Troperiffic Tuesday!: Big Damn Heroes

Chick 1 says:

It’s the moment we go to the movies to see; the Damsel in Distress, or the Mentor, or the Innocent Bystander is about to be killed by the Big Bad, but at the very last second the lead bursts in and saves the day, making him the Big Damn Hero!

The entrance of the Big Damn Heroes is one of the most popular tropes in movies today, especially big blockbuster popcorn movies. It creates a huge rush of adrenaline and rightly so. As conflict is the heart of all drama, waiting until the last minute to rescue the victim makes maximum use of this tension. And it’s usually accompanied by a swell in the music. Read more

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Chick 1 in Tropes 4,746 Comments

Troperiffic Tuesday!: Chekhov’s Gun

Chick 1 says:

Welcome back to Troperiffic Tuesday! This week we’re looking at one of the basic tenets of storytelling, Chekhov’s Gun. The trope is based on a principle espoused by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Chekhov said it a variety of ways but it comes down to this, “If you have a gun on stage, it better go off before the end of the play.”

Chekhov’s Gun falls under the Law of Conservation of Detail which teaches writers to make every word, every bit of dialogue count. If it doesn’t drive the story, don’t waste your precious time with it. In movies you only have 90-120 minutes to tell a story, on TV only 22-43 minutes so every detail has to count. Don’t introduce any element that distracts from the story. Read more

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Chick 1 in Tropes 8,649 Comments

Troperiffic Tuesday: Took a Level in Badass

Chick 1 says:

This week on Troperiffic Tuesday we take a look at one of my all time favorite tropes, an oldie but a goodie. I love it because it nearly always evokes an emotional response from me and most audience members. Let’s discuss Took a Level in Badass.

See that person standing in the corner over there? You didn’t? Oh right, because you were watching the hero. Well, wait until the third act when the hero is about to be killed and that wallflower decides to kick somebody’s teeth in so the hero can complete his quest. Yea, that moment will stay with you. And that is the essence of Took a Level in Badass. Read more

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Chick 1 in Tropes 1,068 Comments

Troperiffic Tuesday: The Noodle Incident

Chick 1 says:

OK, so it’s really Troperiffic Wednesday; I’m a bit late. But this week’s trope is one of my favorites. It’s called The Noodle Incident and we all have a few in our past. Ready to remember yours?

(If you don’t know what a trope is you can find out here.)

The Noodle Incident refers to an occurance in a character’s past or a shared occurence in multiple characters’ past that remains unknown to the audience. It can be silly, shameful, illegal, outrageous, traumatic, ridiculous, or a combination of any of the above. It’s named after the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon pictured here. (Just what did Calvin do?) Read more

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Chick 1 in Tropes 106 Comments

Quote of the Day

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms wide open, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

“Welcome!” he said. ”Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!”

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

J.K. Rowling (1997)

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Chick 1 in Movie Quotes Leave a comment

Quote of the Day

It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew – and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents – that there was all the difference in the world.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)
J.K. Rowling

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Chick 1 in Movie Quotes Leave a comment

Quote of the Day

When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997)

J.K. Rowling

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Chick 1 in Movie Quotes Leave a comment

I Can’t Wait!: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Chick 1 says:

Another trailer is out. They just keep getting more epic! (epicer?) And adding new footage as well.

Besides sheer bliss, I have two responses to this latest peek; 1. A tiny bit of concern with how they have messed with the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort. How Voldermort dies was very brilliantly and subtly developed by Rowling through all seven books. I’m talking about how Harry stays true to his character and values to the end, not that nonsense about who owns the Elder Wand. I’ll be upset if the filmmakers abandon that in order to “up the ante”. 2. Gratitude that the filmmakers saw the value in getting the finest actors in Britain to play the adult roles and that those actors agreed to take the parts even though they were often in tiny roles supporting underage actors. If rumor serves, most of them will get their moments in this finale. Obviously, Alan Rickman will shine but just look at Julie Walters about to… OK, no spoilers for those who don’t know. Take a peek. HP7P2 opens July 15th! Read more

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Chick 1 in I Can't Wait! 120 Comments

Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Chick 1 says:

The fifth and my favorite in the series so far, I watched this last night with a friend who hadn’t seen it yet. We were preping for the upcoming July release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth movie and number one on my I Can’t Wait List for summer.

The Basics: Harry’s fifth year at Hogwarts is a bleak one indeed but he also begins to grow into the leader he’s destined to be. Read more

Posted on May 30, 2009 by Chick 1 in Reviews, The 2000s 148 Comments

I Can’t Wait: 2009 is Chick 1′s Year to Geek Out

Chick 1 says:

2008 was a great year for movies, especially if you like popcorn entertainment like I do. Superheros continued to rise to new levels. There were some great animated pictures, and a variety of smaller smart films. But 2009 is poised to be the year that my geekiness reaches new levels of its own.

It’s already difficult for me to deny my geekdom. I love almost anything in the fantasy/scifi genre. I’m a huge Harry Potter & Lord of the Rings fan. I’ve even read Lord of the Rings fanfiction. (Shut up! and give me back my bookbag!) But look at the geek line up of huge tentpole movies coming out in 2009: Read more

Posted on January 30, 2009 by Chick 1 in I Can't Wait! 73 Comments