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Troperiffic Tuesday!: The Montage

Chick 1 says:

What do you do when you need to develop certain elements of a story but you don’t really have the time to do it?  Use this week’s trope, The Montage!

The Montage is a common trope that has fallen into disrespect in recent years.  Like many common tropes, it has been overused or done badly and that has given it a bad reputation.  It has the stink of a hack writer on it.  But I think it’s time to clear the air.

Like any other trope, The Montage can be powerful, funny, energetic, and even touching if it’s done well.  The Montage, of course, is the stringing together of short scenes or vignettes, with or without diaglogue, usually set to music.  It can be used to show a passage of time or solidify a development in the story. Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in Tropes 274 Comments

2009: Best Moments in a Theater

Chick 1 says:star-trek

(I know everyone else is done with “year in review” articles but it is still January…just barely.)

Following a canon-destroying scene, the title card comes up with Michael Giacchino’s magnificent score underneath it. I am about to watch one of the best scifi movies in a long time. (Star Trek)

Pixar creates a perfect 10 minute film with a delightful 86 minute sequel attached. (Up) Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in Year in Review 4 Comments

Review: Up

Chick 1 says:up23

The Basics: I don’t really want to give you the basics of this one.  It’s such a delight to discover the plot as it unfolds.  You can see the trailer here if you like.

What I Liked:  I was completely captivated by the lead character from the very first moment.  As I’ve ranted previously, Pixar really does know how to tell a story and this movie is a great example of “show, don’t tell”.  It was exciting, funny, and made me cry more than once.  The animation is gorgeous.  Some of the landscapes look real.  Really all the characters are wonderful.  It’s strange because some of the plot points I could see coming from a mile away but I still found it exciting and gasped more than once.  I think that is because along with some great action sequences, the themes of the movie are really grown up.  Again, I won’t go into detail but, in many ways, this isn’t a kids movie.  Yes, it’s safe for kids and definitely whimsical but who says whimsical is a kid’s thing?

What I Didn’t Like:  (crickets chirping)

Bottom Line:  A delightful, touching, beautiful story.  Bring your funny bone & some tissue.

Posted on by Chick 1 in Reviews, The 2000s 117 Comments

I Can’t Wait: It’s Summer!!!! Part 1

Chick 1 saysstartrek2:

I wanted to post this a week ago so I could kick off the summer.  I know summer is supposed to start Memorial Day weekend or, if you’re a stickler, June 21st, but I’m talking about the summer according to Hollywood.  This may not be quite as big a movie summer as last year but there’s still some great stuff on the way.  For this post, let’s just take a look at May. Read more

Posted on by admin in I Can't Wait! 26,176 Comments