Fafhrd on 4/6/2008 at 18:17
I was taught that a MacGuffin was an object that set the plot into motion, but ultimately has no bearing on the overall film. The Maltese Falcon being the prime example (and actually being where the term was coined, as the prop of the falcon was referred to as MacGuffin by the prop team), the stolen money at the beginning of Psycho, the ice skate case in Ronin, the Pulp Fiction case, etc.
The various Indiana Jones artifacts don't meet the criteria because they all play an integral part in the climaxes of their respective films, the ark melts all the Nazis and allows Indy and Marion to escape, Indy uses the Sankara stones to escape from Mola Ram, and they teach him a healthy respect for the power of mysterious artifacts, the Grail saves Henry, Sr., and the crystal skull does all sorts of ridiculous stuff and acts as a handy deus ex machina for any tight spot.
Morte on 4/6/2008 at 20:01
The crystal skull's too active in the plot to be a proper one, I agree, but the other ones don't do anything outside the resolution, which is sufficiently non-involved to qualify in my book.
Gingerbread Man on 4/6/2008 at 20:12
You dongs need to stop saying "MacGuffin" Jesus Christ
We get it, you read film blogs the rest of us proles have never heard of
But, more importantly, it's a fucking stupid word for a grown-up to say
Stitch on 4/6/2008 at 21:25
So is ukulele, but what else are you going to call those small, stringed instruments?
Brian T on 4/6/2008 at 21:48
Globules does it for me.
Gingerbread Man on 4/6/2008 at 22:23
true dat :thimb:
rachel on 4/6/2008 at 22:39
For the record, I don't say McGuffin myself, I just pointed out that use of the term seems justified. :p
Aja on 5/6/2008 at 02:14
Quote Posted by Stitch
So is ukulele, but what else are you going to call those small, stringed instruments?
And it's actually pronounced oo'-kuh-lay-lay.
Rogue Keeper on 5/6/2008 at 07:32
Quote Posted by Fafhrd
I was taught that a MacGuffin was an object that set the plot into motion, but ultimately has no bearing on the overall film.
Swell, I guess the fire in Universal Studios would make a great MacGuffin for us.
That lot sets industry into motion, but ultimately the destructive fire has no impact on bohemian debate of cinematic enthusiasts in this thread. :thumb:
jimjack on 7/6/2008 at 02:50
Aliens, prairiedogs, tarzanshia, (actually bet he'd make a pretty decent spiderman when tobey quits) the villian, sfx..
I saw this film and found it to be entertaining. Is it anywhere as good as the first or the third. No. However it did not suck balls like the second one did.
One thing that TOD and TCS have in common..you can fall from extraordinarily high heights in an inflateable raft/duck and always walk away in one piece..even from airplanes!
