tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37334082011-07-07T15:21:24.783-07:00Story Lessons, Big and Small (Warning: Spoilers!)Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.comBlogger1331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-39572302425255976882009-08-05T09:10:00.000-07:002009-08-08T11:19:55.394-07:00

I watched Smart People a while back. Thought it was sometimes charming and sometimes impenetrable. Mainly because it was so hard to get what Sarah Jessica Parker saw in Dennis Quaid. (And I speak as a longtime Quaid fan, here. And as a girl who had many a crush on an English professor.)There were, however, tons of great story lessons in the film. And to honour Blake Snyder, who died suddenly this

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-72130093303897176812009-08-04T09:08:00.000-07:002009-08-04T09:34:23.115-07:00

While He's Just Not That Into You may be an ensemble, the story with the most screen time -- and the one that triggers a number of other plots -- is the romance between Ginnifer Goodwin and Justin Long. Ginnifer's the over-analyser; the girl who waits for the guy who's not going to call to call. Justin's the cynic -- the brutal truthteller who delivers dating lessons to our naif, including the

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-77121670325011446142009-03-02T19:30:00.000-08:002009-03-02T19:46:19.456-08:00

It's been months since I saw Definitely, Maybe. I knew I'd blog about it eventually, but it's taken me all this time to really articulate why I think it's a strong, fresh romantic comedy.I thought -- is it because I like all 4 of the leads? Ryan Reynolds has grown on me a lot, but the real gems of the film are the women: Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, and Isla Fisher? Great choices.Then I thought

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-33057772462636252992008-12-30T12:24:00.000-08:002009-01-13T12:24:23.783-08:00

-or-Will the Circle of Being Be Unbroken?A while back I saw 3:10 to Yuma. I tell you, if I'd participated in the making of this film, I would be very upset that it was nominated for a mere two Oscars (original score and sound mixing). You kidding me? This is easily one of the best films of 2007.And here's the part that knocked my socks off: the protagonist, Dan (Christian Bale), offers up a

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-48873153594804622482008-12-28T22:22:00.000-08:002009-01-01T13:55:00.795-08:00

Dear Mr. Earth Stood Still,After recently seeing you in the theatre, I have some questions, and one note of sympathy, I'd like to express to you.Question #1: What exactly are you about? I understand that the aliens have come to destroy humanity because we are effing up our planet and the planet is, in the grand scheme of things, very valuable. Truth be told, when Klaatu states this as the reason

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-26932311919322780362008-12-28T17:00:00.001-08:002008-12-28T17:26:09.661-08:00

Well, this time I'll make no promises! Fall '08 was a blur of actual writing... leaving precious little time for writing-about-writing. But of late I've started to miss Chateau de Reversals, so I'm going to try to get a post up every now and then. When the urge strikes me......like it did when I saw In Bruges over the holidays this week. This one was a delightful surprise to many who saw it, and

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-29785008253173848942008-07-13T23:20:00.000-07:002008-07-13T23:41:48.098-07:00

I'm baaaa-aaaack! Hmm, this should be a post about Poltergeist. It isn't. One day, one day.Many apologies to the 6 of you who check in regularly -- you know how it is: sometimes the time you have for writing has to be spent, well, writing!Today's post is about Enchanted. A movie that -- come on -- is pretty darn sweet. (Too sweet for some, maybe but I've got a wickedly tolerant sweet tooth.) The

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-13497808248600937382008-05-27T17:39:00.000-07:002008-05-27T20:04:01.979-07:00

Well, I'm newly engaged. Thank you. You're too kind.To celebrate, let's talk about 27 Dresses, which I finally rented! I think there's a lot to like about this rom-com. I did laugh; thank God. And I liked that the hero had real choices to make (beyond "Hmm, do I pick the schmuck I came in with, or the mensch I just met?"). I also thought it was smart to have the rival/villain (the lying

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-86023340366134519102008-04-29T22:32:00.000-07:002008-05-27T20:05:23.520-07:00

Rewatching Cloverfield, I was struck again by how tight a movie it really is. Come on, people... if you don't think this movie works on a monster/disaster level, I don't know what.But here's a simple lesson that's a great reminder for our own work: before the "problem of the movie" kicks in, the characters already have problems! In Cloverfield, our gang of partiers is celebrating Rob's big

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-9638529904444393472008-04-19T12:28:00.000-07:002008-04-19T13:03:22.708-07:00

Watching 30 Days of Night, I carried two main (conflicting?) thoughts in my brain for pretty much the whole time:1. This is a great premise for a movie.2. This is a terrible premise for a movie.It's a great premise because it's about an extreme-Northern town that shuts down for a month in which it'll have absolutely zero daylight. Ideal slaughtering grounds for vampires. You'd think it would

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-48135972102918761752008-04-06T20:20:00.000-07:002008-04-06T20:58:36.137-07:00

It has occurred to me that some areas of human experience are hot-button issues for people... writers and non-writers alike. (That's right, there are two kinds of people in the world...) One is motherhood.I've been thinking about this because I have a script I want to write (once I'm "done" with my ever-growing to-write list) that revolves around a mother who sometimes really can't stand her kids

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-37173124537695946612008-03-23T22:29:00.000-07:002008-03-23T22:41:57.858-07:00

Rewatching Serenity the other night, I was struck by how many things I could blog about. The opening covers so much backstory, yet moves fast and is fun to watch. Our first moments with Serenity's crew (for those who were tragically unfamiliar with Firefly) offer mini-conflicts, getting exposition out without it feeling ham-handed. And there's wonderful moments of subtext in the movie. After the

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-91421221711151100482008-03-16T13:51:00.000-07:002008-03-16T14:27:14.427-07:00

Spoily Spoilerson, here. Don't read this yet if you haven't seen Vantage Point, but plan to!Vantage Point is structured around an attack on an international summit to fight terrorism; the President of the USA is shot by sniper fire, and the whole location bombed. We see this attack scene over and over, from various characters' points of view -- the idea being that all the perspectives are

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-34169512681889032712008-03-08T12:08:00.000-08:002008-03-08T16:17:45.983-08:00

Watching Charlie Wilson's War was an odd experience. It had that "ragtag team coming together to accomplish something huge" feeling, as a tiny group of unlikely allies work together to covertly help Afghanistan defeat the Goliath-like Soviets, thereby ending the Cold War. You want to really root for these guys (the U.S. backers, as well as the underdog rural Afghanis) and when they're successful,

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-70498373571947784502008-02-09T17:34:00.000-08:002008-02-09T18:05:01.930-08:00

By now it's clear that I really care about setups 'n' payoffs. When they feel natural, or surprising (or the movie's having fun with them, as in the case of that last post) they elevate the movie into magical territory. You feel you can just relax and let the story do what it's going to do, because hey, the story knows best.And then there's the problematic payoff. The payoff that's so forced

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-72211456682734583542008-01-27T22:32:00.000-08:002008-02-09T18:05:49.226-08:00

I know, I know! "Blog? What blog?" I wish I could say I was one of those bloggers sympathy-striking with the WGA. In fact, it's just been busy. In all kinds of wonderful and bizarre ways. Though somewhere in there I managed to see a good many movies, including most of the Oscar noms. Bully for me.So. Where were we?Riiiight. Something about breaking down movies! Well. Over the last few months,

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-6296526781596755062007-12-09T11:08:00.000-08:002007-12-09T11:22:29.967-08:00

Finally saw half of the Grindhouse release: Planet Terror. What an interesting viewing experience-- it's both totally distancing (Can one really care about these silly characters, and what's happening to them?) as well as completely engaging (There's zombies at the door!).Probably the most interesting thing for me, though, is the care given to the payoff in this film. I mean everything is a

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-21918865096662119872007-11-18T14:33:00.000-08:002007-11-18T14:57:18.964-08:00

As a result of a script I'm struggling with right now, I've been thinking a lot lately about supporting characters. Major supporting characters, who have needs and arcs of their own, as well as those who simply have a function in a given story.Sometimes, in a script, supporting players feel like supporting players -- they come in, do their thing, and go. On the page, they look pretty

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-32151642921096614572007-10-28T19:51:00.000-07:002007-10-28T20:15:55.471-07:00

I was having a conversation recently with a friend about hard-to-watch moments in the movies. I'm not talking about peek-through-your-fingers gore shots in horror movies... that's safe in the realm of the fantastical, even when the horror is a somewhat realistic one. I'm talking about scenes -- often inciting incidents -- in films that otherwise appear to be straight-up dramas. They're the ones

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-66237590762699973622007-10-21T14:47:00.000-07:002007-10-21T15:07:19.392-07:00

We all know how tough it is to bring a character's back story to light. The character may have a history... but how do you reveal that history without it sounding like pointless exposition? "Hey, remember how when you were a kid you were abused, and that's informed every decision you've made since?" "I know. Crazy."Convention says that bringing up back story works best when a) the audience is

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-81392229208862182252007-10-14T10:43:00.000-07:002007-10-14T10:56:44.435-07:00

If you've never seen Richard Curtis's The Tall Guy, you must. It's funny, charming, it stars Jeff Goldblum and Emma Thompson, and it features one of the best rom-com sex scenes ever.And it also has one of the most credible reversals I've seen. I'm going to talk about it now, so if you haven't seen the movie, really-- go on. This post will still be here when you get back.Okay, good. So here's what

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-77342044776302059192007-09-29T08:42:00.000-07:002007-09-29T09:04:03.295-07:00

Every once in a while, I'll see a movie that makes me reexamine how I see movies. I think these are invaluable, because it's so easy to feel you've seen it all and can't be surprised.The most recent movie that forced me to get over my assumptions and actually pay attention, is the Irish film Once. The music in the film is phenomenal, but what I'm most interested in is how the movie both is, and

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-89434993361115936012007-09-16T12:25:00.000-07:002007-09-16T22:11:48.962-07:00

I thoroughly enjoyed re-watching True Romance last night; it remains a sentimental favourite. Now, I'm not so much about Elvis in the bathroom, or the Sicily history lesson, or the kung fu. Most of that stuff typed by anybody but Tarantino just sounds like it's trying too hard.No, I'm more about plain old storytelling. Here are some True Romance lessons that endure:1. The characters have colour.

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-55058109645182612972007-09-09T11:12:00.000-07:002007-09-16T22:12:23.907-07:00

In disaster movies, we expect our heroes to face all manner of obstacles. If it's a sinking ship, you're gonna have flooding, freezing, dangerous debris. If it's a burning building, you're gonna see flames, smoke, falling structures. Either might explore obstacles in the form of human weakness or selfishness. But for the most part, we want the obstacles -- all of them -- to be the direct result

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-83301469337823649242007-09-03T11:38:00.000-07:002007-09-16T22:12:50.612-07:00

Ahh, bless cross-country plane rides. I love catching up on recent releases I might not otherwise see.One such movie? The Last Mimzy. It's a bit of a slow burn, but I have to give the film credit for its refusal to pander. This is pretty sophisticated for family fare, and I found the ending really satisfying.What interested me most, though, was the reminder that not all films need to have a

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-62676803878446767742007-08-12T19:43:00.000-07:002007-08-12T20:01:31.078-07:00

Saw Breach last week, and thought it was a tight, exciting spy thriller. No mean feat, considering it's based on the true story of Robert Hanssen, the biggest betrayer of CIA secrets in recent memory. As a story, it almost shouldn't work. From the outset, we know this guy's doing wrong. And we know he's going to get caught (the movie isn't coy; we open with the press conference announcing his

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-48803692744936786862007-07-29T21:29:00.000-07:002007-07-29T22:15:56.263-07:00

There's a certain kind of scene in a movie that just stops the story dead. You know one when you see one. You can tell you've hit a "treading water" scene because people are doing stuff, they're moving, and maybe even talking to other people, but subconsciously (or worse, consciously) you're waiting for the scene to end so something will actually happen.Two examples from recent horrors:The

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-89745415355490327032007-07-22T17:09:00.000-07:002007-07-29T22:28:24.049-07:00

I've been researching teen romantic comedies, because I'm fleshing out an outline for one of my own. In my travels (and, okay, over a number of months) I've watched and made notes on She's the Man, What a Girl Wants, Mean Girls, John Tucker Must Die, 13 Going on 30, and Freaky Friday. In case you're not on a similar mission (but have a passing interest?), here are a few things I've learned about

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-56168006710456560362007-07-08T21:43:00.000-07:002007-07-29T22:28:55.249-07:00

*There's a spoiler warning on this site already, but please, please don't read this if you haven't yet seen Children of Men.Rewatching Children of Men on DVD, I realized one of the most powerful aspects of the story: its deaths. Lots of movies have characters who sacrifice themselves--sometimes even the protagonist does so--or are collateral damage in the battle that is the story. But when I

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-33833859020037661052007-07-02T22:40:00.000-07:002007-10-14T10:58:00.107-07:00

I got out a lot, into the sun, this long weekend. Honest, I did. But I also spent a little over two hours in the darkness of the theatre, with an old friend named John McClane.Live Free or Die Hard was a lot of fun. I'm not going to break it down for you... I think you're pretty much going, or not. But something did occur to me during this movie that I think is worth mentioning. Very early on,

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-88184941681347933112007-06-24T15:59:00.000-07:002007-10-14T10:59:01.841-07:00

2006 saw the release of both The Breakup, a mostly unfunny, almost-too-authentic tale of a couple splitting up, as well as Stranger Than Fiction, a mostly unfunny, but sweet, gentle story of redemption and what it means to really live. I don't dislike either movie, but I have to say, I'm a little surprised that two of the classier (read: attracted great casts 30+ and were clearly targeting

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-21132802410656784042007-06-17T14:54:00.000-07:002007-10-14T10:59:30.690-07:00

There are a lot of ways for movie parodies to go wrong. Not funny enough, not on-target enough, not creative enough, not enough story to last for 90 minutes, the characters aren't real so we get bored of them fast. Or, sometimes, the whole thing just feels like it's trying too hard. This is not a post about those things. This is a very specific qualm with Hot Fuzz.I really liked Hot Fuzz. Its

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-57985965627858705132007-06-10T19:08:00.000-07:002007-10-14T11:00:08.368-07:00

So I just finished watching the original Poseidon Adventure for the first time. It'll surprise no one to learn that I dug the heck out of it.Do you know how many things happen in this movie? We quickly grow to care about some imperfect but loveable people. The wave hits, and the ship capsizes. A small group of survivors led by a (self-described!) "renegade" Reverend makes its way through the ship

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-13075256341859309432007-06-03T16:12:00.000-07:002007-10-14T11:00:38.402-07:00

Inspired by the comment by Monikerr on last week's post, here's a post that's been brewing awhile. Titles: the good, the bad, and the inexplicable.1. Titles With Colons. Saw a preview the other day for Rise: Blood Hunter. But... why? Why the colon? This doesn't appear to be a sequel, or a game franchise, or anything else that would require differentiation between the "Rise" and the "Blood Hunter"

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-31383601452077942442007-05-27T18:56:00.000-07:002007-10-14T11:01:11.767-07:00

-or-It's not a trick, it's an illusion.Can I just keep titling this post, instead of doing the hard work of writing it? Pleeease?Okay, then. I guess I'd better get to it. In the spirit of healthy competition, may I propose this compare-and-contrast analysis of 2006's magic movies, The Prestige and The Illusionist.TITLEI think The Illusionist wins this one. If you've seen The Prestige, the title's

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-57645765243567265752007-05-21T11:14:00.000-07:002007-10-14T11:02:00.011-07:00

Regular Reversals readers know I love a good (okay, even a bad) horror movie. That's my lead-in to talking about Black Christmas. Which wasn't, by the way, all that bad. At the very least, it was fun-- gleefully silly, as opposed to the increasingly common dialled-in gunk.Anyway. Black Christmas follows a bunch of sorority sisters as they're stalked by a serial killer. Subconsciously, as a viewer

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-55223780255202001342007-05-13T15:28:00.000-07:002007-05-13T16:47:56.791-07:00

A few people who know me have asked why I haven't blogged about some recent movies they know I've seen. The truth is, I liked them too much.Or maybe it's not as simple as that. Let's explore this together, shall we, virtual therapy loyal blog readers?The movies in question are Children of Men, Little Children, Pan's Labyrinth, and The Lives of Others. Haven't blogged about a one. Loved 'em all.I

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-59003977374502711772007-05-06T17:48:00.000-07:002007-10-14T11:02:44.425-07:00

Horror movies are often set in the big city, the suburbs, or the middle of nowhere. There are advantages to all of those environments. In the city, you've got endless setpiece possibilities. In the suburbs, built-in satire. In the middle of nowhere... well, in the middle of nowhere, no one can hear you scream.But seeing Slither reminded me that, sometimes, you're best off setting your horror in a

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-88361504185653444512007-04-29T12:49:00.000-07:002007-10-14T11:03:24.413-07:00

When I finally saw Casino Royale, I understood why everyone was excited. (Beyond Daniel Craig's abs. Can we focus, please?)A big part of the reason Casino Royale was so fun was because it was full of surprises. It was full of surprises because it repeatedly turned our expectations on their heads.Exhibits A through E:A. He's a blond, thick, serious looking Bond. There was hoopla over the casting.

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-78712918456686353912007-04-22T13:24:00.000-07:002007-10-14T11:04:28.128-07:00

Saw United 93 this week, and thought it was intense and powerful. There are lots of great lessons here, though many have to do with the specifics of this particular movie. It's a 9/11 story, we already know what's going to happen (both the tragedy and the heroism), and we also know that a lot of what we're going to see on the plane is going to be invented... the movie is a triumph of restraint in

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-76136772759855126412007-04-15T10:02:00.000-07:002007-10-14T11:04:59.578-07:00

Fast Times at Ridgemont High has a beautiful (and efficient!) reversal we can all learn from.Older brother & car lover Judge Reinhold is stopped at a light. He's on a delivery, and is wearing his fast-food pirate uniform. A girl in a convertible beside him giggles. He thinks she’s flirting and smiles back. She giggles again; looks embarrassed. He realizes she’s laughing at his giant pirate hat.

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-28122227818809032292007-04-09T19:45:00.000-07:002007-10-14T11:06:14.936-07:00

-Or-Dammit, Syd Field Was RightIn which we sort of continue the biopic discussion from the last post & comments.I've been endlessly incorporating notes into my wedding comedy, in which the protagonist does some not-very-nice things. She has motivation to do 'em. Frankly, I'd piled on the motivation. But something was missing. Something fundamental about her character was going unexplained. It was

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-85220488606051149402007-04-01T09:39:00.000-07:002007-10-14T11:06:51.446-07:00

-Or-And On the Seventh Day, God Rolled CreditsFinally saw The Queen the other day. I'm sorry I put it off. Of all the Best Picture nominees this year, it's the one that really moves.The conventional biopic seems to me to be built on multiple episodes leading up to the hero's breaking point, followed by their ultimate redemption. See The Aviator, or Ray. The problem with that structure? First of

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-80293506823472102712007-03-24T11:20:00.000-07:002007-10-14T11:07:17.086-07:00

Sometimes a story needs a temporary antagonist until the real antagonist has had time to get close to the hero.Take Zoolander. Mugatu is somewhat removed from Zoolander for the first while. So to fill the space with tension until Mugatu can come into play, Zoolander's most-hated is his model-rival Hansel. Without this antagonism in the first act, there wouldn't have been much going on. As is, we

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-62824223086160390042007-03-18T11:18:00.000-07:002007-10-14T11:07:48.603-07:00

I've been trying to decide whether or not I really wanted to post about The Departed... or whether I should just hold onto my bile so I can move on with my life. Guess what I've decided?That's right! I've decided to slag this year's Best Picture publicly. (S'okay-- I've had lots of practice from last year.)The Departed ultimately doesn't work. It's a crime thriller founded on double-crosses and

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-80353584409237173652007-03-11T11:07:00.000-07:002007-10-14T11:08:38.708-07:00

Can't wait to see who stumbles across this blog searching for that cheerful phrase! Welcome, Dexters of the future!Ahem. To business.There's a scene in War of the Roses in which wife Barbara has just served husband Oliver some pate. Oliver's looking for common ground, while Barbara just wants to convince him how far she'll go to get him out of "her" house. She drops the hint the pate is made from

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-79248504729526479472007-03-04T13:27:00.000-08:002007-10-14T11:09:13.512-07:00

Want to know what my favourite scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest* is? It's the scene on Davy Jones's boat when Will (Orlando Bloom) wagers his own lifetime of servitude for that of his enslaved father's.Want to know why?Because it's one of the only actual scenes in the entire movie. The vast majority of the 150 minutes is spent on prolonged duels, net-trap escapes, jungle chases

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-78986667522589708252007-02-24T13:02:00.000-08:002007-10-14T11:09:40.310-07:00

As Oscar years go, it's hard to get excited. One of the Best Picture noms is Babel. An almost aggressively adequate movie. It doesn't have the urgency or unity of a Syriana, the reversals of a Traffic, or the divisive quality of a Crash. But it remains very watchable. And one of the reasons is its use of the "They Wouldn't..." factor.Movies are agreements. Generally, we understand what we have

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-59050524877592553892007-02-18T09:56:00.000-08:002007-10-14T11:10:17.671-07:00

I will tell you: I was really excited about Thank You For Smoking. A story about a charming smoking lobbyist without a conscience? What a brilliant world and character to explore and -- I'd hoped -- show me some difficult truths about our society while making me giggle in discomfort.Well, those of you who've seen it know: it ain't no Network. Or Wag the Dog, or Bob Roberts, or Dr. Strangelove.

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-28054562134628338052007-02-07T21:00:00.000-08:002007-10-14T11:11:08.729-07:00

Assuming they're, you know, human.Another lesson from Jurassic Park Numero Trois: the minute humans don't act the way human beings should, you lose your cred. Case in point? The moment William H. Macy and Tea Leoni first encounter real-life dinosaurs, they do not catch their breath. They do not scream, or back away in awe. They do not say "Holy Mary, Mother of God." Instead, they ignore the

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-33803849398085882802007-02-04T09:56:00.000-08:002007-10-14T11:11:45.187-07:00

A little while ago, I caught Jurassic Park III (imagine that claw-slashed typeface there) for the second time. In the theatre, I remember being disappointed-- but it's still a pretty good time. Especially if you have a thing for Sam Neill's "you people are fools" face. And I do.This time around, a couple of really obvious not-good story points stuck out at me. The first is the annoying case of

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-32485867624662144242007-01-28T12:31:00.001-08:002007-10-14T11:12:35.841-07:00

I remember seeing a panel of indie filmmakers talking about how they envision their films. One said, when she was writing the script, she always asked herself: Which fairy tale is this? Is it The Ugly Duckling? Is it Cinderella? Is it Peter Pan? Conceiving a new story on the foundation of an old one that's already deep in our consciousness... not a bad idea, I thought. And wrote it down in my

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-24741235920206954612007-01-20T10:37:00.000-08:002007-10-14T11:13:24.305-07:00

Last year, when I saw the killer-on-a-plane movie Red Eye, I sort of enjoyed it. The note I made for myself for future blogging was that it was refreshing. It isn't one of those "there's a killer torturing our hero and we don't understand his plan until the third act" kind of movies. Its plot is simple. We know what creepy-pretty Cillian wants right up front -- he needs Rachel to make a phone

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-67332093210309403832007-01-14T09:13:00.000-08:002007-10-14T11:14:08.434-07:00

It had been a while since I'd seen Die Hard. I knew it was going to hold up-- I just wasn't sure what new thing I might learn from it. What I discovered was just how many assholes one movie can stand.Here's what's everyone remembers about the movie: a New York cop (McClane) must outwit, outlast, and outshoot a dozen terrorists in a tower office building to save his wife Holly and the rest of her

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1168125965282229772007-01-06T15:04:00.000-08:002007-10-14T11:14:53.920-07:00

Or: Don't Draw Attention to the Stupid StuffThere's a tradition in screenwriting of pointing out the script's own story or logic problems. I've heard this called both "shining a light on" the problem, or "hanging a lantern" on it. Basically, you've got a minor logic hole that isn't worth writing around, so you have a character in the story acknowledge the issue. The idea is, by acknowledging the

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1167412326389580102006-12-29T08:52:00.000-08:002006-12-29T09:46:21.876-08:00

Another lesson from You, Me & Dupree. Kate Hudson's character is an elementary school teacher. Awww. This particular occupation serves two key purposes, as far as I can see: it provides the opportunity for a show-and-tell type scene in which Owen must fill in for Matt as a guest speaker (allowing Owen/Dupree a chance to really expound on his Dupreeness to a rapt, adorable audience). And it also

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1166403292967460742006-12-17T16:33:00.000-08:002006-12-17T16:54:52.990-08:00

As part of my screenwriting group's annual festive celebration known as Owen Wilson Day (which seemed less sad six years ago when we started...) we watched You, Me & Dupree.Now, I know this movie isn't trying to be Schindler's List. It's not even trying to be 1941. But as I was watching it, and occasionally laughing, and loving Owen Wilson even in moments when he seems to be dialling it in, and

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1165806535492646442006-12-10T18:41:00.000-08:002006-12-10T19:08:55.510-08:00

By frame, I mean framing device. And by framing device, I mean the skeleton story that holds the "real" story together. Think When Harry Met Sally's interviews. Citizen Kane's "Rosebud" investigation. War of the Roses's lawyer telling the sordid tale of Oliver and Barbara to a young man considering divorce.Think: Grandpa reading a book to his grandson in The Princess Bride. We all love it. (Don't

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1165109043721075892006-12-02T17:18:00.000-08:002006-12-02T17:24:03.736-08:00

...to give the aforementioned superheroes some kind of transformation was one good scene.A scene in which our superhero is allowed to be vulnerable (remember this?). Or a scene in which they are allowed to acknowledge they’re not 100% sure they’re doing the right thing, and maybe even feel regret (just don’t pull one of these).If it had been clear at any point what Superman’s biggest

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1164770155470402052006-11-28T16:24:00.000-08:002006-11-28T19:15:55.580-08:00

or: The Superhero's JourneyWhy do superheroes think they're too good for character arcs? Huh? Riddle me that.The so-called "heroes" of Superman Returns and My Super Ex-Girlfriend are certainly super. But they're not perfect, right? Superman's a bit down. He's been away for five years, never got to see his home planet, presumably suffers from some guilt at having abandoned Lois, which would only

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1163985998519352952006-11-19T09:40:00.000-08:002006-11-28T19:16:22.700-08:00

And just to follow up on Bellamies... not every romantic comedy has to be structured around love triangle involving a "wrong guy" or "wrong gal"! Think about:The 40 Year-Old Virgin - A grown-up hero who's never been in a relationship before? Plenty o' conflict there. No need for a Ms. Wrong... our protagonist's choice isn't "her, or her?" it's "ready or not?".Jerry Maguire - Again, the problem

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1163357355754138092006-11-12T09:53:00.000-08:002006-11-12T10:49:47.360-08:00

I'm off to a wedding today, which made me think: has it been a while since we talked about the rom-com?Here's my rom-com whinge of the day. This issue has been noted by many students of the romantic comedy, but for the rest of you: take notes. In the modern romantic comedy, the Bellamy--the term coined by Billy Mernit to describe the "wrong guy" or "wrong gal" in a rom-com--is always so darn

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1162785117878685722006-11-05T19:32:00.000-08:002006-11-05T19:51:57.896-08:00

Or: Taskalicious!Most of us agree that, in conventional narratives, the protagonist has a desire or goal and must accomplish tasks and overcome obstacles--likely designed by the antagonist--on their path to reward.We writers devote a lot of energy to making sure our protagonist and his or her goal are organic, credible, and interesting. But we can't forget about that path strewn with tasks. Those

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1162154371185139372006-10-29T12:25:00.000-08:002006-10-29T12:39:56.610-08:00

Saw House of Wax recently. Yes, I know, more commentary on "meh" horror movies... but come on, people, it's almost Halloween. What's a grown woman who loves chills, thrills, and candy to do?I think Wax did some interesting things. Even beyond the casting of Paris Hilton, which was brilliant, given that she already kind of looks like she's melting.Wax follows, as its two

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1161541029359985962006-10-22T10:26:00.000-07:002006-10-22T11:17:09.390-07:00

We all know a really satisfying movie sets up a bunch of questions or ideas in the first act and pays them off in the third. It just feels good, as a viewer, to see something come back into play later. It's satisfying. But most of us probably feel like a couple of setups & payoffs is plenty. Well, if Galaxy Quest is any indication, you just can't have too many good setups & payoffs. The movie is

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1160931369443250482006-10-15T08:56:00.000-07:002006-10-15T09:56:09.460-07:00

Saw Match Point recently. I kind of liked it, even though it felt a bit like a self-important remake of my favourite Woody Allen film, Crimes and Misdemeanors. Still, I thought it had a certain compelling drive through it... kind of amazing given we don't particularly care for our "hero" Chris.But here's the problem: Chris is dishonest with everyone in his world: his wife, his mistress, and his

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1160416978777768242006-10-09T09:17:00.000-07:002006-10-09T11:05:11.093-07:00

It's hard to write a good villain. A villain should be interesting, powerful, complex, and maybe even a little bit sympathetic. We may disagree with them--hate them--but we should at least understand them.The best advice I've heard for writing villains is to make sure the villain has their own agenda. They're not just out to cause trouble for the hero-- that's incidental, or a bonus. They have

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1159655000439346822006-09-30T14:00:00.000-07:002006-09-30T15:23:20.466-07:00

Been meaning to post something about ensembles for a while now, but I haven't been quite sure how to break down the many questions and ideas we could explore together. I think I've finally figured out where to begin.No one ever went wrong starting with John Hughes.The Breakfast Club is, by my definition, a "true" ensemble. That is, we follow multiple characters--more or less equally--who are part

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1159127109594575442006-09-24T11:44:00.000-07:002006-09-24T12:45:09.613-07:00

Sorry, not a post about The Thing. Maybe some other time.Instead, a post about a great example of an objective correlative. By which I mean the "thing" that carries with it a specific emotion or meaning throughout a story.An example of a great objective correlative is the toy compass in Contact. This little Cracker Jack prize is the perfect object through which we can understand Jodie Foster's

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1158433788607352522006-09-16T11:03:00.000-07:002006-09-16T16:23:11.520-07:00

Recently managed to catch both Wrong Turn and The Hills Have Eyes (2006) in the same few days. (Hey, do I ask you what you do with your holiday? No. I do not.)The similarities in terms of conventions-- and where convention careens into cliche-- interested me. Thus, here's my analysis. Gather ye story lessons where ye may.RANDOM CHARACTER DEATH TEASERCheck, and check. Hills opens with the

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1157908205935715402006-09-10T09:04:00.000-07:002006-09-10T10:18:15.066-07:00

"If you can't write your idea on the back of my calling card, you don't have a clear idea."_____________--David Belasco, playwright and producerGood story conflict is simple. So simple, we should be able to sum up the conflict in a line or two. Look at how these film taglines aren't just compelling, but also suggest the whole of the film's story:There are 3.7 trillion fish in the ocean. They're

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1157236679486052132006-09-02T14:55:00.000-07:002006-09-02T15:38:04.803-07:00

Every once in a while, a movie will open with the information that the main character of the story is already dead, before going back in time and telling their story. Maybe the movie opens on a shot of the body; maybe it's a scene of their funeral; or maybe it comes out in voice over. Regardless, it's a stunningly nervy choice. I'm sure I'm not the only one to think-- okay, now I know how it ends

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1156721063015989592006-08-27T15:56:00.000-07:002006-08-27T16:30:52.296-07:00

Question: What is the name of Toni Collette's character in Little Miss Sunshine?*I saw it three hours ago, and I couldn't tell you.Moms are getting the indie film shaft these days. Noticed it with Laura Linney in Squid and the Whale, too. Little Miss Sunshine is a sweet, funny movie, that's generally working on the side of good. The movie sets up detailed, credible back stories for most of the

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1156015437243135262006-08-19T11:58:00.000-07:002006-08-26T21:19:10.276-07:00

Character arcs often feel familiar, making them predictable. You find yourself thinking, in the first twelve minutes: "Oh, I see--she's got to learn how to stand up for herself." And then the next eighty are spent waiting for that change.Another option? New spins on old character arcs. Take Rushmore: the coming-of-age story in reverse. Max is desperately trying to be older, wiser, more

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1155402644227364672006-08-12T09:49:00.000-07:002006-08-26T21:28:17.750-07:00

Some stories follow a pair of people, a group, or a team. In those cases? You want the worst character to be your hero.By worst, I mean most flawed, most selfish, the biggest jerk, and/or the biggest loser. Read: the most interesting one.Cases in point:Ghostbusters - I like 'em all, but the one I want the most time with? That asshole, Bill Murray.American Pie - Clueless boys all, but the kid

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1154810053257699792006-08-05T12:50:00.000-07:002006-08-26T21:28:34.336-07:00

Looking for a way to establish a lot about your character in very little time? See if you can't give them a speech in the first act. Like this one-- Hugh Grant's best man toast, early in Four Weddings and a Funeral: "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry to drag you from your desserts. There are just one or two little things I feel I should say, as best man. This is only the second time l've been

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1154282696598514332006-07-30T10:42:00.000-07:002006-07-30T11:04:56.666-07:00

The Balancing ActHouse of Sand and Fog is a great illustration of the story-as-debate angle. Just as in a debate we might go back and forth on who we think will win, in stories we ping-pong back and forth between believing things are going to end well and believing things are going to end badly.When a story’s going to end happily, we need lots of moments when it seems like it could all go wrong.

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1153608071525639282006-07-22T15:34:00.000-07:002006-07-22T18:18:34.883-07:00

A Good Premise Doesn't Replace a StoryIt's not tough to imagine how Mr. & Mrs. Smith got the greenlight. The promise of the premise is: two of today's hottest movie stars try to kill each other... sexily.And you know what? Promise kept. Mr. & Mrs. Smith milks its premise for everything it's worth-- it's fun and it's sexy. But all that sexiness just wasn't enough. We needed more story.This is a

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1152903828978030342006-07-14T11:26:00.000-07:002006-07-14T12:04:27.930-07:00

Greenlight Strategy #1: Keep the Premise's PromiseEvery premise makes a promise. The premise of Big promises we'll see a grown man doing stuff only little boys do. The Truth About Cats and Dogs promises we're going to see Janeane Garofalo squirm as her Cyrano-inspired love triangle gets harder to maintain. The premise of L.A. Confidential promises we'll delve into the seedy underworld of 1950s

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1152022224687639842006-07-04T06:49:00.000-07:002006-07-04T23:03:21.463-07:00

Go Gentle Into That Dark NightWhat, you forgot my background is in literature?Dark Water is the most depressing movie I've seen in a long time. And I saw it the day after Munich. Trust me, Dark Water makes Munich look positively jolly in comparison.Horrors and thrillers are supposed to be fun. It's fun to be scared for your characters. It's fun to worry what's around the next corner, and then

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1151543968562367362006-06-28T17:19:00.000-07:002006-06-28T18:19:28.623-07:00

You Know Darn Well What You Did, MisterA simple rule of thumb in writing dialogue: it is never okay for a character to rhetorically ask themselves "What have I done?".This is the worst line of dialogue in X-Men: The Last Stand-- a film containing its fair share of cheesy lines. Magneto says it as Phoenix (formerly the schoolmarmish Jean Grey) wreaks havoc on all manner of mutants and humans,

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1150569252329779602006-06-17T11:13:00.000-07:002006-06-17T11:34:12.353-07:00

One Could Call This "The Radio Rule"This one's on my mind after reading a couple of scripts that haven't yet learned this lesson.If your main character is going to be "special" -- an innocent, an outsider, someone who just doesn't "get" the world the way the rest of us do -- you've got to have some kind of anchor character. We need someone to speak and react for us. The anchor may very well learn

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1149834072351755142006-06-08T23:17:00.000-07:002006-06-08T23:25:05.900-07:00

Be It UnresolvedThe Squid and the Whale is the story of divorcing parents and their caught-in-the-middle sons. It’s one of those films that tells a messy story with clarity and authenticity… but maybe the best thing about it is its lack of resolution.Throughout the middle of the film, we’re positioned mostly with the sons, Walt (the teenager), and Frank (the “kid”), who each have an allegiance to

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1149127521786654852006-05-31T17:37:00.000-07:002006-05-31T22:25:59.123-07:00

Lessons from the Incredibly Obvious File, #2I'm back! Thanks for all your good wishes. The tour was wonderful. Books were sold. Even when people knew there was poetry in them.And now, a post. This installment of "Lessons from the Incredibly Obvious File" might be subtitled "The P(l)ot-holed Premise".The premise of the comedy Last Holiday is: shy, department store employee Queen Latifah learns

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1147560307171920142006-05-13T15:27:00.000-07:002006-05-13T15:45:07.183-07:00

A Meta-Post and a Mega-MessWhen I don't post over the next few weeks, I'm not ignoring you. Or my precious blog. Or movies. Promise. I'm away until the end of May on a book tour-- my first. I hope you'll think of me: I'll be reading poetry to the three grannies in the book store who actually came in to (finally!) get a paperback copy of The DaVinci Code. That whippersnapper Dan Brown is so

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1147157966350921002006-05-08T18:23:00.000-07:002006-05-08T23:59:26.416-07:00

Death Be Not Proud...nor predictable, nor predetermined...I have a little crush on The Towering Inferno, having seen it for the first time a few weeks ago. I naively thought it'd be campy fun, like pretty much every other disaster movie (even the many I love).Instead, I got some good lessons. Mainly how to kill people --er, characters-- in ways that keep an audience surprised, worried, unsure...

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1146785714819138782006-05-04T16:27:00.000-07:002006-05-04T23:44:04.683-07:00

Heaven's in the DetailsThe premise of 50 First Dates is really fun: boy meets girl, boy meets girl the next day and she can't remember him, boy must keep meeting girl for the rest of their lives. This one's right up there in the high-concept department, particularly for a rom-com.Sometimes a film like this trailers well but turns out to be lifeless or thin. 50 First Dates remains entertaining and

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1145986468062186182006-04-25T10:19:00.000-07:002006-04-25T10:35:10.636-07:00

There Was a BOMB Under the Table?!!Like everyone else in the world, I loved Y Tu Mama Tambien. But something's been niggling at me since I saw it: the third act revelation that the older woman, Luisa, is dying.Why make this a reveal? The character has the information, why can't we? It would have been just as dramatic and much more poignant for us to have known all along, and to watch as she

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1145816975392958402006-04-23T11:21:00.000-07:002006-04-23T11:29:35.456-07:00

Where I'm Calling FromDarkness Falls is not a good movie. "Darkness Falls" is not a good title for a movie.But "Darkness Falls" is a terrible name for the town in which this story's set. Because, really, who would want to live in Darkness Falls?Vaguely spooky sounding places? Great. Flat-out spooky phrases for place names? Don't do it. That ship sailed with The Simpsons and "Terror Lake".

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1144947118486017142006-04-13T09:29:00.000-07:002006-04-13T09:51:58.540-07:00

Turn Me Up, Turn Me DownA lot of us think of the second act turning point in a script as a down moment. A dark moment, a moment of despair. And at that moment, the character figures out if they've got enough in them for a last rush at the prize. The question is often, will they or won't they manage to turn things around?But the second act turning point can be played lots of ways. In High

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1143829678930709552006-03-31T10:00:00.000-08:002006-03-31T10:27:58.986-08:00

That Extraordinary World Felt So... OrdinaryThere are a few things worth praising in The Corpse Bride. Like making both women good choices for the hero: interesting. There are also many things worth questioning in the film: the songs were boring. The hero makes a couple of big decisions out of nowhere. The movie's weirdly humourless (especially for Burton). And the whole thing feels like an

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1142906307647517492006-03-20T17:36:00.000-08:002006-03-20T18:04:55.936-08:00

Setting the Table Doesn't Have To Be a ChoreThere are lots of story lessons in Brokeback Mountain-- many good, and a few not so good. But maybe the best, simplest lesson comes in the form of its opening:Ennis walks up to the trailer. Leans against the wall to smoke. Tries not to have a whole lot of interaction with anyone or any thing. Keeps to himself. Hangs out to the side of the frame. Just...

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1142236823188226822006-03-12T23:14:00.000-08:002006-03-13T00:00:23.203-08:00

It's Too Simple, Actually-or-Everyone Has Reversals, But So What?All right. Call me a naysayer.Love, Actually is a big ol' cheat of a movie.Good stories get complicated-- either through events and actions and shifting circumstances, or they get emotionally complicated.Here, all we get is reveals and reversals. What are reveals and reversals if we don't see the characters struggling toward them?

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1141582174544848662006-03-05T09:50:00.000-08:002006-03-08T13:48:17.526-08:00

Awesome MicrocosmsA lot of popular movies have an extraordinarily (sometimes annoyingly) quotable line of dialogue. Great lines can take off as quotes or catchphrases for any number of reasons-- the line's funny, it's insightful, it's delivered by an actor audiences adore, or maybe it's coining a phrase ("Oh, that's so money!).But it's incredible how often the most quotable lines in movies relate

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1140903059080994892006-02-25T13:21:00.000-08:002006-02-25T13:30:59.093-08:00

Heroes Need Saving, TooOne of the most poignant and satisfying moments in Batman Begins is the second act turning point: Raz Nagul has crashed Bruce’s birthday party, wreaked havoc, and torched the place, leaving Bruce incapacitated under a burning rafter. This is BATMAN. The guy’s so good, he’s so powerful, he so wants to save the city... but in this moment he’s not able to save himself. No, it’

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1140059378279733932006-02-15T18:27:00.000-08:002006-02-15T19:09:38.320-08:00

This Whole Screenplay's Out of Order!Sometimes, telling a story out of chronolical order is a great way to go. Think of Reservoir Dogs, and its dual "What happened?"/"What's going to happen?" structure. We follow the threads of the group planning the gig and the aftermath of the robbery-gone-wrong concurrently. It works because it's thrilling. There's mystery and suspense in both throughlines.

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1139203460097411352006-02-05T21:09:00.000-08:002006-02-05T21:24:20.120-08:00

Nothing Left But the DoingThere's nothing quite like a second act turning point you can really feel. In The Omen, Gregory Peck is an ambassador who's been tormented by a prophecy that his secretly adopted son Damien is actually the Antichrist. The second act is filled with denial, then mounting doubt, shame, and fear-- must he really kill his five year old boy?At the second act turning point,

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1138396300500449972006-01-27T12:52:00.000-08:002006-01-27T13:13:01.176-08:00

Location, Location, LocationChoosing the right environment for a story is so important, yet seems to be easier said than done. The environment, or key location(s), inform the characters, the tone of the film, the credibility of the film, and the rules of the world, while simultaneously providing opportunities for (hopefully) varied interactions/scenes. So why do we always seem to end up in the

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1137884450602032772006-01-21T14:33:00.000-08:002006-01-21T15:00:50.613-08:00

I Don't Think We Should See Each Other AnymoreThe 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was disappointing. It was creepy and disturbing, and at times, that was entertaining. But it wasn't all that scary.My theory: too much Leatherface.A lot of the time, horror films rely on showing us the villain so we know what's coming. It's a classic way to build tension. But sometimes the fun of a horror

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733408.post-1137265888318289642006-01-14T10:51:00.000-08:002006-01-14T11:11:28.330-08:00

Three Hours: Three LessonsIt's not often I feel wonder at the movies. I did with King Kong. Here are my top three story lessons. Feel free to add your own.1. The movie takes itself seriously. For some reason, I assumed there would be a certain level of irony and self-awareness to the film. Instead, we get dangers and passions and heartaches that are completely on the level. To love the film you

Jennicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02951504277632120893noreply@blogger.com3