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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With either a pirate name or a ghostly name.

Chat. Eat popcorn. Nap. Or possibly even listen to the lecture and watch the movie clips. . . .

Why did Buccaneers launch a trilogy and a phenomenon while Spooky Rich-house is mostly forgotten about?

What ride would you make a movie of?

Has Hollywood lost its creative ability?

She'll listen, but she might really be thinking that you need a whole new wardrobe.

So, next week, I'm thinking Lord of the Rings. If I can manage to remember what the meta for that is. . . .

I think it's King of the Bracelets (http://fandomhigh.arborum.net/index.php/Lord_of_the_Rings)?

I can't remember the meta names for the life of me, though.

The Dread Pirate Rainbowhair

Black Eye Gilmore of the Baltic Sea

"It's not the rides themselves, it's how they were handled for the movie. Spooky Rich-house has Eddie Murphy, while Buccaneers has Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom," Zero said. "An' Buccaneers doesn' take itself too seriously, and has flashy battles and award-winning special effects. Spooky Rich-house...not so much."

The Haunting of Eric Weiss.

"I had a girlfriend back home who had a theory about this. Johnny Depp in eyeliner. That's why Buccaneers is a billion-dollar franchise."

"Now that is an interesting theory, Eric. But personally I find men far more physically attractive when they're not wearing excessive make-up. What if Eddie Murphy put on a bit of lipstick, would that have helped Spooky Rich-house?"

"So you're saying that the Buccaneers movie was prettier? Or was it actually innovative?"

Nova-Death of a Star ~~very bad jokes~~

"Well, it was definitely prettier, an' pretty always sells. But there were definitely some innovations--technical innovations, for one, again with the special effects. An' really, no one had ever seen a character like Johnny Depp's before."

"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.

Captain Lang of the Giant Isles

"The funny thing?" Cassie said. "Is that Spooky Rich-house is a much cooler ride."

Black Hamlet, first mate of the HMS Denmark

Jayebeard the Pirate

Captain Zack

Bloody Broots

"Because it had hot guys in it for the girls, and large amounts of adventure like stuff for the guys."

"Um, I missed class because of a family emergency."

Daisy gave Broots a bit of a blank look before nodding. "Right, thanks for telling me."

It's possible she never noticed that Broots wasn't there, not that she'd tell him that.

Film and Lit, 3/22/07

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