Mickey Free Is Charm Free

 January 29 2023

   He was caught in a No Man's Land. Hated by one side, despised by the other. A victim of border conflict and ancient prejudices. No wonder he rode alone.

Daily Whip Out:

"Mickey Free Is Charm Free"

   On the plus side, he rode a mammoth jack who was even meaner than he was.

Daily Whip Out:

"Mickey Free On His Big, Bad Jack"

The Proof Is In The Telling

   "Dimension means contradiction: either within deep character (guilt-ridden ambition) or between characterization and deep character (a charming thief). These contractions must be consistent. It doesn't add dimension to portray a guy as nice throughout a film, then in one scene have him kick a cat. These dimensions fascinate: contradictions in nature or behavior rivet the audience's concentration. Therefore, the protagonist must be the most dimensional character in the cast to focus empathy on the star role. If not, the Center of Good decenters; the fictional universe flies apart; the audience loses balance.

"BLADE RUNNER: Marketing positioned the audience to empathize with Harrison Ford's Rick Deckard, but once in the theatre, filmgoers were drawn to the great dimensionality of the replicant Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer). As the Center of Good shifted to the antagonist, the audience's emotional confusion diminished its enthusiasm, and what should have been a huge success became a cult film."

—Robert McKee, "Story"

“Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.”

—Pablo Picasso