The master of Rom com...

What can you say about writer Richard Curtis, other than that he is truly todays master of rom-coms.


From Four weddings and a Funeral, to


Notting Hill (just finished watching this back at my hotelroom).


and Bridget Jones Diary (screenplay).

In a writers note in the published script of Four Wedding and a Funeral, Curtis gives us four advices for a successfull script.

1. Never write your idea at once. Think about it for a long time, before you actually start writing.
2. Never write on commision.
3. Meke sure you have your script edited by someone you really trust.
4. Try to cast Hugh Grant in all parts.

Many people have tried the last one, but forgot that Hugh Grant alone doesnt make a good movie. You need Richard Curtis as well...

Patricia Highsmith Rulez!

Right now I'm on my way to Stockholm by train. Made me think of this old classic movie, directed by Mr. Hitch.



Funny enough I dind't know Patricia Highsmith wrote the novel the script was based on. I read an article by her once, about the importance of the first ten pages in a script (among other things) it was really great. She also wrote The Talented Mr. Ripley - and even though the later is not of same caliber, it still is a very, very good movie.

There was a time....

...when stories were told in pictures...


...when the cuts were placed to have an impact....


..when people cared about pacing....

Now THAT's a great story!

The Purple Rose of Cairo - trailer.


Siskel & Ebert about The Purple Rose of Cairo

The Purple Rose of Cairo must be best meta-film ever produced. I truly love this picture and I keep watching it every time it’s on TV. I’m of course a big fan all Woody Allen Movies. But my two favorites are for sure Annie Hall and The Purple Rose of Cairo. I was also a big fan of Siskel & Ebert and I really miss these great film critiques now when Gene is not around anymore. I truly love film critiques who can talk about the making of the movie in a way that you know they really know what they are talking about – and inspire to new insights about the craft. Most film critiques today just talk about the good (or bad) acting and about the script (they never read).

The Purple Rose of Cairo was also one of the films I studied in college. I remember that we had to analyze the irony, the settings and clothing of the characters in relations to the main plot and the character development.

Sweded to the Future

BE KIND REWIND - TRAILER


BACK TO THE FUTURE - Sweded

I´ve not yet seen BE KIND REWIND, but after seeing this "sweded" version of Back to the Future, I most definitly have to go see it.

"slightly" killed

Now you listen to me, I'm an advertising man, not a red herring. I've got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders that depend upon me, and I don't intend to disappoint them all by getting myself "slightly" killed.
- Roger Thornhill.

Not only is this - in my opinion - the best Hitchcock movie ever (and that’s something that pretty much speaks for it self’s). But North by Northwest is also one of the best scripts to study, when analyzing story, plot devices and good writing in general. The dialogue is also absolutely phenomenal as the main titles, settings and camera work.

This was also one of the movies I first got to see when studying film in college. I remember we had to analyze the scene structure in relations to the main plot, and it really is a great film to view in that aspect. It’s got a strong point of view, but in some very conscience cases we get thrown out of the main character and placed in situations that creates even more intention – and everything is reveled in exactly the right moment for maximum effect.

One thing I never do understand, is why movies set on trains always seams to work so well.

Follow the yellow brick road

The script for Wizard of Oz is possibly the best script ever written. (Casablanca doesn't even come close). The script is so well structured it hurts. The characters are in perfect place and correlates to the overall story, the plot and theme in a way that I haven’t seen in any other movie. The script consultants always talks about content and form and the need for the both to interact. This is a great example of when they do. It’s also a great example of a story where the characters internal process correlates to the external story and plot (and the other way around).



If you havn't seen this, you haven't really seen a movie.

Nobody puts Baby in a corner

I love outdoor screenings. Everything emphasizes and the audience’s reactions are not as controlled as in regular theatres. I'm also a big fan of Dirty Dancing. It's one of those movies that made the audience come back and watch it again, and again, and again... The reason I think is really simple; it’s actually a really good movie. Good script. Good directing not to mention the editing (and of course the soundtrack).

One thing to notice though is that Jennifer Grey (Frances “Baby” Houseman) is in some scenes almost cut out of the action. I don’t know if she didn’t perform all that well or if it was a conscience decision. Anyway, I think it works very well with a lead character that’s not passive I terms of action, but don’t dominate the story or the individual scenes.

Another thing to notice is that this kind of mega hit success for a new actor sometimes seems to have a negative impact on their carrier. It’s almost impossible for someone not associate Jennifer Grey with Baby in Dirty Dancing. It’s almost as with Mark Hamill (Luke in Star Wars). I have no idea how Patrick Swayze pulled it off.

Where's that Joe Buck?

Midnight Cowboy Trailer




OPENING - Harry Nilsson Everybody's Talking

One of my very favorite movies is Midnight Cowboy. I first saw this when I took a class in College back in 1994 - Experience the art; Film. Most movies we'd seen upon to this point had been rather what I today refer to as classics, but then called dull, booring black and white. (Battleship Potemkin, Birth of a nation and so on)

I sleept through most of them and I pretty much didn't understand any of them. Midnight Cowboy was different. I had a great pace, tone and wonderful characters - I was sweapt away. It must have been becaouse this was kind of the first movie I experienced where the main character pretty much was a looser that didn't achive his goal. It wasnät the kind of american movies I was used to seeing at the swedish theaters.

Midnight Cowboy was pretty much the first movie I ever saw, that really stayed in my head and made me think about it for a long time. I still can remember it quite well (of course I've seen it a bunch of times at this point) and many times it still pops up in my head. The characterization, character development and relationshsips is phenomenal.

Also, the soundtrack is ofcourse outstanding.

The best anagram ever!

Sean Connery turns into - On Any Screen - in Mike Myers tribute to this one and only 007 actor.

What ever happend to Alison Anders?

Four Rooms, the Tim Roth bellboy movie. One of my very favorite movies. Both Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino participated in this project. The Tarantino sequence was of course my favorite. I remember I didn't like Rodriguez sequence all that much at the time of the release of the movie. But since both him and Tarantino has moved on to make much better film since then - I apreciate it in a totaly new way when I watch it today.

One thing that I keep asking myself though, is what ever happend to Alison Anders. I really liked here sequence (the one starring Madonna) of the movie at the time - and still do. But I havn't heard or seen to much of her since.