If I were to create "How I Met My Husband" into a feature length film (which would blow apart the box office) I would change a few things.
Characterization
While the roles of the characters would remain as they did in the story I would expand the character role of many people. First Lorretta Bird would become more of a main character. For example in the part of the story where Edie is trying on the dress, the scene would flash to Lorretta meeting Alice in town. Of course this trip in town would portray all of Loretta's annoying habits. The idea would that Lorretta would be the stereotypical goofy character to making this romantic movie into a romantic comedy (similar to Betty White's character in "The Proposal"). Also Alice would be a bit more stalker-ish than she is in this story.
Plot
The plot would remain more or less the same, although in addition to the added town scene. I would also add a scene that shows a flashback to Chris and Alice's relationship. Also there would be a scene of present day Edie and her husband, with Edie's husband saying things like "and your mother would wait for me at the mailbox everyday" and Edie would agree with him, but the movie viewer would then see the entire story (later in the movie). This scene would occur at the very beginning. I think the addition would explain the point of view of this story a bit better.
Point of View
The point of view would remain the same in this movie, the irony of the story would not work out any other way. So Edie would continue to drink her Ginger ale with ice cubes.
Setting
I envision a more modern (perhaps 1950s or 1960s) instead of the 1920s-1940s this story is set in. That way I can have cheesy 50's songs playing the background (for example "Hound Dog" by Elvis). These songs don't really add anything other than a cheesy factor. Which would make this movie swing into more of a comedy than a chick flick.
This story really would only need some additions to it, the story itself is okay. Chris would still be a nomadic bachelor and Edie would remain a naive child. The climatic scene (where Alice accuses Edie of having sex with Chris) would remain very close to what was written, and Mrs. Peebles would save the day.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
I Won't Shed a Tear, Just as long as you stand, "Stand By Me"
"Stand by Me" the movie based on Stephan King's "The Body" remained pretty accurate towards the overall work. Really the movie was just the work times Hollywood.
Lets start with the main character Gordon. In the story, Gordon's brother Denis dies and this affects Gordon's relationship with his parents. Now in the original story Gordon really doesn't know his brother and "only cried at the funeral because of his parents" but in the movie there were several brother-ly scenes to tug at the heart strings. This changed the over character of Gordon as he went from a mature but invisible boy (in the orginal) to a heart broken little boy left behind (in the movie). The movie also changes Chris into a more father-ly character for the gang of boys. He seemed a lot more mature than the other boys as he led them through the forest weather they were crying or fighting, and he "kept the peace". Vern went from another boy in the gang into the movie stable "funny fat kid" role, and Teddy was crazier in the movie than the book.
The Setting was riddled with more pop culture in the movie than in the story. The large amounts of 50's music added a time stamp element on the setting that wasn't really there before. It made the story seem more dated. In way this made the point of view an easier pill to swallow. However I found it harder for me to relate to the characters due to this time stamp. Also the movie carried more scenes of the older boys than in the book, making the older boys more evil and cynical. And finally the boys walked straight through the night in the movie but I'm pretty sure they didn't do that in the book.
The Point of the View was the same person in both pieces (the older Gordon looking back on his life). However in the movie the view hears the older Gordon far more than the reader does. I think this has to do with transitions of the movie more than the script writers trying to add the older Gordon character. For example at one point the action of the movie stops and the Older Gordon explains something, but in the book that interruption wasn't in there at all. I guess Stephan King didn't feel the need to explain everything to his readers. There was a random scene of the older Gordon with his kids that added another dimension on the older Gordon's character.
Finally the overall theme of this movie was more of a tale about how Gordon is inspired and pushed to not let other people hold him back. This is mainly carried by Chris as he has many one on one talks with Gordon that didn't occur in the book. Actually the viewer sees a lot of separation of the group into the two pairs (Vern and Teddy, and Gordon and Chris) they don't seem as much of a group. By the end of the film, for Gordon the "Town seemed different...smaller". In someways this was because Chris had told him he was being held back in that town and that he shouldn't let other people's opinions stop him.
Overall the movie and story are close, it's really small details that affect this story.
Lets start with the main character Gordon. In the story, Gordon's brother Denis dies and this affects Gordon's relationship with his parents. Now in the original story Gordon really doesn't know his brother and "only cried at the funeral because of his parents" but in the movie there were several brother-ly scenes to tug at the heart strings. This changed the over character of Gordon as he went from a mature but invisible boy (in the orginal) to a heart broken little boy left behind (in the movie). The movie also changes Chris into a more father-ly character for the gang of boys. He seemed a lot more mature than the other boys as he led them through the forest weather they were crying or fighting, and he "kept the peace". Vern went from another boy in the gang into the movie stable "funny fat kid" role, and Teddy was crazier in the movie than the book.
The Setting was riddled with more pop culture in the movie than in the story. The large amounts of 50's music added a time stamp element on the setting that wasn't really there before. It made the story seem more dated. In way this made the point of view an easier pill to swallow. However I found it harder for me to relate to the characters due to this time stamp. Also the movie carried more scenes of the older boys than in the book, making the older boys more evil and cynical. And finally the boys walked straight through the night in the movie but I'm pretty sure they didn't do that in the book.
The Point of the View was the same person in both pieces (the older Gordon looking back on his life). However in the movie the view hears the older Gordon far more than the reader does. I think this has to do with transitions of the movie more than the script writers trying to add the older Gordon character. For example at one point the action of the movie stops and the Older Gordon explains something, but in the book that interruption wasn't in there at all. I guess Stephan King didn't feel the need to explain everything to his readers. There was a random scene of the older Gordon with his kids that added another dimension on the older Gordon's character.
Finally the overall theme of this movie was more of a tale about how Gordon is inspired and pushed to not let other people hold him back. This is mainly carried by Chris as he has many one on one talks with Gordon that didn't occur in the book. Actually the viewer sees a lot of separation of the group into the two pairs (Vern and Teddy, and Gordon and Chris) they don't seem as much of a group. By the end of the film, for Gordon the "Town seemed different...smaller". In someways this was because Chris had told him he was being held back in that town and that he shouldn't let other people's opinions stop him.
Overall the movie and story are close, it's really small details that affect this story.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
It's all fun and games until you have a gash above your eyes
Today Mr. Christian Powers made an excellent point about the story "The Drunkard" which I also noticed as I was reading. This story might be funny but it is the irony that really carries this story's message. For example the whole little role-reversal is the entire plot of this story. However without the background story the reader wouldn't be able to understand/appreciate the drunk boy at all. But with this info the irony of this story pulls this story from a story of slap-stick comedy to a story of ironic situations.
Also the title "The Drunkard" also carries some ironic merit. I personally think the title is more towards the father. However the title is ironic because the reader doesn't know to who, the title is directed.
Also the title "The Drunkard" also carries some ironic merit. I personally think the title is more towards the father. However the title is ironic because the reader doesn't know to who, the title is directed.
Umm May I get a Third Opinon
Okay, I don't know who this Lorrie Moore is but I don't like how she describes Midwesterners as "spacey with estrogen from large quantities of meat and cheese....they were complacent. They had been purchases...they seemed actually to know very little about anything, but they were good-natured about it". I mean the random jab towards other states or other parts of the country are okay. It's all good nature teasing (for example it's only natural for Hoosiers to call people from Kentucky what they are...hicks). But seriously it's overdoing it a little to spend 3 or 4 entire sentences against another part of the country. I mean seriously was Miss Moore abused in the Midwest or something, we really aren't that bad.
Other than that though I think having Zoe as a teacher would be awesome. I'm not quite sure why her students wouldn't want a crazy teacher like her?
Other than that though I think having Zoe as a teacher would be awesome. I'm not quite sure why her students wouldn't want a crazy teacher like her?
Want and how it affects one's child
The short, and blunt-ness of "Popular Mechanics" helps illustrate the point that I think Raymond Carver was trying to make through his narrative. The lack of quotations kind of causes the reader to rush through the piece and in a way the characters. If the women and man had just slowed down I don't think that they would of had a literal tug of war with their child. They just got so caught up with their moment that they didn't have time to think. They only had time to think of the stuff they wanted: clothes, the will to leave...half of a child. I kind of wish I knew what the couple was fighting about but it's not overly important. All that matters is the "want" these two have for their things. This want drives them to fight and scream and to fight and scream over their child. This want drove them to rush through their story, not stopping for quotations in their dialogue or indentations in their paragraphs.
...and you may ask where did this tradition come from?... I don't know
While reading "The Lottery" I had the song "Tradition" from Fiddler on the Roof stuck in my head (Which can be heard and watch from here). This town is stuck in their ways of the lottery, or as it seems to be the first time this piece is read. However upon reading this work a second time I thought that none of the town other than Old Man Warner really supported the lottery at all, and while many people claims that the town has a "blind acceptance" to this lottery I'm convinced that the community just doesn't know how to escape their tradition. I first found this idea when the community is talking together, and they are talking about how there doesn't seem time between the lotteries any more, or how sad it is that one of the boys has to be head of the family. While this might be stepping outside of the cone, I think that the community just doesn't know what to do and that's why they accept it. They don't really believe the lottery does anything for them, they just can't get away from it.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Body-For Kahle
"The Body" written by Stephen King may be about a boy's dead body, BUT it isn't the decaying flesh that is the focal point of this story. Instead the characters mature and grow in this story, creating the theme, plot, point of view, characterization (duh) and setting of this story.
There are two huge themes in this story, the first being how a death can affect the humans surrounding it. The other theme is how the opinions of others can effect one person. Starting with the main character Gordon. Early on in the story the reader learns that Gordon had a dead older brother that many people loved. His parents don't really seem to care for him, and Gordon feels unwanted. In fact after several dinners of being ignored he says "Please pass those goodam spuds" just to see if he can get a rise out of his family, but even his small swearing doesn't affect his parents. After Dennis died, Gordon's parents really just stop caring, and the sad thing is that Gordon accepts their lack of concern for him. He's mature enough to realize that his parents won't be able to carry on for their lives for a while after the death. Another death that haunts the storyline is the death of Ray Brower. This boy got lost while picking berries with a pail, and the gang of boys hear about this death through Vern's older brother. This dead body is a sort of calling to action for the boys as they start their quest, as they walk off towards this dead body.
The other part of the theme is the affects of other opinions. This is seen when Gordon feels like "The Invisible Man" to his parents, when Chris is just another troublemaker boy in his family, and when deformed Teddy almost kills himself in a junkyard for the honor of his father.
The plot of this story branches off the journey of Gordon and his gang towards the body of Ray Brower. I was reminded of "The Princess and The Bride" when Miracle Max heals Westley from being dead to being half-dead. Westley wasn't actually dead, and could be saved. I honestly think the boys didn't realize that they were looking for a dead body until they were staring at the corpse with their own eyes. The scene (chapter 27) is the climax of the story as the boys face off the other boys over the body. In this part of the story the story shifts from a pleasant camping trip to a tiring, fright filled trip. The boys make it home but their joy is gone, and their so tired they don't plan on seeing each other until after school starts (3 days later). The work spends a lot of time building up the appearance of the body by the couple of bumps in the trips like the junk year rumble, the crossing of the tracks, the weird sounds at night and the two stories that Gordon writes. It's a typical story where the action peaks at once and the action rises and falls due to that point.
Gordon, our card shuffling hero is the narrator of this first point of view story. One interesting jump in this story is when the story "Stud City" pops in. The point of view changes from 1st person to 3rd person, and then Gordon (from the "present time") ridicules this type of story telling, explaining that its a novice college story. The narrator of the story isn't 12 year old Gordon, rather it's a Gordon from "present time" who is remembering this story. Due to this style of story telling the reader can see the points of the story that really mattered to Gordon. For example the story of crossing the tracks scared the pants off of Gordon, and the reader gets to read several paragraphs on the matter. However the strange noise in the night hardly gets half of the attention.
Characterization in this story is a strong point as it sometimes lost in all of the action. By the end of the story two of the boys (Vern and Teddy) remain pretty flat, living up to their town/family's expectations of them. Chris however surprises his world as he takes college classes (with the help of Gordon). Gordon himself also lives up to Chris' expectation of going to college however it isn't until Chris joins him in college that he really pursues writing (his lifestyle). The sad part of this story is that all of the boys die except Gordon in either accidents or freak events. These deaths add to the grief of Gordon. Also who knows where Vern or Teddy would of ended up if the oppressing opinions of the people around them hadn't of held them back. Or if Chris would of achieved higher things if everyone hadn't of discounted him just because he was part of his family.
The setting of this story is either in a series of transitions or at the tree house. The lawsuit-waiting-to-happen masterpiece that every kid dreams to have in their tree. It is in this tree that the boys learn about the dead body, and it's this house that they plan to return to after their journey and three days sleep. What the reader doesn't see as a setting is the boy's homes. Sure they're mentioned, but hardly any of the story takes place in these houses. The boys don't grow at home, they don't discover at home and they sure don't look for dead bodies at home. It's important to notice that none of the boys want to be at home, due to their family's situations. Other than the tree house the story's setting is in a sense of movement as the boys travel to the body, and the ditch thing that the body is found in is also an important setting due to the way it add's to the climax. The boys only know their tree house, dysfunctional homes, their journey and the ditch that holds a dead body. Yet this story is a great example of death and growing up.
Gotta love Stephan King
There are two huge themes in this story, the first being how a death can affect the humans surrounding it. The other theme is how the opinions of others can effect one person. Starting with the main character Gordon. Early on in the story the reader learns that Gordon had a dead older brother that many people loved. His parents don't really seem to care for him, and Gordon feels unwanted. In fact after several dinners of being ignored he says "Please pass those goodam spuds" just to see if he can get a rise out of his family, but even his small swearing doesn't affect his parents. After Dennis died, Gordon's parents really just stop caring, and the sad thing is that Gordon accepts their lack of concern for him. He's mature enough to realize that his parents won't be able to carry on for their lives for a while after the death. Another death that haunts the storyline is the death of Ray Brower. This boy got lost while picking berries with a pail, and the gang of boys hear about this death through Vern's older brother. This dead body is a sort of calling to action for the boys as they start their quest, as they walk off towards this dead body.
The other part of the theme is the affects of other opinions. This is seen when Gordon feels like "The Invisible Man" to his parents, when Chris is just another troublemaker boy in his family, and when deformed Teddy almost kills himself in a junkyard for the honor of his father.
The plot of this story branches off the journey of Gordon and his gang towards the body of Ray Brower. I was reminded of "The Princess and The Bride" when Miracle Max heals Westley from being dead to being half-dead. Westley wasn't actually dead, and could be saved. I honestly think the boys didn't realize that they were looking for a dead body until they were staring at the corpse with their own eyes. The scene (chapter 27) is the climax of the story as the boys face off the other boys over the body. In this part of the story the story shifts from a pleasant camping trip to a tiring, fright filled trip. The boys make it home but their joy is gone, and their so tired they don't plan on seeing each other until after school starts (3 days later). The work spends a lot of time building up the appearance of the body by the couple of bumps in the trips like the junk year rumble, the crossing of the tracks, the weird sounds at night and the two stories that Gordon writes. It's a typical story where the action peaks at once and the action rises and falls due to that point.
Gordon, our card shuffling hero is the narrator of this first point of view story. One interesting jump in this story is when the story "Stud City" pops in. The point of view changes from 1st person to 3rd person, and then Gordon (from the "present time") ridicules this type of story telling, explaining that its a novice college story. The narrator of the story isn't 12 year old Gordon, rather it's a Gordon from "present time" who is remembering this story. Due to this style of story telling the reader can see the points of the story that really mattered to Gordon. For example the story of crossing the tracks scared the pants off of Gordon, and the reader gets to read several paragraphs on the matter. However the strange noise in the night hardly gets half of the attention.
Characterization in this story is a strong point as it sometimes lost in all of the action. By the end of the story two of the boys (Vern and Teddy) remain pretty flat, living up to their town/family's expectations of them. Chris however surprises his world as he takes college classes (with the help of Gordon). Gordon himself also lives up to Chris' expectation of going to college however it isn't until Chris joins him in college that he really pursues writing (his lifestyle). The sad part of this story is that all of the boys die except Gordon in either accidents or freak events. These deaths add to the grief of Gordon. Also who knows where Vern or Teddy would of ended up if the oppressing opinions of the people around them hadn't of held them back. Or if Chris would of achieved higher things if everyone hadn't of discounted him just because he was part of his family.
The setting of this story is either in a series of transitions or at the tree house. The lawsuit-waiting-to-happen masterpiece that every kid dreams to have in their tree. It is in this tree that the boys learn about the dead body, and it's this house that they plan to return to after their journey and three days sleep. What the reader doesn't see as a setting is the boy's homes. Sure they're mentioned, but hardly any of the story takes place in these houses. The boys don't grow at home, they don't discover at home and they sure don't look for dead bodies at home. It's important to notice that none of the boys want to be at home, due to their family's situations. Other than the tree house the story's setting is in a sense of movement as the boys travel to the body, and the ditch thing that the body is found in is also an important setting due to the way it add's to the climax. The boys only know their tree house, dysfunctional homes, their journey and the ditch that holds a dead body. Yet this story is a great example of death and growing up.
Gotta love Stephan King
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