Monday, September 29, 2025

TODAY'S NUGGET: The Locked Room (unproduced) - Why This Creepy, Haunted, Twisty, Pull-of-the-Past Psychological Thriller is Smashingly Great

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[Quick Summary: George, the executor of his childhood best friend Fanshawe's literary estate, gets Fanshawe's work published, but is...
Monday, September 22, 2025

TODAY'S NUGGET: This Man, This Woman (Unproduced) - One of The Best at "Can't Live With/Without You" Emotional Gridlock

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[Quick Summary: After many years apart, a film director and a sculptor (who were once married)  unexpectedly meet again on a plane.] Though ...
Monday, September 15, 2025

TODAY'S NUGGET: The Scarlet Letter (1926) - How a Series of Images Conveys Meaning Without Words ("Cinematic Language")

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[Quick Summary: After having a baby out of wedlock in the 1600s, Puritan Hester refuses to name her lover and suffers the consequences.] Q: ...
Monday, September 8, 2025

TODAY'S NUGGET: Vatel, Master of Pleasure (2000) - An Example of How a Comeback Stinger Works (Dialogue Setup-Payoff)

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[Quick Summary: A master steward must ensure a royal visit goes smoothly in order to gain his cash-strapped boss a commission from King Loui...
Monday, September 1, 2025

TODAY'S NUGGET: Twins (1988) - The Purpose of the Energy Flow is to Show Character

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[Quick Summary: A tall, "perfect" man goes in search of his twin, who turns out to be a short, small time crook.] I guess I should...
Monday, August 25, 2025

TODAY'S NUGGET: Trading Places (1983) - Not Tipping Your Hand Right Before a Turning Point (Suspense)

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[Quick Summary: A homeless man and a broker have their lives surreptitiously swapped, all for a measly bet between two rich old men.] This b...
Monday, August 18, 2025

TODAY'S NUGGET: Married to the Mob (1988) - How to Not Lose the Reader, Despite Various POV

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[Quick Summary: After her mobster husband is murdered by his boss, Angela is determined to make a new life with her son, but the mob won...
Monday, August 11, 2025

TODAY'S NUGGET: Rachel Getting Married (2008) - Example of How Biting Wit & Humor Both Connects and Isolates

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[Quick Summary:  Kym, who has been in and out of rehab, is allowed out of her recovery home for her sister Rachel's wedding.] Q: What ma...
Monday, August 4, 2025

TODAY'S NUGGET: National Treasure (2004) - What Sets Apart the Escalation in This Blockbuster Action Film

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[Quick Summary: A historian treasure hunter races against mercenaries who are also looking for the lost Templar treasure.] In my hunt for mo...
Monday, July 28, 2025

TODAY'S NUGGET: Fracture (2007) - When Anthony Hopkins is Thrilled that Ryan Gosling Can't Find the Right Gun (Motives & Tension)

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[Quick Summary: A prosecutor is pitted against a diabolical suspect who freely admits to shooting his own wife, but the gun on the scene is ...