Troperiffic Tuesday!: Deconstruction

Chick 1 says:

I have a friend who is an engineer.  When he was a child, he took apart a telephone just to see how it worked.  That is a great example of what the Deconstruction trope is all about.  We take apart a trope, a character, a genre, or even a series to see what makes it tick.  Or what would happen if we did…this?  

Deconstruction is an idea that is used in many disciplines besides storytelling but the goal is the same; to gain a better understanding of something by disassembling it. One of the most popular types of narrative Deconstruction is to ask what would happen to this trope, character or plot device if the rules of Real Life applied to it.  As Deconstruction often, not always, comes across as darker it can sometimes be interpreted as an attack on whatever is being deconstructed.   But it can give us a better understanding of how things work and an even bigger appreciation for tropes, characters, and stories we already love.  Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in Tropes 15 Comments

Quote of the Week

I was eloquent!  S*#t!

Joe Fox (Tom Hanks)

You’ve Got Mail (1998)

Posted on by Chick 1 in Movie Quotes 27 Comments

Trailer Trash: Two Costume Epics

Chick 1 says:

As we enter the second half of the year, Oscar contenders start sticking their heads out of the ground and sniffing the air like groundhogs on Groundhog Day.  The real onslaught won’t start until the fall but here are a couple to whet your appetite that have some of my favorite elements in common;  lush costumes, big talented ensembles, and lots of accents.

Les Miserables

I have never seen or read Les Mis in any form.  I know. I know.  I should have seen it on stage when I was in London.  Anyway, this will probably be the one.

Chick 2 comments on this trailer: “Sniff, sniff.”  And I quite agree. Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in Trailer Trash 797 Comments

Quote of the Week

Look, my only serious relationship ended in a broken collar bone and a dead meerkat,  so I may not be the best person in the world to give advice.

Gordon (Dylan Moran)

Run Fatboy Run (2007)

Posted on by Chick 1 in Movie Quotes 1 Comment

Troperiffic Tuesday: Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking

Chick 1 says:

This week on Troperiffic Tuesday, we take a look at a very old trope, used as a comic element long before our modern obsession with tropes.  So what’s so funny about Arson, Murder, … and Jaywalking?

There is a certain structure and rhythm to comedy.  I am not remotely educated in the craft of comedy which you will discover as you read the rest of this sketchily researched article but I will attempt to give some foundation here.  There are as many different structures for jokes as there are genres and it’s not just for sitcoms and stand up comedians.  Action movies and dramas need humor too in order to release the tension. Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in Tropes 133 Comments

Quote of the Week

Some days ya just can’t get rid of a bomb.

Batman (Adam West)

Batman (1966)

Posted on by Chick 1 in Movie Quotes Leave a comment

Short Takes: Prometheus

Chick 2 says:

Overall Concept:  B-    I feel like I’ve seen most of this before, in either Leviathan or Mission to Mars.  But I did like the “where do we come from” concept

Acting: A   Especially Fassbender as creepy robot David, please see here.

Script:  B

Cinematography:  A

Hotness of Cast:  C    Fassbender, normally hot, is just creepy.  The one hot guy is kind of a jerk.  Idris Elba is hot with confidence.

Wardrobe: A    Cool quasi-space attire

Location:  A    Is that really Iceland, or an actual unknown planet?

Climax:  B+     A bit stretched out

Special Effects: A+  and yikes

Posted on by Chick 1 in Reviews, The 2010s 1 Comment

Short Takes: Snow White and the Huntsman

We are happy to announce the return of…

Chick 2!

Who says:

Snow White and the Huntsman
Or, what I like to call, Missed Opportunity

Grade:

Overall Concept:  A

Acting: A-  (I think Kristen Stewart might could act, if she were ever given any lines to
deliver)

Script: B- (saved a C by its original take on an old fairy tale)

Cinematography: A

Hotness of Cast: A+

Wardrobe: A (Colleen Atwood, hello?)

Location: A

Climax: C

Special Effects: A-

Posted on by Chick 1 in Reviews, The 2010s 4 Comments

I Can’t Wait!: Latest Hobbit Production Video

Chick 1 says:

There is not one thing about this that doesn’t make me happy!

Posted on by Chick 1 in I Can't Wait! 1 Comment

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 by Chick 1 in Tropes 1,021 Comments