Film School

I'm Spartacus! No, I'm Spartacus! No...WE are SpartacALLofus! :) We hit our second sword-and-sandal epic of the late 50s / early 60s. This one is directed by a very young Stanley Kubrick and stars Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier. Sweeping vistas. Epic battles. Scheming Romans. Over three hours? This one has it all. Let's see what all the fuss is about!

Our deep dive into the story content genres continues with what might be THE MOST important, ubiquitous internal genre in human history: the Worldview story. It's the foundation of the Hero's Journey from the *character's* point of view, and it's the foundation of many (if not most) character arcs in life and in fiction. After all...stories are about change, aren't they? Roll up your sleeves, and let's dig in!

Considered by many the greatest film of the Silent Era, Sunrise is a German Expressionist poem of a marriage on the rocks. It brings the visuals, helter-skelter sets, melodramatic performances, a sweeping score, and symbolism galore. It's the first silent film on the AFI's top 100, and it's this week on Film School!

I'm the King of the World! This week, we dive into James Cameron's epic-in-the-classic-movie-sense love story. It made both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet a star, and it features one of the most spectacular disaster sequences ever put to film. But does the spectacle hold up? Is the love story an eye-rolling tear-jerker for teenage girls? DID JOSH AND IRA CRY??? Find out, this week on Film School...

Josh and Ira take a deep dive into the Action Story Genre. What makes an Action Story? And how similar is it to the Hero's Journey...or perhaps even the SAME THING? We go deep, this week on the Cutting Room Floor!

1960s counterculture gets its definitive film in '69's "Easy Rider." It was a breakout film for Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda, and written and directed by Dennis Hopper...at least that's what Hopper would have the world BELIEVE! It's all about dudes, bikes, and the open road. Groovy, man. Groovy.

Genre. It's the absolute #1 MOST IMPORTANT THING you can ever decide for your story. It informs eevveerrryyyything else. So...what IS genre, then? And WHY is it the most important thing for storytelling? Josh and Ira go over the 5-leaf clover of Genre today on the Cutting Room Floor.Here's a link to the Story Grid website article talking about Genre's Five Leaf Clover: https://storygrid.com/genrefiveleafclover/

You can't'a fool me. There ain't no Sanity Clause! The Marx Brothers kick off their tenure of pictures at MGM with this zany musical comedy that features such classic scenes as the Stateroom Cabin, and the Contract Scene between Groucho and Chico. One of the funniest, silliest movies of the era. Enjoy!

This week, Josh and Ira discuss the tools and techniques they use to find new ideas, and how they keep their inspiration going during the day-to-day grind. Where do you get your best ideas?!

Tom Berenger IS reality, folks. At least he is in Oliver Stone's intense, over the top, disturbing take on Vietnam which was released in 1986. The 80s, man; where more was more and the cocaine and steroids were flowing. The cast in this one is rather astounding, including Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Johnny Depp, Forrest Whitaker, Keith David, Kevin Dillon, and many, many more. War is hell. Especially in the Platoon.