screenwriter: Madea’s Family Reunion, Doogal, Running Scared

By Burbanked on Feb 24, 2006 in Blame the Screenwriter, Movies, Screenwriting | 2,658 views |

blame the screenwriter Welcome to Friday, where we again take a look at the past successes and failures of the screenwriters who ~~ended up credited after being rewritten seven times~~ are responsible for the movies opening in wide release today. Feel free to bring your laptop to the local multiplex so that you can use this as a handy resource while choosing the weekend’s entertainment.

from the old school

Movie title: Madea’s Family Reunion
Screenwriter: Tyler Perry
Track record: Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea’s Class Reunion, I Can Do Bad All by Myself
Uh-Oh: None, really. Dude has found his niche.
Blame the writer? Previous Madea properties have done well. The audience will come.

still waiting for Pixar to call

Movie title: Doogal
Screenwriter: None listed on IMDB (Ed. - but. but. There’s no writer…?)
Track record: From the executive producers of such diverse works as Open Range, Chicken Run and Bride & Prejudice
Uh-Oh: Featuring the vocal stylings of Chevy Chase, ladies and gentlemen!
Blame the writer? Now this is innovative moviemaking. With no screenwriter or director listed, the only ones left to blame are the voice talents. Watch your back, Whoopi Goldberg.

likes opening movies on two consecutive weekends

Movie title: Running Scared
Screenwriter: Wayne Kramer
Track record: The Cooler , Mindhunters
Uh-Oh: The only other director to handle Kramer’s work? Renny Harlin.
Blame the writer? The movie’s generated some action-sized buzz, thanks in no small part to the you-probably-know-what at the movie’s Web site.

So who do you blame? While Madea has a built-in audience, Running Scared will probably be the one to pack greater numbers in. In the middle of the late Winter/box-office-dumping-ground period, Scared is probably the better bet (although why don’t we see Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines in the trailer?).

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A long time ago...

Hey that ain't right.

Bill: [the Bride lunges for Bill's sword, Bill draws a gun and shoots, barely missing her] Now if you don't settle down, I'm gonna have to put one in your kneecap. And I hear tell that's a very painful place to get shot in.
[he suddenly fires again, hitting a fruit bowl and splattering the Bride, making her jump]
Bill: Ha ha ha! I'm just fucking with you.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
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