tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13294573.post1263545287594045060..comments2024-03-28T11:52:29.432-04:00Comments on Cockeyed Caravan: Storyteller’s Rulebook #100: Theme = Good Vs. GoodMatt Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07319984238456281734noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13294573.post-10135136940657985832011-10-14T13:24:13.840-04:002011-10-14T13:24:13.840-04:00Thanks, Matt. That's an illuminating way of p...Thanks, Matt. That's an illuminating way of putting it with respect to BREAKING BAD, a show which was very much on my mind when I wrote the question.<br /><br />I'd say that crime stories, horror stories and serious literature and theatre can utilize the bad vs. bad conflict more easily than most film and TV.<br /><br />David Mamet has some very similar ideas about the nature of dramatic conflict in his writings. And for thinking of the theme as a kind of central argument of the story, Brian McDonald's INVISIBLE INK is also quite useful.j.s.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13294573.post-52015770951782824852011-10-14T03:53:28.288-04:002011-10-14T03:53:28.288-04:00This is an excellent point that doesn't get ma...This is an excellent point that doesn't get made enough. It is so often the difference between a bad popcorn flick (nazis are bad, americans are good) and a truly great movie (does it make sense to risk the lives of several men to save one private ryan under special circumstances?.) Million Dollar Baby comes to mind too -- is it more humane to kill her or to keep her alive? You should have to struggle with the answer to that all-important central question in thematic movies.Jeff Moskowitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15310943723657343369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13294573.post-20764049142955001962011-10-13T23:08:35.887-04:002011-10-13T23:08:35.887-04:00Yes, that can work too, but it's more rare, an...Yes, that can work too, but it's more rare, and inevitably more depressing. The first two seasons of Breaking Bad are basically a dilemma of evil vs. evil: for-profit health care vs. drug dealing. Donnie Brasco is lies and betrayal vs. loyalty to the mob.Matt Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07319984238456281734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13294573.post-77114190214166462692011-10-13T22:41:47.787-04:002011-10-13T22:41:47.787-04:00Your post is about a clash between two "goods...Your post is about a clash between two "goods," but can a film or TV story ever sustain itself through a conflict between two competing and equally unpleasant "evils"?j.s.noreply@blogger.com