D

I love DVD’s. Home theater, surround-sound, waking up the neighbors. And the special features, how did we live without those? But honestly, the best thing about putting in a DVD is watching the clock. I’ve always been a student of film; I live it, breathe it, teach it. Three Act Structure, Sequences, and Plot points are second nature to me, but I still love the validation that the clock delivers. You’re watching a Rom-Com, and you call out the inciting Incident. Take a look at the clock; I bet you’re 12 minutes in. It’s a drama, and you spot the Lock-In. The clock…

Screenplay Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance Movie Time: 107 minutes 1. INCITING INCIDENT His successful brother Philip (Chris Messina) is vacationing in Viet Nam with his wife and kids, and so Greenberg (Ben Stiller)—ex-musician, now a carpenter, fresh out of the asylum—has Philip's expansive Hollywood Hills house all to himself. He's there to housesit, dogwatch, and build a dog house while the family is away. The boredom drives him crazy in short order and he invites Ivan (Rhys Ifans), his best friend from back when, over to hang out. (00:14:53)