Summer Stories: Movie Version

You might laugh at me in this post, and I really don’t care, but these are the movies I watched (or rewatched) this summer with storytelling that really stood out to me. What, you mean you didn’t watch them a decade after they came out in theaters for the first time? Well, good for you. I like to let them sit for a while and gather ratings. I’m kidding, I didn’t know half of these existed. Now you can laugh.

Unbreakable

What’s it about?
Another Shyamalan masterpiece (now a rare piece) that mimics The Sixth Sense. Only this time it’s about the potential existence of superheroes and villains in everyday life, and how one man’s subtle abilities come to light when he is the sole survivor of a train wreck.

What’s so good about it?
I can’t say this movie was particularly engaging or exciting. In fact, it bored me most of the time, but what stuck out here was the ending. It was an example of a superb twist revelation, short and sweet. Again, quite like The Sixth Sense in that respect.

Curse of the Golden Flower

What’s it about?
The Empress of China is being poisoned by her husband for sleeping with his son, and she plans a coup to overthrow him.

What’s so good about it?
The setting and costumes are absolutely gorgeous here, but it’s also rich with drama. The kind that just makes you say, “Oh, man.” Maybe it’s too much, but that’s what makes it so good. It goes from simmering turmoil to a full-blown bloodbath in one sitting. The timing for flipping a switch like that has to be well executed, and they did it right.

Snow White and the Huntsman

What’s it about?
In this version of Snow White, Snow is a captive of the Evil Queen who escapes only to be hunted down by the Huntsman. But he’s got a soft side and decides to help her fight the Queen when he learns the Queen lied to him about bringing his wife back to life.

What’s so good about it?
The best part of this story was really the magic. It was creative and dream-like, exactly what a fairy tale should be, while remaining dark at the same time. This was a movie that had an entertainment factor, which is really the point of storytelling.

Love Me if You Dare

What’s it about?
Two children play a game of dare that lands them in trouble time after time, but as they grow older, so do their troubles, until they drive them apart.

What’s so good about it?
This story is borderline masochistic, I have to say, but what makes it work is that the ending makes you question your own life. Is it too mundane or can you afford to take some “dares,” no matter how extreme?

There will be a book version of this post out, likely next week (and maaaybe a song version, we’ll see). Keep an eye out!

-The Story Addict

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