I love the movies, all kinds of movies. From foreign films where you leave feeling slightly bewildered, to comedies, to action films where it is required by law to have on the screen (at any given time) something blowing up or a woman who has breasts that should be declared a national landmark. Bonus points to action films where there are busty women in the scene where stuff is blowing up.
A year ago I took a film course that covered everything from the history of film to camera angles. Many weeks were dedicated to a specific film genre: silent, comedy, horror, action, romance or musical. One week was just Hitchcock movies. Another week we watched scenes from Casablanca broken down by different camera angles so that we could see how the camera’s point of view made a difference in terms of tone and feeling. I adored the class. I’ve read Vogler’s The Hero’s Journey a few hundred times since.
I have friends who work in the film industry. I conceptually understand that it isn’t romantic. Making movies is a frustrating process with long hours and short tempers. I don’t care – I still want to make a movie. As I have no acting talent (high school theatre was my golden era) and no ability to direct, this means I will have to write movies. The fact I’ve never written a movie doesn’t bother me in the least. A mere detail.
Movies I love (in no particular order) include: Casablanca, The Thin Man, King Kong (the 1933 original), Star Wars (the early movies), Indiana Jones, Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola’s version from 1992), Amelie, Apollo 13, Gosford Park, Serenity, Lord of the Rings (all twelve hours), Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Pride and Prejudice, Gone with the Wind, etc. etc. Movies I’ve seen recently that I loved include The Good German, Last King of Scotland and Casino Royale.
I’ll be sure to mention all of you in my future Oscar speech. Who would you thank or what is your favorite movie?
Please cast me as the busty woman a la Angelina Jolie in any stuff-blowing-up scenes. They can computer enhance my bust, right? And shave off a few pounds here and there?
Crouching Tiger and pretty much any Zhang Yimou movie is a hit with me. So maybe forget Angelina Jolie and give me the Zhang Ziyi work-up instead!
Where is Patton and any mention of a John Wayne movie?
Patton is one of my favorites, too; All Quiet on the Western Front is amazing; Godfather II, especially the rooftop scene; When Harry Met Sally (pecan piiiiie), Dangerous Liaisons is mesmerizing; and I think I could watch Shawshank Redemption a kajillion times. With popcorn, of course.
Bull Durham. Sense and Sensibility. Bridget Jones (the first one only). The Player.
Recently, Stranger Than Fiction
Have you read Robert McKee’s STORY?
I love Ordinary People, Gone With the Wind, The Others, Meet Me in St. Louis, A&E’s Pride and Prejudice… there are more, but those are the ones that spring to mind.
All the President’s Men. To have been a journalist/researcher working on any mystery of that magnitude…WOW!!!
Four words: Gone With The Wind.
BBC’s Pride and Prejudice, About a Boy, Annie Hall, Rebecca, The World According to Garp, My Life as a Dog, Sideways, Billy Elliott, Life is Beautiful. I’m probably forgetting some major favorites…
Anything by Hitchcock. Anything that scares the bejesus out of me.
And I’ve got to say, I LOVE Vogler’s “The Hero’s Journey” and also Robert McKee’s “Story”, and we can’t forget the classic by Joseph Campbell “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” — all of these have taught me so, so much about storytelling.