[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

MEET CUTE banter scene:

Meet Cute: Charlie is invited to a Little League game by her best friend. She has an unpleasant encounter with the coach.

Charlie: You’re Brad’s friend?

Eamon: Since childhood

Charlie: When did he grow up and leave you behind? Ten? Where you’re still perfecting your fart joke?

Eamon: [Tells a fart joke]

Charlie: Don’t.

Eamon: [farts]

Charlie: Are you actually on this team? Like I’m in some kind of sci-fi time travel nightmare?

Eamon: Want me to pull your pigtails? Or just tell you smell?

Charlie: Don’t do either. That would mean you like me.

Eamon: [does it anyway]

Charlie: Is being a bachelor really worth all that?

Eamon: God yes. My toilet seat hasn’t been down in seven years.

Charlie: But–

Eamon: Two toilets. One for each.

Charlie: You’re disgusting.

Eamon: Look at that. I’ve worn you down to pure insults. Let’s do this again sometime.

• This reply was modified 10 months, 3 weeks ago by  Donna Donna Hoke Hoke.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Betrayal: she finds his medications; he never told her.
Anger: He fell in love with her even though he wasn’t supposed to
Passion: Sublimated always but we see it.
Obsession: Doing secret things for the other to a ridiculous degree. IT’s the only way they can show their feelings.
Love: When Eamon realizes that’s the only reason to be alive.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

2. Attraction/Flirting: There is none. They’re both acting awful to each other but the attraction is there. ATTRACTION: Backwards glances, stopping themselves from trying to be charming. Previously having described perfect type.
3. Denial: She takes him home to have sex and it’s clear they’re afraid of the feelings. DESIRE: They want to have sex, both of them, but need it to be safe and not wanting anything. So they decide to just be clinical.
4. Separation/Forced Together: Grandma insists on meeting him so she takes Eamon to meet her. There’s a crisis and they bond so Charlie tells Eamon about her death curse, which rattles him. They realize they can’t see each other as much, and just meet occasionally for no strings sex. YEARNING: They want so much more than they’re allowing themselves to have. Grandma’s admiration for them makes them want it more.
5. Working through Issues/Differences: Eamon disappears for two weeks and when they finally see each other, they end up in bed. DOUBT: He isn’t even calling for sex. Maybe they really don’t have anything at all. She sees him with other women the JEALOUSLY is intense but she has no right to have it.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

STRUCTURE
Opening: Charlie walks down the street noticing happy couples everywhere. Then the men start dying while she watches.

Meet Cute: Charlie is invited to a Little League game by her best friend. She has an unpleasant encounter with the coach.

Turning Point: Charlie confronts her loneliness superficially, then browses Tinder. She sees a perfect man, which makes her cry. Then she spots the coach–Eamon–and swipes right.

Act 2:
New plan: Charlie will date someone awful so she won’t be alone.

Plan in action: Charlie goes on a date with Eamon and it’s awful as she would have expected.

Flirting/Attraction: They’re definitely attracted but doing everything possible to hide it.

Midpoint Turning Point: Charlie invites Eamon home with her and they have sex.

Denial: It was just sex. They make that very clear.

Act 3:
Rethink everything: He becomes the spokesperson for the event,

Separated/forced together: and Charlie is forced to take Eamon to see her grandmother, who has a heart attack. In the crisis, Eamon reveals his own father’s fatal hearts disease. They bond and it scares them both.

New plan: They need to see less of each other and get back to the no strings sex that was working so well. She tells him about her death curse and says it’s for his own good. She doesn’t see that rattles him a bit, but they agree.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: Eamon disappears for two weeks because he’s been ill,

Working through differences: but both really miss each other. When they run into each other again, they end up in bed.

Act 4:
Hate/betrayal Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Eamon has a massive heart attack after sex, and Charlie accuses him of loving her, even after he said her curse was stupid! Eamon denies it but Charlie says it was too close; she can’t risk it. She leaves.

Love Happens/Resolution: Eamon realizes loving Charlie has given him the will to live. He survived BECAUSE of her. He was always at risk. We’re all always at risk. She doesn’t kill people; he is going to LIVE because of her.

• This reply was modified 11 months, 3 weeks ago by  Donna Donna Hoke Hoke.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

CHARLIE’s journey:
1. Initial state: Charlotte Winfield. A good and giving person. She works at an animal shelter, where she has to deal with animals being put down. She works to save them and find them homes. She also does social about celebs because it allows her to worship from afar. Charlie is a woman in deep pain, good-hearted person who can only experience unrequited love because she fully believes someone who loves her will die.

2. Meet-Cute moment: The little league game

3. Initial challenges: Trying to maintain distance while desperately wanting to be close

4. Major conflict / Obstacle: Her belief in her death curse

5. Self-Reflection: She can’t put someone she loves in danger

6. Acceptance and Growth: She realizes she doesn’t have that power

7. Demonstrate the change: She lets Charlie tell her he loves her

8. Reunion: HAE

EAMON’s journey:
1. Initial state: Decent guy pretending to be an asshole

2. Meet-Cute moment: They both realize how attracted they are

3. Initial challenges: Maintaining an asshole facade even when he meets her grandma

4. Major conflict / Obstacle: His fear of hurting her, denying his love

5. Self-Reflection: He has to live his life and be honest

6. Acceptance and Growth: His heart attack makes him realize how much he wants to live

7. Demonstrate the change: He lets Charlie say she loves him

8. Reunion: HAE for now

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Ack, I am trying desperately to catch up after not receiving emails and missing a class on vacation.

1. Meet-Cute: It’s actually a meet awful when she meets him as the coach at a little league game. Later she spots him on Tinder and swipes right, but when she decides the perfect plan is dating someone awful, she goes back to him .
2. Attraction/Flirting: There is none. They’re both acting awful to each other but the attraction is there.
3. Denial: She takes him home to have sex and it’s clear they’re afraid of the feelings.
4. Separation/Forced Together: Grandma insists on meeting him so she takes Eamon to meet her. There’s a crisis and they bond so Charlie tells Eamon about her death curse, which rattles him. They realize they can’t see each other as much, and just meet occasionally for no strings sex.
5. Working through Issues/Differences: Eamon disappears for two weeks and when they finally see each other, they end up in bed.
6. Hate/Betrayal/All Hope is Lost: Eamon has a massive heart attack after sex, and Charlie accuses him of loving her, even after he said her curse was stupid! Eamon denies it but Charlie says it was too close; she can’t risk it. She leaves.
7. Love Happens: Eamon realizes loving Charlie has given him the will to live. He survived BECAUSE of her. He was always at risk. We’re all always at risk. She doesn’t kill people; he is going to LIVE because of her. HAE or as long as they get.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Can someone please catch me up? I know Hal took a sick day last week but did we have a class this past Saturday? I didn’t get any emails or recordings of any classes (I’m on vacation) and now my RC class is showing as complete. Are we done?? Thanks for any help!

Donna

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

I learned from this assignment that the romance is the easy part! I still don't think I'm doing this right.

• A. What interesting world could this movie/show be set in?

A mid-sized city where Eamon is a life insurance salesman/sex symbol and Charlie is hospital PR person.

• B. What major conflict could be happening?

Charlie needs a spokesperson for February Heart Health Awareness month.

• C. What intriguing situation could these characters be engaged in?

Mr. Heart Throb is the perfect person, having lost his father to heart disease.

Act 1:
Opening: Charlie walks down the street noticing happy couples everywhere. Then the men start dying while she watches.

Inciting Incident: Charlie is invited to a Little League game by her best friend. She has an unpleasant enocounter with the coach.

Turning Point: Charlie confronts her loneliness superficially, then browses Tinder. She sees a perfect man, which makes her cry. Then she spots the coach–Eamon–and swipes right.

Act 2:
New plan: Charlie will date someone awful so she won’t be alone.

Plan in action: Charlie goes on a date with Eamon and it’s awful as she would have expected.

Midpoint Turning Point: Charlie invites Eamon home with her and they have sex.

Act 3:
Rethink everything: Charlie is forced to take Eamon to see her grandmother, who has a heart attack. In the crisis, Eamon reveals his own father’s fatal hearts disease. They bond and it scares them both.

New plan: They need to see less of each other and get back to the no strings sex that was working so well. She tells him about her death curse and says it’s for his own good. She doesn’t see that rattles him a bit, but they agree.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: Eamon disappears for two weeks because he’s been ill, but both really miss each other. When they run into each other again, they end up in bed.

Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Eamon has a massive heart attack after sex, and Charlie accuses him of loving her, even after he said her curse was stupid! Eamon denies it but Charlie says it was too close; she can’t risk it. She leaves.

Resolution: Eamon realizes loving Charlie has given him the will to live. He survived BECAUSE of her. He was always at risk. We’re all always at risk. She doesn’t kill people; he is going to LIVE because of her.

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  Donna Donna Hoke Hoke.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

I have a question about the bigger story. In the examples Hal gave, those were huge bigger picture stories, but many romcoms don’t really have a story within a story. The romance is the main story and there are smaller goals that each character is trying to achieve (NOTTING HILL, MAN UP, etc.) The nature of my premise is making it very hard to come up with a huge external story because these two characters can’t know each other in close proximity to another situation because they are putting up such fronts. Once the truth is out, there can be a somewhat bigger picture but it has to be something already in play that just gets a little bigger; I don’t think it can be the main story. THoughts?

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

What I learned doing this assignment is that I have to start thinking about their story beyond the romance… they can’t exist in a bubble.

Who is She?

Charlotte Winfield. A good and giving person. She works at an animal shelter, where she has to deal with animals being put down. She works to save them and find them homes. She also does social about celebs because it allows her to worship from afar. Charlie is a woman in deep pain, good-hearted person who can only experience unrequited love because she fully believes someone who loves her will die.

Who is He?

Barnaby, a good guy masquerading as an asshole, which takes a toll on him. He has a severe heart condition that would claim his life at any time, so he’s fearful of leaving behind a woman who loves him, because he saw what his father’s death did to his mother. Ironically, he sells life insurance but he’s very bad at it.

What makes them lovable?

She cares for the animals; he cares for his mother. They do good deeds the other doesn’t see.

What attracts them to each other?

It’s physical but becomes more as they see how similar they are as they witness each other demonstrating great capacity for love.

What needs does each fulfill for the other?

Sex without emotional attachment–until it starts creeping in.

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  Donna Donna Hoke Hoke.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Donna's romcom project.
What I learned: thinking about each of these things is important!

Working title: WIDOWMAKER

Two People Who Belong Together: A woman who believes she will kill any many she loves and a man who is terrified of dying and hurting a woman who loves him

How Are They Separated: Their fears of inflicting the worst on each other

What Forces Them together: There innate connection and chemistry

Issues to be Resolved: Overcoming their fears

On Their Journey of Love: They will realize they don’t have the power to protect other people

CONVENTIONS:

Experience of Falling In Love: Resistance giving way to reality

The Journey of Love: Seeing through the facades each of them is putting up

Relationship Set-up: She picks the worst sounding man online she can find

Issues each must Resolve: Overcoming fear of inflicting pain

Separation: Once they realize they love each other, they break up.

How will Comedy be Expressed: The setup naturally lends itself to comedy because these two people are putting forward their worst selves

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  Donna Donna Hoke Hoke.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

I agree to the terms.
Donna Hoke

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Hey all! Like Tita (hi Tita!), I’ve been a playwright for a while and have had plays produced around the world. I always wanted to write a TV feature, so I started learning what I needed to learn during lockdown and my first TV feature, DEADLY WIVES CLUB, premieres this Thursday at 8:00 EDT on Lifetime. I’ve written four screenplays, two as samples that got me the thriller gig and the chance to develop a Christmas romcom that was soft greenlight but then industry contractions resulted it not being made, and the producer is now trying to find a buyer for it because they no longer make things on spec.
In this class I hope to further develop a mainstream romcom idea I have. And fun fact is I make crossword puzzles.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

I agree to the terms of this release.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Hi everyone! I’m late to the party because I was sending assignments to the concepts email! Happy to meet all of you. I’m a playwright pretty new to screenwriting. My first feature DEATH IN THE CUL-DE-SAC is due out soon but I really like writing romcoms.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

My apologies for not completing this one. My project got scuttled and I don’t want to spend hours and hours putting this into outline form when it’s a movie that’s not going to get made and doesn’t really have other outlets aside from the network is targeted for. But I learned so much throughout this and can’t wait to apply to a project that’s actually going to get developed! I’m just mourning this one a bit now. 🙁

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

I don’t think I want to add too many because there are so few characters. But I will have Peter admit he has a son, which will cast more suspicion on him.
And Axel will say something that Sasha mishears, which will make him see more innocent.

Give that these are the two main suspecs that feels like enough.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

DONNA’S CLUES:

1. MYSTERY #1:
   WHO KILLED MARIA?
   Peter was at the scene
   CLUE: Peter was on the outs with Maria; there’s no proof he was invited
   there
   Sasha was also on the outs with Peter; he’s shown to be untrustworthy
   CLUE: Maria has valuable art that disappears and Peter is broke
   CLUE: Peter lies to Sasha, revealing himself to be untrustworthy
   Peter is shown getting angry

   MYSTERY #2:
   How are Cynthia and Alan involved?
   Alan was Maria’s attorney
   Alan is Cynthia’s boss and lover
   CLUE: Cynthia is also an artist but was friendly with Maria
   A local art show is coming up and Cyn is competitive
   Cynthia acts annoyed with Alan
   Alan needs something from Maria’s house and Maria’s house was broken into

   MYSTERY #3
   Who is Elliot?
   Sasha finds letters indicating Maria had a son.
   Clue: Maria alludes to having another “child” aside from Sasha.
   Sasha thinks Peter is the son’s father
   Clue: Peter and Axel have something in common
   Axel changed his name and Peter verifies it, because he’s suspicious
   Sasha becomes more suspicious of Peter for trying to pin blame on Axel

   MYSTERY #4
   Who killed Cynthia?
   Alan was angry with her for not getting what he needed
   Clue: Alan knew she had the paintings.
   Alan and Cynthia are kind of sick of each other
   Clue: Cynthia hints at things she knows about Alan and his work
   Cynthia had Maria’s stolen artwork that Peter wanted
   Clue: It’s now missing.

   MYSTERY #5
   Is Axel the killer?
   He was new in town

Clue: He was nearby when it happened
Clue: He had access to Maria and her house
Clue: He knows more about her than he should for a person new to town
Axel means “My father is peace”
He says a weird phrase like from the Elliott letter
He throws Sasha’s phone into the woods when Peter tries to warn her

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

REVEALS:
Peter was not in touch with Maria: Peter made up a story that he’d been calling her repeatedly, but Sasha gets phone records that show he did not.
Peter had a room in town that he only checked out of when he checked into the hotel

Axel is Maria’s son:
He’s a new gardener
He knows Peter, which shows Peter was in town earlier—is Peter his dad?
He admits it straight up.

Cynthia stole Maria’s art:
Where did it go?
It was valuable and might have something to do with her death.
Peter may have taken it.

Alan and Cynthia have a secret:
They’re lovers
She’s annoyed with him
She dies

Maria left the house to Alan:
Who stands to benefit? Sasha. Can’t find the will
Alan and Cynthia scheming

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

DONNA’S TRUST MAP:

1. Make a list of the main characters.

<ul type=”disc”>

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

DONNA’S MAP:

Set-up (1): After SASHA (33), a workaholic ghostwriter, finishes her latest work, she pours a celebratory glass of wine. She watches several texts from Jaden pop up on her phone; he wants to talk about their recent breakup. She deletes them all. The phone rings: it’s MARIA (57), married to Sasha’s father until Sasha was 13, and for Sasha the closest thing to a mother she’s had. Sasha’s father, PETER (now 62) divorced Maria for another woman; more women followed, Sasha was sent to boarding school, and the father/daughter rift never healed. Meanwhile, Sasha and Maria renewed their bond years before.
Now, Sasha confides about Jaden and her inability to trust a good thing, and Maria invites Sasha to come spend two weeks at her oceanfront home, hinting at surprise; Sasha will never forgive herself if she refuses, Maria teases. Sasha reminds her stepmother that forgiveness isn’t her strong suit; she still hasn’t forgiven her father after all these years.

Catalyst: Arriving at the cottage, Sasha walks in on Peter—standing over Maria’s dead body! Swearing innocence and that someone ran as he arrived, Peter claims he’s a changed man. He’d begged Maria to let him visit, but she only recently agreed; he concludes it was to mediate a reconciliation between father and daughter. TWIST: She thinks the surprise her dad, but then Maria is dead.

Debate (20% – 30%): Skeptical Sasha calls the police, who take Peter for questioning and order him and Sasha to stay in town. “Please believe me,” Peter begs; Sasha really wants to, but trust issues keep her cautious.

Break Into Two (30%): Two nights later, police tell Sasha she may return to the house. Peter worries it might be dangerous, but Sasha needs to be amid memories of Maria while she can. She notes several of Maria’s paintings aren’t where she remembered. That night, an intruder breaks in and, startled by Sasha, pushes her aside and runs out. Sasha calls the police, who conclude a looter believed the house to be empty. When Peter expresses more concern, Sasha points out that the intruder ran away; the intent was not to harm her. She’s staying to find out what’s going on.

B Story (30% – 40%): Next day, Sasha meets Maria’s gardener, AXEL (40); they hit it off. She also meets new neighbor CYNTHIA (45)—a paralegal and Maria’s competition in local art shows. Cynthia’s boss, attorney ALAN (50), arrives to deliver paperwork to Cynthia, and tells Sasha that Maria left the house to him, and he’s eager to occupy as it’s his old family home, full of memories.

Fun and Games (40% – 50%): When police tell Sasha they’re working on a warrant to search Maria’s computer, she shares the info with Peter.
At home, Cynthia paints, then reveals Maria’s paintings stashed in a closet. Alan—now revealed to be Cynthia’s secret lover as well as boss—whines about how first the police were at Maria’s and now Sasha’s there; he can’t get in to retrieve the new deed paperwork they drew up leaving Sasha the house—and he needs to destroy it! It took years of manipulation to get Maria to leave him the house, and she betrayed him! Cynthia reveals she has a “neighbor” key; that’s how she nabbed the paintings. Alan angrily asks why she didn’t look for the paperwork and demands the key. Not liking his tone, Cynthia gives it to him, coolly warning him to be careful or they’ll think he killed Maria. Cynthia clearly has issues with Alan…
Out with Axel, Sasha shares warm memories of Maria; Axel’s childhood was the complete opposite. Axel advises reconciling with Peter; you only get one father, he says. Arriving home, Sasha discovers someone has ransacked Maria’s house; her computer is destroyed. Sasha calls her father to ask who he told about the police wanting the computer; he swears nobody but points out that somebody still wants something from Maria. But is it you? Sasha demands. “Trust me,” Peter implores.

Midpoint (50%): At Cynthia’s, Alan rants that thanks to Sasha, his whole plan is falling apart. The doorbell rings. Through the peephole, Cynthia sees Sasha and tells Alan to leave through the bedroom back door. Having had second thoughts about her father, Sasha wants to see if Cynthia knows anything that might help clear his name. Angry at Alan, Cynthia betrays him by revealing that Maria was worried about a recent diagnosis and drew up paperwork deeding the cottage to Sasha—just in case—and she has it! All it needs is Sasha’s signature. Sasha signs, and Cynthia gives her a copy and says she’ll file it tomorrow. Cynthia makes a commen about Axel being the new gardener and intimates the previous one left under mysterious circumstances. A noise sounds from the bedroom; Cynthia says it’s her cat, but Sasha concludes it’s a lover and hastily exits. While Cynthia gets cat food, somebody approaches from behind and tightens a scarf around her neck…

Bad Guys Close In (50% – 75%): TWIST: Upon questioning, Peter lies to police that he was with Sasha all afternoon. On the spot, Sasha vouches, so Peter is released, though police warn he’s still their top suspect in Maria’s death. Peter thanks Sasha for vouching even though they weren’t together the whole time, but she’s angry he put her in that position. Peter says she’s going to have to start trusting him if they’re going to repair their relationship. He heard cops talking about Maria’s shady lawyer; maybe there’s something to that? Peter’s worried about Sasha and offers to move into Maria’s house to protect her. Angry, she declines.

All is Lost (75%): Reluctantly curious about Peter’s story, Sasha searches Maria’s house for clues about her lawyer. She doesn’t find any legal paperwork but does find a stack of printed and increasingly demanding emails from Elliott Stevens asking who his father is. TWIST: Is it Peter? Sasha wonders. Convinced her father is indeed a killer, Sasha begins looking for proof that he is Elliott’s father.

Dark Night of the Soul (75% – 80%): Peter shows up at Maria’s to apologize but Sasha has no time for him; as soon as they finish their iced tea, she and Axel are going on a picnic hike. After Peter leaves, Sasha wonders to Axel if she should trust her father; what if she’s helping him get away with murder? TWIST: Peter visits his lawyer: Alan!

Break Into Three (80%): At their picnic, Axel utters a phrase that Sasha recalls from the emails; she puts two and two together and she realizes Axel is Maria’s son. TWIST: He admits it’s true; he’d been working up his nerve to tell Maria, but she was killed before he could; he’s kept quiet since because he didn’t want to make her death about him. Upset at her own situation with her father, Sasha is moved to help him have a better outcome and will help him find his father. Axel is so grateful; they hug.

On the hike, Sasha receives a text from her dad: please call me! It’s urgent! Axel asks who it is, and Sasha says nobody. Peter texts again: “Come back now!” Sasha ignores it, but sensing it’s her dad, Axel gently takes her phone and reads the texts; he says her dad is trying to trick her. While Axel holds the phone, another text arrives: “Don’t trust Axel. He’s dangerous.” He tosses the phone into the woods. “We’ll find it on the way back,” he tells a shocked Sasha. “I don’t want him ruining our date.” Weirded out, Sasha says she’s not feeling up to hiking anymore and turns to leave. Axel grabs her arm!

Finale (80% – 99%): Axel says he knew this was too good to be true. He admits Maria was his biological mother; he showed up begging Maria for information about his father, and when she refused to give it, he accidentally killed her in a fit of rage. When Cynthia confronted him about not being the gardener, he had to silence her, then he hired someone to break in and destroy the computer and its incriminating emails while they were out. He really liked Sasha, but now he’ll have to arrange a hiking “accident”; they struggle, and she is rescued by Peter! Thinking something about Axel was familiar, he had Alan ask police for a rapid DNA test using Axel’s iced tea glass; it confirmed his presence at Cynthia’s and Maria’s. Peter prayed he wasn’t too late to save his daughter.

Final Image (99% –
100%): When the dust settles, Sasha invites her dad to live at Maria’s house
and they fully reconcile. Jaden visits and proposes.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Donna’s Plot (using Save the Cat)

Set-up (1): After SASHA (33), a workaholic ghostwriter, finishes her latest work, she pours a celebratory glass of wine. She watches several texts from Jaden pop up on her phone; he wants to talk about their recent breakup. She deletes them all. The phone rings: it’s MARIA (57), married to Sasha’s father until Sasha was 13, and for Sasha the closest thing to a mother she’s had. Sasha’s father, PETER (now 62) divorced Maria for another woman; more women followed, Sasha was sent to boarding school, and the father/daughter rift never healed. Meanwhile, Sasha and Maria renewed their bond years before.
Now, Sasha confides about Jaden and her inability to trust a good thing, and Maria invites Sasha to come spend two weeks at her oceanfront home, hinting at surprise; Sasha will never forgive herself if she refuses, Maria teases. Sasha reminds her stepmother that forgiveness isn’t her strong suit; she still hasn’t forgiven her father after all these years.

Catalyst: Arriving at the cottage, Sasha walks in on Peter—standing over Maria’s dead body! Swearing innocence and that someone ran as he arrived, Peter claims he’s a changed man. He’d begged Maria to let him visit, but she only recently agreed; he concludes it was to mediate a reconciliation between father and daughter.

Debate (20% – 30%): Skeptical Sasha calls the police, who take Peter for questioning and order him and Sasha to stay in town. “Please believe me,” Peter begs; Sasha really wants to, but trust issues keep her cautious.

Break Into Two (30%): Two nights later, police tell Sasha she may return to the house. Peter worries it might be dangerous, but Sasha needs to be amid memories of Maria while she can. She notes several of Maria’s paintings aren’t where she remembered. That night, an intruder breaks in and, startled by Sasha, pushes her aside and runs out. Sasha calls the police, who conclude a looter believed the house to be empty. When Peter expresses more concern, Sasha points out that the intruder ran away; the intent was not to harm her. She’s staying to find out what’s going on.

B Story (30% – 40%): Next day, Sasha meets Maria’s gardener, AXEL (40); they hit it off. She also meets new neighbor CYNTHIA (45)—a paralegal and Maria’s competition in local art shows. Cynthia’s boss, attorney ALAN (50), arrives to deliver paperwork to Cynthia, and tells Sasha that Maria left the house to him, and he’s eager to occupy as it’s his old family home, full of memories.

Fun and Games (40% – 50%): When police tell Sasha they’re working on a warrant to search Maria’s computer, she shares the info with Peter.
At home, Cynthia paints, then reveals Maria’s paintings stashed in a closet. Alan—now revealed to be Cynthia’s secret lover as well as boss—whines about how first the police were at Maria’s and now Sasha’s there; he can’t get in to retrieve the new deed paperwork they drew up leaving Sasha the house—and he needs to destroy it! It took years of manipulation to get Maria to leave him the house, and she betrayed him! Cynthia reveals she has a “neighbor” key; that’s how she nabbed the paintings. Alan angrily asks why she didn’t look for the paperwork and demands the key. Not liking his tone, Cynthia gives it to him, coolly warning him to be careful or they’ll think he killed Maria. Cynthia clearly has issues with Alan…
Out with Axel, Sasha shares warm memories of Maria; Axel’s childhood was the complete opposite. Axel advises reconciling with Peter; you only get one father, he says. Arriving home, Sasha discovers someone has ransacked Maria’s house; her computer is destroyed. Sasha calls her father to ask who he told about the police wanting the computer; he swears nobody but points out that somebody still wants something from Maria. But is it you? Sasha demands. “Trust me,” Peter implores.

Midpoint (50%): At Cynthia’s, Alan rants that thanks to Sasha, his whole plan is falling apart. The doorbell rings. Through the peephole, Cynthia sees Sasha and tells Alan to leave through the bedroom back door. Having had second thoughts about her father, Sasha wants to see if Cynthia knows anything that might help clear his name. Angry at Alan, Cynthia betrays him by revealing that Maria was worried about a recent diagnosis and drew up paperwork deeding the cottage to Sasha—just in case—and she has it! All it needs is Sasha’s signature. Sasha signs, and Cynthia gives her a copy and says she’ll file it tomorrow. A noise sounds from the bedroom; Cynthia says it’s her cat, but Sasha concludes it’s a lover and hastily exits. While Cynthia gets cat food, somebody approaches from behind and tightens a scarf around her neck…

Bad Guys Close In (50% – 75%): Upon questioning, Peter tells police he was with Sasha all afternoon. On the spot, Sasha vouches, so Peter is released, though police warn he’s still their top suspect in Maria’s death. Peter thanks Sasha for vouching even though they weren’t together the whole time, but she’s angry he put her in that position. Peter says she’s going to have to start trusting him if they’re going to repair their relationship. He heard cops talking about Maria’s shady lawyer; maybe there’s something to that? Peter’s worried about Sasha and offers to move into Maria’s house to protect her. Angry, she declines.

All is Lost (75%): Reluctantly curious about Peter’s story, Sasha searches Maria’s house for clues about her lawyer. She doesn’t find any legal paperwork but does find a stack of printed and increasingly demanding emails from Elliott Stevens asking who his father is. Is it Peter? Sasha wonders. Convinced her father is indeed a killer, Sasha begins looking for proof that he is Elliott’s father.

Dark Night of the Soul (75% – 80%): Peter shows up at Maria’s to apologize but Sasha has no time for him; as soon as they finish their iced tea, she and Axel are going on a picnic hike. After Peter leaves, Sasha wonders to Axel if she should trust her father; what if she’s helping him get away with murder? Peter visits his lawyer: Alan!

Break Into Three (80%): At their picnic, Axel utters a phrase that Sasha recalls from the emails; she puts two and two together and she realizes Axel is Maria’s son. He admits it’s true; he’d been working up his nerve to tell Maria, but she was killed before he could; he’s kept quiet since because he didn’t want to make her death about him. Upset at her own situation with her father, Sasha is moved to help him have a better outcome and will help him find his father. Axel is so grateful; they hug.

On the hike, Sasha receives a text from her dad: please call me! It’s urgent! Axel asks who it is, and Sasha says nobody. Peter texts again: “Come back now!” Sasha ignores it, but sensing it’s her dad, Axel gently takes her phone and reads the texts; he says her dad is trying to trick her. While Axel holds the phone, another text arrives: “Don’t trust Axel. He’s dangerous.” He tosses the phone into the woods. “We’ll find it on the way back,” he tells a shocked Sasha. “I don’t want him ruining our date.” Weirded out, Sasha says she’s not feeling up to hiking anymore and turns to leave. Axel grabs her arm!

Finale (80% – 99%): Axel says he knew this was too good to be true. He admits Maria was his biological mother; he showed up begging Maria for information about his father, and when she refused to give it, he accidentally killed her in a fit of rage. When Cynthia confronted him about not being the gardener, he had to silence her, then he hired someone to break in and destroy the computer and its incriminating emails while they were out. He really liked Sasha, but now he’ll have to arrange a hiking “accident”; they struggle, and she is rescued by Peter! Thinking something about Axel was familiar, he had Alan ask police for a rapid DNA test using Axel’s iced tea glass; it confirmed his presence at Cynthia’s and Maria’s. Peter prayed he wasn’t too late to save his daughter.

Final Image (99% – 100%): When the dust settles, Sasha invites her dad to live at Maria’s house and they fully reconcile. Jaden visits and proposes.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Donna’s Life-Threatening Sequence

-Sasha stays in the murdered woman’s house so any noise is scary

-someone breaks in the first night she’s there; she continues to stay

paintings are missing from the house

-Cynthia is always watching—after Sasha visits Cynthia, she is killed

-Alan clearly wants the house and wants Sasha out soon

-Sasha gets close to both Peter and Axel
-Sasha’s locked in the basement while someone ransacks the house

-Sasha finds the gun in Maria’s drawer

-Sasha’s agent tells her someone’s been asking questions about her

-betrayal from Peter could indicate his guilt

-a tourist looks like they’re stalking the house

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Donna’s Mystery Sequence

What I learned: I love the simplicity of preventing the cover-up as reality and it’s a great tool that was fun to use. I’m not clear on what a mystery sequence is, though, so I found it a little difficult to do the assignment. I would love some kind of template to help figure these things out.

MYSTERY #1:
WHO KILLED MARIA?
Peter was at the scene
Peter was on the outs with Maria; there’s no proof he was invited there
Sasha was also on the outs with Peter; he’s shown to be untrustworthy
Maria has valuable art that disappears and Peter is broke
Peter lies to Sasha, revealing himself to be untrustworthy
Peter is shown getting angry

MYSTERY #2:
How are Cynthia and Alan involved?
Alan was Maria’s attorney
Alan is Cynthia’s boss and lover
Cynthia is also an artist but was friendly with Maria
A local art show is coming up and Cyn is competitive
Cynthia acts annoyed with Alan
Alan needs something from Maria’s house and Maria’s house was broken into

MYSTERY #3
Who is Elliot?
Sasha finds letters indicating Maria had a son.
Sasha thinks Peter is the son’s father
Axel changed his name and Peter verifies it, because he’s suspicious
Sasha becomes more suspicious of Peter for trying to pin blame on Axel

MYSTERY #4
Who killed Cynthia?
Alan was angry with her for not getting what he needed
Alan and Cynthia are kind of sick of each other
Cynthia had Maria’s stolen artwork that Peter wanted

MYSTERY #5
Is Axel the killer?
He was new in town
He had access to Maria and her house
Axel means “My father is peace”
He says a weird phrase like from the Elliott letter
He throws Sasha’s phone into the woods when Peter tries to warn her

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

What I learned: There are more ways to take the heat off the villain if he’s more devious.

<b style=”background-color: var(–bb-content-background-color); font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; color: var(–bb-body-text-color);”>What is the end goal?

To find out who his bio dad is, even after he kills Maria—because it brings Maria’s ex and stepdaughter to town and he can use them to find things out, if he can keep his involvement in Maria’s murder a secret.

How can the Villain accomplish that in a devious way?
He romances Sasha, while also appearing to defend her dad, while at the same time trying to keep the heat on Peter for the murder

How can they cover it up?
He had positioned himself as Maria’s gardener, so he had reason to be there.

Sequence
Get hired as Maria’s gardener, try to get close to her.
Finally confront her, but she refuses to give info. He accidentally kills her.
Try to pin the murder on Peter, while romancing Sasha to get information.
Offer to help the police with their investigation
Make Sasha feel loved once he hears her history
Pretend to have been attacked while with Sasha to get her sympathy and help
Kill Cynthia and make it look Peter is after the art, which is revealed to be worth a lot of money

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Anybody else a little upset that ALL classes are now being offered for $79/month and that includes instant feedback on all the assignments? Feel like that offer could have waited until we weren’t literally in the middle of a class that cost more than that for less.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Is there a way we can attach our work to show our results for SILENCE?

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

So I’m halfway through SILENCE and while I can identify the elements, I’m having trouble determining the difference between the mystery and the intrigue. Has anybody come up with a neat way to differentiate between the two?

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Just finished BASIC INSTINCT and apologize in advance that I will likely not finish SILENCE over the weekend as its jammed with birthday stuff for my daughters. I will catch up on Monday.

My biggest takeaways from BI:
*intriguing dialogue makes for intrigue and increases suspense even when there isn’t any
*the top suspects continually throw shade on the other suspects so you can never be too sure. This was a BIG one for me
*It works well when all suspects are all somehow related, even if those connections don’t necessarily point to a killer. It increases suspicion and raises tension throughout
*Surprise increases tension, even if it’s innocuous

What I didn’t like were all the red herrings that didn’t add up to anything (and if I missed answers to these things, let me know):
*Nick goes back to being a drinker and smoker, which added to intrigue but ultimately meant Catherine did put him back on a self-destructive path–why did she want to do that?
*How did Catherine know all the things she knew about Nick, including what his wife called him?
*What was the $50,000 about?
*Curious when Beth decided to use a gun and when she decided to use an icepick as that inconsistency made it very easy to cast doubt elsewhere

STRAY THOUGHTS
*Who uses icepicks in real life lol? But Catherine and Nick both do
*Re: Beth, the cape is “her size” lol. Like they’re not basically one size fits all
*Are we supposed to think that Roxy didn’t try to kill Catherine’s other men because she could tell what she had with Nick was different?
*What was Beth’s actual revenge plot–kill everyone Catherine loved? Did she also kill her parents?? And if so, why didn’t she try to kill Nick? Or Roxy? One could argue she only followed the books except Manny did not.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Logline: Sasha and stepmom Maria plans an overdue catch-up at Maria’s oceanfront home, but when Sasha arrives, she finds her estranged father, Peter, standing over Maria’s dead body. Determined to uncover the reason for Maria’s murder, Sasha puts herself in the path of danger.

Big Mystery: Who killed Maria and what is someone still looking for?

Big Intrigue: Brendan gets close to Sasha hoping to find out who his father is

Big
Suspense: Brendan wants to use Sasha to get information
while keeping secret the fact that he killed Maria; to do this, he continues to
implicate other people, including Sasha’s father, Peter.

2. Tell us the Intriguing World you have selected for this story.

An exclusive oceanfront town that is the site of a high-end juried artshow.

3. With your top 2 or 3 characters, tell us the role they play and then answer these three questions:

Sasha:

<ul type=”disc”>

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Donna’s MIS:

Logline: Sasha and stepmom Maria plans an overdue catch-up at Maria’s oceanfront home, but when Sasha arrives, she finds her estranged father, Peter, standing over Maria’s dead body. Determined to uncover the reason for Maria’s murder, Sasha puts herself in the path of danger.

Big Mystery: Who killed Maria and what is someone still looking for?

Big Intrigue: Brendan gets close to Sasha hoping to find out who his father is

Big
Suspense: Brendan wants to use Sasha to get information while
keeping secret the fact that he killed Maria; to do this, he continues to implicate
other people, including Sasha’s father, Peter.

. What are the conventions of your story?

<ul type=”disc”>

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

A. What is their Character Profile?

Role: Protagonist

Traits: Black/white, right/wrong thinking, can’t take chances, family above all.

Fears: Losing family

Wants/Needs: to protect at all costs

Likability/Rooting factors: Stands up for what’s right

How they react under stress: Denies it, eats it/eats cadbury mini eggs/smokes

Relationship with other characters: Increasing closeness that ups the stakes and twists the screws

B. What is their Character Journey for this story?

Character Intro: Introduced arguing with deli clerk over a black/white issue

Denial: Has nothin to do with it, coincidence

Their reaction at first horror: Denial, so close to home, a little shaken, she was just in there

Relation to group after first horror:

How they fight back: eats/stress

End Point:

What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience?

A. What is their Character Profile?

Role: Husband Protagonist

Traits: Easygoing, sports coach, fearless

Fears: His wife’s job

Wants/Needs: to protect at all costs

Likability/Rooting factors: Just all-around good guy

How they react under stress: Works out

Relationship with other characters: Doesn’t know them

B. What is their Character Journey for this story?

Character Intro: Being supportive of his wife after first death

Denial: Worry, compartmentalization

Their reaction at first horror: Fear for his wife, buy new locks

Relation to group after first horror:

How they fight back: Fights to the death and tells his wife to keep fighting

End Point: Dead

What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience?

Sometimes maintaining a belief is really hard

A. What is their Character Profile?

Role: Daughter Protagonist

Traits: Teen traits, parents are heros

Fears: Not being accepted

Wants/Needs: to live her life without being the center of her parents’ lives’ attention

Likability/Rooting factors: she loves her parents

How they react under stress: Gets high

Relationship with other characters: loves her parents but wants healthy distance

B. What is their Character Journey for this story? She loses both her parents, in effect

Character Intro: Day of deli clerk killing, has better things to worry about

Denial: sucks, but not her fault

Their reaction at first horror: too much attention on her, doesn’t like it

Relation to group after first horror:

How they fight back: edibles

End Point: safe, but life forever c hanged

What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience?

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

I OWN YOU

1. Knowing your concept, fill in one or two sentences for each of the plot points.

ACT 1 — SET UP FOR HORROR

MONSTER REVEAL: WE SEE FIRST SCENE THROUGH MONSTER POV

• Atmosphere of Evil established: Kenny Keller gets angry with a deli clerk. She leaves; he goes about his business when a man enters, good-looking, charming–but something’s off.

HORROR SITUATION: When the last customer leaves the store, man brandishes a knife and forces clerk into back room.

REACTION: FIGHT, but he loses

Connect with the characters: Kenny Keller is at work when she notices commotion outside her window. She goes outside and finds out that that deli owner “committed suicide.” Somebody is still watching. In the melee, somebody shoves a note into Kenny’s hand: “It wasn’t a suicide and it’s your fault.” She’s freaked out, but convinces herself the note wasn’t meant for her. But then she feels like she has to go to the police. She does, but the cop doesn’t feel there’s much to go on.

HORROR SITUATION: the cop is killed (gross horror). Message: Don’t try that again.

REACTION: More denial, but at the same time… she can’t really go back to the cops, can she?

Safety taken away – She’s learned she can’t talk to anybody about this or who knows what will happen? she asks what she needs to do?

• Monster: The nature of the beast. – the killer tells her she needs to kill someone herself.

MONSTER REVEAL: See monster watching his family from afar

HORROR SITUATION: Nightmares about her family

REACTION: She needs to solve this because she certainly can’t kill someone.

ACT 2 — THE POINT OF NO RETURN

• Isolated / Trapped / Abducted –now she can’t talk to anyone but needs to figure this out herself.

• One of us killed – Freaked out and on edge, Kenny fires her assistant—

HORROR SITUATION: She finds the dead body at her house.

HIDE: Now she looks guilty and has to bury the body because nobody will believe it wasn’t her.

MIDPOINT: The monster is worse than we thought!

MONSTER REVEAL: Monster records the evidence.

• Full pursuit by the killer – what do they want?! They told her: kill someone. Kenny can’t do it and when she has a fight with her husband, she totally freaks out and sends him out of town for his own safety. But the killer knows where he is, so she fake kills someone

HORROR SITUATION: Her husband is found and killed.

MONSTER REVEAL: SHe finds the recording devices in her home.

REACTION: ESCAPE. She grabs her daughter and leaves town.

ACT 3 — FULL OUT HORROR

• Fight to the death – Kenny knows nobody in her life is safe. What can she do? She sneaks into the hospital and pulls the plug on a terminal patient.

HORROR SITUATION: Her daughter is kidnapped. Full on hysteria.

MONSTER REVEAL: She realizes how it is because of “I own you” tag

FIGHT: She figures out who it is and kills him. She is arrested.

• Death returns to take one or more – she is arrested.

• Resolution: Her daughter visits her as she awaits trial

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

I’m finding mine is also a combo of thriller and horror. If you’re choosing, the bride one seems more this model.

I can’t reply to you on Lesson 4 for some reason, but no, Kenny is not the killer. She’s being tortured by a man she got put away for murder who thinks he had a very justifiable reason for doing it but being jailed ruined his life.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Character Death 1: DELI CLERK

Why: KENNY yelled at him

How: Apparent suicide

Character Death 2:

Why: Because Kenny went to them

How: tortured and then eyeballs gouged out; video sent to Kenny

Character Death 3: Kenny’s husband

Why: She had a fight with him

How: Tortured in front of her, head bashed against a wall while he screams her name

Character Death 4: Hospital patient

Why: Kenny tries to fulfill the promise

How: She pulls the plug but its gasping and horrible and patients lunges at her

Character Death 5: The monster

Why: Kenny fulfills her promise

How: No sure yet but monstrous

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

ACT 1 — SET UP FOR HORROR

• Atmosphere of Evil established: Kenny Keller gets angry with a deli clerk. She leaves; he goes about his business when a man enters, good-looking, charming–but something’s off.

HORROR SITUATION: When the last customer leaves the store, man brandishes a knife and forces clerk into back room.

REACTION: FIGHT, but he loses

Connect with the characters: Kenny Keller is at work when she notices commotion outside her window. She goes outside and finds out that that deli owner “committed suicide.” Somebody is still watching. In the melee, somebody shoves a note into Kenny’s hand: “It wasn’t a suicide and it’s your fault.” She’s freaked out, but convinces herself the note wasn’t meant for her. But then she feels like she has to go to the police. She does, but the cop doesn’t feel there’s much to go on.

HORROR SITUATION: the cop is killed (gross horror). Message: Don’t try that again.

REACTION: More denial, but at the same time… she can’t really go back to the cops, can she?

Safety taken away – She’s learned she can’t talk to anybody about this or who knows what will happen? she asks what she needs to do?

• Monster: The nature of the beast. – the killer tells her she needs to kill someone herself.

HORROR SITUATION: Nightmares about her family

REACTION: She needs to solve this because she certainly can’t kill someone.

ACT 2 — THE POINT OF NO RETURN

• Isolated / Trapped / Abducted –now she can’t talk to anyone but needs to figure this out herself.

• One of us killed – Freaked out and on edge, Kenny fires her assistant—

HORROR SITUATION: She finds the dead body at her house.

HIDE: Now she looks guilty and has to bury the body because nobody will believe it wasn’t her.

MIDPOINT: The monster is worse than we thought!

• Full pursuit by the killer – what do they want?! They told her: kill someone. Kenny can’t do it and when she has a fight with her husband, she totally freaks out and sends him out of town for his own safety. But the killer knows where he is, so she fake kills someone

HORROR SITUATION: Her husband is found and killed.

REACTION: ESCAPE. She grabs her daughter and leaves town.

ACT 3 — FULL OUT HORROR

• Fight to the death – Kenny knows nobody in her life is safe. What can she do? She sneaks into the hospital and pulls the plug on a terminal patient.

HORROR SITUATION: Her daughter is kidnapped. Full on hysteria.

FIGHT: She figures out who it is and kills him. She is arrested.

• Death returns to take one or more – she is arrested.

• Resolution: Her daughter visits her as she awaits trial.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

ACT 1 — SET UP FOR HORROR

Atmosphere of Evil established – Kenny Keller, an attorney, gets in an argument with a deli clerk and later learns they committed suicide. Kenny receives a note saying it wasn’t a suicide and it won’t be the first if Kenny isn’t careful.

Connect with the characters—Kenny is freaked out. We feel for her. She wants to go to the police. She does but the cop doesn’t feel there’s much to go on. That night, the cop is found dead.

The characters are warned not to do it. —

Denial of Horror – Kenny is convinced it’s a coincidence, but at the same time… she can’t really go back to the cops can she?

Safety taken away – She’s learned she can’t talk to anybody about this or who knows what will happen? she asks what she needs to do?

Monster: The nature of the beast. – the killer tells her she needs to kill someone herself.

ACT 2 — THE POINT OF NO RETURN

Isolated / Trapped / Abducted –now she can’t talk to anyone but needs to figure this out herself.

One of us killed – Freaked out and on edge, Kenny fires her assistant—who is later found dead.

MIDPOINT: The monster is worse than we thought!

Full pursuit by the killer – what do they want?! They told her: kill someone. Kenny can’t do it and when she has a fight with her husband, she totally freaks out and sends him out of town for his own safety. But the killer knows where he is, so she fake kills someone

Terrorized – and her husband is killed.

ACT 3 — FULL OUT HORROR

Fight to the death – Kenny knows nobody in her life is safe. What can she do? She sneaks into the hospital and pulls the plug on a terminal patient.

Hysteria – She’s told she cheated, and now the killer has her daughter. And Kenny has one hour or she’ll never see her again.

The thrilling escape from death – She finally kills a homelss person on the street out of terror, fear, and rage.

Death returns to take one or more – she is arrested.

Resolution: Her daughter visits her as she awaits trial.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by  cheryl croasmun. Reason: Removed HTML tags so others can post

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

1. Tell us your Concept and the Group you have chosen.
Group of associates of Kenny Keller, attorney

2. Tell us the Dying Pattern of this movie.
Kenny’s interactions with these people cause their deaths

3. Give us an Identity and a sentence for each character that makes up your group.
Deli clerk; Random
Cop: Because she told him
Assistant: Getting closer
Husband: The final threat
Then daughter is threatened

4. Answer the question “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” and put it at the top of your work.
It’s better to have a plan!

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

• How does the monster terrorize?
  by killing people close to the MC’s life
• How does the monster pursue?
  by continuing to do so
• How does the monster isolate?
  by threatening her family if she tells anyone
• What is the terrible thing they do?
  Kills people close the MC
• How does the monster cause death?
  In any number of gruesome ways
• What makes this inescapable?
  The threat to her immediate family

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Is it too extreme to put a pregnant woman in danger in a horror? Most of the ones I’ve seen/read about involve the baby as the monster. Is there a taboo about this?

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Hi! I’m Donna. I’m a career playwright who’s been migrating into screenwriting. I’ve written 28 full-length plays and more than three dozen short ones. I’ve written four screenplays: three holiday romcoms and a thriller that’s currently in post-production called THE WIVES CLUB. And now I want to learn to write horror! Interesting fact: I make crossword puzzles.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

“I agree to the terms of this release form.”

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Yes, her backstory will be revealed, but it’s already happened at the point where we join her. Setting this type of story inside a big adventure thing or something like that doesn’t feel right, but it seems like that’s what Hal is saying is the new model, a romcom inside another genre, whereas I see this as being more like NOTTING HILL or MAN UP, where yes, they have lives beyond the romance, but they’re not in the middle of some huge plot, you know? Is he saying people aren’t writing things like that anymore? I mean, I guess if you look at Hallmark romances, there is always a bigger story but it’s like save the old museum or find homes for these kittens… I’m just having a hard time coming up with something that fits that also allows room for their individual stories.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

I got the feeling they started sleeping together once he was in therapy– so unprofessional and should have been a red flag about her. But also everyone in the department seemed to know about it so why did they keep her on staff AND keep sending him back to her??

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

THE RING

Concept: if you watch a certain video, you will die in seven days
Terrorization: weird sounds, hallucinations, feat of imminent death
Isolation: Not so much. She was working with someone
Death: Just the four to start (and we only see one), and one at the end
Monster: The undead Samara
High Tension: the ticking clock
Departure from reality: The whole thing. I have too many questions…
Moral statement: Don’t neglect your children

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Right, but the pregnant woman wasn’t terrorized.