When my dear friend R/Kain Blaze (Freestyle, Bucket) came to me looking for help with one of the Urban Iris films he was working on, he had a pretty clear idea of what he wanted. He'd already laid out the shots and the plot, much like a Marvel-style comic book script, and just needed dialogue. So, with just some very rudimentary notes as to what should be happening around the talking, I set to work. It's one of my favorite pieces of collaboration. I hope he gets it shot one of these days (as of March 2003 he's still working on it). I present my dialogue here, as it is intended to be read by the actors, sans most of the directorial notes which he would be doing himself.

"Urban Iris: Uneven"

By Hannibal Tabu

  | PART ONE | Part Two |

CHARACTERS:
Bu Giang
Danny Eckert
Johnny Yu
Damond Grimes
Sherman Jones
David Takara
Mr. Tsukahara

SCENE ONE:

BU GIANG gets into DANNY ECKERT'S taxi cab at LAX.

DANNY ECKERT: (leering slightly at BU) Hey, pretty lady, where to?

BU GIANG: (hands him a slip of paper through the divider, and leans back, rooting through a small duffel bag)

DANNY ECKERT: (looking at the slip and scratching his head) Oh ... yeah, I know how ta get here. Take us a while on the freeways, though. Yeah, I see folks comin' in, comin' out of town all the time, pretty girls like you normally don't come in alone. I remember once, I'm sitting here on a Sunday afternoon, and Pamela Anderson climbs in my cab, just as pretty as ya please. After I'm drivin' a while, I look back and she's got her li'l manicured hand up her skirt, diddlin' herself and yappin' on her cell phone to somebody ... those types, I just dunno, they're ... (He looks back and BU GIANG is patiently watching him through the rearview mirror. He grins mischievously and pulls away from the curb)

The cab gets on to the 405 freeway heading north.

DANNY ECKERT: (looking at her in the rearview mirror as she pulls clothes from the duffel) So ... you in town for business or pleasure?

BU GIANG: (head still down, she glances up at him through the same mirror and goes back to pulling things out of the bag and sorting them)

DANNY ECKERT: Yeah ... well ... there's a whole lotta fun you can have in LA. You, uh, you ah speakee any English?

BU GIANG: (head still down, she glances up at him through the mirror and starts changing out of the overclothes she has on)

DANNY ECKERT: Tha's okay. There's a whole lot of, y'know ... opportunity here, whether or not you speak English. (Watching her change for a bit as he makes the transition to the 10 freeway eastbound, licking his lips) Regular land of opportunity we got here. Yeah ... I know my grandpa was always goin' on about whatever godawful country he came from, talkin' 'bout how he nearly came on himself when he saw the Statue of Liberty. Every goddamned holiday we had to hear this story ... ah, but you don't care about all that. You prolly don't even know what I'm talking about here.

The cab shifts onto the 110 freeway north.

DANNY ECKERT: (distracted as he drives) Yeah, where you're going is one of those sh*thole office buildings in Hollywood. Better than all this sh*t falling apart downtown. Oh yeah, they got Disney building a symphony hall and all kindsa construction in Hollywood f**kin' up traffic, but LA's a goddamned sh*thole and it ain't never gonna be much different. People wanna blame furriners, but the people who live here f**ked it worse than anybody else, with their goddamned real estate scams and their ... (glances up to see BU's change from her ultra-stylish wardrobe to something very teen-oriented and loud. Also, her attitude seems to have changes. She is very bubbly in personality and wearing headphones while getting into whatever's pumping) ... ah hell, you're not even old enough to know your ass from a hole in the wall. I'm just talkin' and you can't even hear me. (Turns and waves to BU GIANG, who smiles brightly and waves back, dancing in the backseat to whatever her headphones have tuned in).

The cab makes its shift onto the 101 freeway north, and finally exits on Santa Monica Boulevard, pulling up in front of a nondescript office building.

DANNY ECKERT: This is kind of an ugly neighborhood for a pretty li'l thing like you, sweetheart. I dunno ... maybe you let me take you somewhere safer, like the Westside Pavillion or somewhere you can call your people? I know I can take you by my ... office. Take care of you real good, huh?

BU GIANG: (glances at her watch and digs through her bag, pulling out a wad of bills, which she passes through the divider to him) Wakarimasen. (she climbs out of the cab)

DANNY ECKERT: (opens the wad of hundreds with some surprise and finds a note written in Japanese inside. Rolls down passenger side window and yells at her) Hey, what's all this about?

BU GIANG: (walks calmly back to the window, leans over and speaks in perfect English) Be here at 9:00 p.m. tonight and leave your voice at home.

SCENE TWO:

BU GIANG is walking north on Western from Santa Monica. She checks her watch, and notes a UPS style delivery truck parking across the street with three men getting out. She darts into a convenience store and returns with a lolly pop. She crosses the street, switching herself girlishly, and attracts JOHNNY YU's attention.

DAVID TAKARA: (handing a package to JOHNNY YU) Hey, pay attention, idiot. Take this package over to Suke's boy and watch your back, all right?

JOHNNY YU: (watching BU GIANG walking down the street) Yah yah, don't worry about me, I'm all over it.

BU GIANG: (walking away, she's sucking on her lolly pop and looking over some papers and photographs, glancing around carefully)

JOHNNY YU climbs back into the truck with DAMOND GRIMES and SHERMAN JONES, and they drive off rapidly. JOHNNY YU looks around for BU GIANG, but doesn't see her. As the truck roars off down the street, BU GIANG emerges from the shadows of an alley, her eyes like slits. She runs off screen quickly.

In the truck, JOHNNY YU, DAMOND GRIMES and SHERMAN JONES are talking.

DAMOND GRIMES: (driving) Why the hell do we have to f**k up our schedule to play delivery boy for Suke's dumbass homeboy?

JOHNNY YU: (looking out the window) Yeah, now we gotta wait for him to show up and ... heeeeyyy ... there's something we can do for a while ...

BU GIANG: (sitting on a bus stop, looking forlorn as she works her lolly pop back and forth)

JOHNNY YU: (out the window) Hey baby, wooo, yeah, hey, you need a ride?

SHERMAN JONES: (out the window) I like the way you suckin' that thang, girl!

BU GIANG: (shies away, fidgeting)

DAMOND GRIMES: Lemme pull over, see if we can get some of that ... (pulls the truck over by the bus stop, JOHNNY YU and SHERMAN JONES get out)

JOHNNY YU: Lemme talk to her, Sherm, she'll relate to me. (Kneeling down next to BU GIANG) Hey, sweetie ... where you goin' huh?

BU GIANG: (shyly) So sorry ... I no speak so good ... English?

JOHNNY YU: (smiling evilly) That's okay, baby, Johnny's gonna take real good care of you. (gesturing as he speaks) Where ... are ... you ... going?

BU GIANG: (roots around in her sweater for a crumpled piece of paper, which she shows to JOHNNY YU as she tries to speak) I go ... (reading as though difficult) Youth ... Hostel. Rarchmont.

SHERMAN JONES: (loudly and crass) Oh, this chinky b**ch goin' to Hollywood, like an exchange student and sh*t! (mocking her broken English) Are you star? You want to make movies?

BU GIANG: (acting shocked at the loud American, recoils and looks scared, jumping up and running off)

JOHNNY YU: (under his breath) You f**kin' idiot, she ain't used to loud jackasses like you! Shut up, let me talk, and we can run a train on this b**ch! (runs behind her, speaking comfortingly) Hey, baby, sweetie, hey, I'm sorry, hey, it's okay. He didn't mean it. Come on, come ride with us, we'll take you over to Larchmont. (smiling and stroking her hair) You can trust me, sweetie. C'mon.

BU GIANG: (Looking concerned, lets JOHNNY YU put his arm around her and lead her towards the truck. Gets in the back with JONNY YU, and they drive off)

SHERMAN JONES: (softer) Hey, Johnny, let's teach her how to say, "gimme some dick!" (to BU GIANG, softly) Just try that, "gimme some dick, gimme ... some ... dick ... gimme some dick!"

DAMOND GRIMES: Yeah, that's funny! Then, then get her to say "f**k me, I'm your b**ch?"

JOHNNY YU: How about the two of you morons just try to get some mood music on the damned radio? Which channel is KJLH or some sh*t?

SHERMAN JONES: (fiddles with the radio dial, cursing under his breath)

BU GIANG: (staring forlornly out the window until SHERMAN JONES gets to KIIS, which is playing "Oops I Did It Again," gestures excitedly to go back to the song. She pulls an earpiece from her ear and shares it with JOHNNY YU)

JOHNNY YU: Check this out -- she's got a Britney Spears tape in this thing. A _tape_. Where did this chick come from?

BU GIANG: (singing along with the radio and dancing in her seat, with SHERMAN JONES and JOHNNY YU leering at her. Stops during an instrumental break and pulls a small pill box from her sweater, taking one and putting it back)

SHERMAN JONES: Aw yeah, she's a stoner! Choo choo, train comin' to my station! (pulls a Heineken from a cooler under the dashboard and starts drinking it)

DAMOND GRIMES: Hey, man, get her to have some beer! Get this party started before we have to get over to Suke's joint.

SHERMAN JONES: (opens the cooler and pulls out a beer, offering it to her)

BU GIANG: (shakes her head and peeks over his shoulder at the open cooler. She dives over the seat, her schoolgirl skirt poking up in JOHNNY YU's face, making him really ogle her backside, and pulls out a bottle of Jack Daniel's, which she opens and drinks heartily)

JOHNNY YU: Oh, sh*t, old girl just took it to the head! Check you out, mama.

BU GIANG: (wipes her mouth with her forearm and grins mischievously. Playfully speaks in broken English) Gimme ... some ... DICK! (falls back against the seat laughing, takes another huge swig of whiskey)

| continue to part two |

If you'd like to read more, you can find material like this on the main site.