Feature Film Scripts
Finished Scripts
Sgt. Meat
War Drama
(As-Told-To)
status:
Completed.
Shit that goes wrong (bullet list)
Lightning striking Meath and his squad in basic training is not a good omen.
Meath is sent on his first mission without bullets.
His vehicle at the training base in the States constantly breaks down, but he is assured he will be issued a new vehicle when they go to Iraq. But when he arrives in Iraq, guess what? They lied. Same vehicle. √
When his vehicle inevitably breaks down in the desert, his lieutenant tells him to stay with it and they’ll be right back for him. They return two days later! So much for “No man left behind.”
Meath is given a malaria pill that makes him hallucinate (the Army knew about this “side effect”), and in the middle of the night yells “Bang, bang, bang!” at a possible intruder, thinking he’s firing his 9mm pistol.
Meath is nearly killed by a mortar round while in the porta-john, but the round is a dud, landing five feet away but not exploding. His fellow soldiers laugh about it when he emerges: “Haha, bet you were scared shitless!”
Meath is nearly killed by a tank gunner who loses his grip on the tank turret’s 50-caliber machine gun and lets it swivel wildly, firing away toward Meath and his squad.
Meath is nearly killed by “wedding rain”—bullets that fall from the sky after being shot in a wedding celebration a couple miles away.
The Iraqi National Guard were allies of the Americans. Meath almost kills a bunch of them by accident, thinking they’re the enemy. Thankfully, the machine gun he grabs jams and doesn’t fire, giving him a moment to realize his mistake in time.
Meath is nearly killed by a 12-year-old (you read that right) Iraqi National Guard trainee who loses control of his semi-automatic rifle while learning to fire it for the first time.
Meath loses his chance to go home early when a friendly lieutenant who was going to file the paperwork gets a random piece of shrapnel through the head while in his office typing an email to his wife.
A sergeant at a checkpoint randomly shoots up a carful of Iraqi citizens for no reason, and orders Meath to take them to the morgue. When Meath dumps them there, he finds tens of thousands of American dollars on their bodies. As he starts to bundle the money into his jacket to take with him, he is startled by the sudden arrival of two large Iraqi morgue attendants. Now going on no sleep for 72 hours, Meath instinctively draws his 9-mm pistol and aims it at the two unarmed men….
Wanna know what happens next?
Read the script.
And it’s all true!
George Clooney would love this one!
This is the true “as told to” story of Sgt. Mike Meath, a chiropractor and Iraq War veteran, whose real-life experiences in Iraq as a medic resemble the absurdities of Catch-22, but with a modern twist. Mike was nearly killed half a dozen times, in very unheroic, unglorious ways—and that’s not even the half of it! I have taken his stories, shared over coffee, and transformed them into a script. The result is an engaging and entertaining narrative about war, full of chaos and absurdity—yet it’s all true. Sgt. “Meat” is not a typo, but rather a nickname some of Sergeant Meath’s buddies call him.
For me, writing this script was a way to remind people of the total absurdity of war. But I did not do any sermonizing. I just wrote Mike’s true story. That is sufficient. Whatever your opinions about war—whether you are a pacifist or a patriot, Mike’s story is a hell of a ride! I believe “Sgt. Meat” will be the most authentic war movie you’ll ever see. I realized recently how HUGE the potential audience of this movie is: nearly 10 million American veterans and current soldiers, plus about 25 million males aged 18 to 30. Even with overlap, that’s about 30 million. Add to that non-military people in the U.S. and abroad with varying opinions on the American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that’s a LOT of people! Also, friends and relatives of veterans may watch it to understand the war experience—especially if the veteran has PTSD. Mike has said that reading the script has resurfaced difficult memories, but has also been a healing experience for him.I was doing research to write something highlighting the absurdity of war when my chiropractor moved back to Canada, and the new chiropractor I found was a former medic in Iraq who started telling me crazy stories every time I visited. So I asked him to tell me the whole story.
500 word synopsis
“Sgt. Meat” is the true story of Sergeant Michael Meath, a U.S. Army medic, whose experiences in Iraq highlight the chaos, incompetence, and sheer absurdity of war. Rather than focusing on heroism or reflection, the story presents Meath’s many near-death experiences as a product of both the Army’s dysfunction and the randomness of war.
The narrative kicks off with an ominous event during basic training, when Meath and his squad are struck by lightning, foreshadowing the absurd and dangerous situations that will follow. On his first mission, Meath is sent out without any bullets. (Yes, you read that right.) Throughout his deployment, Meath finds himself facing death multiple times, always in ridiculous and unpredictable ways, far from the heroism he imagined when he enlisted.
While in training in the U.S., his vehicle breaks down so many times he nicknames it “Broke Down Betty.” Despite assurances that he would receive a new vehicle upon arriving in Iraq, Meath finds himself stuck with the same unreliable truck. When “Betty” inevitably breaks down in the desert, his lieutenant orders him to stay with the vehicle, promising to return shortly. Meath is left stranded for two days before being rescued, a clear mockery of the Army’s “No man left behind” mantra.
Meath’s brushes with death escalate in intensity. A mortar round hits right next to the porta-john he’s using, but it’s a dud, and his fellow soldiers laugh and joke about it when he emerges. (“I’ll bet you were scared shitless!”) In another instance, a tank gunner loses control of a 50-caliber machine gun, sending bullets wildly in Meath’s direction, nearly killing him and his squad. Another close call comes from an Iraqi wedding celebration miles away, where celebratory gunfire rains down on Meath when is “safe” on base. In an intense firefight, Meath nearly shoots a group of Iraqi National Guard soldiers, mistaking them for enemies. (The Iraqi National Guard were U.S. allies.) Luckily, the machine gun jams, giving him just enough time to realize his mistake. In another instance, a 12-year-old Iraqi National Guard trainee accidentally loses control of his semi-automatic rifle, sending bullets flying around Meath, who once again narrowly escapes harm.
The story takes a darker turn when a friendly lieutenant, who was about to file the paperwork for Meath’s early release, is killed in his office by a stray piece of shrapnel while typing an email to his wife. Later, Meath is tasked with transporting the bodies of civilians who were randomly killed by a gung-ho sergeant at a checkpoint. Discovering over a hundred thousand dollars in cash on the bodies, Meath contemplates taking it, only to be startled by the arrival of two Iraqi morgue attendants, causing him to draw his pistol in a moment of sleep-deprived panic. (You’ll have to read the script to know how that episode ends.)
Sgt. Meat is not about heroism or moral reflection, but instead focuses on the absurdity, randomness, and incompetence that define Meath’s experiences in Iraq. Survival is as much about navigating the dysfunction of one’s own side as it is about avoiding enemy fire, and it often feels like a matter of pure chance.
Waking Up in Phoenix
Christian-adjacent* coming-of-age adventure.
status:
Completed.
“Waking Up in Phoenix” revises and expands my unreleased 2021 feature “Waking Up in Idaho,” updating the locations, restoring unshot material, adding more action, and refining key scenes.
*"Christian-adjacent" is a term a friend used to describe this movie, since there is no violence, sex, drugs, smoking, or swearing—yet the characters do not mention God or Jesus.
AnnaStarted Dec 2025. , a bold 14-year-old Native American girl, and Boyd, her timid 15-year-old Caucasian foster brother, are abruptly separated after Anna’s act of rebellion gets them kicked out of their abusive foster home. Placed with two inexperienced single women, Peg and Lucy, the siblings struggle to adjust—until the foster moms decide to take them on a spontaneous three-day wilderness getaway. As the adults compete to be the “better” new mom, Anna is drawn toward a deeper connection with her Native roots, while Boyd is challenged to step into courage. The weekend swings between conflict and laughter—until a crisis in the wild forces all four to reexamine what family really means.
Jalan Jalan
Drama
status:
Completed.
Jalan
Jalan is an award-winning novel by British author Mike Stoner, inspired by sad events in his life and his time in Indonesia. In the story, James tries to forget his dead girlfriend, Laura, but at the same time he finds comfort in remembering her. Which is fairly easy, because she is a ghost haunting him—sometimes friendly, sometimes taunting him. In life, Laura often spoke playfully of mystical notions of time and space. Late in the story, James meets a shaman, who does some magic that makes James feel some hope. At the end of the story, we—and James—are led to believe it just might be possible that when he goes back to England, she may actually be alive and waiting for him. During this whole journey, James has subtle but powerful effects on the people he comes to know in Indonesia, because despite his tragic loss, his basic kindness and regard for others remains intact.
I found this book when I was looking up the meaning of the title of a song by the same name. It was such a beautiful story that I contacted the author and asked if I could write the screenplay.
500 word synopsis
Jalan Jalan follows James, a young Englishman who moves to Indonesia after the sudden death of his girlfriend, Laura, who was struck by a bus. The couple had planned to reunite after three months apart, but her tragic death leaves James grappling with deep grief. Taking a job as an English teacher, he tries to escape his pain, but Laura’s ghost haunts him, along with flashbacks of their time together.
In Indonesia, James forms bonds with the local expat teachers, including Kim, a carefree half-Vietnamese half-American man who pulls him into the chaotic nightlife of Medan. One night in a nightclub he meets Eka, a beautiful young Indian woman who advises him “No talk to dead girl.” (Laura). She knows James cannot commit to her, but she remains unwavering, as she helps him through moments of illness and confusion.
James’s job brings him into contact with Charles, a wealthy Chinese-Indonesian businessman, whose children, Fitri, 15, and Benny, 10, bond with James during their English lessons. Charles, protective and reserved, shares a deeper connection with James, as both men cope with past trauma—Charles is painfully estranged from his wife, but too proud to try to approach her.
A turning point occurs at Mei’s bar when Barry, an expat bully, confronts the teachers. A previously quiet teacher stands up to Barry, and the rest of the group supports him, forcing Barry to back down when his friends desert him.
During an excursion to the jungle to see orangutans, James stands up to a drunk Liverpudlian harassing a local girl. This act of courage contrasts with his usual introspection and marks significant personal growth.
Despite his deep loss and internal turmoil, James forms deep connections with both fellow teachers and local residents. He retains his capacity to care for others, resulting in a quiet but often profound healing impact on those around him.
In life, Laura was fascinated by the mystical possibilities of time and space and alternate realities. Through Charles, James meets a local shaman, who performs a magical ritual to remove Laura’s ghost and take away his pain. Her ghost seemingly disappears, replaced by a lingering sense that Laura may, against all odds, be waiting for James, alive and well, upon his return to England. This possibility, whether real or imagined, offers James a kind of hope, and the feeling that life, time, and love are far more fluid than he had once believed.
The Grief Ranch
Drama
status:
Completed.
I was inspired Started 2013. to write The Grief Ranch after witnessing the deep grief of a friend whose daughter died of a drug overdose. I struggled with this for years before I finally found a way to write a script that addressed it properly, without showing easy solutions for the characters, yet still being hopeful.
The Grief Ranch follows a group of strangers who gather at a remote ranch to cope with profound personal losses, each burdened by their grief in different ways. But when their expected therapist goes into early labor and is unable to join them, the group is left to face their grief without professional guidance. They must find strength within themselves and each other, sometimes intentionally and sometimes through raw, unplanned interactions.Years ago a close friend’s daughter died of a drug overdose, and I witnessed his extreme grief up close. It occurred to me that our society does not talk about grief, and I thought it might be helpful to explore it.
500 word synopsis
Main Characters:
Suzette: Struggling with banishment from her family after indirectly causing her sister’s death during a night of drinking, Suzette feels weighed down by overwhelming feelings of blame and guilt. Her attempt to take her own life at the ranch becomes a pivotal moment for the group.
Josh: At just 17, Josh is grappling with the recent death of his father, with whom he shared a deep bond. Josh is sometimes able to hear his father’s voice—though this phenomenon stops after he arrives at the ranch.
Teresa: A mother who recently lost both her husband and one of her young daughters, Teresa’s grief is compounded by her anger at God and her inability to care for her surviving children. Teresa’s growing interest in Josh’s ability to “connect” with his father leads her to question the finality of death and search for her own form of solace.
Mike: A high school coach and teacher, Mike is a broken man after the loss of his daughter to a drug overdose. His reluctance to face his emotions keeps him at arm’s length from the others, but his protective instincts kick in when Suzette’s life is at risk.
Allison: After her husband’s death, Allison’s anger toward his negligence in managing his diabetes consumes her. Though outwardly tough, she is deeply shaken by Suzette’s suicide attempt and becomes more engaged with the group as a result.
Kelly: Kelly is abrasive and over-controlling, projecting her unresolved grief over her son’s death onto the others. Her harshness leads to confrontations, but it also forces critical emotional breakthroughs, especially with Suzette.
The ranch itself is run by Rollie, the caretaker, and Earl, the ranch’s reluctant owner. Without a therapist to guide them, Rollie reluctantly steps into a leadership role, though he knows he’s out of his depth. Despite the absence of a professional, the group comes together, slowly building trust with one another.
A turning point occurs when Suzette attempts suicide one night. Paramedics arrive the next morning, offering to take her to the hospital, but Suzette insists on staying at the ranch. The group rallies around her, realizing they must support each other if they are to get through their individual battles with grief.
Two characters have deep secrets:
Earl lost a son to suicide, and left a successful career in the city to escape all memories of his old life.
Kelly’s son is not dead, but she tells people he died so she can avoid confronting the painful fact that she emotionally abused her son so much that he moved to Europe after high school and never spoke to her again.
Ultimately, The Grief Ranch explores how people can become accidental healers for one another, even in the absence of formal guidance. The ranch becomes less about structured therapy and more about the human connections forged through shared pain, guilt, and vulnerability. Each character is forced to confront their grief head-on, often with the help of someone else’s story or perspective. Together, they discover that healing can come from unexpected places, even if the wounds of loss never fully disappear.
Now writing
Helix Infinity
Sci-fi Thriller
status:
Technical points all resolved.
I have created both game worlds.
I have written 83 pages of script.
Informed Started 2021.
by Michael Crichton’s techno-thrillers, Helix Infinity explores the perilous fusion of virtual reality, quantum computing, and the mysteries of consciousness. When Helix Infinity, a revolutionary virtual reality system powered by a military-grade quantum computer, malfunctions, two players become trapped in separate digital dimensions with no clear way back.
One, a pro-gamer and expert parkourist, is thrown into Monster Planet Inferno, an ultraviolent hellscape where grotesque creatures hunt him relentlessly, forcing him to fight for survival as his grip on reality begins to slip. The other, a 15-year-old girl, finds herself in a serene, mind-bending puzzle world, where the illusions of the game offer her the peace and escape from the real world she has long craved. While the gamer battles for his life, she resists rescue altogether.
1200 word treatment
Treatment: HELIX INFINITY
At the helm of Vasquez Virtual stands Rodrigo Vasquez, a brilliant yet ruthless 31-year-old entrepreneur. Rodrigo’s path to success was shaped by hardship. He taught himself 3D design, and he hacked university computers at the age of 12, desperate to escape his humble beginnings as the son of a night janitor in Silicon Valley office buildings. Now, Rodrigo is poised to launch Helix Infinity, his most ambitious project yet—a 6th generation virtual reality system that uses a quantum computing module and the latest hardware.
The Helix Infinity combines full-immersion technology with haptic suits, brain-computer interfaces, video in contact lenses (such technology currently exists) and an experimental 4D quantum module. This module, designed by Vasquez Virtual’s hardware engineer, Akarsh Roy, pushes the boundaries of what virtual reality can achieve, making it possible for players to feel as though they’re stepping into entirely new dimensions. Bodily changes occur after playing, and players need to use a “decompression chamber” if they play the game for more than an hour. Rodrigo sees Helix Infinity as his ticket to toppling his rival, Dragon VR, the company that stole his first game out from under him years ago. The pressure is mounting, and Rodrigo knows that the launch must go perfectly.
The debut is staged as a massive live arena spectacle, streamed worldwide. Thousands watch in person, millions online. The centerpiece is Jean-Paul Mbengue, the world’s most famous VR gamer—and former parkour world champion—who enters the flagship game Monster Planet Inferno on stage, his body fully visible as the audience watches him play the game on giant screens.
But the hardware/software system is so powerful it completely convinces Jean-Paul’s consciousness that he is in actually IN the game universe—and with his mind so thoroughly convinced, his body follows! At first, it looks like an astonishingly realistic performance. Then Jean-Paul is struck by a monster—and screams.
The audience screams in appreciation, assuming it’s part of the show. But at the Vasquez Virtual office, staff panic. Jean-Paul is bleeding—that is not a feature of the game. Helix Infinity has fully transduced Jean-Paul into another reality. What looks like immersive entertainment is real physical injury. Jean-Paul can’t stop playing, because this is his world now. If he kills all the monsters, he will go to another level, an even more lethal one. His only option is to use his parkour skills as much as possible for evasion, but he can’t last forever, and there is no off switch.
Covering the launch is journalist Mo Greenberg, who quickly senses something is wrong. Staff reactions don’t match the spectacle. Engineers argue. A cover-up begins to form.
As the company struggles to contain the situation, a second disappearance occurs—this one offstage. Tarina, a young girl and the niece of a senior executive, enters a nonviolent puzzle game using the second prototype Helix Infinity unit. As her mother enters Tarina’s room and taps her on the shoulder to scold her, the haptic suit crumples to the floor as her body disappears into the game universe. Her mother screams, and ends up in the psyche ward babbling nonsense about her daughter disappearing into thin air.
Now Vasquez Virtual has two people inside different game universes—one fighting to survive in a violent world, the other excitedly exploring a peaceful one. Jean-Paul faces imminent death, and Tarina may be lost forever—though she herself has troubles at school and has no desire to come back to the real world.
Believing the problem must be mechanical, hardware engineer Akarsh Roy insists someone needs to go in and retrieve them. He enters Monster Planet Inferno in full view of the audience to try to bring back Jean-Paul. But Akarsh has no physical prowess and is killed almost immediately. The crowd cheers, thinking it’s scripted—except for those who saw him at the arena and are confused, but not yet concerned.
Physical rescue is abandoned. The company accepts what it has avoided: Helix Infinity is not malfunctioning. It is doing exactly what it was designed to do—convince the mind it is somewhere. But they did not expect the body would follow.
Professor Ellen Dibbs proposes a radical explanation: Helix Infinity hijacks attention so completely that consciousness relocates. Once the mind accepts the game world as real, the system resolves the contradiction by moving the body as well. Rescue must happen through consciousness. Interface engineer Judy Wu has a deep-brain implant to prevent epileptic seizures, and Dibbs proposes they can use it to enable Wu to connect with the lost players without putting herself in danger.
Now Rodrigo and his staff face a decision—who to save? The pro gamer, who is in danger but has some skills, or the 14-year-old girl who is now creating her own doorways—doorways that weren’t in the adventure game’s design—and is moving further into the game reality as time passes? Rodrigo wants to choose the gamer, but staff, especially Beatrice, accuse him of putting his career above Tarina’s life, and he is overruled by staff to make the emotional choice: save the girl first.
Using her implant, Judy attempts a controlled mental synchronization with Tarina. The connection succeeds. Tarina is alive, coherent, and happy. But she refuses to return. Wu can’t save her without her cooperation.
Meanwhile, Jean-Paul continues to deteriorate in Monster Planet Inferno, as a very real monster slices off two fingers of his left hand with a sword. The audience watches, still believing it’s a show, cheering the amazing effects. Vasquez Virtual staff realize their emotional choice to save Tarina first may have cost Jean-Paul his life.
Wu now merges with the consciousness of Jean-Paul, but now she suffers physical bruises and bleeding as he continues to be pummeled by monsters. In panic, she screams “I could use some help in here!”—knowing as she says it that according to the plan she is the only one that can be there. But then Rafa get the idea to open the game up to the arena gamers. Since they don’t have suits, they’ll just be virtual in that world, and not subject to harm—but a huge influx of new players will force the monsters to attack them, taking the heat off of Jean-Paul long enough for Judy to have an undistracted moment of peace and extract Jean-Paul.
The gamers, still thinking this is all part of the promotion, jump at the chance to play this pre-beta version of the latest Monster Planet Inferno, and save their idol Jean-Paul—whether it is real or virtual. It’s a massive and awesome attack, paralleling the massive rescues in early Bond films such as Thunderball.
With Jean-Paul relatively calm for a moment, Judy is able to extract him. He reappears in his haptic suit, bleeding and missing two fingers, but alive. Judy collapses, battered and spent, unable to try again. But she couldn’t anyway, because Tarina now is not only creating new doors, but closing doors behind her. She has chosen a new life, and is gone forever.
With lives no longer at stake, Mo publishes the full story. Some believe it, others don’t. But the new Helix Infinity system goes into production in a non-quantum version, and pre-sales are through the roof.
Scripts in Development
Feature projects at varying stages of development.
Slapstick
Techno Horror
I will write this in 2027.
Another script informed by Michael Crichton’s techno-thrillers. When I first had this idea in 2021, it felt implausible, so I shelved it. Now it feels almost inevitable. I’m keeping the premise under wraps while I refine it.
The Silent Treatment
Silent* Romantic Comedy
status:
Opening scenes written.
I know the ending—and I must say, it's hilarious.
[ *95% Started 2021. non-dialogue.] At a silent retreat where speaking means immediate expulsion, a couple divorced a year earlier are stunned to discover each other there. As other participants rally behind one or the other, petty sabotage escalates into a full-scale, wordless war, forcing the exes to confront jealousy, pride, and the unresolved bond they share—without ever being allowed to say a word. I’m so excited about this one. It will be a rare opportunity for the right director to unleash their full imagination.
Cool Moms
Outrageous Comedy
status:
Brand new idea.
But it may be my next script after "Helix Infinity."
And I already have the sequel!
Keeping this one a secret for now. But I’m laughing to myself as more ideas come and i write them down in preparation for outlining the story later.
TellTale
Limited Series
“Reading microexpressions… Subject is lying."
This story may seem like science fiction, but you’ll see it happen in real life before you know it!
status:
Treatment
NOTE: I actually don't want to write this, because it would take away from my other projects, but I'd be happy to pass it on to other writers for a "Created by" credit and a few bucks.
2000-word synopsis available to qualified producers/agents
Koko's Leg
Thriller
status:
Writing notes.
A young Ainu girl (Indigenous Japanese) regrows her amputated leg with the help of her shaman grandfather and is chased across Japan by Japanese and American authorities who want to discover how she did it so they can use the secret for military supremacy .
Artistic Demons
Romantic Comedy
status:
Writing notes.
A struggling artist’s paintings go up in value when his fresh-out-of-rehab girlfriend paints little demons on them.
Biker Babes
Dramedy
status:
30 pages written.
Needs more research.
A 60-year-old woman motorcyclist grieving the death of her husband and is persuaded by a friend to do a cross-country ride. This can be paired with a documentary funded by Harley-Davidson on women motorcyclists.
The Sadhu
Thriller
status:
Writing notes.
Will require Indian cowriter.
A modern holy man, possibly a fraud, causes massive social and political unrest in India when he creates a potion that seems to give people superpowers. A British agent is sent to try to prevent the destabilization of the country.
Love Mankind
Romantic Comedy
status:
Opening scene written.
Need to visit Kathmandu.
A Nepalese monk is challenged to be spiritual out in the real world when his monastery is converted into a luxury hotel and he meets a freewheeling young French woman. They communicate using the English they both learned from a mobile phone video game.
(Young monks are often given a couple hours of phone time one day a week. I met an 18-year-old Bhutanese nun in India who had such a privilege—and yes, it had corrupted her.)
Algún Día (Someday)
Mother/Daughter Road Trip (in Spanish)
status:
12 pages written.
Pan-Mexico route mapped out.
When you realize your own best ideas have kept you stuck for years…maybe it’s time to embark on a real adventure—even if the idea did come from your 9-year-old daughter!
When I lived in Tijuana, Mexico, a friend told me this story: One day her 9-year-old daughter came to her and said, “Mommy, let’s move to Paris. All we need is a camping tent, and we can learn French on the Internet.” Inspired by this charming tale, I imagine an adventure where the pair can’t board a boat in Ensenada (on the west coast of Mexico), so they head all across the breadth of the country to catch a ship in Veracruz (on the east coast). Of course the mother initially says no to the idea, but after losing her job and a couple of other calamities, she decides it can’t be any worse than staying in Tijuana, and off they go!
