Blockblusters

Blockblusters is not a typo. It is an expression of my feeling for this summer's offerings and granted most of them are box office hits. In fact most of the top grossing films so far this summer are the franchise films which also tend to be blockbusters.

When they count receipts, my money will not be among them.

A French movie director once said film making in France is an art form. In the US it is a business, which doesn't mean that every French movie is wonderful.

I only saw a bit of one of Daniel Craig's James Bond. It was so ridiculous that I shut it off. And I guess I feel that way about most special effects. There is so little new, although they must be fun for the makers to create. One, where I walked out of the theatre, had a car falling and falling and falling and falling. Well over three minutes after I checked my watch.

What do I want in a movie?

• Story
• Character
• Story
• Clever filming 
• Story
• Meaning

I remember watching the bonus on Road to Perdition. Hanks and Newman are playing a duet. The camera shifts perspective and we can see the bottom half of Newman's son, who is jealous of the relationship his father and Hanks have.

There is another scene in a car where a father and son are having an argument. The bar of the window is between them UNTIL, they reach an agreement. The point of view shifts so nothing separates them.

In fiction writing we are taught show don't tell. Don't say someone was angry. Have them slam their hand on a table. Don't say they are worried about money. Have them trying to decide which bills they can pay, and which they have to postpone till the next pay check. Show the two piles.

Some movies can be funny without any great message. A good laugh is therapeutic. My Big Fat Greek Wedding was funny, but it also said a lot about cultural identity and family.

My housemate talks about "nincompoopy" movies, often chick flicks where you feel good after watching it. But most of these have character and story even if we know that everyone lives happily ever after.

With the mess in the world, sometimes that is a welcome relief.