“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (the movie) - Young girl with an odd name defeats a violin-playing creep, finds love.
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (the TV show) - Young girl protects her town, saves the world.
Continuing to slog through my Renaissance drama library…
The Duchess of Malfi: A man has issues with his sister’s husband.
The Shoemaker’s Holiday: Businessman benefits from the deaths of many.
Edward III: After being rejected by the woman he loves, the king dons women’s undergarments and takes it out on the French.
(Okay, I don’t remember if the Garter story is dramatized in the play, but it was too much fun to pass up.)
The Riverworld 10 book saga:
Richard Burton (Not the actor) dies, and is reborn over and over on his quest to find the secret of riverworld, after years of struggle he succeeds, only to be written out of the TV adaptadion, replaced by a handsome astronaut.
Phantasm- a group of teens break into a local funeral home & encounter dwarves and a man who has a flying ball.
Things Fall Apart: A man and his family leave town for awhile.
Silas Marner: A man adopts a girl.
Native Son: Bigger Thomas tends a furnace.
Dragonflight: Lessa is in the right place at the right time.
Dragonquest: F’nor is in the right place at the right time.
The White Dragon: Jaxom is in the right place at the right time.
Ender’s Game: A boy goes away to school.
Harry Potter & the Sorceror’s/Philosopher’s Stone: A boy goes away to school.
The Odyssey: Men take a long trip.
Jason and the Argonauts: Men take a long trip.
The Aeneid: Men take a long trip.
Macbeth: Bad things happen.
Titus Andronicus: Bad things happen.
Othello: Bad things happen.
Romeo & Juliet: Bad things happen.
Coriolanus: Bad things happen.
Oedipus Rex: Bad things happen.
Oedipus at Colonus: Bad things happen.
Antigone: Bad things happen.
Medea:: Bad things happen.
Young Frankenstein A young doctor comes to grips with his heritage.
Brilliant! I love it! (slash lover)
Lost In Space A space-travelling family discovers there’s no place like home.
- Bean * An employee of a London art museum oversees the moving of “Whistler’s Mother” to a Los Angeles gallery.
The Princess Bride: A swordsman seeks to avenge his father’s murder.
A Fish Called Wanda A married London barrister has a love affair with a beautiful sexy American woman.
Weird Science Two teenaged boys find a new and exciting way to have fun with their computer.
Blazing Saddles A small town in the Old West gets a new sheriff.
Speed Worst-case scenario of using the public transit system.
Scooby-Doo Some teenagers and a large dog visit an island resort.
Pacific Heights A man rents an apartment in San Francisco.
Some like it Hot two musicians join a band and go on tour
Se7en - Typical buddy cop drama, centering around envy, sloth, pride, anger, lust, greed and gluttony.
Legends of the Fall - Family drama that takes place in Montana. Nice cinematography.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Martial arts flick.
Fargo A plan to raise money goes awry.
Two real ones from the television listings:
Memento - Barmaid and friend help man search for his wife’s killer.
Moulin Rouge! - Courtesan falls in love with young writer, but continues to string along a duke for his money.
I could hardly do better than that, but I’ll try:
Memento - After wife’s death, man gets unusual tattoos.
Moulin Rouge! - Toulouse-Lautrec and friends put on a show at the famous nightclub.
And a few more:
The Rocky Horror Picture Show - Retired science teacher unexpectedly encounters former students while investigating his nephew’s disappearance.
Victor/Victoria - Struggling soprano finds love with a gangster in 1930s Paris.
Donnie Darko - Troubled teen saves the universe with the help of a giant time-travelling rabbit. (I think this movie may be impossible to summarize without missing the point.)