| Danny ( @ 2006-04-18 09:02:00 |
Snakes on a Plane
So, why all the fuss over Snakes on a Plane? Seems to me that the movie, which has become a cult classic before it was even released, relies wholly on the title. Samuel L Jackson said that he only agreed to be in the movie because of the title, after all.
Why is the title so attractive? Because the title is the pitch. If two guys walked into New Line and had to pitch the movie in five words or less, that's what they'd say. 'It's about...it's about...snakes on a plane!".
I was asking Susie whether there have been any other movies that embody the pitch in the title, and nothing else.
Brief Encounter?
My Dinner With Andre?
Strangers on a Train?
Close, I guess, although I'm not sure that an executive could base a contract on any of those based on the title alone. Snakes on a plane works because you pretty much know exactly what's going to happen. No room for conjecture. The idea is so silly that making it the title of the movie highlights the inanity of the formulaic Hollywood action format. Take a random danger, and a location, put them together, and fill in the blanks in the script.
Will I go to see Snakes on a plane? Hell, yeah.
So, why all the fuss over Snakes on a Plane? Seems to me that the movie, which has become a cult classic before it was even released, relies wholly on the title. Samuel L Jackson said that he only agreed to be in the movie because of the title, after all.
Why is the title so attractive? Because the title is the pitch. If two guys walked into New Line and had to pitch the movie in five words or less, that's what they'd say. 'It's about...it's about...snakes on a plane!".
I was asking Susie whether there have been any other movies that embody the pitch in the title, and nothing else.
Brief Encounter?
My Dinner With Andre?
Strangers on a Train?
Close, I guess, although I'm not sure that an executive could base a contract on any of those based on the title alone. Snakes on a plane works because you pretty much know exactly what's going to happen. No room for conjecture. The idea is so silly that making it the title of the movie highlights the inanity of the formulaic Hollywood action format. Take a random danger, and a location, put them together, and fill in the blanks in the script.
Will I go to see Snakes on a plane? Hell, yeah.