X Meets Y

When Matt and I were in college, we took a screenwriting class. I was not in the best emotional/mental state when I took the class – it being my final quarter of my senior year, and because the instructor said attendance wasn’t required, I didn’t go that often. I should have.
What I do remember from the times that I went was that quite a few of the students took themselves, and by extension, this class, very, very seriously.

We all had to sort of give updates on our script ideas, talk about our characters, our plot. Invariably, after anyone gave their plot synopsis, someone would sum up what they had just heard by saying ,“Oh, so it’s like Influence X meets Influence Y.”:



“Oh – so it’s Blade Runner meets The Sound of Music”

“It’s Misery meets Gilligan’s Isle meets 9 ½ Weeks.”

“Umm…Fried Green Tomatoes meets Bonnie and Clyde”

“That sounds like a hybrid of Schindler’s List and Old Yeller”

“So… it’s part Dead Poets Society, part The Jazz Singer with a hint of Midnight Cowboy”


We were complete assholes about it. Basically shooting down anything we could. They did it to me, I did it to them. Partly to show how well versed we were in popular culture, but mostly to prove that there is, to quote Ecclesiastes, “nothing new under the sun”.


And there isn’t, really. I saw three great movies over the weekend:


Let the Right One In – a Swedish vampire movie – it was Stand by Me meets Fargo meets Silence of the Lambs. It was excellent. Spooky, dark and occasionally funny. Plus, those Swedes really know a thing or two about making a movie


The Fall – It was Big Fish meets Princess Bride with a sprinkling of Pan’s Labyrinth and a heavy dose of Wes Anderson thrown in. – Phenomenal. Really drew me in. It was shot in 18 different countries and the cinematography was breathtaking. A must-see.


Tropic Thunder – Apocalypse Now meets Full Metal Jacket meets The Naked Gun meets Survivor – HILARIOUS! It’s both a fun special effects comedy, and a biting satire of actors and how they perfect their craft. Or don’t.


I have a cold, and aside from a long afternoon at work, an outing at the skating rink, and a quick run to Trader Joe’s, this was a weekend for cinema and sleep. I could use another two days in bed.

It’s sinus issues meets tension headache meets body ache meets sore throat. A box office hit if ever there was one!

Comments

Alex said…
If you don't go and see Gran Torino this week, I will stab you.
ae said…
Um, that seems a little extreme. Seriously, you'd stab me for not seeing a movie? Also, Nick and Jenny are here this weekend - probably not going to happen.
No Mommy Brain said…
hey! bill passed your blog on to me. so...skating rink? like adult skate? i LOVE adult skate. i've written about it at least twice...