Book picks similar to
Get Shorty: Scriptbook by Scott Frank
crime
drama-script-4-stage-screen-audio
humor
jim
Casino: Screenplay
Nicholas Pileggi - 1996
The film makes daring use of voice-over and rapidly shifting points of view and time frame, leaving conventional film language far behind.
Up to No Good
Marsha Cornelius - 2016
Because she and her husband, Brian, work together, they have little to talk about. And the heat between the sheets has definitely cooled. Her only diversion these days seems to be the usual neighborhood gossip. She likes to think she's inquisitive. Brian says she's a snoop.Lately, her nosy nature has escalated. She's gotten it into her head that a house down the road might be used to make adult films. Her clues? The blinds are always drawn, and there are never any garbage cans at the curb. She’s determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, but if her snooping keeps uncovering unexpected dirt, it may very well be the last thing she ever does.
Archie Meets the School Gyrls (Archie, #607)
Archie Comics - 2010
Will the “School Gyrls” collaboration with the Archies be a chart-topping hit or a resounding dud?
Deepwoods Trilogy
Honor Raconteur - 2019
Until it arrives. From the desk of Honor Raconteur comes the tale of one guild, who believes in the impossible, and fight with everything they have to prevent the war they see coming. ~ Contains all three books in the trilogy "Deepwoods," "Blackstone," and "Fallen Ward," as well as "Origins," the collection of short stories.
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Joel Coen - 2000
With their latest work, O Brother, Where Art Though?, The Oscar-winning team returns to the period-piece films of their earlier career (Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy) and showcase once-again their pitch-perfect ear for hilarious and outrageous dialogue, as well as their penchant for the fantastic. Based on Homer's Odyssey, the movie stars George Clooney as Ulysses Everett McGill, along with Coen-mainstay John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson as fugitives from a chain gang who embark on a mystical and musical journey through 1930s Mississippi. History and allegory are expertly entwined as, along the way, the three escapees encounter a blind prophet, are tempted by sirens, do battle with a Cyclops (in the form of a one-eyed Klansman), fall in with George "Baby Face" Nelson on a bank heist, and cut a blues record with a young guitar prodigy who bears a striking resemblance to the real-life Robert Johnson.
Strange Crime
Portable Press - 2018
Dumb crooks, celebrities gone bad, unsolved mysteries, odd laws, and more—Strange Crime has plenty of stories that will make you ask yourself, “What could they possibly have been thinking?” This easily portable paperback book is ideal for readers on the go. Take it to school, to work, to jury duty!
The Impending Sausage Sandwich of Doom
Kirk St Moritz - 2017
After being fired from his job as the clandestine stooge on hit TV show Ghostbusters UK, Elliott returns home to find his girlfriend missing. To make matters worse, Hapkido Valentine, the legendary 1980s wrestler, has returned from the dead and taken up residency in Elliott’s flat. Despite a voracious appetite for sausage sandwiches, Hapkido is convinced he has finally become the mystical Japanese warrior he once portrayed in the ring.Together they must undertake a dangerous journey to find out why the Universe created this most unlikely of partnerships. All that stands in their way is a medallion wearing TV psychic, a train-spotting assassin and the murderous intentions of the local over 75’s women’s group. If Elliott thought the day started badly, things are about to get a whole lot worse.
Robbery, Murder and Cups of Tea: A Novella
Phil Church - 2013
When one of his neighbours is brutally murdered, he gets the chance to investigate a real crime. Unfortunately, the hunt for the killer is far from simple, as winter sets in and he struggles to deal with his wife's disinterest, his friend's bungling enthusiasm, a village that will happily implicate anyone and everyone, and a rising body count.
Peacock's Tale: A Tartan Noir Murder Mystery (Peacock Johnson Scottish Mystery Series Book 1)
Stuart David - 2015
Peacock’s wife thinks he did it, the police think he did it, even Frank McAlpine said he did it, moments before he died. But Peacock knows he’s innocent, and he knows he’s going to work out who really killed Frank to clear his name. But commiting crimes are more in Peacock’s line of work, he doesn’t have the first clue about how to solve one. Luckily, though, he knows a man who does, a man who owes him a favour. A second Scottish noir writer, Ian Rankin, has featured Peacock as the main villain in one of his bestselling Rebus novels- A Question of Blood. And Peacock feels he was somewhat misrepresented, made out to be much more of a hardened criminal than he actually is. He’d been planning to seek compensation from Rankin, on a massive scale, but now he sees an opportunity for Ian to make things good. If Rankin can use his detective skills to work out who actually killed Frank McAlpine then Peacock is willing to drop the action for libel. The only questions are, will Rankin agree. And is he up to the job.
Turned Out By A Savage 2
Shameka Jones - 2018
On the run from yet another relationship gone bad, she finds herself in Oklahoma City, where she’s decided to start over yet again. Too bad Stranger has other plans for her. With Danger being the first woman to ever leave an imprint on his heart, he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to bring her back to Dallas— even beg! There’s just one problem: the old Danger is gone, and the new Danger is strong, knows her worth, and is not about to settle for an “almost faithful” dude. Can Stranger win her heart back, or has he lost Danger forever? After confronting Spazz about his infidelity, Free hesitantly gives him another chance. Forgiveness has never come easy for her, but the minute she decides to let her anger go, something beautiful happens: their relationship finally starts to blossom. Things are looking up for Free and Spazz, but things are the complete opposite between Free and her mother. Things are going from bad to worse between the two of them, and Free’s not sure how much more she can take. Add an enemy that brings an unexpected fight and an old rival that’s back to settle an old debt, and Free is just tired. Tired of fighting, tired of conflict— tired of not feeling free. She may have the weight of the world on her shoulders, but Free refuses to be taken down or give up, proving that she’s just as savage as her love, Spazz. An imperfectly perfect match is what they are, but is the worst yet to come? Has Spazz really changed for the better, or will Free be forced to do something she should have done long ago: choose herself over everyone else? Though Danger seems to occupy his mind day and night, bringing her back to Dallas is the least of Stranger’s worries. When Spazz decides to take business matters into his own hands, he doesn’t realize he’s just started a brutal war behind Stranger’s back. Always the big brother, Stranger has to find a way to clean up Spazz’s mess. When Sleep makes a surprise appearance in Dallas, Stranger has a full plate of grown man issues. If nothing else, Stranger is a certified boss, a man that never lets the world see him sweat. He’ll go to hell and back to protect his business and his family, but little does he know, it just might come down to that. Shots are sent Stranger’s way from left to right, forcing him to make a life-changing decision that’s been a long time coming. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and just when he thinks he has his business and personal life back on track, Stranger is dealt a shocking truth as he learns the real reason behind Sleep’s visit to Dallas. Will Stranger be able to pull the ones he loves out of harm’s way, or will someone have to take one for the team? Spazz wouldn’t be Spazz without causing chaos wherever he goes, but he soon realizes he’s met his match in Free. His plan was to make her want him, but when he realizes he needs her, he decides to do something completely different for a change: learn how to be a gentleman to Free. Finally on the right track, Spazz likes the new direction Free is taking his life in. He’s even making smarter business decisions and stepping up to help lighten the load for Stranger— at least he thinks he is— but it might be too late. Revenge is the one thing Spazz can’t let go of, and when he sets out to make his foes pay for disloyalty and disrespect, he digs himself and Stranger even deeper into a savage war that only has room for a single winner. Will Spazz’s out of control behavior cost them the war in the end? Despite his name, Sleep is anything but quiet and peaceful, and even with Stranger’s retaliation, Sleep finally succeeds at catching up with his biggest money maker: Danger.
Double Indemnity: The Complete Screenplay
Billy Wilder - 1944
Adapted from the James M. Cain novel by director Wilder and novelist Raymond Chandler, it tells the story of an insurance salesman, played by Fred MacMurray, who is lured into a murder-for-insurance plot by Barbara Stanwyck, in an archetypal femme fatale role. From its grim story to its dark, atmospheric lighting, Double Indemnity is a definitive example of World War II-era film noir. Wilder's approach is everywhere evident: in the brutal cynicism the film displays, the moral complexity, and in the empathy we feel for the killers. The film received almost unanimous critical success, garnering seven Academy Award nominations. More than fifty years later, most critics agree that this classic is one of the best films of all time. The collaboration between Wilder and Raymond Chandler produced a masterful script and some of the most memorable dialogue ever spoken in a movie. This facsimile edition of Double Indemnity contains Wilder and Chandler's original -- and quite different -- ending, published here for the first time. Jeffrey Meyers's introduction contextualizes the screenplay, providing hilarious anecdotes about the turbulent collaboration, as well as background information about Wilder and the film's casting and production.
The Spy Who Came in from the Bin: A Jonathon Fairfax Novel
Christopher Shevlin - 2020
He’s taken to hospital for treatment. Then people start trying to assassinate him.The man has to find out why, how to get them to stop, and what the CIA has to do with all this. There’s also the little problem of working out who he used to be, and why that changed. Meanwhile, his girlfriend Piper and best friend Lance are trying to find him…Jonathon Fairfax – still the world’s most socially awkward hero – is back. If only he knew.‘A hugely entertaining novel … a surprising, yet strangely fitting, progression to the Jonathon Fairfax story.’ Scott Pack (former head buyer for Waterstones)Pick up the latest Jonathon Fairfax novel – sequel to two Amazon bestsellers: The Perpetual Astonishment of Jonathon Fairfax (‘A comic gem’ Stylist, ‘You can’t help being tickled’ The Guardian, Bath Novel Award shortlist) and Jonathon Fairfax Must Be Destroyed (‘A funny, daft-yet-relatable, nerve-jangly thriller’ Emerald Street).*That’s a trashcan or dumpster, for American readers.The Jonathon Fairfax novels can be read in any order.
Brenda Monk is Funny
Katy Brand - 2014
She is addicted to the feeling of being on stage, looking out at expectant, up-turned mouths, waiting for the first laugh to hit. A first laugh that will not happen unless she creates it. But Brenda is clueless. The on-off girlfriend of a prolific comedian, it is only after she realises his best stage material consists of recycled versions of her own restless, smart-arsed energy that she begins to wonder whether she might be better off keeping her jokes for herself - and so she finds herself making her very first walk to the mark on stage in front of a bare brick wall, with just a spotlight and a PA system for cover, wondering what we all wonder from time to time: am I funny? A book as much about the thrill of performance as it is about what goes on when the microphone is switched off, Brenda Monk is Funny is a blackly humourous and devastatingly candid snapshot of the reality, the brutality and fragility of the comedy industry from an exciting new voice in fiction.