Movie Breakdown: Deja Vu

Plot Architype: A Mystery Type [Come Back To]

Page 1: Terrorist Attack

Act I: Doug Carlin begins his investigation of the attack. He begins to make headway, and impress people.

Inciting Incident: Doug becomes invested in female victim, Claire, professionally and personaly. AND Doug finds out his partner was killed in the attack.

End of Act I: Doug accept offer to help with "special" team despite his reservations because of his partner and the female victim, Claire.

Act II, Part 1: Doug works with secret team to begin to investigate attack with their special technology, focusing on the female victim's life. Doug becomes more invested in Claire.

Mid-Point: Doug convinces team to send note back in time. BUT Doug's partner, Larry, finds it instead of him.

Act II, Part 2: Doug and team catch up with the terrorist using their technology and follow him.

Protagonist's lowest Moment: Larry is murdered by the terrorist.

End of Act II: Doug tries to find peace with Claire's death but cannot. He can't let go. So... Doug is sent back in time.

Act III: Doug, in the past, sacrifices himself to stop the bombing, saving Claire and the 500 people.

End: Doug from that timeline meets Claire.

GREAT SCENE: Mid-Point Scene in which the technology is explained to Doug and he convinces team to send the note back.

ODD SCENE: Doug's scene in Act II, Part 2 when he is deposing the terrorist. Dialogue kinda goes all over the place to get to the end that the writer wanted.

ODD SCENE: Claire's funeral at the begining of Act II, Part 1. Is it needed? What's up with the Limo Drivers?

TIMING ANALYSIS: Act III is a bit long 40+ minutes. Otherwise, the movie is timed well.

Movie Review: W. (2008)

I was entertained watching this movie because of the deftness with which the Bush Administration was portrayed (the acting and the dialogue). There are some well done scenes. However, as a cohesive 2 hour narrative, W. fails.

The movie is an exercise in character study of a sort. It intermixes a narrative of the run-up, execution, and immediate fallout of the Iraq War II with a fast-forward narrative of the youth of George W. Bush. These things are interesting to watch in the abstract, but there is no narrative arch taking you through it all.

The life of George W. Bush is a great (i.e. intriguing) story. But the plot of W. makes poor use of it. It stands only an solid exercise in the staging of history.

Grade: C