Jul

20

Posted by : E.v.R. | On : July 20, 2006

My Super Ex-GirlfriendWhat happens when you put a lonely guy with a love life notorious for crazy girlfriends together with a crazy SUPER girlfriend? You end up with My Super Ex-Girlfriend.

Luke Wilson plays Matt Saunders, a troubled bachelor searching for love. Things heat up when Saunders meets Uma Thurman’s Jenny Johnson, a book-wormish art gallery curator with a neurotic side. Little does Saunders know that Jenny is G-Girl, a superhero femme fatale.

Everything is fine until Saunders realizes that Jenny ‘G-Girl’ Johnson, like many of his past girlfriends, is a psycho hose beast. If you think crazy ex-girlfriends can be cruel and vengeful, just imagine one with super powers!

Supporting comedic value is added by Saunder’s amoral sleazeball friend Vaughn, played by Rainn Wilson–because what’s a comedy without your usual sleazeball sidekick? A less typical character is Saunder’s harassment-obsessed boss, Carla, played by Wanda Sykes.

Although the story explores some dark humor at times, it maintains an overall light-hearted vibe throughout.

The writing is pretty good, and the story structure seems solid. All the proper story elements are in place and the writers seem to have done a good job. No complaints there.

Where this movie really shines is on the strength of its premise, and if anything illustrates how critical that element is to a story’s success. It’s hard to go wrong with super-powered ex-girlfriend vengeance. Some might call it gimmicky, but it’s a welcomed relief from the plain vanilla romantic comedies of the last few years. When in doubt, add a twist to the premise.

Since my wife Jennifer scored the tickets to a free publicity preview screening, it would be hard for me to complain even if I found My Super Ex-Girlfriend lacking. I would have gladly forked over the ticket price to go see this one on my own dollar.

My Super Ex-Girlfriend is a pretty fun flick.

Jul

18

Posted by : E.v.R. | On : July 18, 2006

If you cleaned out all the filler material from your story, what would you have left?

I’ve got about 20 scenes. I need around 40 more. I’m not allowing myself any filler. This is where it gets really hard. “But what about the muse?” all you Blank-Pager, drafting-lovers might ask?

I’m allowing my muse to find its own path of least resistance, like a plant growing between the cracks in a sidewalk. I’ve got my 40 extra index cards, all primed and ready for whenever this supposed muse decides to shine. It’s got plenty of 3×5 territory to play in.

No filler. I refuse. Each and every scene must have a purpose! Filler isn’t a proper alternative to creative block–not for me, anyway. Generating material isn’t hard for me. Generating material that is strong, worthy, and appropriate to my novel–THAT is the hard part.

It reminds me of those commercials, “What’s in your wallet?” Do you pad your wallet out with old receipts and paper cuttings, to make it seem fatter? Does that seem like a silly thing to do? So why do it with a novel?

What’s in your scene pile? How many scenes would you be throwing out if you tossed out all the filler? How many scenes would you have left?

Jul

15

Posted by : E.v.R. | On : July 15, 2006

Crayola Bathtub Crayons

I may have gone off my rocker on this one.