Why do some films work despite using Deus Ex Machina? Robert McKee explains the importance of meaning and keeping the crisis/climax in the hands of the protagonist.

Quotes of the Week

“Myths and fairy stories both answer the eternal questions: What is the world really like? How am I to live my life in it? How can I truly be myself? The answers given by myths are definite, while the fairy tale is suggestive; its messages may imply solutions, but it never spells them out. Fairy tales leave to the child’s fantasizing whether and how to apply to himself what the story reveals about life and human nature.”
 
– Bruno Bettelheim

“When all the details fit in perfectly, something is probably wrong with the story.”
 
– Charles Baxter