Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter’s Guide to Every Story Ever Told

In the long-awaited sequel to his surprise bestseller, Save the Cat!, author and screenwriter Blake Snyder returns to form in a fast-paced follow-up that proves why his is the most talked-about approach to screenwriting in years. In the perfect companion piece to his first book, Snyder delivers even more insider's information gleaned from a 20-year track record as ?one of Hollywood's most successful spec screenwriters, ? giving you the clues to write your movie. Designed for screenwriters, novelists, and movie fans, this book gives readers the key breakdowns of the 50 most instructional movies from the past 30 years. From M*A*S*H to Crash, from Alien to Saw, from 10 to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Snyder reveals how screenwriters who came before you tackled the same challenges you are facing with the film you want to write ? or the one you are currently working on.

Save the Cat! Goes to the MoviesTABLE OF CONTENTSAcknowledgements ForewordIn which producer Sheila Hanahan Taylor (American Pie, Final Destination) confirms the success stories of the Save the Cat! method and tells how this may be the best Cat! yet.STC! 2: The IntroductionWhy a sequel? - "Genre" and "Structure" - Plus some Final Words that define terms used throughout the Cat! series.Chapter One: Monster in the HouseThe definition of one of the most popular story types ever, plus breakdowns on Alien, Fatal Attraction, Scream, The Ring, and Saw.Chapter Two: Golden FleeceHow Jason and the Argonauts begat The Bad News Bears (1976); Planes, Trains and Automobiles; Saving Private Ryan; Ocean's Eleven; and Maria Full of Grace.Chapter Three: Out of the BottleMagical analyses of movies using magic: Freaky Friday (1976), Cocoon, The Nutty Professor, What Women Want, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.Chapter Four: Dude with a ProblemThe "dude" is an innocent and in big trouble in Three Days of the Condor, Die Hard, Sleeping with the Enemy, Deep Impact, and Open Water.Chapter Five: Rites of PassageGrowth through pain in stories where "transition" is the obstacle: 10, Kramer vs. Kramer, Ordinary People, 28 Days, and Napoleon Dynamite.Chapter Six: Buddy LoveThe broad range of "love" stories include The Black Stallion, Lethal Weapon, When Harry Met Sally..., Titanic, and Brokeback Mountain.Chapter Seven: WhydunitThe "detective" seeks the dark side and discovers "us" - as seen in All the President's Men, Blade Runner, Fargo, Mystic River, and Brick.Chapter Eight: Fool TriumphantThis "fish out of water" tale stars an underdog we overlook in Being There, Tootsie, Forrest Gump, Legally Blonde, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Chapter Nine: InstitutionalizedWho matters most, the individual or the group? It's Man vs. "the herd" in M*A*S*H, Do the Right Thing, Office Space, Training Day, and Crash.Chapter Ten: SuperheroExtraordinary man faces the ordinary world... and its Lilliputians in Raging Bull, The Lion King, The Matrix, Gladiator, and Spider-Man 2.277 afterwordSo what about Ghost? - How to best use this book to create any story you're working on and make it resonate! Glossary ReduxEven More Terms from the 310 Area Code - An updated slangfest of Cat! phrases explained once and for all, including such new terminology as the "chase to the airport," the "button," the "Half Man," and the "eye of the storm."About the Author