Old Movies - New Inspirations

With the film industry as vast and enduring as it is, we can never really start at the beginning and work our way up. We can only hop on the band wagon. The nice thing about this industry based upon recordings: we can go back anytime we want. I often find myself watching old movies that I've long since been encouraged to sit down and watch. They range from Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" to Mel Gibson's "Braveheart." With each experience, be it old or new, my inspiration to write skyrockets. Recently I finally sat down and watched the acclaimed comic book movie, "Sin City." A film done almost entirely in black and white, it was immediately something I am not used to seeing. Right away thoughts start materializing differently. They come in black and white. They come in motion comic strips. Streams of black and white covered in red for blood, blue and green for eyes, and yellow for, well, something ludicrous. Still being a comic book adaptation, the film also hit me with excessive amounts of internal dialogue. The only thing they missed was the thought bubble above the head, but even that gets you thinking, doesn't it?

The first question is, how do you feel about Sin City? Is it a ridiculous, over the top, impossible film? Perhaps you think that no one should attempt such a cinematic portrayal of the comic book genre because it defies the understood laws of cinema. As a screenplay, it dances dangerously with the three act structure, following three characters who do know one another, only connected by a common setting and a series of supporting characters. Do you think that without following the rules of "The Birds" and "Braveheart," two movies that follow a connected cast of characters until their journey ends, that Sin City is a failed attempt at creating our craved cinematic experience? Or, do you think that the film goes outside of the box and gives us something we can learn to love?

That brings me to the second question. What does a comic book movie do for you? Does it fill your mind with entrancing images you just can't wait to put to the test? Do you get excited when you see that red car or that blue car slapped on top of this dim, gray portrait? Personally, I find any film that walks on the wild side a breath of fresh air. Even if I end up scoring the film low, it still gave me something to contemplate on an artistic level. And that is the bridge to crafting your best work.