Seniors Creative Writing Blog # 3: Cheesy Movie Dialogue (due Friday 10-23)
Complete before Friday's (10-23) class:
I'll proudly pronounce that no melted real cheese tastes better than Velveeta, the processed food substitute that to me, out cheeses the real thing. You could slop on that velvety yellow goo on anything, even broccoli, and you'll get my taste buds standing at attention. Put it on a Geno's cheese steak in South Philly, and well, my buds are marching while my jaws are munching.
My plebeian, if not bad, taste, does not begin and end with food. Quote Shakespeare if you want to impress the OTHER English teachers 'round here; I'm a sucker for a cheesy movie line. The cheesy movie line, like its Velveeta counterpart, isn't so REAL, but boy is it so GOOOOOOD.
Come on. Admit it. When you're watching a movie for the umpteeth time, you patiently wait for your favorite cheesy bits of dialogue as you smile, or roll on the floor in hysterics, or maybe even grow sad for a moment, or pump your fist with emotion. It doesn't matter that the lines seem so unrealistic, so contrived, so "cheesy." They're infinitely satisfying.
So you say you need some examples? Well, from my era, I've got ...
"No one puts Baby in the corner!" (Patrick Swayze says this to Baby's dad in Dirty Dancing) Swayze continues to heap on the sauce: "I do the last dance every year, and I'm going to do it again this year. Except I'm going to do it my way." Swayze has fallen in love with the young city rich girl and now wants to protect her.
"I'm the King of the World." (Leonardo DiCaprio in The Titanic) This is Leo's cry to show his love Rose that even a poor cabin boy can dream big dreams.
I'll proudly pronounce that no melted real cheese tastes better than Velveeta, the processed food substitute that to me, out cheeses the real thing. You could slop on that velvety yellow goo on anything, even broccoli, and you'll get my taste buds standing at attention. Put it on a Geno's cheese steak in South Philly, and well, my buds are marching while my jaws are munching.
My plebeian, if not bad, taste, does not begin and end with food. Quote Shakespeare if you want to impress the OTHER English teachers 'round here; I'm a sucker for a cheesy movie line. The cheesy movie line, like its Velveeta counterpart, isn't so REAL, but boy is it so GOOOOOOD.
Come on. Admit it. When you're watching a movie for the umpteeth time, you patiently wait for your favorite cheesy bits of dialogue as you smile, or roll on the floor in hysterics, or maybe even grow sad for a moment, or pump your fist with emotion. It doesn't matter that the lines seem so unrealistic, so contrived, so "cheesy." They're infinitely satisfying.
So you say you need some examples? Well, from my era, I've got ...
"No one puts Baby in the corner!" (Patrick Swayze says this to Baby's dad in Dirty Dancing) Swayze continues to heap on the sauce: "I do the last dance every year, and I'm going to do it again this year. Except I'm going to do it my way." Swayze has fallen in love with the young city rich girl and now wants to protect her.
"I'm the King of the World." (Leonardo DiCaprio in The Titanic) This is Leo's cry to show his love Rose that even a poor cabin boy can dream big dreams.
Even so-called "real" mobster movies aren't exempt. In The Godfather, for example, a chubby hit man by the name of Clemenza blows out someone's brains and then instructs his gang, "Leave the gun, take the cannolis" (an Italian dessert pictured above). The line shows the mobster's callousness and lack of compassion. Who could eat after killing someone? Clemenza could.
Dialogue in movies, drama, and prose, for that matter, isn't always very realistic. That's the great illusion. No one WE know would ever talk as they do in the movies, or even as they do in novels, but given the boring alternative, we also know that we want our characters to talk EXACTLY as they do.
Good dialogue may sometimes get a little cheesy, but at least it is NOT ordinary. To me, the trick is to write extraordinary, fascinating, or at least, interesting dialogue, and make it SEEM entirely natural for the situation. The pros, in any profession, make the difficult look easy: Steph Curry hits a three pointer as Luciano Pavorotti used to hit the high notes--with ease.
So when you read a novel or story, watch drama, film, or TV, listen carefully to the dialogue and then think about its purpose within its scene. Dialogue can create character, conflict, dramatic tension, move the plot along, or make us laugh, cry, and get angry. It sounds real although we know it's completed fabricated.
Assignment: Write about your favorite movie lines, their cinematic origins, their speakers, and then explain why you love them so much in 200 words or more. Focus on how each movie line "works" effectively within the movie. I would think that if you came up with a list of your TEN favorite lines complete with 20-30 word explanations, then you would have completed the assignment.
Here's a link to someone's 100 Best Movie lines if you need some help.
posted by JTF @ 9:22 AM
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10 Comments:
"Don't die, I'll get you water. Stay there. Don't move, I'll get you water. Don't die until later." Tuco says this line in the movie "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly." A man is dying but holds information that Tuco needs. He is trying to keep the man alive until the dying man gives him the information that he wants. "Keep on, Keepin' on." This movie line is from the Movie Joe Dirt. He is having a hard time and he keeps telling himself that he need to keep on going. He will have his life take it where is needs to go. "Scared? Scared of your ugly face!" Mudflap says this line in the movie "Transformers:Revenge of the Fallen." He is starting a fight with his twin brother right when they are about to get attacked by a robot. Who doesn't fight with his or her brother and sister like that. Throughout the movie the two twins bicker about everything but when either of them are in need they will not stand down. They always have each others' backs. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets Ron says "Spiders! I don't like spiders." Who does like spiders? They come and attack you and watching Ron's reactions are priceless. "Well, he should have some chocolate, at the very least."Professor Lupin says this to Harry after he was just attacked by a dementor in the Prisoner of Azkaban. He tries to make a serious situation into a less serious one. Throughout the movie of Fast Five all people are sent on different missions to get the things they need to pull of the job. When Dom sends Han to get the finger prints of the man, Gisele says "You don't need to send a man to do a woman's job." It's snarky and the perfect thing to say at that period of time, because its true. In the movie Fast Five Rico Tego and Rico go on a job together as usual. They bicker about everything but the Tego says "Why you gotta be so negative?" and Rico says "I'm not being negative. I'm just positive you're gonna mess up." The two bicker like a married couple but they always have something snarky to say back and forth to each other. The movie Frozen is a cute little kids movie but the message behind it is a good lesson and it is a good laugh for older kids. When Olaf receives his nose, he gets super excited because he is able to smell. He says "Oh, I love it. It's so cute. It like a little baby unicorn." He is so happy to have something different and be so proud of his body. In the movie Grumpier Old Men Max and John keep trying to sabotage the new restaurant because it took the place of their of bait shop. While sabotaging the restaurant they sit and watch and Maria comes out to dump a big pot of spaghetti sauce on them. After that happens Max looks at John and says " Do you think we should ask her for some garlic bread?" It was perfect timing and they just giggled at each other. It was the perfect thing to say right after what had happened. "Eat my shorts," is said in Grumpier Old Men when John puts all the snow he plowed out and made Max snowed in. They just bicker and bicker about everything. "Why so serious?" is said by the joker in Batman. He tries to make things a big joke to him when everything he does is very serious. He does all these crimes and he tries to make it into a big joke about how nothing should be serious. Everyone thinks everything is a big deal.
In The Dark Knight Rises, James Golden ask Batman when Batman decides to risk his own life to save the city by taking a bomb away, “I never cared who you were, but shouldn't the people know the hero who saved them?” Batman answers, “A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know the world hadn't ended. My favorite line is from The Dark Knight Rises, it is moving because nobody knew that whether Bruce Wayne can come back or not. He risked his life to save this city and all he wanted was building hope in people and younger generation’s hearts. Everyone can be hero by doing simple things. Batman becomes a symbol of hope and hero in people’s minds.
In Man of Steel, Lois Lane asked, “What's the "S" stand for?” And Superman said: “It's not an ’S'. On my world it means ‘Hope’.” Superman is not only a superhero, but also a symbol of hope. Sometimes, people really need hope, because it is powerful.
In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy said: “Hope.” Red said: “Hope? Let me tell you something, my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane. It's got no use on the inside. You'd better get used to that idea.” For people in prison, the idea of hope is not practical. Too much hope can drive a man in prison crazy.
In The Truman Show, before leaving, Truman asked: “Was nothing real?” And Christof said: “You were real. That's what made you so good to watch.” I like this because I cannot imagine how much thoughts and ideas in Truman’s mind when he asks Christof that question.
In The Hunger Games, President Snow said: “Hope, it is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous. A spark is fine, as long as it's contained” The president is an expert at controlling people’s mind. But this suggest what is going to happen next. The spark cannot be contained.
In Divergent, Tris said: “We're like the Factionless now. We've left everything behind, but we found ourselves and each other.” This is end of the movie and the beginning of their new life. People are afraid of those who are different from them.
In The Avengers, Steve Rogers said: “Stark, we need a plan of attack!” And Tony Stark said: “I have a plan: attack!” It is very funny because the Captain America always makes plans before doing anything and Iron man is not as thoughtful as his teammate in the Avengers.
In Kung Fu Panda, Oogway said: “There are no accidents.” There are no accidents, so there is always a reason for thing happens to you. It is important to believe in yourself.
In How to train your dragon, Hiccup introduced himself: “My name's Hiccup. Great name, I know, but it's not the worst. Parents believe a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls. Like our charming Viking demeanor wouldn't do that.” This is the start of movie and it is funny because it is Hiccup’s self-mockery and he is sigh about his sorrow life..
In Penguins of Madagascar, Skipper said after they defeat Dave who is their enemy, “If there's anything we've learned from this delightful adventure, Kowalski, it's that looks don’t matter. It’s what you do that counts.” During their battle with Dave, the Penguins found out how important Private is who used be thought as only a cute mascot.
The Graduate: one of the most critically acclaimed and criticized movies of all time. It was acclaimed for its relatability to the first steps of a person directly out of college and criticized for its bold story line. Dustin Hoffman plays Benjamin Braddock, a recent college grad who doesn’t know what to do with his life. He finds himself being overwhelmed with all that is going on. Because this movie hit theaters in 1967, no one had really come out openly in the media world and said “Hey, where do I go from here?” until this film. Not only did this movie have memorable scenes and lines but it had a great soundtrack. This movie also has one of my favorite lines of all time. The line sort of sums up the whole theme of the film. Dustin Hoffman says, “It’s like I was playing some kind of game, but the rules don’t make any sense to me. They’re being made up by all the wrong people. I mean no one makes them up. They seem to make themselves up.” This line is still relatable today and that’s why I love it so much. A lot of “rules” that society follows are never really made up by people, they are just followed.
I can’t even count how many movies I have seen and loved throughout my life. I speak in movie quotes all the time. One of my favorite quotes is from Bridesmaids. One of the main characters, Megan, says, "I don't associate with people who blame the world for their problems. You are your problem. You are also your solution." This line is very inspirational to me because many people in this world try to blame everything and everyone except themselves. Whenever there is a problem in your life you need to start to look at yourself and see what you can do to fix your problem. Another one of my favorite movie quotes is by Buddy in Elf, “So good news….I saw a dog today.” This line reminds me that if I am ever having a bad day, I need to look at the small things in life to cheer me up. A simple thing such as seeing a dog makes peoples’ day. Instead of thinking negatively, look at the happy minor details of your everyday life. Without movies in my life, I do not know where I would turn to. I highly recommend everyone to start watching movies in their free time and find their favorite ones to watch while they are feeling down.
I have watched many movies throughout my life. Some I barely remember, but others have lines that have stuck with me over the years. One of my favorite movies is A Cinderella Story. The quote, “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game” was hung on the wall in the diner by Sam’s father. This quote has a lot of meaning to me. It reminds me not to be afraid to try new things. Do not be afraid to fail.
In the Lion King, Mufasa tells Simba, “I’m only brave when I have to be. Being brave doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble.” Simba wants to follow in Mufasa’s footsteps, but Simba was almost killed. Mufasa is trying to teach Simba a lesson, he can follow his father but do not try to get in trouble.
“Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it.” In the Lion King, Rafiki says this. This quote fits in the movie and in real life. In the movie, Mufasa gets killed and Simba runs away and he is told the quote from Rafiki. In life, you are going to make mistakes. You can chose to learn from them or let them define you. I have learned sometimes failure is our best teacher.
In Forest Gump, Forest, says to Jenny, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.” This quote reminds me that even if you have your life planned out, there are many things that you have no control over that can ruin your plans.
“Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind.” In the movie Lilo and Stitch, Lilo tells this to Stitch. Family is extremely important in Lilo and Stitch and in many people’s lives. Without the love and support of our families, most of us would be lost.
In Ratatouille, Remy say, “If you focus on what you’ve left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead.” In the movie Remy leaves his rat family and starts to live Alfredo Linguini. If Remy did not take the chance to go hunt for food he would not be doing what he loved, cooking. In life, if you don’t shake off your mistakes, you will never learn form them.
In Finding Nemo, Dory tells Marlin, “Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.” Marlin is worried he will not be able to find his lost son. Dory gives him hope that eventually his only son will be found. I love this quote because even when you are tired of trying, you have to work as hard as you can and the results will show.
In the movie Annie, Punjab says, “A child without courage is like a night without stars.” In the orphanage, the orphans where loosing courage to speak up to Miss Hannigan. Everyone needs courage and without courage you will not be able to reach your dreams.
Steve Job’s stated in his movie, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” This quote is extremely important to everyone. As seniors, we are all trying to figure out are majors are going to be in college. As we eventually find jobs, it is important to love what you are doing. If you are not happy with what you majored in, keep looking.
In the movie McFarland, Johnny says, “ It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” Johnny is telling his team to try the best they can and to give their best effort. I like this quote because if you go into a situation thinking you will be defeated, you will. It doesn’t matter who you are, you can do whatever you want if you put the work and effort into it.
Stephanie Whitfield Purple....
Many movie quotes can relate to real life, it is just a process of understanding and interpreting them in your own way. One of my favorites quotes is from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it". In this quote, it makes you see that life is about if you don’t see the little things and don’t look at your surroundings. Then, later in life you’re going to look back and realize you missed out on years of fun, possible friendships, and possible opportunities. Also, another favorite quote of mine is from Happy Gilmore, “The price is wrong, bitch.” This quote is ironic, because Bob Barker used to be the host of the famous game show, “The Price is Right”. This quote is also funny, because after Happy punches Bob Barker, this old man gets up, brushes himself, and punches Happy in the face showing that an old man can take care of himself. While also after kicking Happy’s butt, he says “I think you’ve had enough.. Bitch”. Proving that standing up for yourself is more beneficial that just taking it, even though he did kick the crap out of Happy.
Stephanie Whitfield Purple....
Many movie quotes can relate to real life, it is just a process of understanding and interpreting them in your own way. One of my favorites quotes is from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it". In this quote, it makes you see that life is about if you don’t see the little things and don’t look at your surroundings. Then, later in life you’re going to look back and realize you missed out on years of fun, possible friendships, and possible opportunities. Also, another favorite quote of mine is from Happy Gilmore, “The price is wrong, bitch.” This quote is ironic, because Bob Barker used to be the host of the famous game show, “The Price is Right”. This quote is also funny, because after Happy punches Bob Barker, this old man gets up, brushes himself, and punches Happy in the face showing that an old man can take care of himself. While also after kicking Happy’s butt, he says “I think you’ve had enough.. Bitch”. Proving that standing up for yourself is more beneficial that just taking it, even though he did kick the crap out of Happy.
In Anchorman: The legend of Ron Burgundy, he says, “I'm in a glass case full of emotion.” He is literally in a glass telephone booth basically throwing a temper tantrum while on the phone. He says this line in a funny way making his frustration comedic.
Forrest Gump says many great lines throughout the duration of the movie. My two favorite lines are “My mama always said, life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.” and “My mama always said you've got to put the past behind you before you can move on.” In both of these quotes you can see how Forrest was heavily influenced by his mother. He was not as smart as many people but her took the advice of others and made it into his own. He wanted to have something to share with value just like everyone else.
In Austin Powers, Mike Myers says, “Yeah baby, Yeah”. This line is amusing to me because of the expression he used to state it. The entire movie is full of funny jokes but for some reason this line makes me laugh every time. Mike Myers also says, “ Allow myself to introduce myself.” This line shows how highly he thinks of himself. He is being cocky which is comical to the viewers.
Apollo 13 introduced the ever famous line, “Houston, we have a problem.” In this movie Jim Lovell says this because it related back when the space crew had technical difficulties when launching the spacecraft. While this line is not funny, it is a really famous line that can often still used today.
Joan Crawford says, “No wire hangers, ever!” in Mommie dearest. I do not know the background behind this particular line but this line in sampled in two 21 century songs. This is proof that the line has had a lasting impression on generations after the movie was originally released.
In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the terminator says “Hasta la vista, baby.” This line is still popular today and was even used in the popular animated film Shrek.
In Dead Poets Society, John Keating says, “ Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” Carpe diem is a a great phrase to live by and is used by many people in their regular motivational speeches.
In the famous film the Titanic Jack Dawson says, “I'm the king of the world.” This line exemplifies the moment in life that everyone feels when they feel empowered. He felt like he was literally on top of the world and this line is still used in everyday lanuage.
In Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump says, " Stupid is as stupid does". This quote perfectly shows how people act stupid when they do stupid things and don't think before they do anything. Forrest Gump is looked upon as stupid but really he knows more about life than most. "There are no two words in the English language more harmful than good job". Terence Fletcher says this in Whiplash and shows watchers how the words "good job" can really get into people's heads and negatively impact them overall. Amy Dune says in Gone Girl, " When two people love each other and they can't make it work, that's the real tragedy". She talks about how when something so strong as love doesn't overpower differences and disagreements that that is truly the worst possible thing. Jenko says in 22 Jump Street ,"My name is Jeff". I personally love this quote because it is the perfect line to say in this scene and it makes this situation hilarious. Dr. Daisuke Serizawa says in Godzilla, "Let them fight". I like this quote because he's acknowledging that two rivals sometimes just need to fight to figure out their differences and learn from them. Father James Lavelle says in Calvary, " I think forgiveness has been very underrated". This quote shows how America has become very fixated on not forgiving others that we lose sight of the importance of forgiveness. Robert McCall says in The Equalizer, " You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too". I like this quote because it explains how you have to have some bad with the good and that it is normal for it to be this way. Gus in The Fault In Our Stars says, " Apparently, the world is not a wish-granting factory". This line tells us something that we already knew but shows us that we need to still wish for things we really want and need but that we need to realize that it does not always happen for us. Finnick Odair says in The Hunger Games, " It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart. Finn tells us the difficulties of getting back on your feet when you are knocked down and that it truly is hard to get back to where you were. Lucy in Lucy says, "Learning is always a painful process". This tells us know learning may be painful but it is also hard for everyone and that we need to get past that pain to become an intelligent person.
In Napoleon Dynamite, Rex kwon-Do says, “Do you think anybody wants a roundhouse kick to the face while I'm wearing these bad boys? Forget about it." Rex is wearing American Flag pants and trying to intimidate his class. This is very funny because not only does he have the confidence to wear those pants, but also to talk about them in front of his class. I can take that confidence into my own life. Dodgeball: A true Underground Story is a very comical movie. In it, Patches O’houlihan screams at his player: “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball!” This quote is very memorable because I find myself saying it often as an inspirational quote, especially in volleyball.In the movie Talledega Knights Ricky Bobby says, “Dear Lord Baby Jesus, or as our brothers to the south call you, Jesús, we thank you so much for this bountiful harvest of Domino’s, KFC, and the always delicious Taco Bell. I just want to take time to say thank you for my family, my two beautiful, beautiful, handsome, striking sons, Walker and Texas Ranger, or T.R. as we call him, and of course, my red-hot smoking wife, Carly who is a stone-cold fox.” This quote is funny but also sheds light on that prayer is something that is becoming less formal. While it is a scene to chuckle at, it also shows that the art of prayer is becoming less sacred and more of a joke.Harry Potter is my favorite movie. In the Deathly Hallows part 2, and the most powerful quote in it is: “Let’s finish the way we started it, TOGETHER!” This quote gives me chills because it’s a strong message and scene in the movie where Harry faces his enemy and is very brave in fighting him whether he dies or not. It empowers me to be brave as well.
16 Candles is one of my favorite 80’s movies of all time. Long Duk Dong is a comical character in this movie. He is the Chinese exchange student living with the family. When Sam walks into her room, Long Duk Dong falls upside down from the bunk bed and exclaims “What's happenin', hot stuff?” I find myself saying this often because it’s in a funny accent and is catchy and can be applied to many situations. A very influential movie that has impacted many teens through decades has been The Breakfast Club. An important quote that still sticks out to me today is this: “Andrew: My God, are we gonna be like our parents?
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