Two-Seam Titles

[poorpete]

I mentioned on the latest MLT podcast that I love titles that were what the pitch for that story must've been.

Eg. you're in a pitch meeting with a Hollywood bigwig and you're like, how about a Hotel... for Dogs! Or how about Snakes... on a Plane!

I assume Alien vs. Predator was sold on its name alone.

Can you think of other examples, book, music, cleaning products, otherwise?

[Elle]

I don't think I get it... do they all have to have dot dot dots... and then something else? Cleaning products? Like... Lysol... when you're going to wipe it up too quickly to kill the germs for real but it makes you feel psychologically better to spray something on it?

[Mike]

The idea is that someone has a great idea for a movie, and when they try to pitch it, this is the one line attention grabber that sells it and gets people to actually listen. And then somewhere along the line, everyone just started using the pitch as the actual title.

"Okay, you know how genre mashups are all the rage, right? Where here's my idea... can't miss... wait for it... cowboys vs aliens! Practically writes itself, doesn't it?"

"Let me give you just one word: Sharknado! Amiright? It's a tornado... full of sharks. There's no way this can miss."

[Tahlvin]

Kinda like Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, or Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

[Mike]

YES!

Although, I give a pass to Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. That was a novel first, and it was a sort of literary experiment. "Can I take a public domain novel and without changing the content of the novel, just add zombies." The title, in that context, sorta works for me.

But Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is exactly on point here. I really wish I'd thought of that one.

I think a lot of movies with "vs" in the title fall into this category as well: Freddy vs. Jason, Monsters vs. Aliens, Ash vs. the Evil Dead, Sharktapus vs. Whalewolf. I was going to say ALL movies with "vs", but then there's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.

[Kyle]

Helen Keller versus the Nightwolves.

[poorpete]

I like these!

Also was thinking...
"Fight Club"
"Batman Begins"
"Escape from Alcatraz"
"How to Train Your Dragon"
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"

My friends at Star Wars Minute suggested on twitter: "Star Wars" hehe.