Tick Tock Toe

An elderly man plays tic tic toe with his granddaughter resulting in an unexpected outcome

Life isn’t a game you win or lose.

Rose is a born loser. An awkward, angsty, acne-ridden 14-year-old. After a long day of being ridiculed by the popular kids at school, she stops by the nursing care center to visit her grandfather, Sidney.

Sidney is a born winner. Or at least he was, until he got put out to pasture here at the old folks home. Here, his winning days exist only as faded photographs of yesteryear. Nowadays, Sidney is a bit of a curmudgeon. He calls things like he sees them, and what he sees is that Rose could use some life lessons.

To kill some time, Sidney and Rose decide to play a good old game of Tick Tac Toe. Sidney plays to win. Rose plays not to lose.

Naturally, game after game ends in a draw. What’s the point of a game you can’t win?

As the two trade moves on the board, they swap stories, as well. Sidney’s time in the war has given him a unique perspective on life, and some advice for Rose on how to live it. Following draw after draw, Rose begins to adopt a new and positive outlook, and Sidney realizes that perhaps it is time for him to try a new approach to the game of life. He knows all too well that if you kill enough time, it may just kill you right back.

In the tradition of Gran Torino and Little Miss Sunshine, Tick Tock Toe is a classic mentor/mentee character-driven drama, examining what the young can learn from the old and vice versa. There is also an element of life mirroring the game ala Searching for Bobby Fisher. The script offers a profound meditation on the nature of life, death, and everything in between. The kind of weighty rumination that would make Terrence Malick proud, TTT is surely set to be a standout on the festival and awards circuits.

If you are looking for a real winner, play a game of Tick Tock Toe!

Pages: 13

Budget: Medium. One central location, the nursing home, with a short school scene and a (spoiler) casket shot.

About the Reviewer: Dane Whipple is living in a powder keg and giving off sparks. He is currently working on that screenplay everybody keeps talking about: The Wild Age. Contact him at dane.whipple (a) live.com

About the writer: An award winning writer, Bill Sarre has had scripts place both finalist and quarter finalist with Page and Bluecat. Another short of his, The Grieving Spell, was recently grand prize winner of the London Film Awards. Bill can be reached at Bill.sarre (a) gmail.com

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This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

The Buyer

When it comes to empty houses, sometimes buyers should beware….

As Rod Serling used to say each week, “You unlock this door with the key of imagination.” And so it is with the best of scripts. Before you begin reading this one, take a moment, close your eyes, and imagine the theme music from The Twilight Zone. Then (after a short commercial break) start reading, because this story is definitely Serling-esque. In the best possible way.

It all begins in a picture-perfect living room, with dust gently drifting through rays of sunshine. Two women – one a realtor, the other a prospective buyer – move slowly through the space. There’s subtle tension in the air…

…and an eerie dynamic lurking just outside our awareness, involving the two women and the house. Stay alert to pick up details. Why does the cell phone signal fail at certain times? Whose overturned picture lies on the shelf? Most importantly, who (or what) is the mysterious woman seen briefly in the hallways?

Could it be a ghost? We’ll never tell. But we will paint a picture for you. Imagine The Others meets The Uninvited. Weaved together with poetic skill.

If you’re in search of a low-budget spine tingler with a humdinger of a twist, this script could be what you’re looking for. One location – an empty house. All interior. No special effects. And meaty roles for three 30-something actresses. What more could a director ask for?

About the writer: I’ve been writing for about four years now. I always loved it but managed to get constantly side-tracked by silly things like: finding a real job, getting married, having kids, a mortgage… I finally decided to stop making excuses (not completely) and write “for real”. I made it to the quarter-finals of the Nicholls Fellowship last year, the semi-finals of the Screencraft Fellowship earlier this year, and am currently in the finals of the Industry Insider competition featuring Sheldon Turner. I’m still pretty wet behind the ears, but for the first time in a long time, I actually refer to myself as a writer. I can always be reached at kostak “AT” kostak.com

Pages: 7

Budget: Very affordable. One house, three actresses – and you’re set.

About the reviewer: Scott Merrow co-writes screenplays with his wife Paula. Since 2006, they’ve written over 50 short screenplays, several of which have been produced. They tend toward family-friendly scripts, but they’ve written a little bit of everything: horror, fantasy, sci-fi, comedy… the whole nine yards.

READ THE SCRIPT HERE – AND DON’T FORGET TO COMMENT!!

FOR YET MORE SCRIPTS AVAILABLE FOR PRODUCTION:

PLEASE SEARCH SIMPLYSCRIPTS.COM 

OR THE BLOG VERSION OF STS HERE.

All screenplays are copyrighted to their respective authors. All rights reserved. The screenplays may not be used without the expressed written permission of the author.

Over on the Unproduced Scripts page are twenty eight original scripts for your reading pleasure.

– Don

11:07 (9 pages, pdf format) by Mark Moore (irish eyes)

As decades pass, a couple’s routine withers.

(Short, Drama)

Discuss this on the Discussion Board

The Doll (4 pages, pdf format) by Chris Shamburger (Sham) has been filmed.

Some presents don’t like to be wrapped.

(Short, Horror)

Talk about it on the Discussion Board

Thanks cultofmac.com for the heads up on this script up for Award Consideration.

Steve Jobs – March 19, 2015 shooting script script by Aaron Sorkin (based on the book by Zwalter Isaacson) – hosted by: Universal – in pdf format

His passion and ingenuity have been the driving force behind the digital age. However his drive to revolutionize technology was sacrificial. Ultimately it affected his family life and possibly his health. In this revealing film we explore the trials and triumphs of a modern day genius, the late CEO of Apple inc. Steven Paul Jobs.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Over on the Original Scripts page are thirty five original scripts for your reading pleasure.

– Don

From Open Road Films, another screenplay For Your Consideration.

Spotlight – Undated, Unspecified draft script by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy – hosted by: Open Road Films – in pdf format

SPOTLIGHT tells the riveting true story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe investigation that would rock the city and cause a crisis in one of the world’s oldest and most trusted institutions. When the newspaper’s tenacious “Spotlight” team of reporters delves into allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, their year-long investigation uncovers a decades-long cover-up at the highest levels of Boston’s religious, legal, and government establishment, touching off a wave of revelations around the world. Directed by Academy Award-nominee Tom McCarthy, SPOTLIGHT is a tense investigative dramatic-thriller, tracing the steps to one of the biggest cover-ups in modern times

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Congratulations to Matt Dressel, an STS reviewed writer that’s had quite a bit of production success with his always sweet n’ funny scripts!

Recently, Matt’s short Penny for Your Thoughts was released – and you can see the awwwwwwwww-some film right here.

A crafty ten year old boy opens up a unique business in suburbia only to find it threatened by a snotty girl with business plans of her own.

https://youtu.be/eRn4fSyl06c

And if that catches your fancy?  Then give these two other scripts a try!  One’s a feature, the other a short.  And both display Matt’s unique charm…  😛

Based on a True Story (dramedy feature) – A fictional film about non-fictional events that are entirely fictional.

Give Me A Break (dramedy short) – Ten year old Michael comes up with an idea to get his bike back from the thieving hands of Wes; the neighborhood bully.