Barbara Freethy on Movies

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USA Today Bestselling Author, Barbara Freethy, just released her 25th book, SUDDENLY ONE SUMMER, which is the beginning of her Angel's Bay Series for Pocket Books. She's written category romance, single title contemporary, romantic suspense and women's fiction, and her books have received numerous awards, including four RITA nominations and one RITA win for her novel DANIEL'S GIFT. Barbara is thrilled to be starting an ongoing series set in the fictional California coastal town of Angel's Bay, a community rich with interesting characters, historical legends, quilting, and a little bit of magic. You can read an excerpt from her new book at http://www.barbarafreethy.com/.

Hi everyone – thanks to the Pens Fatales for inviting me to guest blog. I’ve been reading through all the great movie lines and laughing out loud. I thought I’d talk about memorable movie themes.

Forbidden love is one of my favorites and I think The Thornbirds plays out this theme in a wonderful way. The love of Meggie Cleary for the handsome Ralph de Bricassart, the ambitious priest, is filled with rich conflict and tormented love. She loves him, but he loves God more. How can she compete? He tries to let her go, but he fails and in a moment of weakness makes love to her. In the end, he still goes back to the church. It’s the ultimate romantic conflict.

Another interesting theme is the “stranger in a strange land” as portrayed in the movie, Witness, with Harrison Ford. A young Amish boy witnesses a murder and the cop, John Book, goes into hiding with them in order to protect them. Their way of life is completely different from his, and through their eyes, he finds a new side in himself.

And then there are the community based movies, often about female friendships, The Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Steel Magnolias, How to Make An American Quilt. All of these movies are about family, relationships, life, death, rebirth. They make you laugh and they make you cry, and I like to do both!

I also love romantic comedies and crime capers. I enjoyed How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days which explores the ways women destroy their relationships with men. I didn’t find He’s Not That Into You quite as good, but I did like the theme that sometimes you have to accept the fact that no matter what you do, it’s not always right.

As a writer, I love to have a theme in each of my books. Sometimes I don’t know what it is until I’m done. In SUDDENLY ONE SUMMER, the first of my Angel’s Bay books, the theme of identity, and hiding from who you are, plays out in almost every thread. The heroine, Jenna, is on the run with her daughter, Lexie. The hero is a burned out reporter who doesn’t think he’ll ever be impressed or awed by anyone in life again, until he meets Jenna, who jumps into the bay to rescue a stranger. Reid knows that Jenna is hiding something. So is he. And telling the truth might be the greatest risk of all.

In my second book, ON SHADOW BEACH, which comes out next April, the theme is about memories and reunions. The heroine, Lauren, goes home to take of her father who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. She’s reluctant to make the trip because her sister was murdered there, and she’s never been back. Her father is clinging to each memory as his mind begins to fail. She’s choosing to forget the very things he wants to remember. And then there’s Shane, her first love. If she dares to go back there, she’s afraid she’ll lose her heart all over again.

In the book I’m current writing, IN SHELTER COVE, out next May, I’m playing around with the question of what’s real and what’s not, and how can you tell the difference?

So in books and in writing, I’m drawn to themes that challenge what we think about ourselves and each other. I love a good time of course – and pure entertainment is fine, too – Knocked Up for example! But I think the movies that stick with me the most resonate on some thematic level.

What are your favorite movie themes?

Memory is a Strange Thing

by Gigi

I've been known to declare that if a character or scene in a book is well crafted, when I think back on it, it'll take me a moment to remember whether I saw it in a movie rather than having read it.

I can almost swear I have seen actor Djmon Hounsou look out over the barren, blistering desert--after the last camel has died, the last drop of water has evaporated, and the dying members of the caravan have realized civilization is a three day walk away--and say stoically: "Only half a day for a running man."

I would swear I had watched this scene on the screen except for the fact that I know I read it in The Last Camed Died at Noon. (It's a dramatic scene. Trust me. You just had to be there.)

That book hasn't actually been made into a movie. Any directors out there reading this? It's a GREAT book.

One of my favorite movies (one that's a real movie outside of my imagination) is a romantic comedy mystery that wonderfully melds the worlds of real and fictional characters.

American Dreamer is the story of an American housewife who loves reading romantic thrillers. She enters a contest to write the best opening chapter for the "Rebecca Ryan" series of novels--and she wins. She's flown to Paris, and an attempted purse snatching leaves her with a bump on the head that makes her think she's the character Rebecca Ryan.

One of the main characters is a writer who writes the Rebecca Ryan novels, so the "real life" mystery of the movie gets mixed up with the plots and characters of the novels.

"I will not be outwitted by a two dimensional character from a cheap romantic thriller!" one of the characters exclaims at one point.

Right before he's proven wrong.

Now THIS is a movie I can also imagine being a damn good book.

Martha At The Movies

Movies are my life.

I mean that literally.

My packed, color-coded planner features movie premieres up to nine months in advance. If possible, I attend the midnight premiere because if you care about a movie, you'll love sleep over it and put your paying-job performance in jeopardy.

My personal life philosophies are peppered with movie lessons. Don't be a pushover. Marty McFly from Back to the Future will vouch for this. Sometimes, you just gotta dance it out. Kevin Bacon had it right in Footloose. Always trust the elderly, wise Asian guy. Thanks, Karate Kid.
My daily life dialogue is ripped from famous movies. Probably my most overused phrase is "No Shame." I say it 24 x 7. If a friend freaks out about gaining five pounds, taking too much vacation or being an obsessive Ren Faire fan, I tell her - hey - No Shame. It's gotten to the point where I've heard my friends echo the sentiment. I bet they have no idea where it's from - Rambo. Lieutenant Colonel Podovsky tells the titular character, "You may scream. There is no shame" while torturing the hell out of him.

I may be more obsessive than the average person. I may enjoy watching the same movies 5, 6, 7, okay, over 100 times (sit on that Sophie and Juliet, ya amateur Die Hard fans). The truth is - I value movies.
I value the way they connect people. The effect they have on social consciousness. Even sub-par piece o' crap train wreck movies. I guess I feel the same way about movies as I do about pizza - even bad ones aren't so bad. Every movie (read: every person, every idea, every book, everything and anything) offers something to someone.

Yeah, yeah, I know - that's probably from a movie, too.

Movie Lines

by Lisa Hughey

“Sarcasm is the refuge of losers.”

“Albuquerque. Snorkel. See I can do it too.”

“I hope you have Hobo stab insurance.”

“Buyers and sellers. Pimps and whores, pimps and whores.”

Out of context, many of these lines don’t have meaning. But give the line the right inflection and rhythm and suddenly it re-images an entire scene and feeling from a movie.

Movies are family time at my house. Movie night equals popcorn and Dots (you eat the Dot in the same mouthful as a big scoop of over-buttered popcorn and that taste of salty/sweet is out of this world) and all five of us snuggled together on the sectional sofa.

Our collective taste is eclectic. We watch everything from sci-fi (Serenity) to R-action adventure (The Movie That Shall Not Be Named–since I promised Martha) to PG-action adventure (National Treasure) to fantasy (Harry Potter) to quirky (Little Miss Sunshine) to sophomoric humor (Accepted) to animated (Titan A.E.). And if we all like a movie it becomes something we watch regularly. My favorites switch. For awhile, National Treasure was my go-to movie if nothing else appealed. All of the above are perennial favorites.

After watching a film over and over, some of those special lines, the zingers that amuse you every time, wiggle their way into your speech patterns like worms into your dirt. The quote is usually appropriate to the conversation but there is a moment where we connect on a deeper more intimate level.

Last week I asked son’s friend if the girl hanging around his house was his girlfriend.

My son was suitably embarrassed. “Mom.” As in, it’s none of your business.

To which I replied, “Fuck you, I’m old I can do what I want.”

Alan Arkin couldn’t have said it better. Friend’s eyes got round and big, thinking we were on the verge of a fight, then son and I started laughing.

So, sure the images are great, but it's the words that I remember and the emotions they evoked that stick with me.



Finally, (I couldn't resist) when you’re in the mood for a Bruce Willis fix....

“Come out to the coast, we’ll have a few laughs.” I promise there will be no guns blazing, but look out for lines flying. “Yippee Cay-Yay Mother Fucker.”


Lisa

ps–Just in case you aren’t sure where these quotes come from:

“Sarcasm....” Greg Kinnear’s character, Little Miss Sunshine
“Snorkel....” Riley, National Treasure
“Hobo stab....” Jonah Hill’s character, Accepted
“Pimps and whores....” Lewis Black’s character, Accepted
“F-U, I’m old....” Alan Arkin’s character, Little Miss Sunshine
Last one is from the movie that shall not be named....

Belated Thanks to Peter Jackson

L.G.C. Smith

I love to confess. Not being Catholic, that means readers must bear with me when the urge hits, as it has today. Movies, guilty pleasures, crushes from afar, questionable judgment calls…

Today’s secret is that I think Peter Jackson is the sexiest man alive because of what he did with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Bar none. If J.R.R. Tolkien were alive, he’d be top of the list. In his absence, Peter Jackson’s skill, meticulous effort, and creativity in translating Tolkien’s epic into film earns my enduring admiration and gratitude.

I have three university degrees in linguistics because when I first read Tolkien at age twelve, I learned that the things about language that interested me most were called linguistics. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis showed me a career path I embraced: language scholars who also wrote stories. LOTR was almost a sacred text for me.

It never occurred to me anyone could do justice to the LOTR books in a movie. When I first heard that production was underway, I scoffed. It couldn’t be done. Not decently. There was no way to capture Middle Earth in all its specific, detailed glory. Nothing would match the images Tolkien had blazed into my imagination

I was so, so wrong. Peter Jackson did it. Not every single detail was exactly as I imagined, but 90% of them were. Best of all, he used Tolkien’s languages! Be still my heart! The images of the Shire and Minas Tirith…perfect. Gandalf’s white robe when he comes back after his battle with the Balrog …exquisite. The battle at Helm’s Deep…heart-rending. I could go on and on and on. Every time I watch these movies, I am transfixed. Captured. Just as I was when I first read the books.

If Peter Jackson were before me now, I’d gush. I’d thank him for these movies. Yes, he’s done excellent work since, and will no doubt do lots more, but the LOTR movies are a gift every time I watch them. They inspire me to keep at the details in my books, because they matter. They make a story sing.

Mostly, though, these movies make me happy. Happy that Tolkien wrote the books, and happy that Peter Jackson and his army of talented, clever film professionals were the ones to make the movies. Happy that words on a page can touch so many lives and give so much pleasure. Happy that grand stories are vital in our lives, whether in books, movies, music, or art.

Welcome guest blogger, Brenda Novak!

Below is Brenda's official bio but I just wanted to add that we are so pleased to have as our guest today, Brenda Novak. She is an amazing author and so giving of her time and her expertise. She is an inspiration!



NYTimes Bestselling Author Brenda Novak has three novels coming out this summer—THE PERFECT COUPLE, THE PERFECT LIAR and THE PERFECT MURDER, the first of which came out just this week! She also runs an annual on-line auction for diabetes research every May at www.brendanovak.com. To date, she’s raised over $770,000. Brenda considers herself lucky to be a mother of five and married to the love of her life.


I just recently attended the PAN (Published Author Network) Retreat at the RWA National Conference in Washington DC , where the opening speaker asked: What do you do when you get stuck? She was talking about what writers can do to break through a creative wall. We were supposed to turn to our neighbors and give them all our good ideas and they, in turn, would give us theirs. I happened to be sitting next to fabulous author Sharon Sala, who immediately turned to me and said, “When I get stuck, I watch that movie… Oh, what’s the name? You know, the one with the waterfall—” And this is where I jumped in. “Last of the Mohicans!” I nearly shouted. “That’s my all-time favorite movie and serves as an endless source of inspiration for me, too!” We laughed, amazed that we’d both fixate on the same movie when there are so many out there (and such an old one, at that). But that’s exactly what a good movie does for me--it inspires me. One problem I’m running into lately, however, is that I’m getting tougher and tougher to please. I can hardly sit through a mediocre movie.



Recently, I rented DOUBT. I watched it with relish, thinking it was really good. But just a few days ago, I heard my husband tell my children that it was terrible. I had to wonder whether we’d seen the same movie! LOL I mean, it might not have been super “commercial” and, in my opinion, could’ve used a bigger, more intricate plot, but there were certainly some surprises in there. It was well-done and thought-provoking, at the least, not “terrible.” But maybe I enjoyed this movie so much because the theme of it holds such fascination for me, which is apparent in most of my books. It basically dealt with the old wrestle between justice and mercy, and it was a little frustrating that they didn’t make it clear whether the priest was, indeed, guilty. I suppose the makers of the movie would argue that whether or not he was guilty didn’t really matter. Even if he was taking advantage of his position, he was being “good” to the boy and the boy desperately needed someone. This made it an interesting study of facets. Anyway, if anyone else has seen this movie, I’d love to hear your opinion. Did you think the priest was guilty? Or did you think the nun too strict and inflexible? She certainly wasn’t much of a nurturer.



I know a lot of people probably want to talk about the new Harry Potter movie. I haven’t seen it yet, but my children were disappointed. They felt it lacked the character development of the earlier films. I don’t plan to see it until I read the book (I just haven’t had time to delve into it yet). Another movie I’d liked to see is the new Johnny Depp flick. I find it interesting that I’m such a big Johnny Depp fan, when most of his movies are “B” movies for me (except CHOCOLAT, which is an all-time favorite—maybe because it deals with the same themes as DOUBT--LOL). Tom Cruise is the one who usually picks roles that I love. Like LAST OF THE MOHICANS, A FEW GOOD MEN is a movie that really gets my creative juices flowing. But then, so is THE LAST SAMURAI, TOP GUN and RAIN MAN.



What’s your favorite movie? And do you find yourself gravitating to similar themes? Do you think this relates to your “core” story, as Jayne Ann Krentz would put it?

Brenda

I'm THE Big Fat Panda

--Adrienne

Its confession time. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately. 

Between work, writing and parenting, I’m pooped. So much so that yesterday when I got home and plopped my butt down on the couch, I declared myself in a deep funk. The kind that makes you feel all foggy and not at all motivated to finish the last of the line edits on that manuscript sitting on your desk cause, hey, how much of a chance do you have of making it anyway?

You know, that kind of funk.

What I needed was a good old-fashioned slap across the face. And today I got it, just how I like it--dressed up as a kids movie. 

Kung Fu Panda. 

I thought at first I would put it on and the boys would watch it while I did some work around the house. I should have known better.

I was sucked in. Being vaguely panda-shaped myself, I related to our hero immediately. A stress-eating misfit chasing his dreams, training even though he knows he’s probably not going to succeed. Hell, even his far more talented friends are having a hard time. 

Nope, doesn’t sound like anyone I know. 

Suddenly I wasn’t watching a movie on lazy afternoon anymore; I was in therapy. I became Po and my life was Tai Lung.  It didn’t even weird me out that I sounded like Jack Black. 

The kids were laughing and karate chopping the couch. But I was into it.

The more I watched, the more involved I became. Every joke and every fight scene. Until the end, when Tai Lung crawls out of his impact crater and tries one last punch at Po, saying, “You can’t defeat me. You’re just a big fat panda.”

And Po answers, “No. I’m THE big fat panda.”

And I came back myself with a big ol’ Hell Yeah.

Sometimes life is gonna try to kick my ass. I get that. The mix of working full time and writing will make me tired. Every now and again, I’m going to worry about how good of a of a wife and mother I am. On occasion the thought is going to creep into my head that I’m never going to make it in this business.

 And when that happens, I’m going to have to stand up, dust myself off and start kicking back. Cause I’m not just some wannabe. I’m THE big fat panda.

Juliet says, "Stay Classy, San Diego"

When I accepted the invitation to become a member of the PensFatales grog, I didn't know my fellow groggers well, with the exception of Sophie and Gigi. And even then I didn't know a lot of their secrets... like the fact that Gigi once played WonderWoman on stage (of course I knew her that way in real life) or that anecdote about Sophie in the Oakland cop bar with a jar of Miracle Whip and a poodle...but that's really more appropriate for another post.

ANYHOO, now that I'm reading my grog sisters' posts regarding movies, I'm happy to note that I'm not the only one who fosters a sneaking fondness for guilty pleasure movies, like Bridget Jones' Diary or Die Hard (I got there second, Martha!) or Anchorman. (You may have recognized the quote in my title, said by a supercilious Will Farrell at the end of every night's broadcast.)

The quote seemed particularly appropriate because I was just down in paradise...er...San Diego, where I was on an Escapist Fantasy panel at ComicCon. This crazy, geeky convention-on-steroids used to be all about comics, superheroes, and graphic novels, but it has expanded to include television and movies that have anything at all to do with fantasy or science fiction. Why not? For a lot of us, movies are our only entree into the world of grown-up comics and graphic novels. I never read Ironman, for example, but I happily watched a buff Robert Downey Jr. (rroowwrr!) just as soon as the story came to a screen near me.Like so many other novelists out there, I nurture a tiny flame of hope that one day someone will see how absolutely PERFECT my books are for the movies. A series about an irreverent, former art forger trying to go straight in San Francisco? Who wouldn't want to see a movie about that? Or a witch with a vintage clothing store in the Haight -- Charlaine Harris, move over!

While at ComicCon, I was assured, I would meet the likes of Joss Wheadon (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame) and Jessica Alba (of...what?... bikini fame?) There was the slight possibility I would share an elevator with a producer hungry for a new project like mine, or stand in line for the restroom with someone-who-knew-someone. Alas, I met some great, talented folks, like my panel-mates: Marjorie Liu (DARKNESS CALLS); Jackie Kessler & Caitlin Kittredge (BLACK & WHITE); Diana Rowland (MARK OF THE DEMON); Sina Grace (CEDRIC HOLLOWS IN DIAL M for MAGIC); and Harry Connolly (CHILD OF FIRE), and got to hang out a little with my friend Mysti Berry and her fantastically talented artist/writer-type guy, Dale Berry (Myriad Publishing).
But the only star I really cared about seeing was Johnny Depp. Oddly enough, though I know he was there, Depp didn't make it a point to look me up. And there were another 100,000 people or so who thought, erroneously, that Johnny Depp was their future husband as well. Weird.

I'll have my people call his people, and set up a meeting.

Good Tastes

I get cravings for movies like I get cravings for food. I know that whole grains and steamed vegetables are good for me, but sometimes I just need grilled cheese, you know?

Take Bridget Jones’s Diary, for example. Maybe it's not a classic, but it’s the movie I want to watch on a rainy day off when the house needs cleaning and the dishes are still piled in the sink. Colin Firth, so grumpy and aloof, and Hugh Grant, so foppishly, annoyingly charming. It does the trick, reminding me that love, declared on a street, sealed with a movie kiss, is what we all want, what our romantic dreams are made of.

Or Strictly Ballroom (I do think this is a great movie). That’s the movie for when I need inspiration, when I’m not sure about what I’m doing, if I’m still headed the right direction. It's the classic Cinderella story, ugly duckling turns to beautiful swan, capturing the prince’s heart along the way. When she calls him a gutless wonder and cusses him three ways to Sunday, all our hearts rise to meet her. We want to be her. We are her.

Practical Magic is my go-to movie for feeling connected. It’s a sister movie. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman—there aren’t two better examples of heroines we want to watch side by side, are there? Sandra, so girl-next-door; Nicole, so glamorous-siren. Even if Aiden Quinn weren’t the hero, we’d watch, but since he is, we swoon.

And Breakfast at Tiffany’s is always right, for every occasion. I can’t think of a moment that it isn’t appropriate to watch Holly Golightly whistle, shrug expressively, and say, "It's easy."

I can enjoy a highbrow indie movie, just like I can enjoy expensive cheese. I’ll get into a soul-crushing documentary with the best of them. But when I’m tired, sleepy, or just plain worn out by the everyday grind, give me a romantic comedy that melts my heart while the American cheese melts into my buttered sourdough.

Topics Coming Soon

05.31.09 Writer

06.01.09 First Lines

06.15.09 Characters

06.29.09 Summer

07.13.09 Creativity

07.27.09 Movies

08.10.09 Food

08.24.09 Deleted Scenes