Recycling a movie premise

A movie premise is the bottom line of a movie, what it is all about and what the movie comes down to. There are only a handful of movie premises that gets used over and over again. Here are some of the most recycled and overused movie premises.

1. Good VS Evil (Bourne Ultimatum, The Departed, American Gangster, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Spiderman, Superman, Batman, I am Legend, Star Wars, Fantastic Four, The last Nimzy).Sometimes the lines can be blurred and the hero can be the evil one (Mr. Brooks, Perfect Stranger). Or it can even be a case of Evil fighting Evil (Aliens VS Predators)

2. Boy meets Girl (When Harry meets Sally, Pride & Prejudice, Titanic, The Corpse Bride, Scent of a Woman, The Notebook, Stardust, Enchanted, Failure to Launch, No Reservations, Ameli, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, My Best Friends Wedding, 27 Dresses, You've got Mail, Noting Hill, How to loose a guy in 10 days).
This premise can have a twist that the couple doesn't end up together (The Breakup, Prime) or it could be Boy meets Boy (Brokeback Mountain) or Girl meets Girl (Kissing Jessica Stein) or even Boy meets several girls (Alfie)

3. Unlikely Friendship/Partnership (The Bucket List, Shawshank Redemption, You & Me & Dupree, Radio, Driving Miss Daisy, Blades of Glory)

4. Save the World from Disaster (Armageddon, Team America, Volcano, Men in Black, Signs, War of the Worlds, Independence Day)

5. The underdog (Legally Blond, Mean Girls, Sydney White, Hairspray, Shrek, A Shark Tail, White Stripes, Million Dollar Baby, The longest Yard, Coach Carter, The Mask, Charlie and the chocolate Factory)

6. A family comes together (Little Miss Sunshine, The Family Stone, Mrs Doubtfire, Big Fish, August Rush)

7. A quest for something (Fools Gold, Mad Money, The Italian Job, The Da vinci Code, Oceans 11, National Treasure, Pirates of the Carribean, tomb raider)

8. From ugly Duckling to Swan (My Fair Lady, Pretty Women, Never been kissed, 10 things I hate about you)

9. Random killing (House of Wax, I know what you did last summer, Scream, Midnight on elm street, Halloween, Jeepers Creepers, Friday the 13th).

10.Spoof/Satire/ Rip off (Meet the Spartans, Robin Hood - men in tights, Not another teen movie, Scary Movie, Epic Movie)

Writers Block

For the past few months I've been burning the midnight oil - trying to finish the manuscript I'm writing for Pearsons. There were moments where I just wanted to run away, burn the pages that I've already written or use an imperius curse to et the nearest person to me to finish the book for me.

As any writer would tell you writers block can't be avoided. I had a close deadline to work to and I had to think of some quick and very unconventional methods to overcome writers block in a time frame of say half an hour.

How to overcome writers block in half an hour:
1. Take off your bra (we'll that's only if you're a women, maybe if you're a guy putting on a bra would give you some inspiration - just kidding). The only way that I can write is if I'm not distracted in any way. I need to clear my mind and by taking off my bra I gained a sense of freedom. PS: Only try this tip at home not at an office!

2. Invent a snack (the combination of peanut butter and feta cheese on a provita seemed to do the trick)

3. Intoxicate yourself (loads of strong coffee, a sip of wine and chocolate that will get your sugar levels up)

4. Throw a tantrum (scream, cry, kick the door, jump up and down, laugh hysterically afterwards you'll feel much calmer, and it's much better than trying to keep your emotions in)

5. Read about Britney (at the times when I really felt sorry for myself and though it was the worst punishment in the world to write a book I went to Perezhilton.com and read about Britney Spears. You really won't believe how reading about her failed life managed to cheer me up)

6. Change of location (writers get bored of their surroundings and that's the main reason why I got myself a laptop and not a PC so that I can just pack up and go write somewhere else. I even took the bus 3 weeks ago to go visit my parents and to write my book there for one week)

7. Phone a friend (organising your social life over weekends is a must. Once you know you have something to look forward to it's easier to convince yourself to work again)

8. Play useless computer games (the past few months I revisited some of the games that I used to play 8 years ago - Minesweeper, hearts and Solitaire)

9. Just Do it (force yourself to write one word, one sentence and then one paragraph, before you know it you'll have finished your first page)

10. Blog (write about writers block. The AA always tell their people once you admit you have a problem you're halfway there to solving)

I'm starting a book club

A few weeks ago I went to visit my parents and I went along to one of my mom's book club meetings. I was so nice that my sister and I have decided to start our very own book club with a couple of lady friends.

Here is a list of a couple of books that we are going to start with in our book pool. I recommend all of these book if you also want to start your own book club.

1. Sky Burial by Xinran
2. Veronica decides to die and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
3. Q&A by Vikas Swarup
4. The curious incident of the dog in the night time by Mark Haddon
5. The Kite Runner by Khalded Hosseini
6. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
7. White Thorn, Power of one and Jessica by Bryce Courtney
8. The little prince by Antoine de saint exupery
9. The famished road by Ben Okri
10. Making money by Terry Pratchett

The only thing normal in life ...

is the setting on a hairdryer, that's according to my father in law.


















After finishing the book "Veronika decides to die" by Paulo Coelho (same author of the brilliant book - the Alchemist) I tend to agree with him.
In the book Veronika is send to a mental institution called Vilette, after she tries to commit suicide.

At Vilette she discovers that is better to be considered mad than to pretend to be normal by society standards and then end up mad anyway because you are denying yourself your dreams and ultimately the chance to live. ("collective madness is called sanity".)

According to society in this book it is normal to type on the keyboards that we know as the QWERTY keyboard, because most people wrongly assume that it is designed in this way to make us type faster. (It was actually invented to make us type slower because the keyboard keys used to stick together).

Society also thinks that it is normal for a clock to go clockwise (from left to right) and not the other way around. But who says that is normal? I always used to frown at my husband who eats with his knife and fork the other way around than what is said to be "normal" by society's standards. But after reading this book I'm ashamed at myself for wasting my time with petty things that society as branded as normal. So what if he wants to eat with his knife and fork the other way around - who says he isn't right and who says there is even a right or wrong.

So I've made a vow nether to try and be normal again, nether to try and fit into society because "they" think it is right. So far this decision has lifted a huge barrier off my shoulders. In the past I would have worried that my green hand bag didn't go with my pink skirt but now I just don't care. If I like the way I dress, walk, talk, act, think and dream then that's perfect for me. I don't want to be a clone or sheep of society, pressed into a perfect mould like a Stepford wife.

I just want to be me, even if that means people will tell me:"You're mad", at least 20 times a day. I'm ready with my answer - "Thank you that is the best compliment anyone could ever give me."

Gesteelde fone verkoop by Hello Cello Corporation

Laas week moes ek dringend 'n nuwe selfoon koop omdat myne in 'n glas water geval het. Ek het na die naaste plek wat Nokia selfone verkoop gegaan - Hello Cello Corporation in Waverley Plaza.

Ek het gedink dat 'n nuwe prepaid foon my ten minste R2,000 uit die sak sou jaag. Die eienaar het my egter ingelig dat hy 'n Nokia 2600 vir slegs R426 aan my sou verkoop. Ek het hom gevra hoekom is dit so goedkoop en hy het geantwoord: "We have a special". Hy het toe die foon van agter die toonbank gaan haal en vir my 'n Nokia boks gegee. Ek het met my kredietkaart betaal en hy het vir my 'n invoice met die hand uitgeskryf.

Toe ek by die huis kom het ek iets verkeerd begin vermoed. Eerstens die boks wat hy vir my gegee het, het slegs 'n nokia charger bevat en geen papiere of boekie met instruksies nie. Daar was dus geen waarborg op die foon nie en al die ander pre-paid fone wat ek gekoop het, het altyd met 'n waarborg gekom.

Toe ek die foon aansit was daar reeds 'n Welcome message op in Afrikaans. Die foon se message inbox was ook vol boodskappe en die Calendar was vol reminders om die kinders by die skool te gaan haal. Toe sink dit in - dit is seker 'n gesteelde foon wat ek gekoop het.

So as 'n waarskuwing moet nooit na die Hello Cello Corporation in Waverley Plaza gaan nie!