More Trivia: He sold the script for a dollar. Cameron also was surprised at its success. He said he though he was making Coreman movie.

Sorry-- That should be 'Corman'.

The Terminator is a great choice because it strips the action genre down to its most basic element: pursuit of or by an indestructible opponent. We experience the terror through Sarah, and she doesn't know what is going on or who to trust. Good scene construction relies on conflict between characters that drives story forward while the action remains propulsive (and doesn't get dragged to a halt by expository dialogue). Here, the dialogue is crisp, rapidly underscoring that Reese's actions are consistent with a protector while simultaneously adding that there is an expansive world we're barreling into along with Sarah. It's so simple and clean and yet, even here, we have all the basic elements of the entire story: Reese's protection of Sarah against an unstoppable terror, for what reason she doesn't know, but the stakes are life or death.

That's a great note, Max, and one of the best instincts a screenwriter can have re exposition: Write it into scenes where there's a lot of action or conflict. That way the information gets 'shrouded' in the action and comes off as entertaining. Also helpful, as you note, for the dialogue to be "crisp," which is only natural if what you are writing is an action scene. No time for monologues with bullets whizzing over your head! Good stuff, Max, thanks.