Movie Summaries
 

After all those poetry summaries for the Speccie comp, I find myself with a bad case of encapsulitis. So this morning I was lying in bed composing limerick encapsulations of movies, and I thought those of you with OCD might like to join me in this pointless exercise. They don't have to be limericks, I guess. ±16 lines. Sorry, no £ or fiver. Just fun. (I hope.)

Here are mine:

The Sound of Music

She thought being a nun was a snap,
but the nuns said "Maria, that's crap!"
So the abbess, quite canny,
said she must be a nanny.
And that's how she became a von Trapp.

The Sixth Sense

A shrink whose marriage was ending,
with many a plot twist impending,
met a young boy who said
he saw folks who were dead,
and then – well, I won't spoil the ending.

Thanks for the idea, Marion.

A college grad hears that a plastic
Career would be something fantastic.
When his girlfriend gets mad
That he’s done like her Dad
With her Mom, his solution is drastic.

Rick seems the least moral of men,
But he does noble deeds now and then.
When another man’s wife
Re-enters his life,
He elects not to play it again.

Well, I recognize "The Sound of Music", "The Graduate" (I presume), and "Casablanca", but what's your second one, Marion?

My sixth sense tells me it may be a Bruce Willis movie.

There was a young Brit who became
An Arab in all but his name;
He said "It is grand
To march through the sand
But where can I find me a dame?"

Psycho

Robbing safes gives a feeling of power -
Who would think it of such a fair flower?
If you’re fleeing the fates
In a motel named “Bates”,
Just be careful when taking a shower.

North by Northwest

Roger Thornhill’s mistaken by spies
For George Kaplan, a figment of lies.
When trapped in the Rockies,
His way out - a shock - is
To slide down the President’s eyes.

He's M and I'm I and you're elle
as we ambulate through the hotel,
and play games of Nim,
and speak without vim,
and advertise Coco Chanel.

What fun, Marion! Thanks for this - but please can we have the film titles with the limericks? They're not all immediately obvious!

The Shawshank Redemption (my favourite film of all time)

Poor Andy is framed, but his head
is screwed on OK! He meets Red,
then escapes through a hole;
Red at last gets parole
and they live rich and happy instead.

Marty’s life in the present day sucks
Until Doc Brown’s capacitor’s flux
Helps him rewrite the past
So his father, at last,
Can have confidence, cool, and big bucks.

La Nouvelle Vague?

Jayne, I added my titles.

As Brian said, Chris's are "The Graduate" and "Casablanca".

Though I haven't seen it, I think Shaun's is "Lawrence of Arabia".

Brian's are "Psycho" and "North by Northwest".

Orwn has me stumped.

These are great!

Jayne I loved Shawshank also. Your limerick does it justice. Although shouldn't you say something about what kind of hole he escaped through? Well, maybe not...

A boy and girl's love is beset
by a hatred their folks can't forget.
The fighting gets gory--
Could it be "West Side Story"?
Or "Romeo and Juliet?"

I haven't seen The Shawshank Redemption, Jayne. I'll keep an eye out for it.

Shadow of a doubt

There’s something a little bit rotten
About Charlie (portrayed by J. Cotten);
Rich widows keep dying,
Detectives are trying
To catch him ... the rest, I’ve forgotten.

The Third Man

In post-war Vienna, where crime
Is endemic, the crook Harry Lime,
On the run from pursuers,
Is trapped in the sewers -
His death is for real this time.

Chris emailed me with a great name for these:

FILMERICKS!


The Wizard of Oz

In a setting of bleak monochrome,
a girl with a penchant to roam
takes a journey unplanned
through a colorful land
and learns that there's no place like home.

FILMERICKS is excellent!

An alternative might be "LIMERFLICKS", although I'm not sure if the word "flicks" is used by Americans for films. Actually, I'm not sure if it's still used much by the English these days, but when I was a kid, I always looked forward to "going to the flicks".

Marion, had you thought of suggesting this as a competition to the NS or Spectator?

Oh, this thread is SUPERB, Marion! Thank you so much for kicking it off; it's such a splendid idea I'm surprised the NS or Speccie haven't come up with it.

Like Brian, I always used to (and occasionally still do) say I'm going 'to the flicks' - so I think "Filmericks" and "Limerflicks" are both great names for this fun exercise. You've really started something!!!!! :D

Brian,
The Shawshank Redemption is based on a Stephen King short story called "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" and in various polls comes up time and time again as being in people's Top Three or Top Ten Films; I've watched it no end of times and never tire of it. DO get a copy from ebay or Amazon!

Jayne

Yes, The Shawshank Redemption is fantastic. It's been at the very top of IMDb's top 250 for many years (sometimes alternating the top spot with The Godfather), and I've seen it at least four times. It's powerful, occasionally brutal, and definitely redemptive.

By the way, I think "Limerflicks" is a perfect title for these. Great idea, Marion! And mine was indeed based on Lawrence of Arabia, specifically about how there are literally no women credited in the entire film (but it remains one of my all time favorites despite that fact).

A patrician eats oyster and snail
(Metaphoric for two types of tail),
And puts down a slave
Uprising -- a brave
Rebellion, but fated to fail.

The Help (I read the book then saw the film recently; both excellent.)

Black ladies are skivvies for whites,
which leads to bad feelings and fights.
The film is well done;
it's sad but great fun,
and focuses on Civil Rights.

The snooty girls might always say no--
Napoleon carried the day though
when he showed the whole school
that a nerd can be cool,
and everyone voted for Pedro.


I know. You try rhyming Pedro.

And which film is this, Marion?

I'm so slow at recognising some of these that I'm reiterating my plea to all:

The title of the film that prompted your Filmerick/Limerflick, please.

Jayne

Grief is taking its toll on Paul’s mind.
He wants sex, the anonymous kind.
Before Jeanne pulls her gun,
Paul has S&M fun
When he butters her up from behind.


Jayne, I know I've been posting these without film titles. I'm not trying to be a jackass. (Well, I don't have to try, do I? It comes naturally.) It's just that a lot of the fun for me lies in the challenge of sketching the film recognizably without actually saying the name. I'm pretty confident that there wasn't much mystery about my other four limericks. This time I'm less sure. So I'll be happy to provide the title if it's needed.

The dreams of a famous director
who's blanking behind the projector,
give each silly gaffe
in 8 1/2
a self-referential specter.

A shrink with a keen appetite
Helps the FBI gain some insight
As they hunt a slayer
And serial flayer.
But he’s scheming to take flight and bite.

Aarrgghh! Chris, it's too much like hard work, trying to work out these titles, which is why I always strive for an easy life.

Marion's: no idea
Chris' post # 23: no idea
Pedro's: no idea
Chris' post # 25: Aha! Got that one - Silence of the Lambs

1 out of 4 is pretty poor :o

Jayne

23 Last Tango In Paris

24 Otto e Mezo

OK, Jayne, I said I'd provide the title for my post #23 poem if needed, and I'm as good as my word -- Last Tango in Paris.

I hope Marion and Pedro will forgive me for giving away their titles. Marion's is Napoleon Dynamite, a U.S. cult film that may not have made much of a splash on the British cinema scene. Pedro's is a Fellini title that's right there in his fourth line.

Oh blow it! I thought it was "Last Tango in Paris", but then I talked myself out of it!

OK, I'll re-count and give myself 2 out of 4.

Jayne

We cross-posted Chris. Napoleon Dynamite means nothing to me, nor does the Fellini film, so I don't feel quite such a dork now ;)

Jayne, I agree with Chris, it's kind of fun to guess and have to guess. Anyway I left out my last title because I'm curious to see how many people if any recognize this underrated little gem, which I've seen about 3 times and never get tired of. (I see Chris got it - "Napoleon Dynamite")

Chris's #19-- "Spartacus"

Damn it! This combination of two of the most delightful art forms is proving quite lethal. And I have no one to blame but myself.:o

A king and his pal had a very
enjoyable time making merry.
But it came to an end
when the king made his friend
the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.

Though charming and lacking pretense,
this movie defies common sense:
half telling of dreams,
the other half seems
to be one long dream of suspense.

Though Shark does not ride in a limo,
he's still the threat numero primo;
it's not unlike here,
in Eratosphere,
when all of us go finding Nemo.

This is so fun. Thank you for the thread, Marion!

Pedro.

For hundreds of millions, methinks
they'd veer from a screenplay that stinks,
but thinking again,
there's not much to pen:
a boat hits an iceberg and sinks.

I think extra points should be awarded to entries that begin "In a world...".

David R.

To an upper-class chateau they came
For a weekend of shooting at game,
But emotions grew hot,
And poor André was shot -
Still, it's all in the rules of the game.

(Sorry about the duplicate rhyme. For years this was my No. 1 film. It eventually got knocked into second place by "Sansho Dayu", which I'm not going to attempt.)

She takes lovers, it seems, on a whim;
Will she settle for him, or for him?
Though she’s married to Jules,
She can’t live by the rules,
And she dies in the river with Jim.

And another from Brian's favourite's director:

A man takes his wife and his daughter
For a lovely day out on the water
But while he's off fishing
The ladies go swishing
Their skirts a bit more than they oughter..

What a beautiful little film that is, Ann.

There are bandits and sword-play and grain
And a bloody last fight in the rain.
It starts off with seven
But four go to heaven
And Hollywood did it again.