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Tag Archives: entertainment

That’s entertainment.

19 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by Floreva in Movies, Writing

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entertainment, hero, Johnny Cash, Motivation, movies, screenwriting, Walk the Line

This morning, I went for a walk with some friends and the subject of movies came up. Tonight, I reflect on our conversation…

I’ll try to explain a little more what we talk about when we talk about the satisfaction induced by a good movie.

 

TV series,  Movies,  Plays… That’s entertainment and we love that. Why? Why do we love going into a dark room filled with strangers to watch people we are not even acquainted to, make their show for us? And why are we pleased afterwards? (I talk here only of good quality time, ok?)

We are especially pleased when our expectations -most of which we are not fully aware as they generally lie in our unconscious- are met.

We are satisfied and content when the characters are consistent, clearly established for what they are (Hero, Romance, Nemesis -stands between the hero and his goal achievement-, reflection -supportive  to the outer motivation) and the plot carefully built and conducted.

We are satisfied and happy when we can anticipate what’s next, but not too much. We love surprises (well, good ones only).

We are satisfied when action is moving at a pace we can follow (not too fast and not sloppy).

We are satisfied when the dialogues are intelligent, funny, or memorable. (We, silverscreen and telly nerds, LOVE to quote our favourite heroes)

We are satisfied when we can adhere to the inner or outer motivations or the hero and  when the stakes seem plausible and rise until becoming unbearable. (and better, when the situation we once experimented, or someone we know has, obviously not the case when the world needs to be saved by Superman)

We are satisfied when we can adhere to the means the protagonists  choose to resolve their conflict(s) -driven by outer/inner motivation- and finally achieve their goals (even if it’s a little dirty secrets, look at the success of Dirty Harry or Dexter, he is a SK & mental, for Christ’s sake!).

We are satisfied to allow ourselves to grieve upon the difficulties they encounter and being  upset to see them almost (almost) ready to let go of the fight/quest/willing-to-change. We are satisfied when we see them being THAT close to drift from  their love/ goal/personal growth/saving of the world and  finally kick bottom to be up again & to regain the stamina to continue STRONGER.

We are satisfied when they WIN. Or justice is done, conflict is resolved, truth revealed, and happiness or healing on the way. Unless it is the thing to understand that is – AT LAST- understood.

We are supersatisfied when the twist ending (when there is one) is strong, astonishing and brilliant, (exactly the opposite of what we expect).

Because that’s how we, humans, are built. And that’s what we need.

All we need is hope. And all we hope for is that our needs are fulfilled. Magically, we have a powerful tool to obtain the results: we can pick a movie and be fulfilled with whatever we need to keep us going on with our life and our responsibilities ad duties : joy, happiness, motivation, beauty, motive for thinking, determination, hope, courage, passion, understanding, knowledge, a break in our daily routine, a brain-spa, a good laugh, a good thrill, a good fright…in 3 words : a good moment.

As we go to the theaters to make that magic possible, for most of us, what we crave above all is a damn good screenplay.

What is a screenplay? It’s the body of the movie (or of the TV series episode), the structure, the rules organising the whole thing and keeping from falling apart, or ending with that awkward feeling of discontent, frustration or anger, because your need or your expectation has not been fulfilled…

Yes, a story follows rules, it’s not just -so-stories (;-p Rudy K.)

Long story short:

The HERO has a CONFLICT to resolve (INNER or OUTER).

(Example : in Walk the Line, Johnny Cash has INNER CONFLICTS (lack of self-confidence and struggle to become himself/ his growing love for June/destructive behavior) and OUTER CONFLICTS (an abusive father who prefers his eldest son and despises his son JR (Johnny Cash) & big bro loves his lil’ bro JR/ Mother says nothing/ his wife and children vs. his touring the country and his affairs/ his dealer tracking him down) to overcome.)

He has a MOTIVATION :  INNER  and OUTER (tangible) to change the situation 

(Example : Walk the Line. INNER MOTIVATION : getting married/ then to win June’s love/ deal with his past/become himself, OUTER MOTIVATION : to break free from addictions/ come to terms with his father’s rejection/record songs.)

The HERO has GOALS to achieve and they sustain his MOTIVATION :

(Example : Walk the Line. Johnny Cash’s GOALS are  : to overcome his addictions/become a singer/tour with June, Elvis and Jerry Lee.)

The HERO must deal with an OPPONENT (NEMESIS character) or ADVERSITY, preventing him potentially to achieve his GOALS. ADVERSITY must be visible and identified (The CIA, the terrorists, the police, a disease : does not work , even if a collective danger/obstacle,  they must have a face, a name and they must confront the HERO individually in the end, disease can be personified by a disillusioned nurse or physician, or patient).

(Example : Walk the Line. MULTIPLE NEMESIS : Johnny Cash has to divorce his wife in order to be with June, his father must learn to respect him, the dealer must be well… dealt with, authorities must be convinced to let him play in prison)

The HERO can find help or support along his journey (REFLECTION character), even love (ROMANCE character).

(Example : Walk the Line. REFLECTION : Jerry lee, Perkins & Elvis. ROMANCE : his wife and then June)

In the end, the CONFLICT is pacified, the MOTIVATION is resolved (the hero has failed or succeeded at achieving his goal(s) , in every case, the HERO has gained personal growth, his journey is complete.

The end. That’s all folks! 

What movie is your favourite and why?

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Nowadays it’s difficult to make a breakthrough in the Industry if you’re a shark, a rat, or a sheep…

10 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by Floreva in Books, Entertainemt, Movies

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Tags

Animals in Movies, entertainment

The Animal Kingdom seems to be an endless source of inspiration to fuel buoyant imaginations and savagely creative brains.

So far, it has cared for award-winning movies, and provided an extensive literature and comics or cartoons.

Among the most prominent actors of the Deuterostomes, Ecdysozoa, Metazoa, Fauna, that flow spontaneously in mind, we have : 

Category “Water-based”:

Sharks, fish (clown fish notably), otters, crabs, sponge (yeah, but trimmed and square), octopus, crocodiles, alligators, caimans, piranhas, penguins, the Creature of the Black Lagoon

Category “I run faster than you humans”:

Horses, huskies, dogs (namely dalmatians -and I mean 101 of ’em-, colley and various shepherd’s) , lions and lionesses, wolves, mice, unicorns, zebras, tigers, foxes, cats

Category “Phobia-inspired” and “terr-horrific”:

Spiders (ALL of ’em) , flies,  bugs, mantis, scorpions, snakes (boas, pythons, vipers, etc…ALL of ’em too), bees, wasps, ants, rats…

Category “Dead but reborn”:

T-Rex, Pterodactyls, Triceratops, Velociraptor, Aurochs, Dodo, Brachiosaurs, Dilophausaurs, Phoenix, werewolves,  were-rabbits…

Category “We are cousins, according to Darwin”: 

Apes, Chimpanzees, Gorillas, monkeys, Tarzan and Greystoke (ooops…)

Category “The rest that needs a category each, so I put them all together”:

Fawns, elks, mooses, unicorns, goldfish, birds, pigs, rats, mules, seals, elephants, hamsters, pandas, turtles, owls, bats, rhinoceros, lamas, camels,  brown bears, sheep…

What insects/bugs/animals did not have their 1/4h or fame so far?

Let’s see….erm…Think of what it may give as movie/series/book title :

Lice? (“Invasion of the lice” = already an award-winning entertainment event every fall in every school districts)

Unio Crassus? (“My so-called life as an extinct mussel in Netherlands”)

Were-Butterflies? (“Muffy , Were-Butterflies slayer”, huhu)

Tenia? (“It’s a long road to Tipperary’s loo”, “Independence Week”)

Dragonflies? (“US Airforce Once”)

Alpaga? (“My friend Alpaga”,”White tooth”,”Harry and the giant Alpaga”,)

Goat? (“Something new on the western front”= good meal ahead, haha)

Horseshoe crabs? (“Invasion of the horseshoe crabs”, see pix above, taken by yours faithfully or “2012 : A martian  odyssey” featuring horseshoe crabs invading the dust people of Mars with the landing of the Rover “Opportuniy” on the Red planet)

A mad bull? (“Mad bull and his brothers”, )

A strange animal, result of the crossing of an eagle and a jellyfish by a crazy-rejected-by-the -academy scientist, brought to life by a thunder in a windmill? (“The big sleet”, “Some like it undercooked”)

What would be your choice of an animal for a would-be hit story?

 

PS : thanks a bunch to the animal/bugs/insects/others/animated or plastic things featured in  : Jaws, Planet of the Apes, Starship troopers, the Fly, Arachnophobia, Crocodile Dundee, King Scorpion, Rintintin, Lassie, My Friend Flicka, Stuart Little, Moby Dick, A close shave, Gorillas in the mist, Dumbo, Jungle book, the Birds, Free Willy,Oliver and Co, Basil, Babe, march of the Penguins,Happy feet, Bedtime for Bonzo, Monkey Business, Bringing up Baby,  Wallace and Gromit, Beethoven (and all dog movies you can remember), The Creature of the Black Lagoon,King Kong, Benji, The Black stallion, Seabiscuit, Lassie come home, Cats, The Whale, The Lion, The Bear, The Fly, the Spider, Jurassic Park I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII …hum, sorry, one too many ;-  etc, etc… you name them… 

So long, folks.

Floreva in the Mist too ( here, in Cape Cod today)

 

 

 

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Margo Channing @ White House Black Market

07 Monday May 2012

Posted by Floreva in Caffeine, Life in style, Movies, Places, TV Series

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Banana Republic, Bette Davis, celebrities, Coffee, Don Draper, entertainment, Eve, Fashion, George Sanders, glamour, Gossip Girl, Grace Kelly, Mad Men, Mankiewicz, Marilyn Monroe, movie, Prada, style, Town & Country, Valentino

Last Thursday I had an appointment at 9am. As I was very early and there was no traffic jam (lucky me!) I had nearly 40 minutes before hand, so I went for window shopping in Town & Country. Weather was fine, parking lot still empty, the set of beautiful shops nestled between Memorial and Kimberley was just ready for a private visit.

Nobody around.

Too good to miss.

I grabbed a coffee – just a coffee *sigh*-at the Starbucks corner in the store, and off I went.

The first windows belonged to Banana Republic. Very “Mad Men on a Safari tour”.

Yeah, it’s a jungle out there.

The “Men collection” is just …just…perfect. Nothing to add here. Have a look.

I remembered these ads in magazines for the spring collection featuring designs seemingly taken just out of the series.This  kind of team up between BR and Madmen surely is bound to be a hit….and the male model has a strong resemblance to Don Draper…

Is it Don Draper already?

I left the Men Mad with their Jungle Out There and I shifted to the huge windows of White House & Black Market.

Such a lovely boutique, such pretty items.

Sophisticated yet cool. Classic with a twist, bold style and fashionista-pleasing collections, displayed in a glamorous, boudoir-style shop.


And they are not ashamed of their commitment to charities (which is always a good point).

Hum…how can I tell you… I can’t resist.

Certainly Margo Channing would have bought her day garments in there (or at least, sent Birdie to buy them), had she not been only real on the silver screen and had the brand existed back then. Grace Kelly seems more a J Crew-type girl, I should say. In the evening :  Balenciaga, Valentino, or Nina Ricci. For both Miss Davis and Miss Kelly.

Bette Davis portraited an immortal Margo in the Movie “All about Eve” (Mankiewicz, 1950,20th Century Fox). Should you wander why the movie is a MAJOR classic in the history of Cinema (apart from the numerous awards it received), just pick a copy or dive into Netflix, and (re)discover the imperial Bette Davis, the ruthless predatory nature of the bitchy Eve (incredibly talented Anne Baxter), the stylish and smoothly cynical Addison DeWitt (magnificent George Sanders), the lovely debutante Marilyn Monroe, the charming and reliable Gary Merrill, the confused Hugh Marlowe and the naive friend Karen Richards (Celeste Holm), encapsulated in a masterpiece so carefully crafted, that it looks like a  diamond necklace, sparkling with wit and brilliant dialogues, sumptuous costumes and decors, and such a mastery of photo and directing, you’ll be swept off you feet…

As for me, I love diamond necklaces…

PS : in Pop culture, references or homage to Miss Channing or to the movie are plethora, the following are the latest addenda to the entertainment industry (I thank Wikipedia-San for his help on the subject, seeing I am not a big fan of the Simpsons nor of Glee):

  • Blair (Gossip Girl, season 3, ep “Enough about Eve”) dreams that she is Margo Channing
  • P. Almodovar’s movie title “All about my mother” is a reference to Mankiewicz’s, and the first scene shows the protagonist watching the 1950 movie on TV, later a character is accused of  learning her lines “just like Eve Harrington”.
  • A 2008 Simpsons’s episode is called “All about Lisa”
  • In a Season 2 episode of Glee, a character is called a Latina Eve Harrington
*****
Later, during lunch time, I sneaked in the shop to try some garments on.
And then back to work…
So long, WHBM.

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