fandomhigh | Film and Lit, 3/22/07

"Right. Today we're going to look at one more source of movie inspiration before we really start buckling down into the literature: amusement park rides." Daisy shrugged with a 'what can you do?' look. "Now, it used to be that the people who made movies were more creative than that, but what can you do? There are two rides-into-movies in particular that we're going to look at today: Buccaneers of the Sea Not Entirely Unlike the Caribbean, which I think one the award for most unweildly title when it launched a whole movie franchise, and the Spooky Rich-house, which didn't do nearly as well in the theaters."

Daisy handed out a few information sheets on the rides. "We've got clips from both up here to take a look at. Now, what I want you to do is a bit of comparison. Why do you think that Buccaneers did so much better than Spooky Rich-house? What elements did one movie have that the other didn't? And of course, there's the usual question of how they turned the rides into the movies. I'd also like you to think about any other rides that might work this way, and how you would go about putting together a movie about them. And I'm still hoping for some interesting ideas for a final project."

[ooc: OCD is ~~coming~~ up. Have at ye! As always, please meta. Links are to Wiki and IMDb.]

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"Can you give any examples on the special effects? And wasn't Johnny's character based on a real person?"

"Sure, Davey Jones ~~or whatever meta you wish~~ in the new movie," Zero said. "There's a website where they show how they went from the actor just standing there doing his lines to tentacles an' all that. An' yeah, I think there was a real pirate with the same name, but there's not any evidence he was anything like the character in the movie. That's all Johnny Depp. And Johnny Depp in eyeliner?" Zero added, pointing to Weiss and nodding agreeement. "Sells."

"I was going for more the 'based on a rock star' aspect of Johnny's performance, but you've made very good points, otherwise." Daisy gave both Zero and Weiss a slightly skeptical nod. "And Johnny is a very good looking, if slightly girly, man, but he's far too devoted to his little family, so alas, any fantasies are going to have to remain fantasies."

There's a possibility that Daisy is talking from experience on that last part.

"S'all fantasy, though, really. None of us really stand a chance with Orlando Bloom or any of 'em, we just like to pretend. An' maybe he was a little girly, but apparently a vaguely gay drunk French pirate in eyeliner was 'zackly what women were looking for in a bad boy. Who'da thought?"

". . . some people," Daisy allowed.

She didn't elaborate on whether she meant that some people were looking for a vaguely gay drunk French pirate in eyeliner or some people didn't stand a chance with Orlando Bloom.

"What about the rides then? Do you think they have had anything to do with the movies' success or lack there of?"

Zero shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe, in that, 'Disney's making a movie out of a ride? Are they crazy?' way where people wanted to see it to get the real swoo. But there's gotta be more to it than that or one wouldn't've done just all right while the other one's a smash hit."

Daisy nodded, though her brow wrinkled delicately in confusion. "I'm sorry, did you say 'swoo'?"

"Yes," Zero said innocently.

"Swoo," Daisy repeated. "Really, there are countless perfectly good slang words scattered throughout history just waiting for a come back. Why make up new ones?"

"'Coz I hargully well plunk it."

Daisy gave a long suffering sigh and let it go.

Film and Lit, 3/22/07

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