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Title: Cocky Screenwriting
Review: Mr. Epstein comes across as extremely arrogant from his first word, and it's hard to figure out why. He's had exactly one movie produced, ten years ago. He's primarily a development executive and TV writer.I've read twelve other screenwriting books in the last month, and Mr. Epstein quite often contradicts what these other books, written by very successful film writers and teachers, say about screenwriting. His way is better, he promises.On Mr. Epstein's web site he offers to critique scripts for nearly $500 each, saying "That's what it costs me not to write." This is an outrageous and doubtful claim.This book is the worst of a large crop of screenwriting books. Mr. Epstein can't even get the names of the movies and their characters right--it was THREE DAYS of the Condor, and Louise was played by Susan Sarandon, not Geena Davis.Spend your money on Syd Field, Lew Hunter, Linda Seger--or anyone else. Not on this book.
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