TotallyWrite At the Movies

Nov 27, 2007 10:32 AM | Link | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Report Content

Overall Impression -- A well-crafted movie that tries to do everything right and succeeds from a structural viewpoint, but is ultimately undone by some unclear character motivations.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS
Who’s the main character?
Christian Bale's Dan Evans.

What’s he trying to accomplish?
Save the family ranch by getting the outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) onto a prison train.

Who’s trying to stop him?
The evil land owner, Ben Wade, and the outlaw's bandits.

What happens if he fails?
He loses everything he has; his ranch, his money, and the little respect his wife and sons have for him.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES
Orphan – Not only is Dan is completely helpless in his drive to save the ranch from the land owner who has cut off his water rights, even his wife doesn't believe in him any more. He's orphaned not only from his community but from his family.

Wanderer – He takes the job to help bring Ben Wade to the prison train, and has to negotiate through dangerous territory to get there. At first, he is more reactive on the trip, allowing others to dictate the terms of how to bring Ben in. He also begins to learn more about Ben and his code of ethics. Similarly, Ben learns about Dan as well.

Warrior – As the pressure mounts and more and more members of the escort party get killed, Dan steps up and takes a more active role in bringing Ben in, refusing all opportunities to give up. It becomes not about the money, but about respect.

Martyr – It comes down to just Dan, who in order to secure the respect of his eldest son, risks everything to get Ben to the train on time.

AND IN THE END...
Another really admirable movie that falls apart at the end, though not because of lack of "TotallyWrite-ness." Basically, everything is in the right place, but the film runs into a huge character motivation problem with Ben at the end. Ben's willingness NOT to be too much of a hinderance to Dan becomes so problematic as to ultimately undo the thin logic that was holding it all together.

An interesting observation: the very smart Gilbert Maclean Evans once pointed out to me that all movies (and by all we mean "most") are about the main character's drive to get respect. 3:10 TO YUMA wears that drive on its' sleeve.

FOUR QUESTIONS? FOUR ARCHETYPES?
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Overall Impression -- Crass, rude, and I loved it.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS
Who’s the main character?
Seth Rogen's slacker-stoner, Ben.

What’s he trying to accomplish?
Ben's trying to figure out how to be a good boyfriend and potential father.

Who’s trying to stop him?
To an extent, his slacker buddies as well as the girl he...uh...knocked up, Alison (Katherine Heigl) as well as her sister and brother-in-law .

What happens if he fails?
He loses the one girl he's ever met who could possibly love him.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES
Orphan – Ben is a happy, broke, stoned slacker who is forced to leave his "community" when he sleeps up and gets Alison pregnant.

Wanderer – Ben tries to figure out how not to be so rude and objectionable, how to fit in with Alison's family (particularly her sister) and how to be a good match for Alison whom he loves and who is beginning to love him. The problem is that he's not really committed to doing the right thing, but to making it look like he's doing the right thing.

Warrior – After Alison rejects a marriage proposal, Ben starts fighting harder to be the right person for her. Unfortunately this only involves trying to fit her into his slacker life. He also starts getting more antagonist as his efforts fail.

Martyr – Finally, Ben realizes that real changes have to be made. He moves out of the apartment he shares with his friends, gives up the empty dream of launching his snarky website, gets a job, and by doing so, finally becomes the person Alison and their baby needs.

AND IN THE END...
Such a great, simple story. Of course, what puts this over the top is the outrageous humour which, while crude in many places, is so grounded in reality and uniquely funny that it's hard not to be impressed.

I'm often telling writers that they have to "bring something to the party." What I mean is that if they write a scene that ANYONE could have written, then who needs them? There are so many moments in KNOCKED UP where Judd Apatow and/or his crazy-talented cast bring something to the party that I can't help but smile with admiration while also marveling at the minds that came up with the word "smish-smortion."

FOUR QUESTIONS? FOUR ARCHETYPES?
Want to know what this all means? Check out the TotallyWrite Development Suite software or the TotallyWrite eBook "Write Now, Right Now (and then Write Again, Write Away!)

Overall Impression -- A feel-good movie that tries a little too hard, with a seriously misplaced antagonist.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS
Who’s the main character?
John Cusack's character of David.

What’s he trying to accomplish?
He's trying to adopt a troubled child.

Who’s trying to stop him?
His own personal doubts, his sister, the adoption board who questions whether David is the right parent for this child, but ultimately it's the child himself who is the antagonist of the film. YIKES!

What happens if he fails?
A very cute, very special kid ends up without a family.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES
Orphan – David's a widower, however it's been a few years and early in the film we meet Harlee, played by Amanda Peet, who seems to be interested and available. I mention this because it weakens anyone's orphan status to have Amanda Peet interested in them in the first few scenes of a film.

Wanderer – He decides to adopt a child and tries to figure out how to get through to this over-imaginative kid who thinks he's from Mars.

Warrior – He becomes increasingly less willing to indulge the kid's fantasies while also trying to convince the adoption board and his family (and himself) that he's right for the boy.

Martyr – He actually doesn't have to give up anything. It's not like he's given an either-or choice dealing with the kid versus his job or some other relationship. This is a big weakness in the film.

AND IN THE END...
David's lack of sacrifice makes the story less compelling than it could be. John Cusack is charming, the kid is cute, Amanda Peet is available (have I mentioned that before?) the script is serviceable...yet...ultimately nobody cared. Who knows why some feel-good movies click and some don't? Marketing? Being the right film at the right time? Beats me. All I know is that the story falls apart towards the start of act three when the adoption board is placate. With them out of the way, what's left to interfere with the adoption. The boy himself, who in spite of brilliantly pretending in front of the adoption board that he no longer thinks he's from Mars, still does. The final confrontation is between David and the boy. An inviolate rule of storytelling is that the final confrontation is good guy versus bad guy over the stakes. So David fights with the boy over THE BOY!! Big mistake, and to my way of thinking about story, this is the big failing of the story.

The boy doesn't seem intent on wanting to be at David's house until the very, very end of the film which seriously undercuts the audience empathy. If the boy doesn't care, why should we?

TRIVIA -- MARTIAN CHILD is based on the novel of the same name by David Gerrold which is a semi-autobiographical story of his adopting a child. David Gerrold is a science fiction writer, perhaps best known for having written the TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES episode of STAR TREK. Back in my misguided youth when I was a serious Trekker, I wrote to David Gerrold and told him that I wanted to be a writer, just like him. He wrote back and was very encouraging to a 16 year old geek fanboy. I am in his debt.

FOUR QUESTIONS? FOUR ARCHETYPES?
Want to know what this all means? Check out the TotallyWrite Development Suite software or the TotallyWrite eBook "Write Now, Right Now (and then Write Again, Write Away!)

Overall Impression -- Odd, inconsistent tone that veers between cartoon comedy and serious violence. Cool effects, though.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS
Who’s the main character?
Sam Witwicky.

What’s he trying to accomplish?
Save the world by enabling the good robots to defeat the bad robots.

Who’s trying to stop him?
Megatron, as well as certain governmental factions (though they come around towards the end.)

What happens if he fails?
The world falls to the evil Decepticons.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES
Orphan – Sam is a geek loser at school. Uncool, doesn't have a car, doesn't have a girl.

Wanderer – Tries to figure out what's going on with his new car and all these other vehicles which suddenly are able to transform into giant robots. He eventually realizes that the glasses he's gotten from his famous explorer grandfather are a key to this puzzle.

Warrior – He goes head to head with the authorities while the good Autobots get more engaged with the bad Decepticons.

Martyr – Sam is willing to risk himself to save Optimus Prime from Megatron.

AND IN THE END...
I so wanted to love this movie and ended up only liking it. The sad thing is that I didn't feel particularly good about myself when that happened. It appealed to that part of me that likes loud noises, big film scores, cool effects...all the surface gloss and glitter. But there's that other part of me that wants a more involving story with real emotions, and this film didn't have it. Compare this to either of Michael Bay's ARMAGEDDON or THE ROCK. Both superior action movies because we cared about the people in them as well as their relationships.

FOUR QUESTIONS? FOUR ARCHETYPES?
Want to know what this all means? Check out the TotallyWrite Development Suite software or the TotallyWrite eBook "Write Now, Right Now (and then Write Again, Write Away!)

Overall Impression -- Not a bad movie, but not a good one either.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS
Who’s the main character?
Based on the idea that the main character is the one who changes the most from the start of the film to the end, I'd have to say Natalie Portman's character, Molly Mahoney.

What’s she trying to accomplish?
Ah, there's the problem. She's trying to find her "sparkle," or keep Mr. Magorium from leaving. Or save the store. Or really believe in magic. Or maybe something else, but I don't think so. The movie is a little unclear, which dampens the drive.

Who’s trying to stop her?
From finding her sparkle? No one, really. Who's trying to stop her from preventing Mr. Magorium leaving? Well, Mr. Magorium. Who's trying to stop her from saving the store? Herself, but it's very weak.

What happens if she fails?
The most wonderful, magical toy store on the planet will be lost forever, or turned into a BED, BATH, & BEYOND or something.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES
Orphan – The filmmakers try to paint her as an orphan, however she's not only surrounded by customers, but also by Mr. Magorium who loves her as well as an inexplicably
present and adoring kid named Eric Applebaum (whose mother allows him to bring strange men into his bedroom to play dress-up with, giving her son little more than a stink-eye for a warning.) In spite of the filmmakers wanting us to feel sorry for Molly, we don't.

Wanderer – When the store starts acting up, she tries to figure out why. That's when she learns that Mr. Magorium is leaving and that he wants to give her the store.

Warrior – She fights to keep Mr. Magorium from leaving, which is an extension of trying to save the store.

Martyr – She gives up nothing. Sacrifices nothing. It's not like she's fighting to keep the store for herself. She just sort of embraces her inner sparkle.

AND IN THE END...
Molly's clear lack of what she's trying to accomplish hurts what tries (albeit, a little too hard) to be a magical movie. Had Molly had one clear goal ("Save the store") and had she really had to sacrifice something personal to do it, then we'd have a better story.

TRIVIA -- I met Dustin Hoffman once in Theatre Books in Manhattan. It was right after he won the Oscar and I was in my teens. I thanked him with a full minute speech for doing such great work. He replied "Excuse me?" It seems I was so nervous that when I spoke to him I was barely audible.

FOUR QUESTIONS? FOUR ARCHETYPES?
Want to know what this all means? Check out the TotallyWrite Development Suite software or the TotallyWrite eBook "Write Now, Right Now (and then Write Again, Write Away!)

Overall Impression -- A little too long, but a classic two-hander with Mssrs Washington and Crowe commanding the screen.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS
Who’s the main character?
In spite of the dominance of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) Russell Crowe's Richie Roberts is the main character.

What’s he trying to accomplish?
He's trying to figure out who's selling the newest, most potent heroin in Harlem.

Who’s trying to stop him?
Dirty cops and Frank Lucas.

What happens if he fails?
People will die from this potent heroin and the organized crime behind it.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES
Orphan – Richie is separated from his wife who is in the process of taking his young son away from him, and he's a pariah in the police department for being one of what seems to be a very few uncorrupt cops.

Wanderer – He gets to put together a team of cops to track down where the new heroin "Blue Magic" is coming from.

Warrior – He eventually discovers that it's Frank Lucas, and the closer he gets the more dangerous it becomes for him, both from inside the force and from the streets.

Martyr – He refuses to take a lot of dirty money...twice!...and also gives up his son to his wife, recognizing that his lifestyle would not give his son the homelife he deserves.

AND IN THE END...
Richie has a clearly defined code of ethics which plays perfectly off of Frank Lucas's clearly defined code of ethics. In this way, the film is not dissimilar to "HEAT" with a driven cop and a ruthless yet 'principled' (and I use that term loosely) gangster going head to head with each other. A very solid script and a good piece of storytelling.

FOUR QUESTIONS? FOUR ARCHETYPES?
Want to know what this all means? Check out the TotallyWrite Development Suite software or the TotallyWrite eBook "Write Now, Right Now (and then Write Again, Write Away!)

Nov 21, 2007 7:04 AM | Link | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Report Content

FOUR QUESTIONS? FOUR ARCHETYPES?
Want to know what this all means? Check out the TotallyWrite Development Suite software or the TotallyWrite eBook "Write Now, Right Now (and then Write Again, Write Away!)

Overall Impression -- A sweet movie with a great cast.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS
Who’s the main character?
Steve Carell's Dan Burns

What’s he trying to accomplish?
He's trying find love...and unfortunately for him the object of his affection is his brother's new girlfriend (Juliette Binoche)

Who’s trying to stop him?
Everyone! The family thinks she's great, his brother's a jerk, she's clearly getting interested in him...but stealing your brother's girlfriend is wrong, Wrong, WRONG!

What happens if he fails?
The girl of his dreams will leave forever, or worse, marry his brother which will mean a lifetime of torture for Dan.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES
Orphan – Dan's a widower, who has all but given up on finding a woman as wonderful as his dead wife.

Wanderer – Dan travels to a family reunion where he cute-meets a great girl, only to discover that she's his brother's new girlfriend. He tries avoiding her, avoiding his feelings, but eventually realizes that he can't, so he goes...

Warrior – ...negative on her! He tells her that whenever he thinks about her, he's going to think about her flaws. He even goes out on a date with a wildly inappropriate local girl to make Marie think he's not interested in her (which just serves to make her more interested in him!)

Martyr – A little weak, here. As I recall, Dan only gives up his reluctance to tell Marie how he feels. This leads to a fight with his brother, Marie leaving, and ultimately...getting back together again. More pointedly, he does give up on not allowing his daughter to drive (he lost his license and now needs her to drive him to the city to find Marie) but this is thin.

AND IN THE END...
Dying is easy...comedy is hard. And romantic comedy is hardest of all. DAN IN REAL LIFE does a great job but falls a little short in the "martyr" beats. Not a lot short, only a little. Still, a nice story, well acted and well told.

Nov 21, 2007 7:04 AM | Link | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Report Content

FOUR QUESTIONS? FOUR ARCHETYPES?
Want to know what this all means? Check out the TotallyWrite Development Suite software or the TotallyWrite eBook "Write Now, Right Now (and then Write Again, Write Away!)

Overall Impression -- No TOY STORY...but what is?

THE FOUR QUESTIONS
Who’s the main character?
Barry, the Bee (voiced by Jerry Seinfeld.)

What’s he trying to accomplish?
He's trying find his place in the hive, which leads him to wanting to stop the humans from taking the bee's honey.

Who’s trying to stop him?
The bees who want him to follow tradition and the humans who don't like the idea of treating insects like equals.

What happens if he fails?
Shockingly...the world comes to an end! Hat's off to the writers for pulling this one off.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES
Orphan – Barry is misunderstood by his friends and family.

Wanderer – Barry leaves the hive, gets caught in bad weather and finally meets the girl of his dreams...sorta. She's human. The more time he spends with her the more they like each other, until he discovers that humans take honey from bees and sell it.

Warrior – Barry decides sue the humans. He wins the case and humans aren't allowed to take honey anymore. No honey, no pollination. No pollination, no plant life. No plant life...worldwide catastrophe!

Martyr – Barry has to save the girl directly (she's in a plane that's going to crash) as well as save the world by getting the bees back on the job...but with improved cooperation between human and insect.

AND IN THE END...
I was all ready to be disappointed with BEE MOVIE, but I actually rather liked it. It's weakness comes from the outlandishness of the plot, so it ends up feeling more clever than smart, but that was always part of SEINFELD's charm. Not that there's anything wrong with it...

Nov 21, 2007 7:03 AM | Link | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Report Content

Overall Impression -- Interesting in the way watching a car crash is interesting.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS
Who’s the main character?
Nicole Kidman's character, Margot.

What’s she trying to accomplish?
To stop her sister from marrying the wrong guy.

Who’s trying to stop her?
The guy, Margot's son, and Margot's sister.

What happens if she fails?
Her sister marries a highly dysfunctional man. But seeing how she's dysfunctional herself, how much do we care?

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES
Orphan – Margot leaves the city and goes to the old, family house on the water the week before her sister's wedding. Even though she's with her son, she's in the throes of figuring out how to leave her husband.

Wanderer – She tries to get to know the fiance (Jack Black) but doesn't bond with him.

Warrior – She kinda comes out and tells her sister not to marry him, after kinda dancing around it.

Martyr – I'm not really sure what she gives up or sacrifices. There is a moment at the end when she's about to send her son off to be with her husband, but she chases after the bus and gets on to travel with her son. I guess she gave up something, though as I'm not really sure what her big goals were relative to her son, this beat fails.

AND IN THE END...
Another great cast squandered with self-indulgent storytelling. I'm not sure for whom this movie was made, but unpleasant characters running around saying and doing unpleasant things seems to me like something that would appeal to only a small handful of potential audience members. The movie is being released very slowly, in the hope of generating some Oscar buzz for Noah Baumbach who wrote and directed the also unpleasant but somehow better THE SQUID AND THE WHALE.

FOUR QUESTIONS? FOUR ARCHETYPES?
Want to know what this all means? Check out the TotallyWrite Development Suite software or the TotallyWrite eBook "Write Now, Right Now (and then Write Again, Write Away!)

Nov 21, 2007 7:02 AM | Link | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Report Content