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Usenet Posted 19 years ago
Screenwriting
American Beauty
I hadn't seen it in years 'til it showed up on cable today.
Golly, what a great movie. All involved seem to be at the top of their game. Spacey, Benning, the cinematography, the music, the rest of the cast, the script...
And the script. Seems like every scene...every goddamned scene... leads up to Spacey's last line, even though you don't notice it at the time.
The seemingly superficial things in the script all drive toward the payoff. The "beauty" is all there in the ugliness and sickness of life.
I remember when I first saw it. I was totally frustrated to think I could never write a movie so good, and totally inspired that "American Beauty" is a movie maybe I could write. Go figure.
Watch it again for the first time.
Joe Myers
"At least I'm not ugly."
Golly, what a great movie. All involved seem to be at the top of their game. Spacey, Benning, the cinematography, the music, the rest of the cast, the script...
And the script. Seems like every scene...every goddamned scene... leads up to Spacey's last line, even though you don't notice it at the time.
The seemingly superficial things in the script all drive toward the payoff. The "beauty" is all there in the ugliness and sickness of life.
I remember when I first saw it. I was totally frustrated to think I could never write a movie so good, and totally inspired that "American Beauty" is a movie maybe I could write. Go figure.
Watch it again for the first time.
Joe Myers
"At least I'm not ugly."
Top answer
[nq:1]I hadn't seen it in years 'til it showed up on cable today. Golly, what a great movie. All involved ...
- [nq:1]I hadn't seen it in years 'til it showed up on cable today.
- Golly, what a great movie.
- All involved ...
- maybe I could write.
- Go figure.
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8 Answers
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[nq:1]I hadn't seen it in years 'til it showed up on cable today. Golly, what a great movie. All involved ... maybe I could write. Go figure. Watch it again for the first time. Joe Myers "At least I'm not ugly."[/nq]
I liked it a lot until I saw Alan Ball's Oscar acceptance speech, where he railed on and on about the plastic bag whirling in the wind.
It seemed like he thought that was the
I liked it a lot until I saw Alan Ball's Oscar acceptance speech, where he railed on and on about the plastic bag whirling in the wind.
It seemed like he thought that was the
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Yaay! Another "American Beauty" thread! One of these days, maybe we can talk about another movie in this group.
Don't mind me. Male PMS.
Cheers,
B
Don't mind me. Male PMS.
Cheers,
B
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[nq:1]Yaay! Another "American Beauty" thread! One of these days, maybe we can talk about another movie in this group. Don't mind me. Male PMS. Cheers, B[/nq]
American Beauty IS male PMS.
American Beauty IS male PMS.
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[nq:2]I hadn't seen it in years 'til it showed up ... the first time. Joe Myers "At least I'm not ugly."[/nq]
[nq:1]I liked it a lot until I saw Alan Ball's Oscar acceptance speech, where he railed on and ... that was the most important part of the film, which suggested to me that he didn't "get" his own movie.[/nq]
I liked everything about the movie except the closeted gay neighbour angle
[nq:1]I liked it a lot until I saw Alan Ball's Oscar acceptance speech, where he railed on and ... that was the most important part of the film, which suggested to me that he didn't "get" his own movie.[/nq]
I liked everything about the movie except the closeted gay neighbour angle
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[nq:1]Yaay! Another "American Beauty" thread! One of these days, maybe we can talk about another movie in this group. Don't mind me. Male PMS.[/nq]
Fine. Would you like to discuss Culture CLub and Wham some more?
jaybee
Fine. Would you like to discuss Culture CLub and Wham some more?
jaybee
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[nq:1]I liked it a lot until I saw Alan Ball's Oscar acceptance speech, where he railed on and ... that was the most important part of the film, which suggested to me that he didn't "get" his own movie.[/nq]
I don't remember the Academy Awards comments, but I heard him on NPR's "Fresh Air" and he expressed amazement at how seeing the plastic bag whirling in the air inspired his script.
It'
I don't remember the Academy Awards comments, but I heard him on NPR's "Fresh Air" and he expressed amazement at how seeing the plastic bag whirling in the air inspired his script.
It'
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[nq:2]Fine. Would you like to discuss Culture CLub and Wham some more? jaybee[/nq]
[nq:1]George Michael never had ME fooled! Wham. Ugh. They made Culture Club sound like Black Sabbath. Cheers, B[/nq]
Go ahead, shout. Shout, and let it all out. These are the things we can do without.
[nq:1]George Michael never had ME fooled! Wham. Ugh. They made Culture Club sound like Black Sabbath. Cheers, B[/nq]
Go ahead, shout. Shout, and let it all out. These are the things we can do without.
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[nq:1]Yaay! Another "American Beauty" thread! One of these days, maybe we can talk about another movie in this group.[/nq]
Funny thing, I think the main function of "American Beauty" was to put Alan Ball on the map so he could do "Six Feet Under". "American Beauty" itself wasn't all that great. It's like the 1990's version of the '70s "Turning Point" or '80s "Ordinary People": films that got a
Funny thing, I think the main function of "American Beauty" was to put Alan Ball on the map so he could do "Six Feet Under". "American Beauty" itself wasn't all that great. It's like the 1990's version of the '70s "Turning Point" or '80s "Ordinary People": films that got a
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