The more I think about it the more I realise that writing good movies is about knowing reality.
So I was watching Point Break the other day, bit of research since I found out that James Cameron was ex producer. It made total sense after I started watching it, that it is a Cameron film. It's cheesy but keeps you on the edge of the seat with clever plot twists and hooks. It's obvious but well written.
Anyways since I've been reading a lot about The Game lately I took note of the scene where Keanu picks up the girl in the Surf Cafe. In the scene he builds rapport by linking a tale about his dead parents to her own real life orphan story. It's a brilliant scene because it's completely believable that she would fall for him after his story. Anyway seems obvious but it would be difficult to write that scene without a solid understanding of pickup/human nature.
Anyway thought it was interesting since so many people think that good writing requires a good understanding of movies and storytelling, when it's just a good understanding of reality and how things work that makes a good movie or classic scene.
BTW just saw Brando's on The Waterfront the other day, that film is incredible.
Tuesday 10 June 2008
Unlikely Heroes
Time to fire this blog back up I say...
Ok, so here's my latest peeve... what the hell is with telling the audience during movie trailers that the main characters are 'an unlikely group of heroes'?
This is particularly the bane of animated movies, but I'm seeing it everywhere... to the point of there being nothing more likely than an unlikely hero. Is this the studios trying to say 'No, this one is different!', and inadvertently looking and smelling exactly the same as all the others?
The only one I like the look of is Hancock, and they don't (I don't think) say it- they do it, and it's entertaining! An interesting hero has to be interesting, not just novel, wacky or different.
I wonder- is this a symptom of us pillaging history, literature, pop culture and existing films so thoroughly that there's very few heroes left that we can be bothered with?
Ok, so here's my latest peeve... what the hell is with telling the audience during movie trailers that the main characters are 'an unlikely group of heroes'?
This is particularly the bane of animated movies, but I'm seeing it everywhere... to the point of there being nothing more likely than an unlikely hero. Is this the studios trying to say 'No, this one is different!', and inadvertently looking and smelling exactly the same as all the others?
The only one I like the look of is Hancock, and they don't (I don't think) say it- they do it, and it's entertaining! An interesting hero has to be interesting, not just novel, wacky or different.
I wonder- is this a symptom of us pillaging history, literature, pop culture and existing films so thoroughly that there's very few heroes left that we can be bothered with?
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