Cake, however, conspicuously absent

My resolve to finish this factum by first light on Monday (deadlines are always sexier when they are made to first lights) is seriously being threatened by the beckoning of several movies released this weekend.

There's Marie-Antoinette, because I'm always up for a trip back to Versailles. I spent hours on the grounds back there in 2003, eventually finding myself at Marie's childhood snack bar where I got a pretty awesome ice cream bar. Oh and the architecture is cool too. (Versailles' edifice, of course, forming the title graphic for this blog.)



Then there's The Prestige. I already know how this one ends because, like any good law student, I did my reading a year ago. Nevertheless, I'm hoping some elements are changed and David Bowie as Nikola Tesla shouldn't be missed.

Finally there's the Clint Eastwood film, and I'm contractually obligated to see his films since his Unforgiven still ranks in my desert island top 5. Of course, what nobody's reporting is that Eastwood made two films during this time, the second a Japanese-language and Japanese-perspective film of the Battle of Iwo Jima, so I might just hold out for that one.

Which brings me back to factum work. I'm trying to convince myself that writing a factum maybe is like a movie, or isn't that far removed from screenwriting. (Work with me here.) It's a story based on true events, there's far too much money involved, characters are well-developed, and the bad guy gets it in the end.

You're right, that analogy doesn't work. Point-first writing makes for some anti-climactic storytelling - like listing "Starring Bruce Willis as the Ghost" in the opening credit reel.

And I just want some popcorn. I bet the Versailles snack shack would have some.