Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Ready, Set, Oops!

Admit it, we all love to see the big guys blow it. And I don't mean just dropping their sword, but flipping up, head over heels, and slapping into the ground like a boned fish. It doesn't matter what the situation is, but when the big hero, or threat, completely goofs up and has his pants around his ankles it throws everything up into the air and makes stuff exciting.

Indiana Jones has many such scenes in his movies. The iconic scene from The Temple of Doom where he goes for his gun and finds it missing comes to mind. But, even the first movie within the very first few minutes has several: the idol dropping after his trademark smile of success, or him grabbing the vine after leaping over the pit only to have it suddenly drop him another few feet. Such things are exciting and stirs up the story stew. I absolutely love them.

I guess what I'm really talking about is unpredictability. There isn't enough of that these days. It's like stories drive along on railroad tracks, to a defined and definite conclusion. What gets me going is when stories whack me in the back of the head and make me look in another direction; "Where'd that come from?"

Keep me guessing, and keep me curious.

- M

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