Moments in cinema reinterpreted by the writers from 'Lost'

19/09/06

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[LUKE SKYWALKER clings precariously to a mechanical vane high in Cloud City's main airshaft. DARTH VADER stands triumphant on a nearby catwalk]

VADER:

Obi-wan never told you what happened to your father.

LUKE:

He told me enough! He told me you killed him!

VADER:

Really? Hmm.

LUKE:

What?

VADER:

Oh... nothing.

LUKE:

What!?

VADER:

No, really. I just... thought of something else. Well, I should be somewhere else. Catch you later.

[VADER glances meaningfully at the camera, then leaves. LUKE looks perplexed.]

--

[TRUMAN BURBANK stands soaking and exhausted at the edge of an artificial lake, next to a wall painted to look like the sky. A short flight of steps is visible ahead of him, similarly camoflaged. He begins, slowly, to climb the steps. At the top he discovers the outline of a door. A handle built subtly into it is imprinted with very faint letters that read: EXIT. He pushes it, and with a sudden noise, it opens, revealing a darkened corridor beyond.]

VOICE FROM THE HEAVENS:

Truman.

[TRUMAN turns, gasping, he cannot see who is talking to him.]

VOICE:

You can speak. I can hear you.

TRUMAN:

Who are you?

VOICE:

Weeeeell... let's see. You can call me Bob. No, wait... John. I'd prefer John.

TRUMAN:

Then who am I?

VOICE:

Ooooh... hey, I like your shoes.

TRUMAN:

My what?

VOICE:

So you didn't find the clue hidden in your basement then?

TRUMAN:

What... clue? What are you talking about? Who are you?

VOICE:

You know what would be great right about now? A really dull flashback. Let's have one of those.

TRUMAN:

But-

VOICE:

Behind you!

[TRUMAN turns, but sees nothing. A faint sniggering can be heard.]

TRUMAN:

Hello? Hello?

[There is no answer.]

--

[INT: Grey sedan. Night. KYLE REESE drives at speed. SARAH CONNOR is slumped way down in the seat, turned away from the window, trying not to see the landscape reeling outside.]

SARAH:

(hoarse whisper) This is a mistake. I haven't done anything.

REESE:

No. But you will. It's very important that you live.

SARAH:

I can't believe this is happening. How could that man get up, after you...

REESE:

Sssh! I'll tell you in a minute.

[REESE peels off to the right, inches in front of a tractor-trailer rig, brakes hard and slides in a four wheel drift through a curving off-ramp. He slows the car to a calmer pace, but his gaze remains alert, cautious.]

SARAH:

Please. Tell me what you want.

REESE:

Hang on.

[REESE pulls the car into a parking lot and kills the lights. He parks between two other cars and turns off the engine. Silence follows.]

SARAH:

What-

REESE:

In a minute.

[A minute passes. REESE has not moved.]

SARAH:

I-

REESE:

Sssh!

[Another long pause.]

SARAH:

Did you-

REESE:

Wait.

[Push in on the dashboard clock. The passage of time is indicated by the slow fade of the hands forward by three hours. Pull back. REESE has still not moved. SARAH looks distinctly bored, and has put her feet up on the dashboard.]

SARAH:

I'm going to need to pee in a minute. You aren't going to explain anything important to my situation if I step out for a moment, are you?

REESE:

No... no, of course not.

[SARAH begins to sit up. FADE TO: morning. REESE has still not moved. SARAH sits idly flipping through a magazine.]

SARAH:

I wish I had a figure like that. So, tell me. That guy you shot six times last night who proceeded to get up and chase after us... really good body armour or some kind of robotic organism?

REESE:

I need to pee now. I'll be back in three days. Don't move.

[SARAH rolls her eyes as he exits the vehicle.]

--

[The BATMAN holds a terrified petty criminal, EDDIE, by his collar over a six storey drop into an alleyway. Steam rises from the darkened rooftops of Gotham around them, mingling with the distant sound of traffic.]

EDDIE:

(hysterical) Don't kill me, man! Don't kill me!

BATMAN:

I'm not going to kill you. I want you to do me a favour. I want you to tell all your friends about me.

EDDIE:

What ARE you?!?

BATMAN:

(pulling EDDIE closer) I'm... well. Why don't you guess?

EDDIE:

I- what?

BATMAN:

Come on, I'm a MAN... dressed up as a BAT... what do you think a catchy name would be?

EDDIE:

(confused) Uh... bat-

BATMAN:

Also, I don't play tennis very often.

EDDIE:

Huh?

BATMAN:

That might be a hint. Or it might not be. I just wanted to make it a bit more interesting for you. Whaddaya think?

EDDIE:

Er... uh. Bat... man?

BATMAN:

Good guess!

[EDDIE looks relieved.]

BATMAN:

...but probably not the right answer. Might be, though. Here's another hint - I'm not actually a bat at all. You probably guessed that already, but by pointing it out, you're probably wondering what that means exactly.

EDDIE:

Uh....

BATMAN:

Tell you what. You have a think about it for a few weeks. Then maybe I'll turn up unexpectedly again and give you another hint. How 'bout that? Would that be okay? Huh? Would it?

[EDDIE has passed out.]

BATMAN:

Darn it. Now I'll have to tattoo that hint somewhere on him where he can't directly see it. Tch.

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