REMINISCE (I'M A MYSPACE WHORE)

Started by Tommy Both, February 26, 2006, 01:03:18 PM

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Tommy Both

Synopsis:

Jogging pals and longtime friends Jeremy and Ben accidentally run into an old school friend named "Skinny". In order to relive and bring back memories of their childhood, they decide to meet later that night. But an old conflict - between early arriving Jeremy and host Skinny - results in a deathly incident, forcing Jeremy to decide what he'll do when the third friend (Ben) will ring the doorbell...

Character Bios:

Sean "SKINNY" Skinner. 24 years old. Founder of an Internet based company namen 'Skintech'. Millionaire at age 23. Lives by himself in a big Brooklyn apartment. Not too bad considering growing up he was always seen as the silent and introvert type. He grew up mostly alone, in terms of friends and a social life. Has an older sister named Maggie, that made him pursue an academic scolarship for one of the top universities in the country. 4 years later he was a more mature man, especially in terms of responsibillities and providing. In his senior year he made a great business deal involving the Internet and a lot of money. Now able to take care of his widow mother and occasionally returning the favor for his struggling sister and her pursuing career in acting.

Jeremy. 24 years old. Law student at NYU, in his final of International Law. Currently working at his father's office. Mainly small things, no successor work yet. Father is a big shot lawyer. Jeremy is a poser. He does not have a lot of money, but certainly looks and talks that way. Single, however never alone. Women adore him. Grew up with parents somewhere Upper West Side. Now living big in a small Chelsea flat. So far his life has gone pretty smoothly, singling out one (by others unknown) personal and very emotional incident back in the 7th grade. It involved school friend Sean 'Skinny' Skinner. Both friends being at their prime and pivotal time of sexual orientation, an odd situation resolved into instinctive moment of physical attraction. It left Jeremy confused and disoriented. It made him so insecure he swore to never experience it agian, or even remember it. Although having mixed feelings about it, he blocked out the emotions and would eventually lose his viriginty that same year to junior high prom queen Jennifer. He broke contact with Sean that same year and would only ocasionally remain in through mutual friend Ben. The suppressed emotions and memories would stay locked & hidden inside of him until twelve years later, the night of their reminisce..

Ben. 24 years old.  Former High School athletic. A starting guard on his basketball team. Got injured at the end of senior year and chose to go in a different direction. Now almost finished with his photography study. Here and there an exhibition in small local art galleries. A simple guy, appreciated by the people around him. Remained good pals with Jeremy over the years. They even shared a flat during their first three semesters in college. Lost contact with Skinny after high school graduation. Not always successful in the game of love. Has an on and off relationship with a girl from his school, Claire.   

13page script:



EXT. HUDSON RIVER PARK – MORNING

JEREMY AND BEN (20's) running their weekly couple of miles along the Hudson.
They are both wearing RUNNING SHOES and one of them – Jeremy - is drinking BOTTLED WATER.
Although wearing the latest NIKE JERSEY, he's clearly out of shape.

DOLLY SHOT FOLLOWING THEM FROM THE SIDE.


JEREMY
(spitting water out of his mouth)
So, how did she react?

BEN
--with total silence.

JEREMY
You're kidding me.

BEN
Nope. I stood there like a fool.

JEREMY
(passing the bottle)
Unbelievable.

pause.

BEN
(looking in front of them)
Last one's not getting laid tonight!

CAMERA ANGLE TWO SHOT

As Ben starts to speed up his pace, Jeremy slows down leaving him alone in FRAME. Tired and sweaty, he stops and keeps staring in front of him.
SHOT of Ben further ahead crossing the imaginary finish line. Jeremy laughing.
SUDDENLY A GUY ON A BIKE hits him in the back. Without seeing it Jeremy gets bumped to the ground.

JEREMY
(more scared than hurt)
JESUS! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?

MAN ON BIKE
(trying to help him up)
I am so sorry!

JEREMY
Get your hands off me!

Jeremy tries to get up by himself and looks at the Guy On Bike. He sees a familiar face and is surprised.

JEREMY
Skinny?

SKINNY – wearing GLASSES – same age but a younger appeal looks back at him and now recognizes Jeremy as well.
Meanwhile Ben has run back and before a confused Skinny can say anything, he's pushed down and also lies on the ground.

BEN
(to Skinny, aggressively)
You blind or something?

Ben defends Jeremy and tries to throw a punch towards Skinny.

JEREMY
Ben, hold on!

Ben looks at Skinny and recognizes him.

BEN
Skinny?

CU ANGLE ON SKINNY - He uneasily looks up to Ben.

CUT TO:

EXT. HUDSON RIVER PARK - FURTHER DOWN – LATER

The three are walking next to each other.
Everything's cool. Skinny is in the middle along with his bike.

SKINNY
--It's in Brooklyn. Wait. What are you guys doing tonight?
You should come by and check it out...

TRANSITION/CUT TO:

EXT. DOOR - BROOKLYN SIDEWALK – NIGHT

CU DOORBELL – finger pushing the apartment #3N button.

CUT TO:

INT. HALLWAY – LATER

POV SHOT - APARTMENT DOOR #3N opens revealing Skinny. He looks at the CAMERA.

SKINNY
(smiling)
You're early.

CUT TO:

INT. SKINNY'S APARTMENT - LATER

SKINNY'S HOUSE. It's a huge apartment with an open kitchen.
The house is neatly dressed and looking just perfect.
Except for something OUT OF FOCUS on the ground.

In the BACKGROUND we hear WATER RUNNING DOWN A SINK.
It stops and Jeremy comes out of a back room with a small TOWEL, drying his hands.
He stops and looks shaken up. After a moment of searching he finally sees the time.
To his right the kitchen CLOCK can be seen. It reads 10:12 PM.

CUT TO:

INT. SKINNY'S APARTMENT – LATER

Ben looking out of the window. Orange streetlight.
A SUBWAY train passes by on a ramp.

BEN
(replying to someone else, confused)
--A pack of cigarettes? He's a smoker? Never would've thought that..

CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM/LIVING ROOM – THAT NIGHT

Skinny with his head in the fridge holding the door.

SKINNY
(holding bottles in the air)
Heineken or Bud?

CUT TO:

Skinny and Jeremy sit on the couch. They're drinking their BUDS.

JEREMY
God, last time we sat like this, we'd always ask your sister to get us these.
I remember Ben having this big time crush for her.

SKINNY
All I remember was that one song she kept playing. Awful.

JEREMY
(quick response)
"In The Meantime."

SKINNY
"I give my love to the future of the humankind."

JEREMY
Ha-ha. Ben was such a Spacehog fan...

SKINNY
(pause)
So, you're working for the law firm now...
That was the dream growing up right, the suit and tie?

JEREMY
(nods, and then after a sip)
Made it to that part. No, but I haven't graduated yet.
Master in law, almost there.

EXT. UNDERGROUND SUBWAY STATION - NIGHT

ON THE PHONE

BEN
Hey. Yeah, Sorry, I'm running a bit late. (pause) Sure, sure.

CUT TO:

INT. SKINNY'S APARTMENT – THAT MOMENT

Jeremy turns off his CELL PHONE. He is standing in the living room.
As the CAMERA FOLLOWS his hand to his POCKET Skinny can be seen on the ground. He is not moving.

CUT TO:

INT. LIVING ROOM – NIGHT

CU on hands holding a FRAMED SCHOOL PHOTO.

SKINNY (O.S.)
(talking difficult)
You guys really were the first friends I ever had. Those years meant a lot to me, you know.

Skinny down on the ground. BLOODY.

JEREMY (O.S.)
(holding picture frame)
Don't tell me that.

Something happens OFF SCREEN

SKINNY
(begging)
No. Stop, Jeremy!

Skinny tries to cover his head with his hands.

Before we can see anything we CUT TO BLACK
Over BLACK we hear a loud blow/hit. And the SOUND of a FAST PACED SUBWAY PASSING.

CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT

Skinny showing Jeremy around his house.

SKINNY
Ever since I came up with that website it's all been up hill. It took everyone by surprise.
Jeremy looking his eyes out. Envy.

SKINNY (CONT'D)
(stupid accent)
Say hello to my little friend...

He opens a small fridge next to the bed. THE BEER.

CUT TO:

EXT. SIDEWALK BROOKLYN – NIGHT

Ben walking. Subway train RUMBLES above him.

CUT TO:

INT. ELEVATOR – LATER

Ben pushes the 3RD FLOOR button. He checks his PHONE for the time. It reads 10:30 PM. A GIRL is standing next to him. He looks. She smiles.

CUT TO:

INT. HALLWAY – LATER

POV BEN – only now Jeremy opens the door.

JEREMY
(sarcastic)
Well, you're early...

CUT TO:

INT. SKINNY'S APARTMENT – LATER

Jeremy and Ben in the house, Skinny's obviously missing.

BEN
(looking around)
Where's the man of the house? Sean Skinner? Don't be shy! (come out come out wherever you are!)

JEREMY
He's out. Told me to give you a beer, if he wasn't back yet. Went around the corner to get
himself some cigarettes...

BEN
(disappointed)
Alright...
Jeremy opens a Heineken for him. Ben walks around. Checks out Skinny's place.

BEN
(looking around, suprised)
Not bad. Not bad at all..

Ben looking out the window. Orange streetlight. A SUBWAY passes by on a ramp. A BEAT of thinking and then:

BEN
(confused, late response)
Cigarettes? He's a smoker? Never would've thought that...

JEREMY
(changing the subject)
--What took you so long, man?

BEN
Claire.

JEREMY
Not again... I still can't believe she--

BEN
(interrupting, finshing the sentence)
--she said 'yes'.

JEREMY
What!

Jeremy walks to Ben. Pinches his arm, hugs him.

JEREMY
Was about time...

BEN
Well, you know how they are...

JEREMY (CONT'D)
No man, great. Really. You deserve her.

INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT

Jeremy is looking at himself in the mirror. He's sweaty and has a scratch on his face.
Something happened. He opens the faucet and splashes some water on his face.
He looks back at himself and keeps staring. He grabs a towel and leaves.

CUT TO:

INT. SKINNY'S APARTMENT - THAT NIGHT

Skinny and Jeremy are still on the couch. Ben is late. Their mutual friend hasn't arrived, leaving them with the problem of having all the necessary chit-chat out of the way and silence as a result. A moment of both being a bit uncomfortable with this whole reunion thing has been reached.
EMPTY beer bottles next to them on the ground. A couple of BEATS of uncomfortable silence.
Then:

JEREMY
(clears his throat)
I heard you tried to contact me some years back in college.

SKINNY
The time was right.

Jeremy looks in front of him, blank, towards the CAMERA. A reverse shot reveals he's staring at a FRAMED PICTURE. An old school class photo.

SKINNY (CONT'D)
I just felt I had reached that point in my life where I had enough strength to take on the memories and deal with the past--

Jeremy doesn't say a word.

SKINNY (CONT'D)
--you're a part of that.

Some kind of tension in the room can be felt. Jeremy gazing, although certainly hearing what's being said. 

SKINNY (CONT'D)
I don't want an apology. I don't want an answer... (pause) ...
Just, what I wanted to say to you two years ago, I should've said that twelve years ago...
Jeremy is confronted. Something he has tried to keep away and ban out of his conscience is back; kicking and screaming.
It makes him feel uneasy, weak.

JEREMY
(stutters)
Just... This--

SKINNY
(interrupting)
--stop.

For the first time in his life, Skinny has spoken his mind, his feelings. He won't let Jeremy get away.

SKINNY (CONT'D)
I know something changed that day, something snapped or got broken.
But I also know it hasn't been fixed since.

Another BEAT

SKINNY (CONT'D)
Whatever it is, I want to help you.

Jeremy's instincts guide him towards words.

JEREMY
(bitter)
You can't.

SKINNY
I can't, or you won't let me?

Jeremy panics. All his life he has been trying to avoid this moment.
He is at his weakest. Open and vulnerable. Time to improvise.

JEREMY
Twelve years ago I was a different person.
Not a man, no career, just a good looking guy in high school.

JEREMY (CONT'D)
We were buddies. And that was all I ever wanted out of that.
What happened between us, stays between us.
I was wrong, I sought help. Someone. Anyone.

JEREMY
That someone became you. Without any reason. Randomness.

CUT TO:

INT. SKINNY'S APARTMENT - LATER THAT NIGHT

Time has passed. Skinny's hasn't 'returned' yet.
Jeremy is out of conversation and Ben starts to worry.
All of a sudden there's a SOUND of a funky CELL PHONE wrinkling.

JEREMY
There you go...

Jeremy walks towards the sound as if he know's who's calling.

BEN
You changed your ring tone?

Jeremy finds the phone and answers it:

JEREMY
Skinny! Where are you, man. You got us worried... (pause)

JEREMY (CONT'D)
Yeah, Ben made it... --what did you say. Wait, what happened? But Maggie's all right?

Ben looks up. The name Maggie triggers him.

BEN
Tell her Ben said 'hi'.

JEREMY
Of course, we understand.

JEREMY (CONT'D)
Ben says 'hi', yeah (smiles) for Maggie...
Jeremy wraps it up.

JEREMY
Definitely. We'll-- we'll try next week.
Good luck with your mother. Send her our best.

Jeremy turns off the phone. CU of PHONE DISPLAY: 'One Missed Call'. Jeremy looks at Ben.

JEREMY
His mother. An emergency call from his sister.
Nothing too serious, but he won't be able to make it anymore tonight...

BEN
(sighs)
C'mon.

Ben gets up.

JEREMY
Let's celebrate. Claire, claire, claire... dare...

They leave the apartment.
It's still Saturday night and there might be a party somewhere in town. It's New York after all...

CUT TO:
BLACK - END

Tommy Both

thanks for all the helpful feedback and comments  :bravo:

anyways:



KNOCK YOURSELF OUT.

ENJOY.

PS.

LET THAT BIG BOY LOAD. ITS LIKE 82MB...
OH YEAH. IT HAS "DUTCH" SUBTITLES. SORRY, MY AUDIENCE IS MAINLY FROM HOLLAND...
HOPE IT DOESN'T ANNOY YOU.

-tommy

HTTP://www.myspace.com/TOMMYBOTH

Tommy Both

YIPPY KA YEE, REMINISCE ALSO AVAILABLE ON DUTCH FILM SITE CINEMA.NL



GO TO: www.cinema.nl/newarrivals

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BTW , IS EVERYBODY BOYCOTTING THIS TOPIC OR WHAT?

THANKS

-TOMMY

hedwig

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