John Sayles turns 75 today. He was born on 28 September 1950.
Sayles is a notable director but not really a psychotronic director. When he was in charge, he tended toward drama and social commentary. I’m very fond of Matewan but it isn’t psychotronic (even if I’ve made the argument that it is).
But as a screenwriter, John Sayles is a psychotronic icon. We don’t need to go any further than his first screenplay, Piranha. There were a lot of films that came out in the late 1970s that tried to capitalize on Jaws. And I tend to like them. But I can’t say they are exactly good. But Piranha definitely is. And for a first produced screenplay: wow!
Sayles went on to write Battle Beyond the Stars, which is way better than it should be. And then there was Alligator. And he co-wrote The Howling. I’m not a fan of werewolf films. But this is one of the best.
The bottom line is Sayles writes films that are better than what we get from others. And, as I tell young filmmakers, things are so much easier if you start with a solid script. And check this out: it doesn’t cost anything to rewrite a screenplay!
The only true psychotronic John Sayles directed is The Brother from Another Planet. And even it is more art than psychotronic.
Let’s celebrate John Sayles’ 75th birthday by watching Alligator. It is a solid monster film that demonstrates his prowess as a screenwriter. It also features a young Robert Forster.
John Sayles by Rodrigo Fernández under CC BY-SA 3.0.