Okay, that makes sense to me now. Thanks.
For a script? IIRC, the major studios pay from $40,000 on up to purchase a script. There’s often some sort of forumula involving the estimated total budget for the film. But you can get an option for much less, maybe $8,000.
Now, for that kind of money one might expect fewer inconsistencies and logic problems than one sees in so many movies. But I always feel it’s worthwhile to point out that many of these flaws are well outside the control of the screenwriter – for instance, I’m sure the writers had nothing at all to do with how the bus jump in Speed was staged.
I just watched Speed again on FX tonight and I’ve come to the conclusion that everyone that says the bus jump is impossible just hate the movie or Keanu or just want to crap all over someone else’s happiness.
Keanu says “There might be an incline!” before they make the jump.
Then (and here’s the kicker) when they hit the edge of the road…
wait for it…
The bus goes UP an incline. You can see it. There’s no secret, hidden, fan created explanation. The bus goes up a ramp and catches enough air to make the jump. In the world of action movies there is nothing implausible about this.
Couldn’t you say the same thing about, say, intercontinental air travel before it existed? I’m sure that in preindustrial societies the concept of flying through the sky seemed so far beyond reach that you’d wonder why one would even need to go there. But that’s an ignorant view of technology; there is not some wonder discovery that will occur at some point in the future after which all problems will be solved technologically. I’d be very surprised if the ability to travel to other star systems coincided exactly with energy to matter conversion or perfect health regeneration or the other things you mentioned. Except for being things we can’t do yet, there’s very little common ground between the problems that would suggest that they would all naturally be solved at once.
I think the best example of suspension of disbelief is "Charlies’ Angels’ And “Charlies’ Angels: Full Trottle”.
Yes, the first one wasn’t exactly realistic, but it was solid and you could easily suspend your disbelief for the most part. It at least looked and felt like it could happen even if logically you knew it couldn’t.
The second movie didn’t even bother to try and it felt like they where just trying to go from one pop-cultural riddle action sequence to another. It was stupid. Suspension of disbelief was shot with the first scene and it just sunk deeper and deeper as the movie progressed.
As someone else pointed out, not everyone owns a cell phone, voice mail, or caller ID. I don’t have any of these fancy little contraptions, so someone who has to be at home to answer their phone, or listens to an illtimed answering machine message, or has no idea who’s calling is someone I relate to. It may seem unrealistic to you, but I’m sure there are a lot more people out there who can relate to such situations than not.
I don’t hate the movie. It’s not that good, but it’s an acceptable little action flick. I don’t hate Keanu Reeves. In the proper role, I think he’s actually quite good. He did fine in this movie. And if someone not liking a movie you like is “crapping all over your happiness,” you need to grow a thicker skin, bucko.
Yes, thanks, I have actually seen the movie. I know what happens. And it looks fake as hell. It’s not a big enough ramp. Fuck, it’s not a ramp at all, it’s a gradual incline. I’d have trouble buying a motorcycle making that jump with that slight of a ramp up, let alone a municipal bus.
Maybe Miller is confused from the fact that Sturgeon was responding to the claim that 90% of science fiction was crap when he uttered his law.
Good sf is hard to write. If someone wanted to write about inter-species attraction, they would have to understand what make for intra-species attraction, which would require some research. Did you know that those with incompatible blood types are on the average less attracted chemically to each other? (source - the wonderful Dr. Tatiana). You can make many scenarios work, but you need to justify them logically, not just assume the premises.