1. "Get a Life": Gladiator: David Franzoni -- 2. Scripter : Long Island Lolita was my muse! : American Beauty : Alan Ball -- 3. "I didn't think this was really going to happen" : Random Hearts : Kurt Luedtke -- 4. "It's two people; nothing happens" : Lost in translation : Sofia Coppola -- 5. "Gotta stay on this job" : Black Hawk Down : Ken Nolan -- 6. "Let's shoot big" : Troy : David Benioff -- 7. Anti-Troy : Hero : Zhang Yimou -- 8. "Can I write midnight cowboy?" : Pay it forward : Leslie Dixon -- 10. Sith, schmith. Thanks for all the fish : The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy : Karey Kirkpatrick -- 11. Roll over, Cary Grant : My best friend's wedding : Ron Bass -- 12. Life's two tragedies : Mona Lisa smile : Lawrence Konner & Mark Rosenthal -- 13. "It's difficult talking to idiots" : Bounce : Don Roos -- 14. Great science fiction--but don't tell anyone : Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind : Charlie Kaufman -- 15. Slaves to desire : Happiness : Todd Solondz -- 16. Sex ain't what it used to be : A dirty shame : John Waters -- 17. "If you talk to Earl, tell him to call me" : Witness : Bill Kelley & Earl W. Wallace -- 18. The best script that couldn't get made : Monster's ball : Milo Addica & Will Rokos -- 19. The golden lion, sure. But did she get an "A"? : Monsoon wedding : Sabrina Dhawan -- 20. Protecting Howard : The Aviato : John Logan -- 21. Chance, fate, and homework : A simple plan : Scott Smith -- 22. No similar movies : The hours : David Hare -- 23. Good work fails sometimes : Evening. Susan Minot & Michael Cunningham -- 24. The return of the (spec) king : Kiss kiss, bang bang : Shane Black -- 25. "All you need is one person to believe in you" : The caveman's valentine : George Dawes Green.
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Draws on interviews with top Hollywood writers as well as up-and-coming novices to trace the process from conception to script to film, in an account that documents the evolution of twenty-five screenplays.