It was a mixture of both amusing and depressing.

The one thing I took away from it that gave real hope, was the conversation where Malkovich described meeting a kid on the street who gave him a treatment, which he liked, and then a script, which he loved and wanted to do.

Mixed reaction.

I was aghast when the LA screenwriter brazenly said, "I think John is 85% there (with the character). If he worked with me, I could get him up to 100%."

Dude. This man was kind/gracious enough to read your iffy monologue and make it shine and you want to give him acting lessons? As. If.

When the producers explained that they are just like the aspiring writer--sending queries to get people on board a project, trying to get actors, to get money, etc., that nugget hammered home that when I write I MUST write a screenplay that a producer, director and actor can say "Yes" to.

I also thought it was extremely sweet for them to put so much effort into giving these writers a generous gift--letting them see their words spoken by a true professional.

I wasn't depressed -- I was a bit insulted.

We all know how tough it is to write a great story -- get a read -- get feedback (as vague as it can be at times) and improve the story that much more in hopes of making it to the next step.

We take our endeavors seriously... sleepless nights after a hard day's work. Leisure-free weekends clicking away on our keyboards. We want to be taken seriously...

Then a slap in the face by this piece of work.

The poor guy that lives with his father -- works his ass off because it's his dream -- I just feel his work was chosen for obvious reasons if you've seen the documentary. Not quite "up to standards" but thrown out there nonetheless.

(Been some time since I watched this so if I'm missing something please set me straight)

I guess what I'm saying is that for the person that has no interest in writing or the process and watches this documentary... Lord knows what their impression is now of the outsiders trying to crack through the wall.

Needless to say... it left a sour taste in my mouth.

And the gentleman from Memphis -- the intro with the banjo or pickin' or whatever the hell sterotype they were trying to throw out there... was wrong in so many ways --

I live in Memphis! We're Elvis... home of the blues and the birthplace of rock 'n roll -- arrg!

Maybe I've had a long day.

Must seek happy hour -- ya'll!

I fully expect Pterodactyl Man to be on Syfy in the next year.

I also had a mixed reaction. I don't think I would have wanted my query to be part of this, but for those who did, it was kinda heart wrenching to see them watch the Malkovich tapes of their work. So happy and not discouraged yet at the same time. The doc seemed to be making fun of their dreams, obviously picking the most outlandish ideas that would probably never get made. I'm happy that they got some recognition but sad and a bit mad at the semi-condescending tone of the producers. It's generous and mocking all at once.

@januaryfire

Amen!

Early on when Malkovich is just a voice in the speaker phone, I believe he says something to the effect of he doesn't want to be seen as making fun of the people submitting the work. While I believe he managed to thread that particular needle, I'm not entirely sure the filmmakers did.

I'm not really sure what the makers intend the viewer to walk away from the piece with. That non-professional screenwriters are delusional and socially stunted? That there's some sort of value/nobility in the pursuit of a goal, even if one never achieves it? That people should really stop submitting unsolicited screenplays to John Malkovich's production company?

It's hard to look at the thing from the perspective of someone who isn't a would-be screenwriter, so I'm not sure how much entertainment value it would have to a wider audience. While watching, I generally found myself responding in one of two ways: feeling pity for the subjects, or irritation with them for allowing themselves to be portrayed as they were.

I didn't find it discouraging, but that's based on the presumption that I'm a better writer than them. Which leads inevitably to the question of whether that's actually true, or whether I'm one of them--convinced of my own worth despite all evidence to the contrary.

That's an unsettling prospect, but I suppose it's one all would-be screenwriters have to wrestle with, at least those with sufficient self-awareness to consider "I might not be good enough" is a possibility to begin with.

Instead of watching this, I'm taking a nap. THEN WRITING!

I am interested though...

One totally relevant point to take from this doc: Write a professional quality script. What precisely does that mean? I feel a blog post coming on...

In addition to the obvious need to write a professional screenplay, and hopefully have it vetted by someone you trust, another interesting point is that sometimes words that read well on the page don't play well when acted out, as demonstrated by the Confucius proverb. Yelling about how you caught the roast duck in your mouth actually sounds very comical, though you could tell the writer's intentions were very serious with that scene. So, I'll be sure to always read my lines aloud.

I agree with the others, condescending but amusing in turns. And I thought it was kind of neat that Pterodactyloid Man, for all its absurdity, beer pouring on people's heads and chocolate muscle juice, turned out to be kind of lyrical in the end.

@Scott -- Blog on!

On side note -- hope you're safe from Irene!

Not a side note -- a main note!

I met John Malkovich once and he was one of the most interesting people I've ever had the pleasure of talking with. He had an extremely serene presence. So very calm. He told me that he likes to draw, so I'm curious if he picked the Pterodactyl Man because he liked the artwork. He seemed genuine about sending the drawings to the outside art gallery, I don't think he was making fun. If he put on a one man show as the Pterodactyl Man wearing the beak and the wings, I'd be first in line to buy a ticket.

Man, these kill me.

I loved Lost in La Mancha btw. I wanted to strangle that 1st AD!

I find these things so utterly depressing. People utterly deluded that have no idea how deluded they are.

At least I know I'm crazy.

Anyone else find it weird that the only person that had enough focus to know what his story was about was the Autistic kid?

It was out there. But man, did he know what that thing was gonna be.

I second what other people are saying and go one step further. I'd wager that it'd be better than most of what is aired on SyFy.

And the plot really isn't all that out there. I've seen way weirder anime.

PS. I really hope that kid is autistic or I'm the biggest a-hole in the world.

I think Malkovich was a real gentleman in this documentary. I think he was great to act out excerpts. He wasn't laughing at anyone. I would be thrilled to see him act out anything I wrote.

(I just hope I'm not deluded)

One of my creative writing teachers, a novelist, once said, "When people say they want to write a book, what they usually mean is that they want to be published. Most people don't want to put in the hard work of writing something that others want to read."

In my opinion, writing a professional quality screen play takes even more work.

I think the doc is delightful.