“Food Fight!”: Dialogue that replaced “Westward ho!” as American movies ended the long frontier trek and began to look inward for sources of inspiration. Funny names, in general, are a sign of desperation at the screenplay level.
Often imitated never worse than the “ Friday the 13th” sequels.ĭocu-drama: TV term for extended-length program that stars a disease or social problem, and co-stars performers willing to give interviews on how they experienced personal growth through their dramatic contact with same.įirst Law of Funny Names: No names are funny unless used by W.C. Example: “'The Cassandra Crossing,” “'Force 10 from Navarone,” and most films made from Agatha Christie novels.īrotman’s Law: “If nothing has happened by the end of the first reel, nothing is going to happen.” (Named for Chicago movie exhibitor Oscar Brotman.)Ĭrash Scene: Alternative to dialogue substitute for Burt Reynolds’ continuing growth as an actor.Ĭhop-Socky Movie: Any film involving a karate fight and including the line: “Ha! Ha! Now you die!”ĭead Teenager Movie: Generic term for any movie primarily concerned with killing teenagers, without regard for logic, plot, performance, humor, etc. The rule is: Automatically avoid such films. (See also: “The First Chapter,” “The Early Days,” etc.)īox Rule: Useful rule-of-thumb about movie advertisements that have a row of little boxes across the bottom, each one showing the face of a different international star and the name of a character (e.g., “ Curt Jurgens as the Commandant”). Explains to knowledgeable filmgoers that the movie will concern, for example, what happened in the Amityville house before the Lutzes moved in. Beginning, The: Word used in the titles of sequels to movies in which everyone was killed at the end of the original movie, making an ordinary sequel impossible.