Welcome to Smart Girls Read Romance. We're happy you stopped by today.
Several things make a movie great; cinematography, characters and memorable lines said at just the right time. These lines tend to stick with us for years after the movie is first released.
- "I'll be back." ~ Terminator
- "As you wish." ~ Princess Bride
- "Here's looking at you kid." ~ Casablanca
- "I'll have what she's having." ~ When Harry Met Sally
- "Show me the money." ~ Jerry Maguire
But what makes a movie line great? Researchers from Cornell University have done a study to see what makes a good line go from normal to having the qualification of Best Movie Line Ever. They created a quiz that they had used to see what other people remember or consider memorable lines. You can take it here and see what you get. I took the test and got 9 out of 12 which is the score the average person achieved. We'd love to hear how many of you were able to recognize, leave a comment below.
NOTABLE POINT: The more general the quote, the easier it is to remember. It called for the phrases to have a generality that
enabled it to be used in a situation outside the movie set. There were
three qualities that the researchers noted as a common ground for all quotes.
- Use of personal pronouns in a quote.
- The quote used “a” and “an” instead of a definite article like “the”.
- The ability to avoid past tense.
via GIPHY
The above three qualities give the quote a generality that was needed to embed the quote in your mind.
Is it the same with book lines?
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
left us with: “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to
say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.”
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie gave us: “All children,
except one, grow up.”
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien caught us with: “In a
hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”
Do you have a favorite book line or movie line you'd like to share? We'd love to hear it in the comments below. Maybe you'll even find one in my new book I Spy a Demon that's part of A Darker Shade of Evil anthology releasing on September 24th.
About I Spy A Demon:
Do you have a favorite book line or movie line you'd like to share? We'd love to hear it in the comments below. Maybe you'll even find one in my new book I Spy a Demon that's part of A Darker Shade of Evil anthology releasing on September 24th.
When twins Cecily and Calder Sizemore’s parents are killed in a car accident they are taken in by Gus and Mae Frost. Raised like family by the Frosts, Cecily’s feelings for their son, Marcel, evolve into anything but sisterly as the years pass.
Cecily always knew something was amiss in the Frost household. Little things belied the calm, peaceful ambiance Mae did her best to portray. Calder tried to warn her things were not as they appeared, but she didn’t want to believe him. But when Calder begs her to leave Des Moines, start a new life away from the secrets, away from the Frosts and away from Marcel, she follows his advice and shatters her heart in the process.
Now she’s been called home for her beloved brother's funeral. There's more to the story than meets the eye. Discrepancies in how Calder died lead her to believe it wasn’t a car accident. And she's not returning to Minnesota until she uncovers the truth.
She’ll have to face Marcel again—the boy who stole her heart when she was eight, the man whose very presence turns her blood to liquid fire, and the man who walks the earth as if he owns every piece of it. He’s always played his cards close to his chest, but this time, he’s underestimated her dogged tenacity. She’ll find out what really happened to Calder, even if it’s her last act in life.
PREORDER A DARKER SHADE OF EVIL NOW AND RECEIVE 13 FREE BOOKS! Send your proof purchase to Muffy muffy@muffywilson.com and she'll send you the page link to download 13 FREE BOOKS!
PRE-ORDER HERE TODAY
PREORDER A DARKER SHADE OF EVIL NOW AND RECEIVE 13 FREE BOOKS! Send your proof purchase to Muffy muffy@muffywilson.com and she'll send you the page link to download 13 FREE BOOKS!
PRE-ORDER HERE TODAY
Great post, Keta! One I think should be there is, "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Now I will kill you." Of course, that's from the same movie, Princess Bride, as the quote you listed above. I have been told that movie is one of the 100 most popular movies ever made.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, and your new book sounds compelling to say the least. You and I are both fascinated by movie lines/taglines and book first sentences. I've blogged about both a few times. *g* From "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." (GWTW) to "Friends don't lie." (Stranger Things), I love a good movie quote. As for books, I've got a collection of favorites from "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." to "Death drove a green Lexus." *g* I love a good evocative sentence.
ReplyDelete"Go ahead, make my day." I can never forget that phrase from Sudden Impact - the Dirty Harry series. And, along with Joan, I like: "After all, tomorrow is another day." [GWTW] Thanks for a fun post.
ReplyDelete