Movie Crush Monday: CT & Sneakers
Caitlin and I are coming off of a three day writing binge, so naturally we're in the best possible mood. This is a sweet spot for us as writers. We're filled with the high that comes from doing what we love- working out the kinks in a storyline, filling in dialogue, watching characters come alive on the page. Plus, we haven't dived yet into the inevitable writer downswing.
So in the spirit of feeling good and fantastic writing, my Movie Crush this week is 1992's heist movie Sneakers.
That's probably a bit of a misnomer, because Sneakers is more than just your average heist movie. It has a little bit of everything that makes the nerd in me excited: spies, long-term grudges, a team of misfit ex-criminals, SIDNEY FREAKING POITIER...
Sorry I got a bit carried away there. But seriously, this movie is awesome. Basically, Robert Redford leads a team of "specialists" (ex criminals, ex military, etc.) who are hired to break into companies... by the companies themselves, to show where the weaknesses in their security lie. That's all well and good for them until someone from Redford's past comes back to drag the team into a storm of Russian spies, unbelievable tech, and conspiracy theories.
Now if you think that sounds like a bit much, I think in the hands of a lesser writer and director you'd be right. That's a lot of plot elements to juggle, but this movie makes it work. The plot is complex, but never convoluted, because you can track the characters and their motivations the entire time.
Now we have to talk briefly about the cast. This is the kind of movie cast that I'm not sure how anyone pulled together. Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier (said in a much calmer voice, thanks), Dan Aykroyd, David Strathairn, Mary McDonnell, Ben Kingsley, River Phoenix... It's basically a who's who of actors Little C and I would cast as anything they darn well pleased. And they look start to finish like they're just having the time of their lives.
I like to think that the movies Cait and I love are slowly building themselves up inside of us, and that we'll be able to learn from them how to handle the various situations that we'll need to write in our careers. And Sneakers is definitely one of those movies, the ones that are a masterclass in screenwriting.
Happy watching!
CT
So in the spirit of feeling good and fantastic writing, my Movie Crush this week is 1992's heist movie Sneakers.
That's probably a bit of a misnomer, because Sneakers is more than just your average heist movie. It has a little bit of everything that makes the nerd in me excited: spies, long-term grudges, a team of misfit ex-criminals, SIDNEY FREAKING POITIER...
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| No one will ever be as suave as this man. |
Sorry I got a bit carried away there. But seriously, this movie is awesome. Basically, Robert Redford leads a team of "specialists" (ex criminals, ex military, etc.) who are hired to break into companies... by the companies themselves, to show where the weaknesses in their security lie. That's all well and good for them until someone from Redford's past comes back to drag the team into a storm of Russian spies, unbelievable tech, and conspiracy theories.
Now if you think that sounds like a bit much, I think in the hands of a lesser writer and director you'd be right. That's a lot of plot elements to juggle, but this movie makes it work. The plot is complex, but never convoluted, because you can track the characters and their motivations the entire time.
Now we have to talk briefly about the cast. This is the kind of movie cast that I'm not sure how anyone pulled together. Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier (said in a much calmer voice, thanks), Dan Aykroyd, David Strathairn, Mary McDonnell, Ben Kingsley, River Phoenix... It's basically a who's who of actors Little C and I would cast as anything they darn well pleased. And they look start to finish like they're just having the time of their lives.
I like to think that the movies Cait and I love are slowly building themselves up inside of us, and that we'll be able to learn from them how to handle the various situations that we'll need to write in our careers. And Sneakers is definitely one of those movies, the ones that are a masterclass in screenwriting.
Happy watching!
CT
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