I wonder how Lester Dent matches up with Syd Field's screenplay formula, in those famous books (famous for film writer types, anyhow).
Definitely act structure, and things happening at certain set times, but I haven't followed it all the way through. Structure's important, and regular beats might help an audience relax, but it's not that much fun.
I hadn't yet read it written this way, just skimming through the comments, and it's no longer such an interesting comment to make, but can't you think of the items in the heading as things that don't work the way you might imagine they work?
Rob T. #29 got some nice ones. The good thing about these kinds of topics is that it might let you discover something you've missed. I suppose I can vote for "The Incredibles," but none of these is a perfect production.
That 25 year limit is tough for me, but they could have found places for "Babylon 5," "Gattaca," and "Akira."
Again, it's so much down to personal taste, and what you've run into in your viewing career (no Heroes for me, as of yet). Was "Robocop" out of the running? I'd put that in ahead of the other Voerhoven (sp?) movies. (something new for the spelling ref. queue).
At last, a geeky topic which isn't depressing to me, like those writing or political ones. Still, I don't have much to say. Old enough to think that 2001 and Star Wars (now subtitled "A New Hope") are the top genre movies. I'm sure that leaves out a lot. It's so much people's preference. Thought Blade Runner looked gorgeous, but wasn't that great. I think each person will have their own favourites, depending on what time frame they're from. How about "Forbidden Planet," for instance?
That spelling reference at the bottom of the comment window comes off as vaguely condescending, like you're expecting us to do some of those things.
I don't know if the little boy is still looking for books to read after almost 400 posts, but why doesn't he try "Bone," by Jeff Smith? Comics really don't pollute your regular reading. Trust me.
I knew where it came from at least, and spontaneously reciting the "One Ring" rhyme once helped get me a job and my first screen credit. You'll have to look me up on the IMDB to find that out. (cripes, I'm a cagey, egotistical sort).
I always thought that non-neurotic writers, and smart people who had their life in order without too many crises or scenes, was a club I wanted to belong to. It might be fictional, and anyhow, it certainly wouldn't have me as a member.
Still, as I was telling a friend last night, I almost never refuse an invitation or chance to observe a subculture. It's the journalist in me, but I'd feel pretty uncomfortable at a KKK or extreme nationalist meeting. Maybe a Republican convention, too (though I'm not really trying to equate them).
I'm lost here, because there are too many comments to read (and the original article sparked off this thought), but why bother going overseas for copies of old masters, etc. when I know people in Montreal who will do it for you? Their basements (so I've heard) are full of copies, "for practice," but of course they'd never try to pass them off.
Just like the shopping-mall promotion robot builder I met in the 1980s, who had a pristine replica of R2-D2 in his basement, but couldn't bring it out, for fear of copyright violations.
Mind you, most of these are bar stories. Still fun, like what really happened to Dag Hammerskjold (head man in the U.N.) in the 1950s.
#278 Serge "Stefan mentioned Galactica. Does anybody, male or female, have any idea why female Cylons find Baltar so attractive? Yes, like I said, to each his/her own tastes..."
He's a good listener?
#184: Fragano (God, I'm behind, and I hope no one's already mentioned this): Anarchists don't use teabags, they put the leaves loose in the pot.
Read Orwell's essay on making the proper pot of tea if you don't believe me. But that might be more British than purely anarchist. I have no idea how they treat it elsewhere.
Gosh, Serge, I've already got researchers asking me to back up flip comments I made in a story about the Enigma machine, producers wanting me to make their pitch documents even sexier and more pitchy, and you want me to remember entertaining Canadian political scandals?
(you can tell I'm relaxing from above work to make comments on a blog)
I don't think things are as sexy as they used to be in the Trudeau years. There is what's-his-name, Canada's only openly gay MP, (Svend Robinson) who did a Winona Ryder in a jewelry shop, and later, the leader of the Liberal party in Alberta, who quit and took up some New Age religion after a near-death experience in the dentist's chair.
That's enough. Nobody visits my very earnest sketch blog. I should turn it into "Perez Hilton" for the Canuck set, and then I'd get hits, and I could write a book.
There was a high-profile candidate in the last election who hired an exotic dancer as her campaign manager, I believe. Canadians can be so dreary and uptight when it comes to reacting to stuff like this, but I guess it's a northern thing.
Still, even though we've elected a Bush wanna-be as Prime Minister, I'm happy not to have some of the political personalities up here that lurk down in the States.
They're kind of pale copies of the British. There was Gerda Munsinger in the 1960s: a nightclub waitress and Soviet spy who befriended some Cabinet ministers. That was the best one.
Then Judi Tyabji, a liberal cabinet minister in British Columbia, having an affair with the leader of her party. I was on their side. It seemed kind of a daring, romantic thing, especially when Conservative members made snarky remarks about washing dirty pantyhose. The two later married, but you have to look all this up on Wikipedia for the full stories.
Any other good ones? Canadian politics can be quite fascinating once you get past the boring stuff.
Started typing my own raccoon-and-cat story, which I remember firsthand as a child in Toronto, but don't want to be typed myself as delusional. So here's one which has at least appeared in a newspaper, about crawling goats invading a British village:
http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/tm_headline=crawl-of-the-wild-&method=full&objectid=18467337&siteid=62484-name_page.html
Too bad John Wyndham's not still alive to write about it.
That super-collider thing in message #20 rocks my socks!
Life is tough for furry little squeakers. What about the positive hamster news, like when they win awards, or make exciting discoveries?
#95: I thought the Venice thing was the most fun in "League." Completely absurd, like something from a Georges Méliès fantasy film. The cream-coloured Rococo submarine, the out-of time auto, and all the buildings falling down like packs of cards.
I also watched the movie looking forward to the director and cast trashing Sean Connery on the DVD commentary, but didn't get so much of that.
Unfortunately, very few of the free weeklies count as "alternative media" anymore. Some huge conglom owns them. Sic transit media (dog latin, for the people who will catch me).
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|---|---|
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2007 | 16 |
| 2006 | 2 |
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