Wow Them in the End (Alissa Grosso)
The first thing I thought of when I learned that this month's topic was "endings" was this scene from one of my favorite movies, Adaptation:
It's probably the most important scene in the movie, as it kind of explains the whole movie. I don't have anything profound to say about endings or writing in general that hasn't already been said before, no doubt by writers who can do a far better job than I can when it comes to giving writing advice, but I do consider myself something of a connoisseur of movies about writers and writing, so I figured I would take this opportunity to share some of my favorites with you. They're in no particular order, but for the record, I think Adaptation is at the top of the list.
I'm also a huge fan of the movie Stranger Than Fiction. I could attempt to explain it, but it's probably easier to just watch the trailer:
I don't think everyone considers Hamlet II a writing movie, but I do in large part because of this scene, which is a pretty perfect cinematic depiction of the writing process:
And while we're on the subject of goofy comedies, let's not forget about an oldie but goodie, Throw Momma From the Train:
Why do so many movies about writers have them suffering from writer's block? And although Danny DeVito wasn't in that clip from from Throw Momma from the Train he's one of the film's stars and also features in another movie about a writer, which also happens to be my boyfriend's favorite movie (and he's not even a writer!) I'm talking, of course, about Romancing the Stone. Here, at last, is a writer that's not suffering from writer's block:
And while I might not be weeping with joy as I type "The End" on this blog post, rest assured that the disorganization in this writer's apartment certainly resembles Joan Wilder's messy NYC digs.
Do you have a favorite movie (or 5) about writing?
When she isn't watching movies about writers, Alissa Grosso writes books. She's the author of the YA novels Shallow Pond, Ferocity Summer and Popular. You can find out more about them and her at alissagrosso.com.
It's probably the most important scene in the movie, as it kind of explains the whole movie. I don't have anything profound to say about endings or writing in general that hasn't already been said before, no doubt by writers who can do a far better job than I can when it comes to giving writing advice, but I do consider myself something of a connoisseur of movies about writers and writing, so I figured I would take this opportunity to share some of my favorites with you. They're in no particular order, but for the record, I think Adaptation is at the top of the list.
I'm also a huge fan of the movie Stranger Than Fiction. I could attempt to explain it, but it's probably easier to just watch the trailer:
I don't think everyone considers Hamlet II a writing movie, but I do in large part because of this scene, which is a pretty perfect cinematic depiction of the writing process:
And while we're on the subject of goofy comedies, let's not forget about an oldie but goodie, Throw Momma From the Train:
Why do so many movies about writers have them suffering from writer's block? And although Danny DeVito wasn't in that clip from from Throw Momma from the Train he's one of the film's stars and also features in another movie about a writer, which also happens to be my boyfriend's favorite movie (and he's not even a writer!) I'm talking, of course, about Romancing the Stone. Here, at last, is a writer that's not suffering from writer's block:
And while I might not be weeping with joy as I type "The End" on this blog post, rest assured that the disorganization in this writer's apartment certainly resembles Joan Wilder's messy NYC digs.
Do you have a favorite movie (or 5) about writing?
When she isn't watching movies about writers, Alissa Grosso writes books. She's the author of the YA novels Shallow Pond, Ferocity Summer and Popular. You can find out more about them and her at alissagrosso.com.
I think they like writer's block because there must be conflict or an obstacle, and most writerly obstacles are internal and hard to portray on film. But writer's block--yeah, there's an obstacle!
ReplyDeleteI actually prefer those to the stories that imply we only do one draft, and once we type it, it's off to the publisher, and on the shelves in a few weeks!
BURN AFTER READING had a writer character, and she was going on book tours with national TV shows--another common misconception.
Maybe movies have writers suffering from writer's block partly because otherwise the writers would just be sitting there, writing. Also, sometimes writers in movies think out loud or they're shown getting inspired by certain things in the movie, which is interesting to watch.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Romancing the Stone!
ReplyDeleteI really need to see Adaptation and Stranger Than Fiction. One of my favorite movies that's sort of about writing is Smoke. Here's the trailer.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v8r-ec4V2M