What makes a good film

There has been so much art and story telling in recorded history that it's hard to come up with something entirely original. Once I started to accept that, I made peace with the idea that the next screenplay I write will probably be in someway derivative of something that has already been done.

The next thing I've come to grips with is that in trying to come up with a basic plot line, I've been too worried about what makes a good film... to other people. It occurred to me that's kind of silly if the film I want to make isn't going to be made with the expectation that other people should like it. So instead I've decided to think about what makes a good film to me.

The last movie that really had an impact on me was Elizabethtown. There were a lot of reasons I liked it, but I think overall it was the story of the main character's struggle to appreciate one set of memories while being open to the possibilities offered by new people and situations in his life. As we move through the "four year cycle of change" as I like to call it, it's hard to embrace that cycle.

I also liked The Girl Next Door because it's a well-written, if often done, underdog story. Someone said to me once that the nerdy guy never gets the pretty girl in the end, but I disagree. I don't exactly have the longest dating resume, but it's happened to me a number of times, and I'm a dork. ;)

I don't think anyone likes Lost in Translation as much as I do, but I think it's great because it's so simple. Two people in the right place, at the right time, who are right for each other, free of all the roadblocks they'd encounter in their normal lives. The whole "plot" is just about them enjoying time together. The moment when they're lying on the bed talking about what gives their lives meaning is the best few minutes of any movie I've seen in a long time.

The Big Lebowski is a classic in my mind because the characters are so well drawn and the story is this great string of easy to follow events. Throw in the goofy fantasy sequences and it's just damn entertaining.

I didn't really get Pulp Fiction at first, but I loved the dialog. After seeing it a few more times and reading some academic papers by film school types, I totally get it. I think when you view it as s story of redemption, based on the decisions the characters make, it's almost a kind of morality play. Do people right and it'll come back to you, but do them wrong, and you'll get yours.

So what do these films all have in common? Not a lot, really, but there are little elements in each that appeal to me in some ways. I can point out hundreds of things I don't like about a lot of other movies, and I guess I just don't want to make one of those!