1. The Matrix (1999)

   
   
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   In1999, when Matrix got into the Movie Theaters, it became a huge phenomenon, and created a new Movie Making Voice that reaches us to the present days. I never had access to The Matrix's script, but I guess it was an writing piece. So many genius ideas in just one movie. And now you ask: how The Matrix is going to help you writing a novel?
   
   The Matrix taught a very important lesson to all the fiction creators in the world, including writers. Audacity. In writing Sci-Fi and Supernatural, audacious ideas are one of the most important elements that keep the reader turning the pages of a novel. A Sci-Fi and Supernatural writer must take his craziest ideas and turn them into acceptable ones during the writing. The whole concept of reality inside reality was so weird back then (although there was something similar in the Argentine movie Vanilla Sky) that some people took a long time to understand, and yet, Matrix became a very loved movie. The execution of the story was so good that the weirdness feeling went away. When writing a novel, take your most audacious and weird ideas and write them in the way that they doesn't feel weird anymore to the reader.

2. Terminator (1984)

   
   
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   Although the poster is from the first Governator (oops, I mean Terminator), I actually refer to it and all the sequels. In Terminator a very interesting fiction phenomenon happens: the complete disregard to logic limits. Yes… that's it. In Terminator, the explanations for Time Travel and the complete lack of concern with Time Paradox or any sense at all, make Terminator a great movie. For the writer, the lesson is: when writing a novel, don't get too worried about logic.
   
   Sci-Fi and Supernatural audience are very tolerant with the lack of logic, and every now and then, this same audience actually enjoys it, as in Terminator. Michael Critchon frequently adds a whole bunch of scientific explanation that although interesting, are frequently over-explained to the point of boredom. So, when writing Sci-Fi and Supernatural novel, don't worry too much about logic; the reader won't.

3. Interview With The Vampire (1994)

   
   
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   I know that in my last article I made some jokes about the novel “Interview with the Vampire”, but I never said it was bad. In fact, it was a great piece of writing and became the great movie responsible for the destruction of any possible friendship between Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.
   
   This movie teaches a very important lesson to the writer. When writing a novel, you can touch controversial social topics as long as you do it in a tasteful way. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? If you don't, think again. Do your remember the incredible homosexual vibe in the Movie? Well... homosexuality is a controversial topic to the general audience. Homophobes are also movie watchers, and yet, I hadn't heard a single complain from homophobes about “Interview with the Vampire”.
   
   So, when writing your novel, don't be afraid to approach controversial topics as homosexuality, as long as they seem tasteful in your writing. Elegance is the trick to write a novel and put inside it anything you want.

4. Constantine (2005)

   
   
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   With that Movie, Hollywood once again entered the realm of Taboo. Religion and Anti-Religion were present in the whole movie. Well... remember when I said in the last topic about treating controversial topics with subtlety and delicacy? Well... when writing taboo you must blow it. Yes; the rule is the opposite, and if you want to bring taboo to your novel, you must write to shock and overwhelm the reader with taboo. Remember “Da Vinci Code”. I hated the novel and the movie, but the Taboo was so powerful that I was compelled to see the movie until the end, and for Supernatural and Sci-Fi writers, taboo is a friend. There are thousands of taboos, mostly religious, that can originate amazing novels.

5. Highlander (1986)

   
   
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   In this article my reference to Highlander regards only the first movie. In fact, while you read this article, let's make a pact and pretend that those unbelievably disgusting sequels didn't exist, allright?
   
   Highlander teaches the writer about an important aspect of writing "mystery". When writing a Sci-Fi and Supernatural novel, you don't need to explain much. In fact, the less you explain in your writing and the more you let the reader to speculate, the more intriguing an addictive will be your novel. In Highlander we didn't understand where did Connor Mcleod came from, how did he get immortal, and what was the purpose of becoming mortal. This mystery made a great movie, and it would be perfect if the producers didn't commit the awful crime of giving hideous explanations in the sequels (sorry; I know we made a pact, but I couldn't resist making nasty comments about these movies).
   
   So; when writing a novel, don't over-explain. The less, the better. Readers are also creative people.

6. The Lord Of The Rings (2001)

   
   
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   When writing your Sci-Fi or Supernatural Novel, you must pay attention to background and scenario; those are very important elements in these genres. In the book “The Lord of the Rings”, the background was flawless, and the movie really captured it. If you compare the book and the movie, you will get to the most important thing: details. Not all details are important and you shouldn't bore you reader writing a long description of the main-character's ear lobe. When writing your novel, you must identify the important details, the ones that really contribute in building the scenario and background. The other details you must give them to the reader. Let the reader imagine your reality as he pleases; it will certainly improve the reading experience.

7. Hancock (2008)

   
   
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   Originally this movie wasn't in the list, but I just saw this movie and loved it. The story is kind of crappy but the Hancock character is fantastic. If you need inspiration to create a character, Hancock may be a way to begin. Of course, you can also use my article Building Characters for your Novel (and that is just shameless self-advertisement). Well… really… great movie. I don't have a really good excuse to put it in this “writing your novel” list yet, but I will think in something later. Anyway… watch it.

I hope those movies help you in writing your novel. In any case, if they don't, you will have watched seven great movies.

Over the last thirty five years Dario has directed sixteen films, many of them falling into the Italian genre known as Giallo, meaning Yellow. This is a reference to the lurid Yellow covers of murder mystery novels popular at the time and just like the novels, Giallo movies are a heady mix of gritty American detective caricatures blended (and in Dario Argento case quite often literally) together with a European, Baroque viscosity of violence and excess.

To say that Dario's moves are visual is putting it mildly. Less concerned with character or plot he focuses on the visually disturbing. Probing the human mind, (again, quite often literally) for the things that make people squirm and writhe. He languishes in the cruel and mindless violence that would leave normal people at a loss as to how they would remove such thoughts from their minds should they ever have sprung up there in the first place.

He is, after all, the man who showed us what it would be like to be held down while a woman in red high heals repeatedly stamps and stamps on our mouths. Or what it looks like for a woman to be torn apart by barbed wire. Or, how it might look if an old cripple is eaten half to death by hungry rats, only to survive to be hacked apart by a random, cleaver wielding maniac. As to what Dario has to say on the mater it's this.

"I like when people are disgusted, because it means you've made an impression on them.”

No ambiguity there.

Subtlety is not his forte. In fact it seems to abhor him almost as much as his films abhor their viewers. And when it comes to the lusty, beautiful women in his movies he is really quit clear. I quote "I like women, especially beautiful ones. If they have a good face and figure, I would much prefer to watch them being murdered than an ugly girl or man.”

Of the Sixteen film directed by Dario Argento, Deep Red and Suspiria are considered to be his best work. Suspiria, made in the seventies, was the first in “The Three Mothers” trilogy he planed to make about three ancient witches living in three modern cities. In the eighties he made the second movie in the series called Inferno. The third

Film in the series is finished and is currently awaiting release. Three other films Argento made in the early seventies, The Cat O Nine Tails, Four Flies on Grey Velvet and The Bird With The Crystal Plumage, have been linked together in the minds of the people who admire him and are commonly referred to as the “Animal Trilogy”

There is no doubt that Dario Argent is a master at what he does and like him or loath him he has inspired many of the best know horror makers around the world today. John Carpenter has said that he was greatly influenced by Dario's work when he was making his own, Horror epic, Halloween. In fact it could be said that if Edgar Allen Po had had access to the technology that Argento does now he probably would have films every bit as gruesome.

To sum up I will leave with the words of the Maestro himself.

"Horror by definition is the emotion of pure revulsion. Terror by the same standard is that of fearful anticipation"---Dario Argento

Harold Crick (Will Ferrell), Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson), Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Penny Escher (Queen Latifah)

Directed by Marc Forster; written by Zach Helm; director of photography, Roberto Schaefer; edited by Matt Chesse; music by Britt Daniel; production designer, Kevin Thompson; produced by Lindsay Doran; released by Columbia Pictures.

Running time: 1hr 45 mins.

Go see “Stranger Than Fiction”

I could see a lot of people not liking this film, but I loved it. It’s got a sophisticated humor to it without being coldly intellectual. It’s a cozy film. Every character in this film gives the audience someone they would normally hate, but for some reason we can’t. Ferrell, plays an IRS agent half Spok, half Rainman, but likeable anyway. Thompson, plays the chain-smoking writer who always kills off her hero, but she suffers writer’s block so we like her anyway. Gyllenhaal plays a politically-militant, bakery owner who openly hates Ferrell, but she really seems to care about people so we like her. Even Queen Latifah’s character, whose job it is to annoy Thompson into finishing her book, is lovable for her concern for the writer’s health. Last but not least, Hoffman’s character is the kind of English professor that failed you, and me too, back in college. But the seriousness with which he tackles Ferrell’s problem is charming.

I found this film entertaining. There’s some good laughs too.

What about the “PG-13” Rating?

It’s not a movie anyone under 18 would enjoy. The humor is aimed at us literary types. I think the adult content is at pretty appropriate levels for the target market. For example there’s a scene when a bus collides with someone and it’s neither graphic nor cartoonish. The female love interest in the film, Ana Pascal, is the kind of overtly sexual gal that dresses for effect—the I’m trying not to be sexy, but I can’t help it—kinda thing. Of course Maggie Gyllenhaal is incredibly beautiful.

And of course there’s “sexual scenarios,” which is the over-amped Hollywood way of saying two nearly-clothed people are laying in bed together and they aren’t married yet. While its not good roll modeling I don’t think kids should look to movie characters as roll models. Hopefully they will get their morality from a parent.

What if I hate Will Ferrell?

This is a very different Will Ferrell. If you truly hate him you probably won’t change your mind but this isn’t Ricky Bobby. Ferrell helps the film makers pull off the nearly impossible task of showing us a boring man’s life without boring us.

Larger Story

It’s too obvious. There are some great lines in there about being a character in a story, which of course we are. The best is when Hoffman tells Ferrell that he needs to figure out whether he’s in a comedy or a tragedy. Ferrell asks what the difference is and Hoffman replies that in the end of a tragedy he dies, in a comedy he gets hitched.