Alice in Wonderland is one of the greatest stories of all time, with arguably the best story world ever invented. It is also notoriously difficult to turn into a film. And the reasons all have to do with the script. The most recent version of Alice, written by Linda Woolverton, is the

Mixing genres is the fundamental story technique of mainstream Hollywood moviemaking. If you want to play in that league, you need to master the technique. But be warned. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you end up with a big mess. Watchmen left me with a strong sense

It’s easy to underestimate the fantasy form, especially when it’s a Disney family picture like Enchanted. But writer Bill Kelly knows his genre and its potential, especially when it’s mixed with other forms. Enchanted is really a combination of fantasy, fairy tale, r

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the 5th book in the most popular work of fiction in history. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that this phenomenal success has come in the fantasy genre, but it does. In Hollywood, fantasy is a genre that rarely stands alone; it is usuall

The teller of tall tales takes on a tough task (besides risking too much alliteration). The tales have to be exceptionally creative, because they are supposed to surprise and delight. But their fabulist nature also makes it more difficult to affect the audience emotionally. The audien

The Truman Show is a perfect example of how much money a “high concept” movie can make. It’s also a textbook case of how shallow a high concept movie can be if you don’t find the right structure to express the inherent themes. That this movie is being heralded

This is certainly one of the most imaginative pictures in a while, and it hits the structure steps of a detective story quite well. It has an incredible connection between the real characters, or real actors, and cartoon characters. And yet, if you were like me, it doesn’t seem