It's your tennis ball, I ain't going after it
Hello Again
This post is more for me, but I hope that you get something out of it as well.
I keep casual track of visitors to my blogs, and even though I haven't added anything to them in quite some time there are a few posts that still attract attention. Blog burnout after six years of posting is what initially pulled me away. When I wanted to start up again I suddenly didn't know what to say. Like taking a breather in the middle of a long hike, you feel rested and so get up to go again, but the wheels are even slower than before.
Moving Picture Stories
This winter my screenwriting train derailed and I'd been struggling to get it back on track. I was climbing my way to new heights with regards to my career when everything fell apart. I started questioning my ability, naturally, but also feared that because I'm no longer a twenty, or even thirty-something, whether I belonged in the game anymore.
Every time I watch a film I really love I answer my own question. I can't walk away from writing.
Without an assignment, though, it's back to writing specs. Currently I'm in the middle of too many stories. I've outlined every crazy two-in-the-morning idea just to see if this one is "it."
This post is meant to help me answer which of the current stories I've been working on I should stick to. The trick is to remind myself what I like in a story, and then apply that to my notebook and see which idea best fits the bill. Make sense?
Hope you get something from this post as well. At least consider checking out one or two of the films I've mentioned if you haven't seen them -- A good story holds up much better than a great special effect.
Nothing like looking at another mans Oscars to find inspiration
Movies I Really Dig
Only rule is: Must be a film I enjoy watching more than once. Films I
enjoyed watching once but wouldn’t really want to sit through again don’t make the cut.
1)Waltz With Bashir
Logline: A veteran of the Lebanon war revisits old comrades in an attempt to make sense of what
they experienced.
About: The horrors of war and its aftermath
Main Character: Unwilling hero
Why I like: Tapped into the loss and pain of people
suffering ptsd, touched me deeply, gave me a feeling I long for, a place I want
an excuse to be so that I can justify my own inner turmoil
2)Barabbas
Logline: A thief is freed, and in exchange Jesus Christ is
crucified to satisfy the masses
About: Life of Barabbas, a thief supposedly freed in exchange
for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ
Main Character: Unwilling hero, a virile and strong man
Why I like: Anthony Quinn; it’s rough, no-BS approach to what is
and isn’t; the sorrow of the lives involved
3)Sullivan's Travels
Logline: A successful filmmaker goes undercover on the poor side
of town for his next story
About: Shunning the shallowness of Hollywood success in
search of something more meaningful in your work
Main Character: Intellectual, fearless
Why I like: The dialogue and writing alone kept me entertained,
I loved replaying certain lines; it kept me thinking
4)Sometimes A Great Notion
Logline: An independent logging family holds out against corporate
timber industry
About: A family and the family business. They believe
everything that is important in the world is right there in their little clan
Character: Tough, stand up for themselves, men
Why I like: Paul Newman, Henry Fonda; the character studies of
confident individualists; the scene beneath the trapped log; the danger
inherent in their work; the locations
5)Outlaw Josey Wales
Logline: A southern homesteader seeks revenge against the Union
army for the death of his family during the American Civil War
About: Vigilante justice for a deeply personal loss
Character: Tough, don’t take no shit, man’s man; able to stand up
for himself and those who can’t defend themselves
Why I like: Clint Eastwood and his portrayal of the character Josey Wales; the humor (Chief
Dan George); the seeking of revenge against evil deeds; the chase and
confrontations that occur during the chase
6)The Unforgiven
Logline: A retired gunfighter puts back on his guns to earn
money for his family
About: The cheapness of life, and what it really means to
take another’s life. Seeking redemption once crossing a line is usually unsuccessful (check out Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant)
Character: A man full of personal sorrow with a great cross to
bear.
Why I like: Clint Eastwood and the character he portrays; again it's someone who stands up for
himself and others who can’t defend themselves; the introspective dialogue about
a gunfighter preaching that "killing a man is not as simple as it appears"; the entire cast; the amazingly deceptive ease of the storytelling: the simple act of killing
seemingly evil men all goes wrong
7)Hard Times
Logline: A street-fighter makes money in illegal-fight matches
during economic hard times
About: Doing what you have to do to make it in this world,
even when you hate what it is you do.
Character: A man able to stand up for and defend himself
and those who can’t defend themselves (I'm starting to see a pattern in my taste here)
Why I like: The main character; the cast (especially Charles Bronson); the sparse
dialogue; the way the film doesn’t glorify the fighting -- which is it’s
centerpiece -- but makes it feel harsh and ugly, the way things are.
The writer: Always in a lonely place with a driftwood pipe
8)In A Lonely Place
Logline: A successful screenwriter with a violent reputation is suspected
of murdering a young actress.
About: Missed opportunities, bad timing, wrong place at
wrong time, things not being what they seem
Character: A man’s man capable of standing up for himself and
others (Ok, I really had no idea until this list that I sought out these characters)
Why I like: Humphrey Bogart’s performance; Hollywood story from a
bygone era; the tragedy of two people in love who through unfortunate
circumstance will never see the “life that could have been.”
9)Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Logline: The discovery of gold in Mexico turns three partners
against each other.
About: Human nature when it comes to greed turns friends against each other.
Character: Seemingly tough capable men whose humanity exhibits weakness when they turn self-centered and greedy.
Why I like: Humphrey Bogart and his playing an unlikeable
character; John Huston’s direction; the dialogue; fortune found through great
hardship is then lost.
10)Casablanca
Logline: Two lovers are reunited during WWII, but under difficult
circumstances.
About: A cantina in Morocco is a base for the black market
during WWII. The lives that pass through there represent many walks of life.
Character: Smart, capable man, willing to take risks under
dangerous circumstances.
Why I like: Humphrey Bogart; the love story; the rise of a common
man to great position and wealth under dangerous circumstances; the sacrifice
made out of love that also means they can never have that love together.
11)Dog Day Afternoon
Logline: Bank robbery gone wrong, ruins everyone’s day
About: A bank robbery gone wrong turns into hostage crisis.
The robbers gain public support through their human connection with the crowds
outside the bank and draw out the day’s events as the police must tread lightly.
Character: Misguided, sensitive, loving man who makes a grave mistake
Why I like: Performances are top notch, along with the writing
(RIP Frank Pierson,) allows us to see the humanity in the people involved in the event, police,
robbers, everyone; story cannot have a good ending and still remain true to
life, but you hold out hope for the criminals who seem like they could be you or I;
pathos
12)Nobody’s Fool
Logline: Lovable and broke grump struggles to make it day to day
in a small town
About: How you treat people is more important then financial
success at the end of the day.
Character: Everyman with an Achilles heel, difficult to like, but
easy to love.
Why I like: Paul Newman; character-driven type of story;
acting is topnotch; small town; grounded, realistic
13)Once Upon A Time In The West
Logline: A gunfighter seeks to avenge his brother’s death
against the deadliest man around.
About: Good vs. evil via the old west
Character: All men. Ready, willing, and able
Why I like: Cast (Bronson, Fonda, Robards); Leone’s style of
storytelling with extreme close-ups, sparse dialogue, and clear moments;
seeking to avenge a horrific crime, where even revenge won’t quell the pain;
the character’s in constant internal pain yet strives to behave humanely when
possible; men not afraid to be men
14)The Thin Red Line
Logline: A soldier struggles to balance the reality of war with
the internal workings of his own humanity and still remain faithful to his
fellow men.
About: This one was tough for me to pinpoint but: Lives of men in war, as soldiers (make sense?)
Character: Questioning, introspective, sensitive, yet face all
challenges head on, even when terrifying.
Why I like: The cinematography, images, and quiet moments of the
beauty that exist in our world; juxtaposing realities of war with internal
workings of our humanity; fear dissipates.
15)Sunshine
Logline: Crew is dispatched aboard a spaceship to deliver an
explosion into our sun in order to save earth.
About: People willing to sacrifice all for the greater good
of humanity.
Character: Introspective, volatile, intelligent, sensitive
Why I like: Idea of sacrificing yourself for something you believe
in, and for the greater good of others;
the frightening moments they face en route to the sun, especially when
exploring the ship of an earlier failed mission; the philosophical element when
they run into the surviving crew member of the previous failed mission who has developed
a god-like complex;
16)Ratatouille
Logline: A gutter rat who appreciates good cooking attempts to
become a top-chef in Paris
About: Reaching beyond your grasp, following your dreams in
order to make yourself whole.
Character: Knows who he is and what he wants, likes himself,
sticks up for himself, is happy.
Why I like: Great story! Love watching this rat impossibly become a
leading chef in Paris; the cooking, the food! Fun to watch, triggered my primal
cravings for good food; the challenge by one of the world’s top food critics,
where the rat will either make it or break it.
17)Aguirre Wrath of God
Logline: A soldier leads his men on a quest for the lost city of
gold in the Amazon.
About: Pursuit of dreams based on greed and the destruction
that follows.
Character: Fearless, adventurous, charismatic
Why I like: Klaus Kinski’s face; the grand scope of the
adventure, following the men through the massive jungle laden down with heavy
armor and gear; the insanity that comes
18)Fitzcarraldo
Logline: A music lover strives to bring opera deep into the
heart of the Amazon.
About: Pursuit of dreams that are madness and tend to destroy
the dreamer as well as others around him.
Character: Brilliant, bordering on psychotic
Why I like: Klaus Kinski's face again; the grand scope of the tale, bringing a
steamboat upriver and over a mountain; the madness that follows; the harsh
reality of life and death in such a place; the loneliness
Schoolhouse from Hitchcock's "The Birds"
19)Wages Of Fear
Logline: In desperate need of money three men agree to carry
nitroglycerin over a dangerous mountain road in order to help stop a burning
wellhead.
About: What are we willing to do when desperate.
Character: Hardened men, have faced difficult times before and
survived, thrown into a situation most men would run from.
Why I like: Watching people trying to survive in dire situations
and succeeding; watching men at odds working together; seeing everything work
out until a tiny mistake at the end nullifies all their good work.
20)On The Waterfront
Logline: A dockworker stirs trouble with the local union mob
bosses.
About: A man stands up to a bully.
Character: A man not afraid to stick up for himself and what he
believes
Why I like: the cast and performances; the edginess and fear that I
imagine I would feel if I were in such a situation, the reality of being
seriously hurt or killed in such a situation makes the character Brando plays
that much more likable that he is willing to take on such a dangerous man in such a dangerous organization.
21) A Streetcar Named Desire
Logline: The private paradise of a young married couple is
disrupted when the wife’s sister moves in.
About: How fragile beauty is, in the face of harsh reality.
Character: Primal man and woman contrasted against our more
intellectual & spiritual selves.
Why I like: Tennessee Williams writing and dialogue; Brando; raw
primalness in the couple’s relationship; seeming simplicity and contentedness
in their lives; trying to fit two opposites together in the same life with bad
results.
22)Slapshot
Logline: Miserable hockey team tries to change their ways to
make a go at drawing crowds and not getting sold off.
About: Fighting and fucking. Doing what is right vs. what
sells tickets.
Character: Blue-collar everymen and women.
Why I like: Dialogue; Paul Newman; the groundedness of the blue-collar
everymen and women who live these lives; and my friend played "Dr. Hook!"
23)Elf
Logline: Human is raised as an elf at the North Pole.
About: Love and success are where you find them.
Character: Unwitting jester.
Why I like: Feel good classic comedy moments of oddball
trying to fit in; escapism through story.
24)American Graffiti
Logline: Last night for senior high-schoolers before they
graduate and move into the adult world.
About: Fear and excitement found at the precipice of the
next great adventure.
Character: A piece of all of us through multiple characters.
Why I like: Nuances of our high-school life; the fear and excitement
of getting to move onto a great adventure; the music; the innocence in the
character’s lives, still unspoiled.
25)The Caine Mutiny
Logline: A US Naval ship crew mutinies against its captain when
they believe he’s gone crazy.
About: Crowd mentality and fear-mongering vs. standing one’s
ground when it’s unpopular to do so.
Character: Leaders and followers in a structured scheme.
Why I like: Humphrey Bogart; Lee Marvin; showing there is more than
one side to a story; the seeming hero turns out to be a coward; the sacrificial
lamb in Bogart’s character; the danger of a crowd mentality AND the danger of
seeing things as black & white.
Ok Then...
Are you still with me? Not only did I revisit what works with a story, but I learned a couple things about myself -- Apparently I really like characters who stand up for themselves and others! I'm sure many of us enjoy those characters, I just never realized to what degree they exist in the movies I like.
Thanks for reading!
