Young children don’t understand the concept of time. So, in order to help my little darlings know when the weekend is approaching, we call Fridays movie night. Beginning on Mondays, we count how many days until movie night.
I, for one, am thankful it’s movie night. Wednesday night I stopped by the library and borrowed five movies for the weekend. Some I’ve seen many times before, and others are new releases that I really liked.
Tonight, Hubby and I will have date night on the couch. We’ll munch on popcorn and enjoy (okay, maybe just me) some chick flicks.
I won’t just be watching the movies though. I’ll be analyzing the films to see what makes them work. Do they have a solid story spine–characters’ greatest dream, greatest fear, the lie they believe, their identity, their black moment, etc.
We did this at the recent My Book Therapy Deep Thinkers’ retreat. We watched About a Boy with Hugh Grant, analyzed the movie for the story spine, symbolism, metaphor, and then discussed how we can add those same elements to make our own story spines straight and strong.
Tonight I’m watching The Back-up Plan and The Princess Bride. I have yet to meet anyone who does not love Buttercup and Wesley. I watched The Back-up Plan once, not expecting more than fluff, but I ended up really liking it.
I’ll let you know next week what spine I put together. Just so you know, this is not easy for me, so I may goof. You may have a different idea of the story spine. Next week, I will blog about story spines and how to make yours stronger! Until then, “have fun storming the castle!”
Your turn: When you read or watch movies, do you take time to analyze them to see how the writers put together the different elements? What is your favorite novel or movie? Are you able to find the characters’ greatest dreams, greatest fears, etc.?
I've been doing this more and more since I've delved into writing fiction.
And I think Buttercup would make a fabulous name for a dog. As you wish. 😉
Have fun at movie night. We are going on a date to Chipotle. YUM.
~ Wendy
This sounds like fun! I'm looking forward to reading about your take on the movies. The Princess Bride is one of my favorites. I've never seen The Back-up Plan.
Mawwiage. It's what bwings us togethaw today.
Love that movie.
Very cool exercise! And I thought About a Boy was hilarious. The book is equally so…actually, more so.
Our kids also refer to Friday as Movie Day. They don't watch TV all week, but Friday is a free-for-all. Have fun analyzing.
I just watched "The Notebook." Every time I see it, it's like the first time. It's got everything I want in a story! "The Proposal" is one of my favorites, too. "About a Boy" is also good. You have me wanting to see it again. I also love "Two Weeks Notice." The photographs at the beginning of Sandra and Hugh explain their characters so well before we ever meet them. (I guess that's "show" not "tell." Much easier with a camera! You've definitely got me thinking, Lisa. It will be fun to get your take next week.
LOVE The Princess Bride.
And yeah, I tend to deconstruct movies while I watch them now. 🙂
LOVE The Princess Bride!!! And for the record I've seen the Back-Up Plan. I won't share my thoughts so publicly, lol!
Yes, but only since I learned about GMC–before I probably did but not so directly. Now I can't help but watch the plot evolve and see how they did it.