Your Underwear is on the Highway. K-Mart.

I went to my classes today and actually enjoyed them. I'm not sure when this began, but it might have something to do with a trip I took to the health food store on Friday. Anyway, we talked this morning about the business of being a screenwriter and how you can actually make a decent (though no doubt frustrating) career of writing movies that may never be produced. In makeup class we worked on discovering the highlights and shadows of our own faces by shading in line drawings of completely unisex faces. It took me a while to figure out what was what, but the end result was decent, even if I came out looking like a prepubescent version of the Predator. This afternoon in Chinese was pretty good, too. I feel like I'm definitely at the top of that class, which is a strange exhilaration for my language studies. I also feel really laid back in there, and that the prof and I are able to kind of feel each other out.

The Ice Storm of 2009 hasn't exactly produced like it promised, and school went on like normal today. I'm hopeful for a sheet on ice on the road for tomorrow, though. I mean, not in a dangerous way, just in a school-closing way. There is certainly enough water on the ground from the rain all day today. It was supposed to be colder than it has gotten tonight so far. There was even the rumor of snow forecast for tonight. But so far, it doesn't seem like much is really brewing. The mercury is resting at 34 degrees. Sigh.

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I had to make a list of 10 movies that I love for Script Analysis. These aren't necessarily the 10 that I think are the best I've ever seen, but they are the ones I'd watch if I were sick and stuck at home for a few days. They are in no particular order.

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Directed by Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Written by Michael Arndt
--This movie combines several of the taboos of modern society into the components of a dysfunctional family on a mission. Olive wants to compete in a junior pageant, Dwayne is a recluse who reads Nietzsche and wants to be a fighter pilot. Frank is a fallen academic who has attempted suicide, Richard is a failed self-help author, Sheryl a multiple divorcee, and Grandpa is a cocaine addict. The characters are a bizarre and entertaining mix of what it is to be a post-modern American family.

Aladdin (1992)
Directed/Written by Ron Clements, John Musker
--The characters in this movie are the definitions of hero, villain, sidekick, mentor etc. Aladdin has a pure heart and pure love in pursuing Jasmine, but his background gets in the way. The Genie provides mentorship along with a vehicle for Robin Williams to reference everything from Ben Hurr to Jack Nicholson. The exotic setting and a world where magic is real and used for good make (plus the amazing soundtrack) make this movie a favorite.

Good Will Hunting (1997)
Directed by Gus Van Sant
Written by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon
--Will Hunting is both a genius and an everyman. His story of mathematical gifting along with growing up as a poor, average Bostonian provide a window into the emotional life of someone with insecurities and unhealthy relationships along with that of one who has the potential to rise above his circumstances. Another Robin Williams vehicle, this one with references to sports and psychology, the cast members each have individual scenes to shine.

Zoolander (2001)
Directed by Ben Stiller
Written by Ben Stiller, Drake Sather
--A movie about male-models cum international terror weapons is one for the ages. The silly, often bawdy comedy uses physical and verbal humor, along with sight gags to create a surrealistic world. Ben Stiller as Derek Zoolander is a mental blank slate programmed to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia. The fights to recover him and to keep him from an assassination involve convolutions that only work in a world of this kind of fantasy.

My Fair Lady (1964)
Directed by George Cuckor
Written by Alan Jay Lerner, George Bernard Shaw (play)
--This movie reminds us that social class is a construct and that with a little song and dance even Rex Harrison is fun. Eliza Doolittle is a flower girl in the street who takes lessons in proper English from Prof. Higgins. A bet ensues that Higgins cannot turn Eliza into a society lady before a ball, and thus Eliza is a pawn instead of a person. Add the 1960’s sets and costumes, plus Audrey Hepburn and a Lerner and Lowe musical, and it’s a force to be reckoned with.

Stranger than Fiction (2006)
Directed by Marc Forster
Written by Zach Helm
--Harold Crick is a character in Karen Eifel’s novel. The problem, of course, is that he’s real, he realizes what’s going on, and she wants to kill him to give the novel a poetic end. This is Will Farrell as the sane bit in an absurd world, and an amazing piece of acting.

Fight Club (1999)
Directed by David Fincher
Written by Chuck Palahniuk (novel), Jim Uhls (screenplay)
--A story told out of sequence because the protagonist has split personalities, this movie is action-filled, but it also keeps the viewer guessing. The apocalyptic philosophy and the slick editing make this movie a perennial favorite.

Rain Man (1988)
Directed by Barry Levinson
Written by Barry Morrow (story), Ronald Bass (screenplay)
--The story of a brother rediscovering his mentally handicapped brother and taking over the charge of him for the wrong reasons seems terrible. When Tom Cruise’s Charlie Babbit realizes how much he actually loves his brother, the story turns into a roadtrip escape from the institution.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Directed by Victor Fleming
Written by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson
--When the screen goes from black and white to Technicolor, I always know that the world of Oz is better than Kansas. As Dorothy makes her way along the yellow brick road, meets friends, and finally gets to go back home, I am always transported on the journey with her. The music and the studio sets add a charm that wouldn’t exist if we pretended Oz were real.

What Dreams May Come (1998)
Directed by Vincent Ward
Written by Richard Matheson (novel), Ronald Bass (screenplay)
--Robin Williams carries another movie. This film about heaven and hell reflects a sense that beauty and appearance are not concrete, but they are the stuff heaven is made of. The visuals in this movie are really effective, even if their computer-generation looks a bit dated. At its core, this is the story of a man’s love for his wife, and its depth is breathtaking.

T