He was given a $14 Million budget and was writer and director, so I ccan't really say it was a bad day at the keyboard.  It wasn't well thought through or executed though...

It only got 6 M this weekend. With all the horrible reviews it'll probably only land 11-12 M. That's pretty bad.

Reviews have not been very bad, actually, but you're probably correct that it won't even recap it's production budget at the box office, which is sad and WEAK!!!!!!

But Twohy made over a million bucks for his work here...

I guess that's one positive thing for him to look at here. I too noticed the similarities it has to Fade To White from the plot. But I mean it sounds as if they are real loose similarities.  

Quoted from Dreamscale Sham, you ain’t kidding I’m pissed with this movie!  I was so looking forward to seeing it, and it was absolutely terrible. SPOILERS!!!!!     SPOILERS!!!!!     SPOILERS!!!!!     SPOILERS!!!!! First of all, I think your comment was intended to mean that this is similar to my Fade to White.  Yes, there are similarities in the overall (perceived) theme, but the execution was not handled well at all, and this makes me even more confident that I’ve really got something special in my script.  In many ways, this was a polar opposite of my script, but there were definitely a number of things it shares in common.

Yeah, this is what I was referring to. The film almost felt like a duplicate of Fade to White. The only difference besides the obvious change of setting is the approach to the material. A Perfect Getaway was written with tongue planted firmly in cheek, whereas Fade to White took itself 100% serious. It almost feels like two writers were handed the same story and just ran with it.

Quoted from Dreamscale They really blew it with the advertising campaign here.  To promote a movie on a “twist ending you’ll talk about long after the movie is over” is a big mistake, especially when there were so few possible twists, etc.

I completely agree with this. If they didn’t advertise the twist as the second coming of Jesus, it might have been a little more surprising. I blame the studio more than I do David Twohy.

Quoted from Dreamscale Not showing the original killings was a big mistake, as we needed something to happen early on to get us into the mindset that this is a horror/thriller type movie.

I’m not so sure about this. Roger Ebert said in his review of the film he was shocked when the horror elements kicked in because he thought it was a comedy. I don’t think he would have enjoyed the film if he knew right away it was a thriller.

I think that’s the problem with movies today. We base our expectations on the film’s exposure more than the film itself. How many people went absolutely apeshit when the first Cloverfield preview came out? It was the smartest marketing for a movie because it didn’t market anything, not even a title. Just a date. See it or don’t. It was ingenious.

And remember, Dreamscale, some stories—especially with horror movies—start in the middle. Psycho had absolutely zero horror elements until the shower scene. So saying A Perfect Getaway should set its tone by showing the murders right away is like saying Psycho would have made a better film if we saw Norman poison his mother in the beginning. It just doesn’t work.

Anyway, even though I enjoyed A Perfect Getaway, I admit it does have its flaws, and I actually hope they help you out, Dreamscale. Think of this movie like a blueprint for what works on film and what doesn’t. It’ll help when you go over your own script, since it’s so similar, and you’ll see things you didn’t before, like when a scene runs on for too long, or when a character says something that no ordinary person would say.

This movie just might be a blessing in disguise.

Quoted from Sham How many people went absolutely apeshit when the first Cloverfield preview came out? It was the smartest marketing for a movie because it didn’t market anything, not even a title. Just a date. See it or don’t. It was ingenious.

That's kind of like District 9's marketing, at least in the beginning it was. Even if they used it for A Perfect Getaway, I still don't think it would have worked.

Sham, I feel compelled to respond to your post, as I really do not agree with anything you’ve said here, other than the marketing campaign being a big mistake.

In no way do I see this movie as a duplicate of my script.  The only thing they really share is the premise…a seemingly innocent couple go on a killing spree.  The setup, execution, and feel are night and day…or maybe Hawaii in Summer and Colorado in Winter.  I also do not feel that Perfect Getaway was tongue in cheek.  You’re probably saying that, based on all the banter about screenwriting, but IMO, that was merely a misfire, and an attempt at muddying the waters as to who the killers were.

Perfect Getaway was billed as a horror/thriller, but the problem is that it isn’t either.  As far as I can remember, there was only 1 onscreen kill of a named character.  That in itself, is a HUGE problem.  I think there were a total of 7 kills, 5 being onscreen, but all 5 come within a 10 minute period of time, right at the very end of the movie.  Again, a HUGE issue that cannot be overcome, any way you look at it.

Although I have absolutely nothing against Roger Ebert, he is far from the intended audience here.  The fact that he was shocked by anything here other than its complete ineptitude, and that he thought it was a comedy, says a lot for where his mind may be, these days.

There is nothing shocking about this movie.  Period.  The set up makes it completely obvious where it’s going, and with so few possibilities, how can it be seen as a shock?  It’s either one way or the other way, and at 50/50, I don’t see how “shocking” could even come into play.

A comedy?  Huh?  I wonder if he was smoking crack, like Cliff and Cydney?  Sure, Nick was funny at times, and definitely tried to be, but it was way too over the top and too frequent to actually be funny.  The tone was set early on about a killer lose in Hawaii, so I just don’t quite understand that line of thinking.

Sure, Cloverfield’s marketing was pure genius, but it was a unique situation.  Don’t think that will work every time, or any other time.  After time, they slowly released little teasers here and there, and it was very effective.  Cloverfield was also a rather unique, big movie that played out different than what the masses were used to.  It was also well done, IMO.

Just about all stories start somewhere, other than the very beginning.  Even if you think a movie is starting at the beginning, if it’s a semi-realistic story, there is much more to the story than you’re going to see on screen.  That is obvious.

I’m sure I’m going to draw some ire, with this comment, but I’m going to go for it.  Psycho is far from a good example here, or in general, when discussing what makes a movie work.  Don’t get me wrong, for what it was, and when it came out, Psycho is a classic, but as a horror movie, or even as an example in story/plot, I don’t think it makes any sense to compare these 2 movies.

The point I made about Perfect Getaway was to “show” the original murders.  I did not mean, to show Cliff and Cydney commit the murders.  This kind of movie needs to set the stage, set the tone, etc., early on to make it effective, IMO.  They chose not to do that here.  For this reason and many others, the movie was not effective.  And it’s sad, cause it could have been.

I’m really surprised you enjoyed this, Sham.  Actually, more like shocked.  I not only wanted to like it, but also was pretty sure I’d love it.  After 20 minutes or so, I could already tell it was a huge misfire, and things really didn’t get much better when the action heated up a little.

As I mentioned earlier, I agree that this film does help.  It gives me even more confidence than I had earlier with my script.  I see a completely inferior script, in literally every way, get turned into a $14 Million picture with a good cast, and I know it’s just a matter of time for Fade to White to hit.

If any of my scenes end up running too long, they’ll be cut back…simple as that.  But again, my scenes do not share very much with these scenes.  I have so many more characters involved at all times, in so many more settings, with so many more possibilities and opportunities.  This is what doomed this movie…so few characters, so few settings, and so few possibilities and opportunities.

Quoted from Dreamscale In no way do I see this movie as a duplicate of my script.  The only thing they really share is the premise…a seemingly innocent couple go on a killing spree.  The setup, execution, and feel are night and day…or maybe Hawaii in Summer and Colorado in Winter.  I also do not feel that Perfect Getaway was tongue in cheek.  You’re probably saying that, based on all the banter about screenwriting, but IMO, that was merely a misfire, and an attempt at muddying the waters as to who the killers were.

Dreamscale, you know I enjoyed Fade to White, and I have the utmost respect for you, so please don't think I'm trying to start something here.

Now I know this isn't something you want to hear, but from a third person perspective, and I still stand by this, the two scripts felt very similar to me. Both scripts have a young married couple on vacation. There's a murder. The married couple meets up with other couples. One of the guys they meet has a history of violence. There's talk at one point about one of the couples wanting a baby. Then after some time spent getting to know everyone, the tables turn, and the sweet married couple goes on a killing spree.

Now as similar as the two scripts are, I don't think your script is a duplicate of the other. I said it almost feels like one, but it's not. If I thought your script was an exact copy of A Perfect Getaway, I would have told you to just throw it out and start over. I think your script is incredibly similar, yes, but different enough to still be it's own thing.

Quoted from Dreamscale Perfect Getaway was billed as a horror/thriller, but the problem is that it isn’t either.  As far as I can remember, there was only 1 onscreen kill of a named character.  That in itself, is a HUGE problem.  I think there were a total of 7 kills, 5 being onscreen, but all 5 come within a 10 minute period of time, right at the very end of the movie.  Again, a HUGE issue that cannot be overcome, any way you look at it.

This just isn't fair, Dreamscale. You can't knock a movie for its bodycount.

I think it was commendable of Twohy to write his action scenes with just enough violence without resorting to a major death every time. As soon as the movie kicks into gear, it doesn't stop moving because the characters don't. What good would this movie be if Nick died in the cove and Gina died from the knife wound?

That's the difference between this movie and soooo many others like it. I wasn't wondering when and how Gina was going to die. I was wondering if and how she was going to make it out alive. I really admired the two protagonists in this movie.

Quoted from Dreamscale There is nothing shocking about this movie.  Period.  The set up makes it completely obvious where it’s going, and with so few possibilities, how can it be seen as a shock?  It’s either one way or the other way, and at 50/50, I don’t see how “shocking” could even come into play.

Look, I'm not going to argue that I was disappointed in the twist.

However, I spent the majority of the movie wondering when it was going to happen since I already knew what. I was still intrigued.

Quoted from Dreamscale The point I made about Perfect Getaway was to “show” the original murders.  I did not mean, to show Cliff and Cydney commit the murders.  This kind of movie needs to set the stage, set the tone, etc., early on to make it effective, IMO.  They chose not to do that here.  For this reason and many others, the movie was not effective.  And it’s sad, cause it could have been.

How many times has that been done before, though? Just about every slasher movie, including my own! I thought the film started where it needed to: a happy couple recording the beginning of their honeymoon. I respected the film for not including violence just for the sake of violence.

Quoted from Dreamscale I’m really surprised you enjoyed this, Sham.  Actually, more like shocked.  I not only wanted to like it, but also was pretty sure I’d love it.  After 20 minutes or so, I could already tell it was a huge misfire, and things really didn’t get much better when the action heated up a little.

I thought the payoff was worth it. Yes, I predicted the twist, but I enjoyed the ride anyway. That's it.

Quoted from Dreamscale As I mentioned earlier, I agree that this film does help.  It gives me even more confidence than I had earlier with my script.

Then I think you got your money's worth.

Sham, I don’t mean to be argumentative either.  Just like a good discussion every now and then.

Take care.

"Perfect Getaway" can easily be classified in the same category as "Vacancy" and several other go nowhere movies... "Vacancy" had no element of surprise to it's "Thriller/who-donit/Horror" theme... None. Same goes for "Perfect Getaway" we are lead by our hands through a sappy 40 min spree of mindless jimmer jam, akin to something you'd see from Judd Apatow or the guy who wrote that abysmal piece of shit "employee of the month" ... Not the Matt Dillon version, either.

Then, we're all of a sudden tossed into a make-shit horror/thriller/slasher/killer movie... It's absurd. It's taking a typical set up and then, instead of shifting into 2nd, they shift into reverse.

I don't care that you all loved it or hated it... This is my own opinion and why "I" found it to be typical and boring. Debate with yourselves all you want... but you have a right to post your opinion on a film. You don't have the right to discredit the other person's opinion because "YOU" feel yours is right and their's is wrong.

Sure, some of us might have similar opinions about the film, but this isn't a tag team where it's us against you or you against us. The movie, in my opinion and many others, wasn't worth the 7 bucks. <--- Seen it in the day time. It's cheaper that way... then again, I'm a Jew.

Got you beat, Balt...I saw it for $5 (first daily showing)!

I thought it was junk as well, but everyone has their opinion, and it's just like in all entertainment...everyone ahs different tastes, and that's what makes the world go round.

I saw it for free(I work at the movies) . I win.

I didn't hate it, but I probably won't every watch it again.

~Zack~

Haha. The first thing I thought before entering the thread was: I wonder how JB will feel that this movie took his twist and put it on screen.. and then I see JB saying it's almost a complete opposite! Reading this thread was more entertaining than the movie.

My 0.02 is that the notion of the protagonists in 'A Perfect Getaway' (a couple) hoodwinking the audience and actually being the antagonists echo, exactly, the couple in 'Fade to White'. JB, I do not blame you for wanting to disassociate your script from this movie, but from the eyes of the audience, that is exactly how it comes across conceptually. Clearly, from your defence, you see no real similarity beyond that, which is fair enough. I'll be honest, mate, yours would work better on screen than this.

The whole concept of Zahn and Jovovich being the killers was predictable, but then their 'playing out' of their fear that Olyphant and Sanchez were the killers - and this being presented to us as the audience, that they were infact the prey - was handled very oddly. The section where Jovovich related the Rocky scenario was more of the subtle tone required to grow the characters and story.

The flashback was just horrible. It facilitated the whole chunk of storytelling that had been skirted over with the endless drifting of the plot. I mean, we followed the couples to the beach, and had nothing but bore factor to drive us forward. The whole screenwriting thing was like 'Scream'-lite.

This was just messy, confused and very poorly executed.

That said, it's now just over 7 days until I leave on my own 'Perfect Getaway', so I pray that I can meet a Kiele Sanchez, please.

Andrew

Hey Andrew, when I say that Fade is totally different, I mean that in several ways.  Getaway only has a few mian characters, so there really can't be much of a shock when it's revealed who the actual antags are.  It's also not revealed until basically hte finale, so it's a guessing game up to them, where mine is not, adn is revealed prior to half way though, which totally changes the feel of it.  Also, Getaway is very lame in terms of onscreen kills and violence, where as Fade is quite graphic, brutal, and in your face throughout.

Yeah, there is a twist that they share, but that's about it, as far as I see.

For once we do agree though...Fade would be MUCH better!  And it will be...soon...I hope.

We'll have to wait and see...