In which Rachel and Leeman talk about how and when to introduce the terrible movies of their childhood to their spawn.
Topics Discussed and/or Spoiled
Exciting New Purchases, Shakespeare’s Star Wars, Miskatonic Musings, Name of the Rose, Episode I, Look Around You, Caravan of Courage/Battle for Endor, Princess Bride, ET, Secret of NIMH, Black Cauldron, My Little Pony, The Care Bears Movies, The Witches, Willow, Up, Finding Nemo, The Fox and the Hound, Robin Hood, The Little Mermaid, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Bed Knobs and Broomsticks, The Terrible Works of Sid and Marty Krofft, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, An American Tail, Land Before Time, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Nightmare Before Christmas, Despicable Me, Hellraiser, Lovecraft Children Books, Mystery!, Bridge to Terabithia, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Mortal Instrument series, Stardust, Phineas and Ferb, How to Train Your dragon, Rise of the Guardians, Dr. Who, Murder She Wrote, The Hobbit (Rankin and Bass), and… Honey Booboo.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Still awesome after all of these years. http://youtu.be/fs33mAlkXDI
Wow.
Rachel & Leeman,
I am inclined to think that one of you, or both of you, must be cooking up screenplays for film. If so, in what genre and about what?
Jason
Screenplays? No, neither of us are real script writers. I’ve performed in various stage and (a little) film productions but that’s about it. Most of my screenwork is spent over at http://www.asklovecraft.com
You do not need accrediation of any kind to write a script, you just write it and then try and get noticed – the goal being to pitch it to a studio exec. It is analogous to being a starving actor, or an unpublished author, nobody is a real one until they get accolades. You’d “like to see it done well now”? Don’t leave it to the professionals – there are none.
I think you’ve got on a key element- some edge, some danger, some menace. I faked a bathroom break in the theater when watching The Witches because I was so terrified, but I loved it. Kids…know the world is scary. Kids know that movies with an edge, some scariness, that’s real, and that sticks with you. It’s one reason the 80’s stuff is so great.
The thing about going to another world vs. being in this world reminds me of an essay I just read called “The Gosling of the Golden Creek Vs. The Unicorn Pooper-Scoopers”: http://www.magicalwords.net/specialgueststars/all-about-the-magic/ The short version, because I know new parents never have time to read full-length essays on the Internet, is that fantasy that’s set in other worlds allows you to see magic in the world around you, picturing what would happen if that gosling in the park fell into Fairyland. Urban fantasy, on the other hand, invites the reader to take the wonder out of magic; familiarity breeds contempt, and people who see unicorns in the park every day would eventually start arguing about which park ranger had to clean up the unicorn poop. I’ve written and GMed my fair share of urban fantasy, but that’s a decent point.
And having a kid who’s super into Doctor Who gives you a great ability to describe the S.S.! I’ve actually uttered the words “Red Skull is kind of like a Dalek” in conversation with Billy.
Oh! And Rachel, you are not a wimp at all for being afraid of the My Little Pony movie. That thing was childhood trauma on a stick. Some wizard overlord was kidnapping the ponies and turning them into giant evil dragons to pull his chariot or something like that, and the last one he transformed was a major character (Applejack), not Rando Background Ponies 1-3 like the others. Good old fashioned nightmare fuel.