The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G
The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G By Jacob Krueger [divider type=”thin” full_width=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] The Vampire Cowboys’ new play, THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G, is more than just a hilarious genre bending, kick-ass-ninja-stage-fighting, comic book romp. It’s also a profound look at what it means to find and follow your voice as a writer, […]
TOY STORY 3, Part 5: Let Your Characters Earn Their Happy Ending
TOY STORY 3, Part 5: Let Your Characters Earn Their Happy Ending By Jacob Krueger [divider type=”thin” full_width=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] As discussed in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of this series, the structure of Toy Story 3 is built around the theme of loyalty, and desperate desires of both its […]
TOY STORY 3, Part 4: Choose The Right Antagonist
TOY STORY 3, Part 4: Choose The Right Antagonist By Jacob Krueger [divider type=”thin” full_width=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] As discussed in Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of this series, Toy Story 3 does a brilliant job of exploring diverse aspects of the theme of loyalty, through an emotional structure built upon the toys’ […]
TOY STORY 3, Part 3: The Foundation Of Structure
TOY STORY 3, Part 3: The Foundation Of Structure By Jacob Krueger [divider type=”thin” full_width=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] As discussed in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, the structure of Toy Story 3 is built around a simple desire shared by its characters, and unified around a simple theme, loyalty. As Andy […]
Toy Story3, Part 2: The Beauty of Unintended Consequences
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Toy Story 3: Theme, Structure and Your Character’s Desire
TOY STORY 3: Theme, Structure and Your Character’s Desire By Jacob Krueger [divider type=”thin” full_width=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] If you’ve read the reviews, seen the movie, or talked to a friend, you know by now that just about everybody loves Toy Story 3. Audiences cheer. Critics gush. Grown adults laugh and weep like children. So […]
KICK ASS! The Promise of the Premise
KICK ASS! The Promise of the Premise By Jacob Krueger [divider type=”thin” full_width=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] Kick Ass! Does Just That… It’s rare that you see a big budget action movie that succeeds on as many levels as Kick Ass! Hilarious, high stakes action sequences, directorial vision, fabulous characters, bold acting choices, and more-fun-than-you-can-shake-a-nunchuck-at combine […]
A PROPHET… And You’re Worried YOUR Character Is Unlikable!
A PROPHET… And You’re Worried YOUR Character Is Unlikable! By Jacob Krueger [divider type=”thin” full_width=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] There are many reasons to brave the shocking violence of Thomas Bidigain and Jacques Audiard’s new film, A Prophet (Un Prophéte). This brilliantly crafted screenplay, which takes you into the brutal world of a French prison through […]
Wild Thoughts About WILD THINGS
Script Analysis: WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t yet seen Where The Wild Things Are, you may want to check it out before you read this article.
Let’s set aside the question right now of whether or not Where The Wild Things Are is a good movie. Let’s set aside the question of whether you liked it or not (or were a little bit embarrassed for liking it as much as you did).
And if you feel like you wasted your twelve bucks on a movie in which essentially nothing happens, let’s set that aside too.
Love it or hate it, Wild Things is a movie worth studying, because of the bold and unique ways it is structured to reflect its authors’ premise, both in its most wonderful, and its most problematic elements.
PREMISE? WHAT PREMISE?
Wild things is governed by a simple idea– or at least a strong suggestion– that we are seeing the whole world through the perspective of a young boy– as he works out his rage over his isolated life (and more importantly, his parents divorce) by playing with a bunch of stuffed animals in his room.
The writer-director team of Jonze & Eggers make a very strong (and very risky) decision that nothing in the world of the Wild Things is going to exist outside what a boy Max’s age could reasonably imagine. This is embodied in every element of the film: